Chapter 96: If You’re Looking for a Fight, I’ll Pay a High Price for It
“Farana, drop its legs into the pitfall!”
“W-wait, I know!”
“Farana, focus yourself!”
With Mom’s sharp rebuke came a smack!—she actually slapped her on the backside.
[Into the pitfall… fall!]
“What’s going on—aren’t there even more MONSTERS now?”
“Stop talking and kill them!”
“Damn it all! I’m done with this!”
“I’m out of arrows!”
“Captain! There was a huge explosion over there!”
“Didn’t it look like… someone was floating?”
“Don’t spout nonsense! Focus on the fight in front of you. If you can’t even protect the road properly, the adventurers will laugh at us!”
“Freeze its legs so it can’t move!”
[O earth, seize its legs and harden!]
Hey—just because you can’t do it without chanting due to lack of practice doesn’t mean you can use that incantation. That’s cheating!
“The other side too—hurry!”
[Pitfall… ha!] [Harden… ha!]
“Alright! Nicely done.”
“Even a dragon can’t move like this.”
“Let’s go check it out.”
“Wait—don’t get any closer yet! Do you want to die?”
“Huh? It can’t move anymore, Leon.”
“Did you forget the golden rule of beast hunting? Its tongue is long—if you get close, you’re dead.”
“Right… Don’t let your guard down until the finishing blow.”
“We got carried away by catching a dragon.”
“Fire a Fireball into its mouth and stop its movement.”
“Yes.” [Fireball… ha!]
The Fireball shot into its mouth exploded with a BOOM, and the dragon literally spewed fire before collapsing.
“Did we kill it?”
“Not yet. Thrust a Stone Lance up into its head from under the jaw.”
“Isn’t it already dead?”
“The Fireball exploded inside its mouth—are you saying it’s still alive?”
“If its head were blown off, sure. But with an explosion like that, it’s just injured and unconscious. Let’s finish it quickly.”
“When you’re involved, even dragons feel no different from Horn Boars. Farana, finish it.”
[Stone Lance… ha!]
The Stone Lance pierced straight through the dragon’s head as it lay limp, so I had them release only the fixation on its legs.
“And the Stone Lance in its head too—”
“Don’t! There are people who’ll try to steal the dragon. This makes it obvious Farana was the one who killed it.”
“Dragon slaying sure is a hassle.”
“Leon, it’s safe to approach now, right?”
“Yes. It’s dead now, so it’s fine—but don’t let your guard down and get attacked by other beasts. I’m going to report to the Roxanne guild master.”
“What? Why not Korche?”
“It’s faster to fly to Rosenne than walk to Korche.”
“Then just fly to Korche.”
“The only one who knows I can fly is the Rosenne guild master. If I go to Korche, I’ll get swarmed with questions, and I don’t want that. Stay here and keep up the suppression. See you.”
We’d defeated our third dragon, so I headed for Rosenne, flying in an S-pattern over the forest.
“After killing a dragon, all he does is give a casual goodbye.”
“At this rate, he’ll be sleeping in the grass tomorrow.”
“That does sound like him.”
“Dale! A pack of Fang Dogs!”
“That’s a big one.”
“Good grief—so it’s not over yet. Farana, make a dome!”
“Guild master, Leon’s back.”
“I’m home. The Spike Dragon beyond Korche was taken down by the party Kreis’s Flame and Shield.”
“So there really was a third one. How’s the forest?”
“I checked from above on my way back. The number of beasts hasn’t changed—doesn’t look like it’ll decrease anytime soon.”
“Let’s hear the full dragon story in the dining hall.”
“Huh? I already saw the slain dragon, so there’s no mistake.”
“I’m sure of that—but I’ve got reports too, and I need to teach those guys a few things.”
When the guild master jerked his chin, I turned around to find a crowd of adventurers behind me.
Their hungry stares were scarier than goblins eyeing food.
The guild master draped an arm over my shoulder and dragged me into the dining hall, tossed a few silver coins to a nearby man, and said, “Get two ales. The rest are for everyone else.”
What a generous old fox.
He was clearly using me to raise his own stock. Amid the roaring cheers as adventurers rushed the counter, the guild master claimed the center of the hall.
“The forced mobilization isn’t lifted yet, right?”
“The beasts coming this way have dropped sharply. Olga’s group also reported that most are coming from the Korche side. If the dragon beyond Korche is gone, then—”
“Yeah, I didn’t see any beasts heading toward Jerland either.”
“We’ll probably lift the forced mobilization within a few days.”
A mug of ale slammed down.
“Here you go—for the guild master and the Dragon-Slayer Gentle Breeze.”
“Hey, I was just doing defense support for Mighty Strength. The finishing blow on the dragon was done by Bold and the others.”
“That may be true, but before that you blew away tiger-types and Armor Buffalo herds with a tornado. Olga reported that you also spun the dragon around and nearly killed it.”
Damn it—why’d she have to mention my name?
“Hand over your guild card.”
A hairy hand thrust out in front of me, and reluctantly I passed it over.
“Hoh. C-rank, Silver, Second Class. As of today, you’re promoted to B-rank, Gold, First Class.”
Damn it all—why do I have to become B-rank Gold at nineteen?!
“Whoa—I’ve never seen someone promoted to B-rank before!”
“At that age, he was already Silver Second Class?!”
“That kid’s the ‘Gentle Breeze,’ right? Why was he only Silver Second Class?”
“You don’t know his reputation?”
“He trashed a Warren Trading Company branch, didn’t he?”
“He hunts birds all the time, but he also casually takes down High Orcs.”
“Hah, quite the celebrity. Now—tell us what you saw beyond Korche.”
I never thought I’d end up recounting a dragon fight here, but I was completely surrounded—no escape.
So I started the story as if Kreis’s Flame and Shield had been facing off with the dragon when I found it.
I said I was watching from the air and embellished things a bit for service.
“So what were you doing?”
“I was just watching from above. If I’d descended while they were facing the dragon, it’d have panicked them and ruined the hunt.”
“But even from the air, you could’ve spun it around and tossed it. We’ve gotten plenty of reports from adventurers nearby.”
Damn it—why are adventurers such chatterboxes?
“So, when did you start flying?”
“Uh… I got the idea from something I heard in Faranka Village, when I was carrying documents back. Walking all the way to Roxanne was boring, so I experimented along the way.”
If I told the truth, it’d be really bad—so don’t ask.
Faranka’s too remote to easily verify, after all.
There’s no proof I could fly before that—assuming Gains and the others keep quiet.
After I finished, I set my new guild card on the table. The guild master still looked like he was scheming.
“Leon, since the forced mobilization isn’t lifted yet, I have another task for you.”
“You’re not going to tell me to fly deep into the forest to scout, are you?”
“Relax. The guild isn’t that cruel. You know the dismantling yard is overflowing with slain beasts. Just the Armor Buffaloes you blew away numbered over thirty. Right now, all dismantlers are preparing to process the dragons.”
“Don’t tell me you want me to carry them.”
“That’s later—after dismantling. I’ll lend you the guild’s magic bags. Transport the beasts lying around the yard to the capital.”
Give me a break!
“I refuse. I’m not the guild’s delivery boy.”
The guild master tapped my guild card.
“Disobeying orders means revoking your adventurer license. Oh—and something just came to mind about that tornado of yours. It could be fatal, you know.”
He released killing intent, making the surrounding adventurers stir—then whispered a single word:
“Belna.”
“You think threatening me with revocation over vague nonsense will make me obey?”
“There’s no evidence, and I can’t prove it—so probably not…”
He toyed with my guild card as he spoke.
Quitting adventuring wouldn’t be a problem—but gathering funds to build a house would be a pain, and laundering my money would be even worse.
“I don’t like this. I don’t know how much power you really have, Guild Master, but—”
“Fine. If you don’t like it, I’ll think of another way.”
He slid my guild card back. This was not a man to underestimate.
The guild master and I continued glaring at each other, killing intent in the air. The surrounding men slowly backed away, and the weaker ones collapsed, trembling.
“If you go too far, you won’t live long.”
“I’ll keep that in mind—but don’t do anything flashy.”
“That depends on how you act. Once the forced mobilization is lifted, I’ll leave town. But anyone who’s picked a fight with me has always paid for it.”
“The dragon will be auctioned, so—”
“Mighty Strength killed it. It has nothing to do with me.”
The guild master stood up.
“If nothing happens, the mobilization will be lifted in three days.”
He left the dining hall.
I glared at his back, pouring in the intent to kill—try anything unnecessary, and I’ll end you.