3-7 Dragon Slayer

I took his dragon into storage as well, and we returned to the Adventurers’ Guild by teleportation magic.

It was still before evening.

The hour that sometimes brought home the sorrow of missing party members.

Or, for a rookie party barely above amateur level, the hour that served as the prelude to the “black twilight” when no one returned at all.

This was the guild’s training ground—a very large space that also served as the venue for high-rank exams.

“Oh? That was faster than I expected. How did it go?”

In response to Andre-san’s question, I casually dumped out three enormous dragons with a thud.

Seriously, the Adventurers’ Guild training ground was huge.

The ceiling was high, too.

Or rather, strictly speaking, it was less “indoors” and more like a roofed open space.

I doubted it was built for people like me who brought back massive dragons.

Normally, people didn’t have storage—so they only brought back harvested materials, not whole monsters.

The dragons had been drained of blood inside the item box, so the floor didn’t get dirty.

The Guildmaster stared at the triple mountain range that had appeared, clearly stunned.

“Hey, Armon. Why the hell were there three dragons in that labyrinth?”

“I’ve never heard anything like that.”

The Guildmaster narrowed his eyes at the oversized prey as well.

“This is absolutely not good news. You’ve heard the rumors about recent dungeon abnormalities, right? Well, thanks to that, the two of us are officially solo dragon slayers now. And me? I’ve even got the Dragon Slayer W title.”

I declared it like I couldn’t stop laughing, puffing out my chest with a booming guffaw.

But Antonio asked in a serious tone.

“And you’re really satisfied with that? You could’ve gone for the triple too.”

“I got to see something that incredible. How could I not be satisfied? Right, Andre-san?”

“Yeah. Just looking at this battered dragon tells you what a ferocious battle it was. Antonio, you are the pride of Orston House.”

“Andre-brother…”

“Al, put the dragons away for now.”

“Sure.”

At the Guildmaster’s instruction, I quickly stored all the dragons again.

“There are… several problems here. We’ll likely need to report this to the King.”

“Do I have to go again?”

“No, not this time. You didn’t do anything mischievous this time.”

“While you’re at it, tell the King to recommend me for S-rank too.”

“Understood.”

“Mischievous?”

Antonio tilted his head.

“Come on.”

I grabbed him and teleported us together, showing him the magic training ground.

A glass wasteland, shimmering in beautiful rainbow hues under a perfect sunset.

This twilight-orange scenery wasn’t bad either.

The glassed-over earth made it look even more atmospheric.

I made sure to capture it on video.

Man, it really was beautiful.

Looking at it again like this, it was practically artistic.

I’d always loved glasswork.

Back in the day, I used to go to museums in Nagoya just to see it.

I wondered if this world had anything like that.

Maybe I’d look for it sometime.

“You…”

Antonio started with a stunned expression, then suddenly burst into laughter.

“You’re really unbelievable. Seriously… you’re something else.”

When I appraised Antonio’s status, he definitely had the Solo Dragon Slayer title.

When I checked my own status, it read: One Who Wandered In, B-Rank Adventurer, Solo Dragon Slayer W.

For now, I just needed to change that B-rank to A-rank—no, to S-rank.

And then, this time for real, I’d clean those things up properly.

The rumor spread across the Royal Capital.

A rookie B-rank adventurer and the third son of “that” Orston House had slain dungeon dragons.

And that each of them had done it solo.

The story that three dragons had spawned at once also spread quickly.

I went back to check on Eri’s house.

What greeted me was Erin—shoveling pudding into her mouth with total focus.

If that was the case, there was probably nothing to worry about.

The kids were busy making sweets.

Apparently they had been test-making pudding today.

And for pudding, there was a dedicated taste-tester permanently on site.

I had stuffed all sorts of ingredients into the item-box bracelet I gave Eri.

“Where’s Lisa-san?”

I didn’t see her, so I asked the taste-tester.

“She said she had an errand and went out, and Ed went with her. I’ve been watching the whole time—there’s nothing wrong with her health.”

“Good. Then I’m relieved.”

It didn’t seem like there were any issues.

And since this guy seemed to be keeping a close eye on things, that was reassuring too.

He wasn’t freeloading on pudding for nothing, apparently.

“More importantly, Al-san. Is it true you took down a dragon?”

The pudding taste-tester asked with intense curiosity.

“Yeah. If I pass the A-rank exam, S-rank is basically guaranteed. After all, I’ve got the Solo Dragon Slayer W title. Even the Guildmaster, Aaron, rose to S-rank after taking down a dragon with a party.”

“That’s insane. Everyone! Al-san became a dragon slayer!”

“Awesome!”

“So coool!”

“That’s amazing!”

Yeah.

You guys definitely didn’t understand just how insane that was.

Especially the four-year-old and the seven-year-old.

When we returned to the Royal Capital Adventurers’ Guild, Antonio looked a little lost.

“What’s wrong? You look down. You became a solo dragon slayer too. Stand tall.”

“Yeah.

Hey… want to go get a drink now?”

“Hm? Sure, why not.”

As we wandered looking for a place, we found a shop whose front somehow caught my eye.

I could feel it.

No doubt—this was a good place!

I’d never missed picking a shop this way.

If I went in just because it was cheap, it was always a disaster, though.

“Hm? This place?”

“Yeah, let’s go here. I pick restaurants by the way the entrance feels.”

“What kind of logic is that?”

Luckily, there were plenty of open seats.

I immediately spoke to the young waitress who came over.

“We’ve got money, so please choose something delicious for us. And… hey, what about alcohol?”

“Let’s see. Then have them pick a wine for us.”

“Certainly!”

The waitress took our order with a cheerful voice.

A moment later, the wine arrived, carried by a smiling server.

Oh—white.

And nicely chilled.

“A toast to the solo dragon slayer.”

I held out my glass.

“A toast to the Solo Dragon Slayer W.”

He clinked his glass against mine.

A pleasant sound rang across the table.

I loved that kind of moment.

The glass itself wasn’t bad either.

It fit my hand well, and its beautiful design drew my attention.

Back in Japan, I used to roam Nagoya department stores just to look at high-end tableware.

I loved glasses and dishes, so I’d always end up staying until closing as the finale of the day’s outing.

“Mm, this is good. Good white wine is rare in this world. And it’s properly chilled.”

My hunch had been right, and I was extremely satisfied.

Cheers to the Seventh Sense.

Normally, even in the Royal Capital, magical devices just for chilling alcohol were too expensive for ordinary restaurants.

Only the kind of place used by nobles—charging eye-watering prices—would have them.

This place was pricey, but it was worth it.

The food was excellent, too.

The spices were well balanced, the meat was clearly high quality, and the grilling was perfect.

Jackpot.

You could feel the owner’s passion, and as a customer, you couldn’t help but be impressed.

In Japan, it would’ve been plastered all over the internet and packed every day.

I was enjoying it wholeheartedly, but while Antonio ate and drank too, he still looked oddly restless and slightly hollow.

“What’s wrong? You’ve been off this whole time.”

“Hm? Ah—no. I was thinking about my family. About the old Orston count’s house.”

“Oh? So you were nobility?”

“No, I said old. Now we’re just Orston House.”

“Sounds like you went through something rough. So the count’s house had its status stripped. That’s… a big deal. You and your brother survived that?”

“Yeah. There’s a lot to it. Truth is, we did nothing wrong. But someone had to take responsibility. You can’t exactly force a duke’s house to take the blame, can you?”

“Oof. So the family itself remained?”

“My eldest brother… yeah, the firstborn. Andre is the second. Andy always believed he’d earn achievements someday and restore the glory of the Orston count’s house.”

He poked at his food and spoke softly, as if lost in thought.

“Back then, I was really small. It was twenty years ago. I was only two—there was nothing I could do. I was literally carried around by Andy. I barely remember our parents. But I remember his rough hands lifting me up like a father would. Andre was still just a young boy too. He helped where he could, but… In the end, the whole burden fell on Andy.”

“I see.”

I tilted my wine and answered quietly.

“But Andy had terrible luck. Even though Orston did nothing wrong, we got dragged into someone else’s mess again and our business went downhill. And… Orston House completely fell. We lost the manor, and now Andy is staying with an old manservant near our former lands. And me—just the third son—at this point… Thinking that makes it hard to breathe.”

“Why not go show your face to your eldest brother?”

“No… Andy probably has complicated feelings. Thinking about how he feels, it’s not easy for me to just go see him. I want to see him again. To little me, he was basically my father.”

“I see…”

That hit closer to home than I expected.

Even my older sister, whom I used to be close with, drifted away after I crashed and burned.

It wasn’t that she disliked me or avoided me.

She cared a lot—but couldn’t bring herself to reach out.

And there wasn’t much I could do for her either.

She had her own hardships, and a big family besides.

When you care about someone close to you, sometimes that’s exactly when you can’t say anything.

I understood.

My mother was like that with her younger brother—my uncle—after he suffered a brain bleed and became partially paralyzed.

He was her youngest little brother, and she must’ve adored him.

But she probably felt guilty too.

She told me about it sometimes.

And the more time passed, the harder it became to speak.

The length of that silence makes you feel like you’ve failed your family—and that makes it even harder to reach out.

Usually, it ends there.

I drained my glass, paused, and then told him.

“Antonio, become S-rank. And become a count. Build your own new Orston count’s house. Even the King won’t be able to say no to that. Then go see your brother. With Andre-san.”

“…Yeah. That might be the right way. I’m glad I talked to you. It feels like a weight came off my shoulders.”

“First, you’ve got the B-rank exam.”

“Yeah. It’s soon.”

“And the A-rank exam happens every four months, right?”

“Yeah. You’d better keep pushing too. Hah… you beat an Orston. I can’t have you losing. But… is there even anyone who could beat you?”

“I don’t know. Even in the B-rank exam, I never imagined someone like you existed. The A-rank exam probably has monsters everywhere.”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

Antonio nodded like it finally clicked.

“If they still won’t make you S-rank after you become A-rank, then let’s go hunt two or three more dragons—no, five or six, just for style! That Adros place will probably reset by then too.”

“Yeah, let’s do that. Hahaha.”

That was a genuinely good smile.

He looked like he’d be fine now.

That kind of thing always felt good to see.

And now, it was finally my A-rank exam.

Heh. I got a nice boost of energy from a young guy.

Guess this old man would tighten his resolve and do his best too.