Chapter 48

As we entered the forest, we immediately spotted a bear with a pitch-black body.

It was crouched on the ground, eating a fish it seemed to have taken from the river.

Apparently, black bears only eat the heads of fish, discarding the rest of the body around them.

"...Isn't that the one they were talking about at the Adventurer Support Office?"

Mia whispered, her voice low.

Indeed, it matched the characteristics of the beast known as the 'Head-Eating Black Demon' that I had heard about at the Adventurer Support Office.

It seemed that since its discovery, not much time had passed, and the formal identification was still unknown, possibly because the comparison with past reports had not yet been completed.

It was probably a rare mutant type.

The sudden appearance of unicorns might also be due to something disrupting the magical fields.

In any case, this black bear was a beast that had a bounty on its head.

A considerable reward was expected.

"Two adventurers were eaten by it, I think... Wow, we ran into something strange right away, what a bad start... It's said to be slow, so let's run away before it notices us..."

"Wind Blade"

Magic released from the tip of my staff manipulated the wind, forming a blade.

"Gu...?"

The bear's head, which had turned to look at us, cleanly flew off.

"It's harder than a Gray Bear. This is why mutants are..."

A monster suddenly appeared in what was supposed to be a beginner's hunting ground.

For adventurers, it was nothing but a nightmare.

The top reason for party annihilation was the appearance of mutants, followed by beast disasters.

This beast, being slow, hadn't caused large-scale damage, but even so, two people were already dead, as far as we knew.

Since the timing overlapped, it would have been nice if the adventurers hunting unicorns had taken care of it as well.

"......"

Mia was speechless, staring at the headless bear.

"By the way, Mia, weren't you about to say something just now?"

"N-no, nothing! It was an unnecessary warning for Abel..."

"Is that so? The required part for the bounty is the ear, right?"

I rolled the black bear's head, pressed its temple with my hand, and placed the blade of the wooden carving knife at the base of the ear.

"A-Abel..."

"Hmm?"

When Mia called out to me, I turned around.

"Mia... Actually, I'm just dead weight, right? I can't fight... and I can't do anything..."

"N-no, that's not true..."

I was at a loss when she said it so apologetically.

I felt guilty financially, so it was painful to be put in a subordinate position.

Besides, Mia did a lot for me.

Carrying luggage... and... other things... like carrying luggage.

Maybe I'll teach her some magic when I have the time.

I tried to cut the black bear's ear with the wooden carving knife.

It was hard. Extremely hard.

Even though the magic that hardens the body of a beast should stop when it dies, it didn't at all.

The handle of the wooden carving knife was made of World Tree and possessed great magical power.

It could detect the wavelength of the wood's magic and align with it.

However, it was a knife specialized for wood. Against a beast, it was just an ordinary blade.

I could probably cut the ear with a wind spell, but I also wanted to skin the bear.

However, the wind blade couldn't be fine-tuned enough for that.

I thought the bear's skin might be useful for something...

"Mia! Let me do it! I might be able to do it!"

While I was struggling with the black bear's head, Mia eagerly offered to help.

"N-no, I'm not that weak. I might have a bit less stamina, but I think it's related to my magic consumption and stamina. My strength is fine! I do push-ups a few times before bed..."

Despite Mia's enthusiasm, I handed her the wooden carving knife, thinking it was probably too much for her.

I knew my weaknesses and had analyzed and devised my own countermeasures, like strength training.

When I used the status display magic to check, the numbers barely increased.

I was sure there was a problem with my magic.

The magic to display status was developed years ago, but it had many flaws.

The results of strength training barely reflected in the status, and when I tried to check my magic power, the display would bug out.

I couldn't figure out the reasons, so there was nothing I could do.

The concept of 'quantifying the abilities of living beings' was probably flawed.

I was still working on it, but without fixing the flaws, practical use seemed difficult.

I once had an arm wrestling match with Giselle.

After a fierce battle, I, who was supposed to have a lower strength value, managed to win.

Even though I was drenched in sweat and Giselle was smiling, a win is a win.

I was sure Giselle didn't hold back to let her brother win. Probably.

So, compared to a girl of the same age...

"Abel! I did it! It was a bit tough, but I managed to cut it, Abel!"

"Huh, oh, oh, right..."

"Should I skin it too?"

"Sure, please..."

I followed Mia's instructions and used a wind spell to roughly tear the black bear's body.

Mia started peeling the skin from the tear.

She seemed to have observed Meisen skinning hounds carefully and knew the procedure.

I hadn't paid much attention, but Mia might have been observing to find things she could do.

It was a bit tough due to the amount, and the blade seemed to be damaged by fat and blood, but she managed to finish skinning the bear.

Since we made some money and for future use, it might be a good idea to buy a dissection knife and a whetstone for Mia.

Also, I want to replace the blade of the wooden carving knife.

It's a shame that the handle is made of World Tree, but the blade is cheap and worn out.