Chapter 604: The Source of Their Fame
The Adventurers’ Guild in the royal capital served as the headquarters of the Adventurers’ Guild for the entire Kingdom of Sart. With the dungeon Babylon located there, it naturally attracted many talented adventurers.
At present, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the upper ranks of this guild were effectively dominated by the group known as “Black-Gold Wings.”
A year ago, just as Tauro and his team disappeared, a group claiming to be affiliated with “Black-Gold Wings” appeared. Using Tauro’s authority as an honorary viscount, they gained access to Babylon and began achieving remarkable feats, outperforming even veteran high-ranking adventurers.
These were, of course, the dragonfolk.
Out of gratitude to Tauro—who had once saved their lives—they worked diligently as subordinate adventurers of “Black-Gold Wings,” completing guild requests while steadily progressing through the dungeon over the past year.
Even seasoned adventurers who had long explored the dungeon often found themselves helped by the dragonfolk, and many recommended them for promotion without hesitation.
As a result, in just one year, when people spoke of the strongest adventurer group at the guild headquarters, “Black-Gold Wings” was the first name that came up.
On top of that, most dungeon items brought onto the market came from their group. These items were so rare that simply adding “Discovered by Black-Gold Wings” to an auction listing was enough to drive prices sky-high.
That was how influential they had become in the royal capital.
So when the leader of “Black-Gold Wings” and his original team suddenly appeared at the guild after a year’s absence, it was only natural that it caused a stir.
“Is that the leader of ‘Black-Gold Wings,’ Honorary Viscount Giro Sugar? He’s just a kid…”
“You’ve only been here six months, right? Even before he disappeared, his team had plenty of achievements.”
“Yeah, the strongest teams back then were trying to poach Giro Sugar for their own ranks. And now, in just a year, they’ve become the top group.”
“But when I looked up their ranks, the leader’s team was only B-plus, right? Meanwhile, the subordinate members shot up to A-plus in no time. Some say they’ve accomplished legendary feats—there’s even talk of the first S-rank adventurer in decades. But that leader’s team doesn’t look like it’s on that level…”
“Idiot. The leader’s role is to unify the group. He’s an honorary viscount, after all. The fact that those monsters follow him—that alone is impressive.”
The adventurers whispered among themselves as they watched Tauro and his party.
“…The dragonfolk have been so active, it’s starting to make our own abilities look questionable…”
Tauro muttered with a wry smile to Aeris beside him.
“…I’m surprised too. All of them reached A-rank in just a year, right? Dungeon activity really earns a lot of points.”
Aeris commented from a slightly different perspective.
There were restrictions on entering the dungeon, such as being a first-class adventurer and having permission from the royal family, but thanks to Tauro’s position, all the dragonfolk had been granted access despite lacking prior achievements.
It was, in a sense, a forceful use of authority—but it worked only because the dragonfolk had the ability to back it up.
Thanks to their overwhelming performance in the dungeon, they were promoted rapidly.
Tauro’s team had also grown stronger through training in the “Dragon’s Den,” but they still couldn’t match the dragonfolk, who had trained there for years, so a direct comparison was difficult.
Just then, the dragonfolk themselves entered the guild, likely there to make a report.
Other adventurers looked on with admiration at these powerful figures.
And then—
“““Lord Tauro!?”””
The dragonfolk noticed Tauro and quickly gathered around him.
“You’ve returned! Thanks to you, we’re close to conquering Babylon!”
“It’s good to see you again—have you been well?”
“Ragune, are you properly protecting Lord Tauro?”
“Lady Aeris, you look well!”
“We heard you left the ‘Dragon’s Den’—wait, you went to the north? How was it? …The Empire? I see, the clan chief already knows. We must hurry and finish Babylon to prepare.”
They spoke eagerly, one after another, surrounding Tauro as though a hero had returned.
The normally quiet dragonfolk speaking so animatedly was a rare sight in the guild, causing an even greater commotion among the adventurers watching them.
“…So even if he’s a kid, he really is their leader… This is the first time I’ve ever seen them talk this much!”
“Same here! Are they actually friendly?”
“No, it’s because it’s him—the honorary viscount. That just shows how strongly they recognize him as their leader.”
The surrounding adventurers watched with shining eyes, as if witnessing something extraordinary.
“Ah… everyone, let’s move to a private room in the back.”
Unable to handle the attention, Tauro led the dragonfolk into a special room at the guild.
There, they briefly discussed the progress of conquering Babylon and the handling of the items obtained there.
“Wait—you’re not putting the most valuable items up for auction?”
The dragonfolk nodded.
“Yes. The most important items are being stored in the village warehouse as your property, Lord Tauro.”
“You don’t have to do that—you can use the valuable items freely. We’ve just been training this past year…”
After confirming with Aeris and the others, Tauro gave his permission.
“No. We serve under you, Lord Tauro. And we’ve been properly compensated.”
They all nodded with calm smiles.
Not one of them even considered keeping any of the proceeds for themselves—a testament to the dragonfolk’s strong sense of honor.
They possessed enough power to potentially destroy the nation if they wanted, yet they never abused it.
They understood restraint—and above all, they valued loyalty.
As Tauro watched them, he once again felt deep gratitude toward the dragonfolk.
At the same time, he realized he needed to seriously think about what to do moving forward.