Chapter 16

The next night, while I was relaxing in the living room of the house, the sound of the door knocker echoed through the empty house.

Even though the main building of the house was primarily for dragons, and the human dwelling part wasn't that large, it was still spacious enough to comfortably house 4-5 people.

Since I was alone in the house, even the slightest noise would resonate well.

I stood up and headed for the front door.

When I opened the front door, a man was standing there.

"Excuse me for the late visit. Are you Sir Cyril Larousse?"

"Yes, but who are you?"

"Please forgive me for not introducing myself earlier. I am Roland Flore."

"Roland, huh?"

Muttering, I searched my memory.

It was definitely our first meeting, and I had never heard his name before.

"Actually, I have a job I would like to request from you, Sir Cyril."

"A job... That's fine, but why me?"

I asked in return.

I was a bit on guard.

To suddenly come visiting at such a late hour and request a job by name.

It would be one thing if it were a guild of the Lintvurm level or an A-rank Dragon Knight, but for someone like me, such a request was practically unheard of.

That's why I was on guard.

"Through the introduction of Lady Moriniere."

"Moriniere...?"

I searched my memory.

The name was familiar.

After thinking for a moment, I remembered.

"Oh, Catherine."

"Yes, that's right."

Catherine Moriniere.

A young lady from a good family whom I had met through a job I had taken via the government a while back.

She was in love with a baron and had been corresponding with him, and the job was to deliver a love letter to the baron as quickly as possible.

While it would have taken other Dragon Knights three days, I had made the round trip in one day.

That's how I had earned a name for myself.

"I see—sorry, this isn't a place to talk, please come in."

"Thank you."

Knowing that I had been introduced by Lady Catherine, I decided to hear the details and invited Roland into the house.

☆

In the living room, I sat facing Roland.

"So, let's start over... What kind of job is it?"

"A certain Dragon Knight guild failed in a 'hunt.'"

"Uh..."

The moment I heard the story, I could feel my face stiffen.

A hunt is the most dangerous job that Dragon Knights are often requested to do, but it also offers the highest rewards and fame.

Usually, it involves exterminating a group of monsters that have appeared in significant numbers, and the premise of a hunt is that combat is inevitable.

And with combat comes danger.

At the end of that danger, it's not uncommon for Dragon Knights or dragons to suffer damage.

"What do you mean by 'failed'?"

"Total annihilation."

"What?"

"The vanguard—the first wave—was literally wiped out."

"..."

I was speechless.

It's not common for a vanguard to be completely wiped out.

At least, it hadn't happened in the past five years.

"That's why we need you to retrieve the items. The remains of the guild's Dragon Knights."

"Remains?"

"Yes. The guild has a rule that Dragon Knights who go on a hunt must write a will just before the hunt and carry it with them."

"I see."

"We would like you to retrieve these wills—that is the content of the job."

I see.

I understood the situation.

"That's fine, but I don't have the strength to go into enemy territory that could wipe out an entire hunting party."

"That's not a problem. The guild's main force is forming and deploying a new hunting party to restore their honor. That's why they can't spare the time to retrieve the wills."

"I see."

For the sake of their reputation.

It makes sense.

In that case...

"Would 5000 rials be acceptable as a reward?"

"I accept."

I answered immediately.

5000 rials is such a large sum that it's not even worth hesitating over.

"Thank you, I leave it in your hands. As long as you retrieve the wills, you are free to dispose of the dragon equipment as you see fit."

"Hmm..."

☆

The next day, I set out from the city of Boalcel with Louise, Colette, and Emma.

Our destination was the Dangzig Gorge, a valley about two days' travel from Boalcel.

There, the previous hunting party of Dragon Knights had been completely wiped out.

Because the reward was 5000 rials, the entire 'Dragon First' team was mobilized.

"Hey, Master."

"What is it, Louise?"

"What does it mean that we can dispose of the dragon nests as we please?"

"You were listening to last night's conversation?"

"Dragons have better hearing than humans."

"I see."

I smiled wryly.

So, even if I'm inside the house and the dragons are in the dragon barn, everything I do is completely transparent.

That's—well, a bit concerning.

But that wasn't the issue right now.

"In this case, and generally speaking, a battlefield is a treasure trove."

"A treasure trove?"

"People who go to battle wear equipment that is dozens, sometimes hundreds of times more valuable than what they wear in everyday life. Just because the owner is dead doesn't mean the equipment loses its value. So, from ancient times, it has been common practice to strip the remains on battlefields and sell them."

"Human beings... did such things?"

Colette looked amazed.

"Yes, they did. But it's also a matter of life and death."

"Why?"

"Stories of children accidentally touching unexploded magic items and being cursed to death are not uncommon."

"Such a grim story."

"I think so too."

I smiled wryly and continued.

"And when it comes to Dragon Knights and dragons, the dragon equipment they wear is often even more valuable than the equipment of ordinary soldiers."

"I see, so that's what you mean by 'feel free to dispose of it as a reward.'"

Emma understood quickly, and I nodded slightly.

"Exactly."

☆

It took us about three days to reach Dangzig Gorge.

The journey was about two days, but we arrived a day late to ensure Louise had enough sleep.

Using the guild map and the information Roland had given us, we arrived at the site of the battle.

It was—quite a slaughterhouse.

Roughly twenty humans and over thirty dragons lay dead.

It was a scene of carnage.

"Emma, do you sense any enemies around?"

I asked Emma.

Emma is a Smaug breed dragon, well-suited for combat.

Not only is her combat ability exceptional, but she also excels at detecting the presence of enemies.

Emma looked around.

"It's fine, I don't sense any hostility around us."

"Good."

I nodded slightly.

As I nodded, I turned to Emma, Louise, and Colette.

I took a small rocket from my pocket.

"Split up and look for these. According to the story, they should all be carrying these by rule."

"Understood."

"Okay."

Emma and Louise understood and started moving.

"What a grim job."

Only Colette seemed hesitant.

"Sorry to make you do this. If you really can't, you can rest."

"No, I didn't say I wouldn't do it."

"Really?"

"Just a grim job. I'll do it because it's a job."

"I see... Thank you, I appreciate it."

I said, and stroked Colette.

I stroked her with a forceful touch, given her much harder scales and skin compared to humans.

"Hmph."

Colette snorted and started searching the bodies for the items.

With four of us working together, we collected the twenty wills in about five minutes.

"That's all of them. Colette, I'll leave these to you."

I handed her the rockets containing all the wills.

Colette said, "Understood," and swallowed them all.

She stored them in her Mushifushu breed stomach.

"Let's head back. I don't want to stay here any longer."

"Wait, I have one more job for you."

"Another one?"

"Yes. Let's bury the dragons here."

When I said that, Colette and the others looked stunned.

"Bury them?"

"Yes. It's just too sad to leave them out in the open like this."

"Master?"

"Yes? What is it?"

"Are you saying you're going to make a dragon graveyard?"

"Yes."

"..."

When I said that, the three of them were even more surprised and speechless.

"Master..."

"Yes?"

"You're a strange person."

"Maybe. Sorry for being a strange person."

"No, you're a strange person, but... a good person."

"Yes, thank you, Cyril."

Louise and Emma were genuinely pleased.

They were happy that I was going to bury their fellow dragons instead of leaving them out in the open.

We split up and buried the dragons, and the Dragon Knights as well.

As we buried the dragons, my guild card glowed multiple times, accumulating experience points.