Chapter 10

Timis, Ria, and McKinley. The relationship among these three is that Ria has been hired as Timis's bodyguard for the past three years, and McKinley, who is originally from a mercenary guild, was hired through connections for this particular extermination mission.

The mercenary guild differs from the adventurer guild in that it sometimes gets involved in wars. While it is rare for a country to request the cooperation of the adventurer guild, the mercenary guild sends mercenaries to battlefields around the world to earn revenue. As long as you pay, they will do the job—that is what the mercenary guild is.

For this reason, they cannot bring their request to the adventurer guild. The territories of the adventurer guild and the mercenary guild are clearly divided, and it is almost impossible for both guilds to be involved in a single job.

After Timis and the others finished their brief explanation, Verlaine began to talk about the mission.

"First, I would like to confirm how much you know about the fire dragon's ecology."

"How could we possibly know? It's a dangerous creature that lives in volcanic zones, and observing it alone carries significant risks."

Timis, as if to say it was only natural not to know. Indeed, as she said, the fire dragon's ecology is not widely known. A-Rank and above adventurers have defeated it by brute force many times in the past. However, those were just brute force battles with no tactics involved.

Then, what would happen if tactics were introduced? Timis and the others need to understand the effectiveness of this approach.

Verlaine took out a parchment notebook and showed the cover to Timis.

"…'How to Defeat a Fire Dragon, Even for Beginners'…?"

"…Are you mocking Lady Timis? This single notebook can't help defeat a fire dragon!"

Ria seemed more easily agitated than expected, standing up with a thud and confronting Verlaine. However, the former demon king was not one to be easily shaken and met Ria's gaze without flinching.

"The author of this notebook, Duke Solver, is undoubtedly the leading expert on fire dragons in this country. He has successfully defeated a fire dragon using only B-Rank adventurers with the help of this notebook."

"…Duke Solver… I don't know that name."

"If B-Rank adventurers could defeat a fire dragon, that researcher—Duke Solver—would be much more famous, and this notebook would be publicly available."

Ria pressed Verlaine, clearly unconvinced. However, the notebook would never be publicly available—searching for a person named Duke Solver would yield no results.

It would have been better to use a more elaborate pseudonym, as it was difficult to remain calm while drinking next to them. Every time the name Duke Solver was mentioned, it felt like the alcohol was going down the wrong pipe.

"…Does this Duke Solver have the power to defeat a fire dragon alone?"

This was the first time McKinley spoke. Despite his taciturn nature, he spoke in a youthful manner, showing that appearances can be deceiving.

"If that were the case, I would want to borrow his strength… but that's not possible. To give Lady Timis the credit, we can't use that method."

"McKinley, use 'sama.' Lady Timis, how many times do I have to tell you?"

"Yes, Lady Timis. I apologize for my rudeness."

Ria was earnest, while McKinley seemed to have a more relaxed demeanor. He finally removed his hood, revealing a man with a well-featured face and hair that was a mix of gray and black.

Timis took out a ribbon, put it in her mouth, and combed her rich, black hair, tying it up at the back. This seemed to be her way of getting into the right mindset, and she received the notebook with a serious expression, opening the pages.

—Her hand trembled as she turned the pages, and she couldn't stop—

"This is… how did they investigate this…?"

Timis opened a page and showed it to Ria, who was sitting next to her. Ria's eyes widened in surprise.

"…Fire dragons drink water three times a day at fixed times… They only drink groundwater that contains specific minerals. The scales of a fire dragon are like skin, and they change regularly due to metabolism. It is believed that minerals are essential nutrients for creating new scales…"

Ria couldn't help but read it out loud, clearly impressed by the content. McKinley, who was watching from the side, felt the same way.

"This is incredible… Who is Duke Solver? He thoroughly observed the fire dragon and analyzed parts that don't seem necessary for its defeat, providing useful hints. To think that such a person submitted this research to the guild without being known…?"

The evaluation of Duke Solver was rising among the three. If the notebook were dismissed as nonsense, it would be difficult to persuade them, so things were going smoothly so far.

"Do you understand? Knowing the fire dragon's ecology helps determine where to start the extermination mission in the forest, what time the fire dragon will be in which location, and what to be cautious about during the actual battle. The success rate of the mission will be vastly different with and without this knowledge."

"To be honest, I didn't expect this much. Is this guild specialized in fire dragon extermination? Or do you specialize in large monsters…?"

"No, we simply achieve the requests that are brought to us. We don't specialize in anything. The knowledge about fire dragons can be considered a fortunate coincidence."

In fact, if the previous extermination mission hadn't involved studying the fire dragon's movements, this notebook wouldn't exist.

Two years ago, I trained four B-Rank guild members to defeat a fire dragon, using a somewhat rough method to help them grow. That was the basis for this notebook.

I confirmed that the same method would work during the preliminary investigation. The notebook reflects the slight changes in the time the fire dragon drinks water and the slight changes in the forest's terrain, making it specific to this mission.

However, it won't be that easy for C-Rank Timis to participate and return unscathed. Her combat rating is 1840, and I need to raise it to 3000—B-Rank.

"Owner, give me the 'special' milk. And two more."

"Understood."

The 'special' milk is one rank higher than what Manarina drank. It is the milk of the Behemoth, which, despite being milk, has a high preservation quality due to the Behemoth's formidable vitality and is the best among the milk I use to enhance with my magic. Without it, it's impossible to raise the combat rating by 1500.

"…Milk? You're drinking alcohol…"

"Lady, don't worry about the thoughts of a drunk. Focus on the request."

"I'll treat you all. If you're too uptight, things won't go as planned."

I served McKinley a rum flavored with 'Secret Pomegranate Syrup,' Ria a 'Salamander Bone Wine,' and Timis the Behemoth milk.

Seeing the glasses slide onto the table, McKinley let out a small 'oh,' Ria looked puzzled, and Timis—unlike her sister—smiled at me.

"Considering my age, you're giving me milk. In the knight's order, age doesn't matter."

"Lady, it's too early for you to drink. Instead, you could have some 'cookies.'"

"…What a rude man. Do you think this is a bar where rudeness is allowed?"

"Well, it's fine, isn't it? This place seems trustworthy, and the customers here wouldn't put poison in the drinks. I can taste-test it if you want, but what do you think?"

"…No. If this is the custom of the bar, I will follow it."

Timis took a sip of the milk. There is no such custom, but I needed her to drink it to proceed—thanks to the magic I cast, she is now twice as strong as she was. However, she is still the weakest in the party and not strong enough to serve as a tank.

That's why I included the cookies. Roasted Flame Walnuts become more fragrant and less spicy the longer they are roasted. The Marble Cookies, made with a paste of these Flame Walnuts, not only taste good but also have a different effect when consumed compared to just eating the Flame Walnuts.

"Cookies… I haven't had them in a long time. In the middle of the conversation, I'll have one… hmm…"

Watching her, I thought she might be more straightforward than I expected. Or perhaps, due to her youth, she trusted the bar completely after reading the notebook. Still, trusting a stranger like me is a different matter.

"…Delicious. Is this a walnut cookie? But it's a taste I've never had before. It's very fragrant and slightly bitter…"

"I'm glad you like it, customer."

Verlaine smiled. Seeing Timis take the lead, the guards followed—McKinley looked a bit pleased, Ria still had a stern face, but the moment he took a sip of the drink, his tension eased.

"Ku, it spreads through my body… a refreshing sweetness. It's nice to have a drink like this sometimes."

"…It's a dry and quite good drink."

Beastmen often live in high mountains with icy winds, warming themselves with fire wine from dwarves or making their own strong alcohol. Perhaps because of this, Ria, who could drink the Salamander Bone Wine that burned my throat, was unfazed. In fact, she finished it in one go.

"Ria, drinking so quickly… As I always say, it will harm your health."

"I apologize, Lady. However, this drink is of higher quality than I expected…"

Liking alcohol is welcome in a bar. As long as they don't get too drunk, I don't mind how much they drink.

Since this is a request, it's better to stick to the necessary amount, but a moderate amount of alcohol can improve the flow of conversation and make negotiations smoother. Indeed, Ria's face was reddening, and the atmosphere was becoming softer. Despite his strong ability to break down alcohol, it seemed to be affecting him quickly.

"…We didn't come here to drink. To defeat the fire dragon, we just need to read this notebook, right?"

"Yes, basically. However, I must warn you that this method will only work this time. The forest's environment is always changing."

"I understand. If we can defeat it even once, that's enough."

This would finalize the request—but not quite.

I am interested in the materials of the fire dragon, so just defeating it would be a waste.

"There is one more condition. In this mission, we will attempt to capture the fire dragon rather than kill it. Lady Timis will bring back a scale as proof of repelling the fire dragon. The handling of the captured fire dragon will be left to our guild."

If Timis can repel the fire dragon, her achievement will be significant. The knight's order is not particularly interested in the materials of monsters—so Timis and the others will accept this condition.

As expected, Timis nodded and signed the contract Verlaine presented.

"I was going to challenge the fire dragon without knowing what it was… I am grateful for the correction of my ignorance. Even if Ria is strong, I am still inexperienced… I don't want to lose to my peers in the knight's order, but I was almost destroyed by my arrogance."

"…I would like to meet Duke Solver. The descriptions of the fire dragon's movements on this page are so detailed that only a warrior could write them. The person who wrote this must have terrifying martial skills."

"The world is vast. Does Mr. Duke come to this bar often?"

At McKinley's question, Verlaine hesitated for a moment but—without looking at me—narrowed her eyes and smiled elegantly.

"Yes, he comes often. He loves alcohol but only drinks cheap ones