Chapter 10

The next day, I worked with Louise.

We circled the town to check for any abnormalities, a job commissioned by the government.

It’s essentially a security patrol, so it doesn’t pay much, but since the government is the client, it’s also a job to maintain connections.

After circling the town twice and thoroughly confirming there were no abnormalities, I returned to the government office and reported to Rose.

“No abnormalities.”

“Good. Thank you. Here, this is your reward of 20 reils.”

Since the government was the client, the reward was paid on the spot.

Compared to Colette, who can earn 50 reils in a day, 20 reils is a rather small amount.

Well, I knew that from the start, so it’s fine.

Since I still have some time, maybe I should take on one more job—

“By the way, Cyril, what are you going to do about the guild?”

“A guild? What do you mean?”

I was puzzled by her sudden change of topic and tilted my head as I looked back at Rose.

“Well, since you were expelled from Lindvurm… I guess you plan to go solo for now.”

Actually… it might be for a long time.

After listening to various stories from people around me, I realized that Lindvurm was an extreme case. Most guilds, or rather, most dragon knights, are the same.

They only think of dragons as tools.

Since this is the norm, I have no intention of joining another guild.

“Do you plan to start your own guild?”

“My own guild? What do you mean?”

“Literally, a guild with just one person.”

Rose gave a straightforward answer.

“Why would I want something like that?”

“Do you know about the benefits of a guild?”

“The benefits of a guild?”

I thought about it for a moment.

I don’t have any knowledge about the benefits of a guild.

I slowly shook my head.

“No, I don’t know at all.”

“Alright. First, a guild is a type of union recognized by the country.”

“Ah.”

“It’s essentially a dragon knight union, but since dragon knights and dragons are now important, they are given special treatment.”

“For example?”

“The biggest one is taxes. Not just income tax, but also dragon head tax. If you have a certain number of dragons, it’s cheaper to have a one-person guild.”

I didn’t know that.

So, taxes, huh…

Dragons… yeah, I still plan to welcome more if I meet them.

If it can lower taxes, a one-person guild might be worth considering.

“Also, depending on the guild’s capabilities, a dragon’s abilities can slightly increase.”

“Really!?”

I was surprised.

I had never heard of this before.

“It’s a very small increase. About 10% when the guild level is maxed out.”

“Still, that’s impressive.”

I never thought such a thing existed.

If it’s true, I should seriously consider a one-person guild.

“By the way, how do I start a guild?”

“First, you need money.”

“Money?”

“Yes, you need to pay a deposit to the government.”

“I see.”

“And one public witness—though if you want, I can be that for you.”

“Thank you.”

I was genuinely grateful.

A guarantor and a witness are things that are harder to get than money.

Still, money is a significant issue. It’s a considerable amount for me right now.

“By the way, how much is the deposit?”

“10,000 reils.”

“I see…”

10,000 reils…

That’s a substantial amount.

For some people, it’s their annual income.

Of course, I don’t have that kind of money.

But it’s not an astronomical amount.

Ultimately, it’s about a year’s income for one person.

It’s a large amount because it’s a one-person guild. If, for example, ten people joined to start a guild, it would be 1,000 reils per person, which is a much more manageable amount.

But I’m alone.

It’s difficult for me to prepare 10,000 reils on my own.

However, considering the benefits of a guild, it might be worth the effort.

What should I do?

10,000 reils…

While I was pondering this,

“I’m home.”

A voice came from outside the house.

It was Colette’s voice.

I stood up and went from the living room to the yard.

There, I encountered Colette on her way back to the dragon stable.

“Welcome back, Colette.”

“I’m home. Here’s today’s earnings.”

Colette said this and spat out a bag of coins.

Three leather bags filled with coins fell to the ground with a clatter.

“What about the installment payments?”

“I’ve got them.”

“I see, good job—wait?”

While picking up the coin bags, I noticed something else that Colette had spat out.

It was a stone-like object.

“What’s this?”

“Oh, that?”

Colette nodded.

“I accidentally swallowed it. It’s not the mineral you specified, so I didn’t sell it and brought it back.”

“…”

“What? Is something wrong with it?”

“This… could it be…”

I stared intently at the mineral Colette had spat out.

☆

“This is… Polylite.”

I brought the mineral to a buyer.

After examining it for a while, the buyer said with a slightly surprised look.

“Polylite?”

“Yes. It appears white in sunlight now.”

“I see.”

“Let me show you—”

The buyer stood up, closed the window, and drew the curtains.

The room became dark.

Then, he lit a lantern.

When the lantern light hit the mineral, it began to glow “red.”

“Is this—”

“Polylite changes color depending on the type of light it receives.”

“Wow…”

“By the way, the more colors it can produce, the more valuable it is.”

“That makes sense…”

If it has this property, the more colors it can produce, the more valuable it is, which is reasonable.

The buyer used various lights, including candles, to shine on the Polylite.

“It seems to produce four colors.”

“It does.”

“Can I have this?”

“Sure, of course.”

I nodded.

I brought it to the buyer with the intention of selling it.

An unknown mineral that was found by chance.

I wanted it to be appraised and, if it had a value, to be bought on the spot.

“10,000 reils, how about that?”

“Huh!?”

10,000 reils.

I stared at the mineral—Polylite.

With this, I can start a guild.

☆

After selling the Polylite and receiving 10,000 reils, I immediately went to the government office.

I went to Rose.

“Oh, what’s up? I thought you had already gone home.”

“Sorry, I’ve brought 10,000 reils.”

I said this and placed the heavy leather bag of silver coins in front of Rose.

She looked at it and was a bit surprised.

“I didn’t expect you to bring it today.”

“Sorry, I’m a bit impatient.”

“But how did you get the money? Did you pawn a dragon?”

“Huh?”

“Huh?”

I was taken aback, and Rose was also surprised by my reaction.

“What do you mean by pawning a dragon?”

“Literally. Did you pawn a dragon to get the money?”

“I can’t do that.”

I said with a bitter smile.

I didn’t even know that pawning a dragon was possible, and even if I did, I couldn’t do it.

“No, I found a valuable mineral.”

“Wow, you were lucky.”

“That’s right.”

“I see.”

“Anyway, please help me.”

“Alright. I’ll prepare the paperwork, so fill this out in the meantime.”

Rose said this and handed me some documents.

The guild application forms.

“Did you have these ready?”

“I thought you’d come eventually.”

“…Thank you.”

I thanked Rose and started filling out the forms, starting with the necessary items.

My name, address, and other personal information.

I also wrote down the number and species of dragons.

“No name… for the dragons?”

I was a bit disappointed that there was no place to write the dragons’ names, but there was nothing I could do about it.

Then—

“The guild name.”

“Yes, that’s the most important part. Needless to say, you’ll be called by this name and recognized by it.”

“I understand.”

I thought about it.

The most important part, the guild name.

I thought about what to name it.

For a moment, I thought about it.

Then, I immediately came up with an idea.

It felt like a divine inspiration, gently descending upon me.

I wrote it down and handed it to Rose.

“I’m done.”

“Let’s see, ‘Dragon First,’ is it?”

“Yes.”

I nodded clearly.

There’s a saying that a name represents a person.

If that’s the case, my guild’s name should be ‘Dragon First.’

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