by CHIROLU
“Well, I already went ahead and checked us into an inn, so how about we swap info there?”
After that brief exchange, the group started walking again. And seeing all this, Dale gave a sigh.
“What is it?”
“Ah, it’s just... Everything’s progressing so smoothly, like it’s only natural...”
They had done everything perfectly, from opening negotiations with the mayor, gathering information, finding lodgings, and plenty of other trifling matters. The general image of adventurers was that they were combat specialists, yet their negotiation skills were absolutely off the charts.
Dale still looked a bit childish, and when he looked at the adults with something akin to admiration in his eyes, they looked just a bit embarrassed, then broke out in hearty chuckles.
“It comes down to practice, but there’s aptitude to consider, too,” Karel stated.
“After all, there are folks like me and Salomo out there who are disastrously bad at stuff like that,” Scipio chimed in.
“I’m not especially skilled at it, either. That’s why we’ve got a specialist around,” Helmut added.
Hearing that, Dale groaned just a bit. Considering his position, it wasn’t a skill he could just write off as something he didn’t have a talent for.
“You don’t need to be in such a rush. You’ll get the hang of it eventually.”
“But ‘eventually’ isn’t good enough, right?”
“You’ll be fine. Well, I guess this isn’t a completely sure thing, though, so I’ll add a ‘probably’ to that,” Kenneth said with a chuckle.
Dale seemed a bit disgruntled at Kenneth’s comment, his face carrying a sulky expression one might expect from a young man his age.
Seeing that, Kenneth’s gaze softened ever so slightly.
The youth before his eyes was struggling to become a man, but even so he humbly accepted his own shortcomings and kept moving forward, trying desperately all the while to absorb everything he could.
Dale’s unrestrained passion had a nostalgic air to it, like fresh leaves, and the boy looked just a bit dazzling to Kenneth.
Still, it certainly didn’t feel half bad having a kid like that treating the crew as a role model.
They were all well aware of the duty the boy had been tasked with. And at the same time, they had also heard that he possessed the rare skill earning him the title of hero. But regardless of how rare that may be, Kenneth also knew that wasn’t related to the talent of the person in question. Just because someone was a hero, didn’t mean they would become a sword master or possess great skill with magic.
In the first place, the reason the term “hero” came to be was because the person who once saved the nation from a truly vile demon lord and united the surrounding countries was just an ordinary person, not possessing the abilities one would expect of a great champion. That person’s bravery was widely praised, and so ever since then, out of respect for how they became a true champion, those with power that let them oppose the demon lords came to be known as heroes. This became an epic saga that was widely loved, and served as an important part of the nation’s history.
But as for this boy, he would surely have to stand on the sort of harsh battlefields expected of a hero. And there was no way that the kind of requests that came from the highest authorities in the nation would be simple.
So he wanted to be of help to the youth... Though he couldn’t help hoping for some credit in whatever grand epic resulted from Dale’s endeavors. After all, nearly everyone who chose to walk the path of an adventurer had some definite admiration for such things.
And so, Kenneth and his group weren’t exactly unhappy with their role as mentors.
Fittingly for the small port town, the inn that Karel got them into was rather old and small. However, it did look like it was being maintained and properly managed. But on the other hand, it felt downright deserted, most likely because of the current state the town found itself in.
There didn’t even seem to be any other customers around when they grabbed seats in the restaurant on the first floor.
The sight really did make the place feel all the more desolate.
At any rate, the group shared the information they had gathered. When they mentioned their theory that what they had seen was an agate-eyed dragon as well as what they had heard from the mayor, Karel gave a nod.
“That’s pretty much the same as what I heard. The fishermen apparently concluded it’s a dragon, too, deciding to err on the side of caution and just keep an eye on it.”
“The mayor also knows what’s going on, but it’d take time to head for the city, share the information via a temple of Akhdar, and wait for adventurers to arrive. And it would take even longer for the local lord to dispatch soldiers to deal with the problem. It’s easy to say they’re waiting and seeing, but it feels more like they just don’t know what to do.”
“They’d need to offer a heck of a lot of reward money for a request to take down a dragon, too,” Scipio chimed in with an awkward chuckle.
“So the town mayor accepted Kenneth’s request,” Dale said in understanding.
“You need to offer reward money when putting out an extermination request, but that’s not necessary with someone who says they’ll go and do it on their own. Dragon parts hold a good deal of value, so if we sell those off after exterminating it, we should be able to earn plenty of profit. And that’s not even what we’re after in the first place, so we’re fine without getting any reward money.”
Through his negotiations with the mayor, Kenneth secured exclusive ownership of the catch in exchange for not asking for any other payment. And since they would be fighting near the town’s harbor, he also received a guarantee that they wouldn’t be held accountable for any damages that may occur. After all, it was important to consider the risk of their right to their prey being taken as compensation.
“Just to confirm, Dale, does your Earth magic work on the ocean floor, too?”
“Hmm? It’d be tricky to do if it was too deep... But if we’re talking about something like this harbor, it should be doable if I have enough time.”
“Then we should be able to secure footing for ourselves.”
Dale’s Earth magic was definitely a reason Kenneth had judged their conditions to be so favorable.
“Normally our only choice would be to launch long-range attacks at it from atop a boat, but now we’ll be able to drag it out and attack it directly. It’ll still of course be a deadly mistake to underestimate it, but it’s incredibly rare to have such good conditions. We’ve got a real chance of pulling this off, so I can’t see any reason to turn down this opportunity.”
“Plus, it’s supposed to be tasty.”
“Yeah, it’s a legendary ingredient.”
“How exactly do you prepare a dragon?”
Kenneth had been totally serious, but his allies all went and threw their feelings on the matter out there.
After coming to the conclusion that they would gather some more information about the situation tomorrow, they decided to get a meal at the inn’s restaurant. Since no one had been able to fish in the area for a while now, they weren’t served any fresh seafood, which got Kenneth’s fighting spirit even more fired up.
The divine protection Dale received from Quirmizi acted as a safeguard when it came to Earth magic. As long as he was casting magic using that element, he would never use up any mana.
However, since Dale wasn’t primarily a magic user by trade, it took him a bit of time and concentration to activate. And since he was using an even longer chant than usual, the precision required in weaving his mana was significant.
“Oh earth and the spirits dwelling within you, by my name of Dale Reki I order you, shift your form according to my wishes...”
They had first driven the agate-eyed dragon to the center of the harbor using Scipio’s Water magic. It naturally didn’t do much damage to a being with such a high resistance to magic, but it was effective i
n annoying it and getting it to move where they wanted.
With that, the dragon arrived at the point where they were waiting.
In that instant, Dale finished off his chant.
“...Display your glorious strength. <
With that, the ground lifted up from the ocean.
The displaced water turned into a large wave, washing over the surroundings. It was enough to lift up the fishing boats, but when it slammed into the buildings, it burst into white foam.
“Oh earth, by my name I order you, shift your form according to my wishes. <
As he chanted the same spell as before again, the already protruding surface spread out to create even more footing for them.
Before the agate-eyed dragon could even tell what was going on, it was dragged upwards and its usual territory completely vanished. Since it lived in the ocean, its limbs had evolved to prioritize swimming ability. But apparently now that they were touching solid ground, they didn’t have the strength needed to allow it to freely move around as it pleased.
Having cast his grand spell, Dale staggered for a moment in a lapse of concentration.
“You don’t need to force yourself to join the front line,” Karel said from beside the youth, not even looking his way. His gaze remained perfectly fixed on his target, and he released the tension in his bow’s string. The arrow cut sharply through the air, heading towards the beast’s head at the end of its long neck.
“It’s not like I’ve used up my mana... I’ll be fine,” Dale briefly replied as he drew his sword.
Thanks to the dragon’s high magical resistance, the magical device bow that he favored wouldn’t be very effective. And so, he instead went running forward in order to slash at his target.
The three members of the vanguard had gotten moving the instant Dale completed his magic, so they had already reached the dragon. Salomo had made it there first, and he was carefully watching the beast’s wriggling movements while slashing at its gleaming red belly. He landed one blow, then another. With that, the dragon realized what was happening and that these humans were its enemies, and its agate-colored eyes fixated on Salomo. Sensing that, the adventurer chose without a moment’s hesitation to distance himself.
Salomo had realized that his own weapons wouldn’t be enough to land a decisive blow when up against the dragon’s tough scales. And so, he retreated in order to distract the beast along with the magic-using Scipio.
At nearly the exact moment that the agate-eyed dragon’s attention turned towards Salomo, Helmut swung his long spear towards the beast’s softer abdomen.
The agate-eyed dragon let out a shrill shriek.
Even though he could sense the clear resentment in the beast’s voice, Helmut didn’t let up with his attack. Through his countless slashes, a great number of the damaged scales were shaved away and its flesh was cut loose, sending fresh blood flying through the air.
Amongst all that pain, the agate-eyed dragon swung its tail to swipe away its enemies. Even though the beast’s overwhelming weight alone was enough to make it a potentially fatal weapon, Kenneth remained calm and stepped out in front of his allies.
Using his battleaxe as a shield, he warded off the blow from the dragon’s tail. Naturally, that didn’t mean he stopped it directly, but rather intentionally redirected it. It was the kind of maneuver that could only be pulled off through a combination of skill and experience. Scipio also provided Kenneth with magical support, and thanks to the flow of water he created, the threat was kept safely away from any of their allies.
“Dale, can you aim for its neck?” Kenneth questioned, giving that short command.
“I’ll give it a try,” Dale responded, already running while slicing at the beast’s abdomen.
Then, he let loose a basic spell that was one of his specialties, “Oh earth, by name I order you, strike down my enemy. <
The attack magic executed in a different way than it normally would. The sharp conical stone shape usually meant for striking an enemy instead shot up under his feet. The instant that Dale reached the beast’s neck as planned, Karel let loose a barrage of arrows at its head. It wasn’t quite enough to completely rob the dragon of its vision, but it did cause it to reflexively close its eyelids and lose sight of Dale.
“Haah!” Dale yelled out, taking advantage of the opportunity to slash with his sword. He didn’t flinch as he was coated by fresh blood gushing forth from the deep wound, instead driving his blade even deeper.
Having received that critical blow from Dale, the agate-eyed dragon had clearly lost its ability to launch precise attacks.
“Scipio!” Kenneth yelled out to the group’s magic user, not taking his eyes off the beast.
“Yeah!”
The bloodied Dale was sent flying to the rear, cast aside as easily as if he was a kitten.
“Gotcha!” Kenneth yelled out while swinging his battleaxe, predicting the movements of the flailing injured dragon all the while. It was a powerful blow, slashing through the abdomen Helmut had already sliced open.
Unable to bear it, the agate-eyed dragon twisted its massive body, then a second later its head listlessly drooped. It had essentially left its critical injury completely defenseless.
Helmut deeply drove the tip of his spear into the soft flesh exposed by the wound Kenneth had opened wide. At nearly the same moment, Kenneth swung with enough strength for a fatal blow at its injured neck, tearing through it.
With that, the dragon’s massive frame came crashing down, causing the ground under their feet to tremble.
“Dale!” Kenneth called out while turning around, having finally seen the beast meet its end.
“I’m alright,” Dale replied with a light wave of his hand, having had the blood washed off of him through Scipio’s Water magic. “It didn’t get in my eyes or mouth.”
“It’s known as an edible species, so I don’t think there’s any need to worry so much about it. But still, best to be safe.”
There were plenty of magical beasts out there full of poisonous bodily fluids. And when there wasn’t much known about the species you were dealing with, it was especially important to be cautious.
“I cast detoxifying magic too, to be on the safe side.”
“You sure do know a lot of different types of magic for someone who isn’t even a dedicated magic user...” Scipio said in an astounded tone.
“That’s because Tislow’s a blessed land, where it’s not rare at all to be able to use magic,” Karel chimed in with a chuckle as he watched over the first-aid being applied.
“It’s a waste not to use everything you can. Back in my village, studying magic comes right after learning to read and write,” Dale replied as if it was only natural as he brushed aside his dripping wet bangs. Then, he gave the sleeve of his coat a sniff and grimaced. Mentally, he made a note to give it a thorough wash before the stench became a real problem.
“Well then, now we’ve got the real task before us,” Kenneth stated while placing his hands on his hips and stretching.
“Yeah, how are we pulling this thing ashore...?” Scipio asked in agreement.
“Is it alright if I go ahead and put the harbor back how it was?”
“Yeah, but wait till we get out of here first.”
“Right. And Karel, leave the cleanup here to us and go either find a merchant whose services we can buy or a carriage we can rent for transportation.”
“Got it. And I’ll see if I can find a kitchen we can borrow, too. We can’t transport the edible parts, right?”
“Yeah. We’re counting on you.”
Once everyone’s roles were decided, they each set about working on their separate tasks. As he watched Salomo and Helmut tying rope around their catch, Dale wove his mana once again.
Wanting to make things easier for transporting the beast, he used his magic to create a downward slope. He was going to have to fix all this later anyway, and now that he h
ad come this far, this wouldn’t require much extra effort to clean up.
“Are you alright just firing off magic again and again like that?”
“Yeah. As long as I rest a bit, it’s no problem. I mean, I don’t even use up mana to begin with. It just takes a lot of concentration. That’s the one thing I wish I could get used to already,” Dale replied to Kenneth with a light wave of his hand.
And Kenneth really did seem to be able to tell that Dale wasn’t pushing himself, as he just turned to the rest of the group and said, “I think it’d be easier to dissect it a bit up here rather than pulling it down as is.”
“Ah, that’s true.”
“It’d be smart to cut the head off and bloodlet it, too. We’ll get soaked in blood, but we can just wash it off in the ocean later.”
“The smell of the blood won’t attract any sharks or anything, right...?”
“Better that than making a big puddle of blood in the middle of town.”
“I’ll do most of the prep work, but go ahead and skin it, Helmut. And Salomo, you gather up the parts like the nails and fins.”
With that they had their new tasks, and they silently got to work. Dale was taking a break and watching at the time, but perhaps due to his blood as a Tislow hunter getting all fired up, he soon grew restless. Now that he thought of it, it wasn’t often you got a chance to dissect such a large, rare beast.
“Kenneth, let me help too.”
“Right. Think you can help skin it?”
“It’d be my first time with something this big, but I’ve dealt with some large lizards back home.”
“Well, it’s not like we run into ‘lizards’ this big that often, either,” Helmut said with a chuckle.
“Yeah,” Dale muttered, pulling out his knife. “Ah, could I have some scales and stuff later as my personal share?”
“I don’t mind, but why?”
“Because I figure the craftsmen back home would be excited about such rare materials. So I was figuring I’d send them along to give them something to discuss.”
“I see.”
Even as they chatted, they didn’t slow down their work in the slightest. And so, the massive, menacing dragon was steadily divided up into chunks of meat. In fact, the beast’s fate had likely been sealed when it was first declared to be a delicacy.
