3 idiot chapter 124
Episode 124. The Dragon, Once More
Izley, a specialist of the “forest.”
His request was simple and straightforward.
He wanted to observe our “hunting” for a few days.
“Ahhh… this really feels right.”
“Is that about the armor? Or the forest?”
“Well, definitely both. Feels like we’re back.”
We once again donned our familiar “black armor” and stepped into the forest.
That beautiful branch chief told us something like, “I’ll be sending a letter to the country you all came from, so if there’s anything you want to say, write it down.” But she also said we’d make it in time after this job, so it should be fine.
Up to this point, everything was good.
“Leader! Why did you bring those totally unqualified people!?” (Tln: Bruh)
“Yeah, seriously! Just looking at them, you can tell they’ve got zero caution or experience! Total amateurs!”
“Not only are they trying to stand out in that ridiculous armor, but weren’t they just at the sea until yesterday!? They’re only going to be a hindrance!”
The unwelcome atmosphere was absolutely overwhelming.
Behind us were the forest specialists that Izley had brought.
And all of them were up in arms, confronting Izley, who stood at the front.
“…Silence.”
Just one word from the rugged, shaved-bald man silenced them all.
Ohh~ So cool.
Really felt like a leader.
Unlike how he was when talking to us, Izley was now sharply glaring at his companion with a stern expression.
His equipment: a well-worn full-body armor and beast pelts.
And slung across his back was a massive axe—the very image of a barbarian hunter.
Nice. He looked more like a “hunter” than anyone I’ve seen before.
And yet, he was our complete opposite.
While we chow down like it’s a competition, this guy—despite his size—uses chopsticks with deliberate care.
The last time we ate together, he was so quiet and precise, it was like there wasn’t even a sound.
Maybe he’s someone with a clear divide between his inner and outer self?
As I was watching him and pondering that…
“Hey! You lot!”
A boy came striding toward us, swagger in his shoulders.
Then he slapped my chest plate and said:
“If you’re going to be a burden, we’ll leave you behind! I don’t know why you cozied up to the leader, but the forest ain’t easy! Amateurs like you will definitely be crying uncle before a day’s out!”
“I told you to stop that!”
“Gh—!”
Scolded by Izley, the boy glared at us, looking like he still wanted to say something, but reluctantly turned to leave.
I instinctively grabbed his shoulder.
“Sorry, kid. I get it—outsiders sticking their nose in can make things tense… but just bear with us for a bit. We’ll do our best not to drag you down.”
“A-as long as you get it, then fine!”
Watching the boy run back to his comrades, I let out a long sigh.
“About the same age as that lot?”
“Looks like he’s around Noin’s age.”
“Impressive. He really carries himself with the pride of a pro.”
As the three of us watched him with warm smiles…
“Kuh, kuhuhu… Amateurs, huh? They’re really laying it on thick. I suppose I’ll have to show them just how ‘different’ we are…”
One of us was grinning darkly.
With a second sigh—this time for a different reason—I said:
“Minami, what that kid said wasn’t wrong. Don’t let it get to you.”
“But—!”
“We are amateurs when it comes to this forest. Are we not? Don’t get cocky or you’ll trip yourself up. Was the forest we lived in so easy?”
If you let your emotions take over and narrow your focus, you’ll be the one hunted.
That’s the kind of forest we’ve survived in.
And so, it’s critical that we all calm down.
“I’m sorry, Master… I got riled up from being provoked.”
I gently placed a hand on Minami’s head as she drooped her ears.
“It’s fine to get angry. But be extra cautious now. We are amateurs. Since we don’t know what might come out of here, keep an even sharper eye on your surroundings than usual. If we mess up and look lame now, that’s when it’ll be truly embarrassing.”
“Yes!”
Minami perked her ears up with a pikon! and I gave a nod, turning my gaze back toward the forest.
Damn, it’s thicker and more humid than ever.
And yet—
“Kou-chan, even with your helmet on, I can tell. Quit grinning so much, or you’ll scare the beasts off.”
“Feels just like the early days, huh? Gets the blood pumping.”
Saying that, the two of them lined up beside me.
Behind us stood Minami.
And then—
“So damp… Aren’t you all hot in that armor?”
[Forest. It’s a forest, Kitayama. I’m expecting something delicious, okay?]
The Saintess herself lined up next to Minami with those lines.
Alright, let’s get started.
It’s been a while since we had a job we were comfortable with.
“Alright! This job’s for three bears! Don’t let them get away—we’re bringing them down!”
“Okaaay! Wait—what!? Three!? You mean thirty, right!?”
“I heard they just wanted to see what we’re capable of, so it’s fine if we catch more.”
“We’ve been underestimated, clearly. Only three, huh?”
“Um, wouldn’t the ones we hunted before reaching town be enough?”
[Nope, Nozomi. We already ate that meat.]
And so, our long-awaited job back on land had begun.
We’d been working out at sea for quite a while, and that came with a lot of restrictions.
But this—this was comfort.
Wherever we run, the ground is solid beneath our feet.
We can move freely, do what we want.
And best of all, we can wear our usual “black armor” again.
"Alrightttt! Let's go, everyone! Time to secure dinner! Looks like we’ll be camping for a while, so if you wanna eat, you'd better hunt something down!!"
"""Roger!!"""
And just like that, we dashed into the forest.
All to find our prey as quickly as possible—
And to hunt it before it could escape.
"Hearty Eater! W–Wait! You can’t just charge in so carelessly! Even small ones can be dangerous magical beasts—"
"Got one! Kou-chan, I caught a snake! What do we do with this guy!?"
"Might not be a 'Royal Serpent'—secure it for now!"
"Oh, there's a bunch of rabbits. Minami-chaan, I’ll herd them toward you. Mind taking care of them?"
"Understood, Azuma-sama. Let's turn them all into food."
"Hiiieee! Spiders! There’s a huge one!!"
[Aahh… Kitayama, sorry. Mind handling it? Nozomi’s really not good with these.]
"Shaaaa!"
[Thanks as always.]
Amidst a chorus of different voices, our hunt continued.
Nice—really nice.
Beasts we’d never seen before, ones that looked delicious.
Every time I saw one, my curiosity only grew.
"This… this is insane…"
The boy who first lashed out at us muttered bitterly, his face twisted in disbelief.
……………………
Anyway, we went on a full-blown hunting spree.
Every magical beast we saw, we hunted.
“Why wouldn’t you hunt magical beasts?”
Believing in the words of the branch manager, trusting that it wouldn’t become a problem.
Still, compared to the old days, there were fewer beasts around.
"Shaaaaa!"
"Three o’clock! Don’t miss it! Those guys are definitely gonna bolt!"
"Leave it to me! I won’t let them escape!"
"Minami-chan, herd them this way! Let’s finish them all at once! Kita-kun, help me out!"
[Breath attack? Should I go with a breath attack?]
"Kana, I really don’t think that’s a good idea… 'Bind'! Got three of them!"
And so the hunt continued.
But man, the stares from behind us were starting to sting a little.
Still, there were so many beasts for the first time in a while—it’d be a waste not to hunt now.
This is the moment to secure our food.
"...Or so I was all hyped up earlier, but…"
Sighhh… I exhaled as I skinned a snake.
Currently, it's evening—just a bit before full night.
I expected that teaming up with other Walkers would mean quicker breaks and faster camp setups, but I didn’t think we’d actually stop this early.
Well, whatever. For now, I’m planning to cook and try some of the local magical beasts.
That said…
"They're keeping their distance from us… big time."
I can’t blame Nishida for sounding exasperated.
We managed to set up our tent near a water source, which is fine—but no one’s coming near our camp.
Yeah, I kinda figured that would happen.
We did go wild earlier today, and now we’re about to eat magical beasts that no one normally eats.
"Well, no use worrying about it too much. For now, we should sample today's haul. After that, what should we do? Guess we’ll have to use our usual ingredients…"
Just like Azuma said, we didn’t catch that many today.
Unlike the sea, there are far more beasts here that flee the moment they sense danger.
Chasing one too far could get you separated from your team. So we’d already resolved to give up on some of them.
Still, didn’t expect the hunting to be this ineffective…
"Can’t be helped. We can’t eat everything we skinned anyway. Want to try that whale and shark meat we had butchered earlier? Might take a while to thaw though… should we ask to borrow a mage?"
"""Heck yeahhh!!"""
The two idiots gave a thumbs-up and cheered, while another quietly raised her hand.
[Kitayama, when are we eating the dragon?]
"……"
It was definitely Kana who raised her hand.
And that tone of voice was absolutely not Nozomi.
Which means… she knows what she just said, right?
"Hey. You do realize that's technically your own body, don’t you? We’ve been holding off, trying to be considerate, even though we really wanted to dig into that thing first."
[Cannibalism’s pretty normal for us, you know? I don’t mind.]
"Yeahhh, no. Let’s mind it, alright?"
[Dragons used to be little things called “winged lizards,” you know? But they kept eating. During the war, with all the corpses piling up, those lizards evolved by consuming the dead. Gluttonous, omnivorous, and ever-hungry. The more they eat, the bigger they get—and eventually, they evolve. Without stupidly long wars, dragons wouldn’t even exist.]
"Wait, what happened to the whole ‘messengers of the gods’ thing?"
[That’s just something the Church made up. I’ve never even met a god.]
With a casual shrug and a light laugh, Kana tilted her head and waved it off.
...Is that really okay?
Like, seriously—is that really okay with you, Miss Dragon?
I sighed in disbelief, but the dragon girl clearly had no intention of backing down.
She was fully ready to eat.
[I wasn’t all that fat, so I don’t think there’s much fatty meat. That’s why I think skewers or lean steak would be the best!]
"Aaahh—I really don’t wanna hear this. Got it, got it, just don’t get so close. Don’t come crying to me later, alright?"
I shoved aside the annoying dragon girl and turned my gaze toward Minami.
"Is this really okay…? And in a place like this, no less."
"There are people watching… but it can’t be helped. We wouldn’t be able to properly butcher it anywhere more cramped than this."
Luckily, the riverside wasn’t cluttered with bothersome trees.
That was part of why we chose it as our camp in the first place.
"Anyway, make sure it's in the direction away from people, yeah? If that big bastard lands on someone, we’re gonna have a problem."
"……Understood. But… will we be able to finish butchering it all today?"
"Sure would be nice if we could…"
If we couldn’t finish, worst case we’d just stuff it halfway through into a magic bag.
With that conversation going, Minami reached into her magic bag and pulled “it” out.
With a thud that shook the ground, the dragon rolled onto the earth.
Its body was still partially encased in what looked like a cocoon, but—
"Alright, you guys! One more job before dinner! I’ll toss you some snacks along the way, so stay sharp and get to butchering!"
"""Dragon steaaaak!!"""
[Dragon steak! Dragon steak!]
"Kana… I don’t even know what to say anymore."
"Um, I’ll go explain the situation to everyone nearby, okay?"
The surrounding area started to stir, and Minami ran off toward Izley and the others.
Yeah… we really should’ve said something before pulling it out.
Sorry about that, I apologized in my heart as we each picked up our butchering tools.
"Alright, let’s get started! …Is what I wanna say, but… where do you even start with butchering a dragon?"
"Like a lizard or snake, maybe? But… the size is just insane."
"Should we open it up from where Kita-kun's spear stabbed it? There’s a crack there. Just a sec—hoi!"
[Oh, the forehead split open.]
"Whoa…"
With various reactions, Azuma peeled back the hard carapace, and Nishida and I cut from the throat down to the belly.
The outer layer was incredibly tough—it felt like the blades might break.
"Master! No! If you cut like that, both the blade and the meat will be ruined! You need to properly skin off the carapace and hide first, then cut along the muscle! It’s this big, so you have to be way more careful while butchering it!"
And just like that, we were already getting scolded by Minami, who’d just returned.
Comments
Post a Comment