Chapter 26

2018/08/21 Made major revisions.

W... The word count is so high (´Д｀)

Thanks to the healing potion and stamina potion, no one was injured, and the afterglow of victory had not yet faded, so everyone was in high spirits. However, when they saw us returning triumphantly, all the people of Golden Dawn Village turned pale.

I tilted my head in confusion, but upon closer reflection, I realized that everyone, from their equipment to their appearance, looked far from victorious.

Mithril armor had melted from the heat, cloaks were charred and torn, and faces were covered in soot.

None of the weapons or armor had survived intact.

It was a miracle that no one had died. If anyone had, there would have been no way to revive them.

"K! Craft!?"

"Craft-san!!"

"Wow! You're back!"

"Look at that appearance..."

"There was no way to defeat the dragon..."

"How many people came back alive...?"

"Huh? Isn't the number of people more than before?"

"Huh? Everyone is indeed in tatters... but it doesn't seem much different from when we set out?"

Reifan and Kyle rushed out, and Alphard hurriedly followed.

Mina... Ah, Alphard was carrying her on his back.

"Craft-san!"

"Hey, I'm back."

"That's good... I'm so relieved... cough! cough!"

"Idiot. You started running all of a sudden."

"S-Sorry. When I received the report that everyone had returned, I couldn't stay still..."

"I understand your feelings, but don't overdo it."

"Who's overdoing it! To be in such a state..."

"Ah, maybe I should have taken a bath."

"No, that's not important! The important thing is that you all returned safely!"

"Right. So, here's the report..."

"It's fine! You don't need to say more! You've returned! That's enough by itself."

"Huh?"

"Just the fact that you returned alive after facing the dragon... that's enough! It's a great honor for all the adventurers."

"Y-Yeah. From the looks of it, the number of people hasn't decreased much. It's amazing that you could give the order to retreat!"

For some reason, Kyle and Reifan were clenching their fists and emphasizing this.

On the assumption of defeat.

When I looked at Raidock, who was standing next to me, we both smiled wryly.

"Look at this."

I took out the dragon's head from my spatial storage and placed it right in the middle of the square.

Suddenly, a dragon head of the same size as the Kyle residence appeared, covered in wounds and blood, with a face full of resentment.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"UWAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

The adults fainted and screamed.

Some ran away, some fell into despair, and the children started crying. Jitaro hugged Soral and got punched.

The village instantly turned into a scene of chaos and hell.

Yeah... sorry.

◆

"Craft! Seiza!"

"Yes..."

I obediently sat in seiza in the living room of the Kyle residence.

For some reason, Mina sat on my lap.

Um... it makes me numb faster... but, never mind.

"Um, Reifan-san. That's enough..."

"What is it? Kyle-sama?"

"Nothing! Sorry, Craft-san..."

"No... don't worry about it."

Raidock and Persia, who were called with me, just smiled wryly.

"Let's get back on track. Please give your report."

"Right, first the general overview. As you can see, the dragon slaying was successful. No casualties. However, the equipment suffered catastrophic damage."

"No casualties... amazing... against such a dragon..."

Reifan looked at the dragon's head, which was almost right next to the window, and groaned.

The villagers had already started decorating and preparing for the feast.

Tonight would be an all-night celebration.

"Also, we secured a significant amount of Ambrosia flowers, and we obtained several rare herbs as well."

"Of course, the main objective was..."

"Oops, the main objective was to eliminate the dragon. That was just a bonus."

"Craft, you're always like that..."

"Moving on. Since it was a dragon in the plains, I had completely forgotten, but that lizard had quite a bit of treasure hidden away."

"Huh?"

It's a well-known story that dragons hoard treasure.

However, we had completely overlooked this possibility, assuming that the treasure would be in their nest or cave.

"I just talked to the Adventurer's Guild leader, and as expected, they are claiming ownership."

"Of course."

The Adventurer's Guild isn't greedy. In most cases, the adventurers get to keep what they risk their lives to obtain.

However, in this case, the reward for the slaying was already paid, and the dragon's meat, hide, and scales were allocated as additional rewards. This alone should be worth a considerable amount.

"Right... How about we give them everything except what can be used for alchemy?"

"You can use gold, silver, and copper if you want."

"That might be nitpicking. Let's give them the precious metals."

"Right... What about the magical weapons?"

"Besides gems and money, is there anything else of value?"

"A few rare minerals and some purchasable magical items, like magic lamps."

"Let's take the minerals and give the magical items, precious metals, and weapons to the guild. Is that acceptable for negotiation?"

"I think it will be fine."

Reifan nodded.

In terms of compromise, we were actually giving in quite a bit.

"It's settled then. Reifan, you handle the negotiations. Raidock, I'll leave the details of the battle to you."

"Understood."

Raidock recounted the details of the dragon battle, while Kyle's face turned red and blue.

Mina was swinging her legs happily.

Um, that's very numbing...

After all the reports were finished, I was finally released from seiza, but I couldn't move from that spot for over ten minutes, during which I endured Mina's poking. I'll note this down here.

◆

The terrifying dragon's head in the center of the village square was beautifully decorated.

Not only with bonfires, but also with lamps and candles, it stood out brightly in the darkness.

"Then, to celebrate the successful dragon slaying! Cheers!"

"CHEERS!!!!"

After a brief ceremony, Kyle, who had already started the victory celebration, led the cheers, and the entire village echoed with the response.

"Finally, the main characters are here!"

"Raidock-san! Craft-san! Over here, over here!"

"Hey, no cutting in line! You two, this way please! We have alcohol and meat!"

"Hey! Raidock-san! Come over here! It's not fun in such a rough place!"

"Kyaa! Craft-san! Over here, over here! Let's drink together!"

Young women, who had somehow increased in the village, gathered.

They were probably hoping to meet promising adventurers or witnesses.

Leaving their hometown must have required a lot of resolve.

"I'm going to drink with my companions."

"Hey! Raidock-san, you're so mean!"

"Then, Craft-san, come over here!"

"Haha... I'll drink over here."

"Whaaat!?"

I dodged the women who were trying to lure me and sat down with a group of older men.

There were some attractive girls, but if I made a move here, I'd probably be forced into a relationship without question.

I'm not thinking about marriage yet.

"Hey! Craft-san! Here, here!"

"Huh? What's this?"

"It's dragon steak!"

"What? Why?"

"Apparently, the Adventurer's Guild provided some for the feast."

"If that's the case... they're being quite generous."

The Adventurer's Guild is more expensive to maintain than it looks. I thought they would try to make a profit when they could.

"Apparently, they were given the parts damaged by magic. The villagers worked together to cut out the edible parts."

"I see."

They were being quite resourceful.

Since it was a labor-intensive task, they might have used it to gain favor with the village.

Still, it's a high-quality item, so the feast is definitely lavish.

"Delicious!"

"Right!? I've never tasted such delicious meat!"

"I thought it would be tough, but the sweet fat and tender red meat are perfectly balanced, and the juices are flowing! This is more than just delicious."

"Hey! You guys! Make sure the adventurers get some too!"

"Right! Here, here! You too, buddy!"

"Thanks!"

The villagers, who were greedily eating the dragon meat, were reminded and hurriedly brought meat to nearby adventurers.

Alcohol and other meats were also provided by Kyle, and barrels of alcohol and dried meat were being brought out from the mansion's storage.

The dragon meat alone wouldn't be enough.

Other meats like wild boar were also being grilled.

With over a hundred hungry adventurers, the meat and fish were quickly disappearing. It felt good to watch.

Fortunately, the village's pooled funds were sufficient, and selling the dragon's materials would bring in even more money.

The villagers were all smiling, knowing this.

"So, Craft, you cast a spell and it went whoosh!"

"I don't understand at all! Jitaro, you're drunk!"

"Hahaha!"

"Persia-san, have some more!"

"I've had enough! I can't drink that much!"

"You were the main contributor this time! Don't be shy!"

"No! It's not like that!"

"Hey! Persia-san is having another round!"

"Ah...!"

The villagers were really teasing us. Persia was also diligently participating.

Well, it's fine.

I walked around, greeting people.

I was offered alcohol and meat everywhere, but I dodged them appropriately. If I had to deal with everyone, I'd need a hundred stomachs.

"Hey, hero."

"Huh? What do you mean, you're the hero?"

I had apparently made my way to where Raidock and the others were gathered.

"What are you talking about? This great achievement was all thanks to Craft from start to finish."

"I just helped with what I could."

"Do you realize it or not... You were preparing for this by improving your equipment and gathering adventurers."

"..."

"Your careful planning was essential."

"Thanks to you."

I raised my left hand, showing the glowing emblem of the Twilight Alchemist.

"I know that contributed greatly to the victory. But..."

"What?"

"Wouldn't you have found a way even without that?"

"What?"

"I don't know how... Maybe by gathering more adventurers."

Thinking about it, I realized that taking such actions for Kyle's sake was not impossible.

"So, you were the main contributor after all. Without you, it wouldn't have started."

"It was only possible with all of you."

"That's true."

Raidock raised his drink with a grin, and I clinked my cup against his.

"Hey, two smelly guys are laughing together~"

"Are you drunk? Soral?"

"Of course, I'm drunk. I get a bad hangover."

"Well, don't overdo it."

In the distance, Kyle was being worshipped by the villagers.

For a moment, our eyes met, and I think I was smiling.

I sat down in a quiet spot.

The breeze was cool, perfect for sobering up.

Yeah. That's right.

I was able to help someone.

I gently touched the emblem.

◆ [Bonus] ◆

The feast was in full swing.

In a corner of the central square, Soral was standing alone, dressed up strangely and fidgeting nervously.

Thinking it was odd, I watched from a distance.

Sure enough, I saw Jitaro, dressed neatly and holding a bouquet of flowers, walking towards her.

Wow, Jitaro is going for it.

He approached Soral with a tense expression.

"Hey, did you wait long?"

"N-No, I just got here."

Huh?

"Um, the reason I called you..."

"Y-Yes."

"Um, you see..."

Tension filled the air between them.

"Damn it! I'm a man! Soral, I'm in love with you! Will you go out with me?"

Wow!

What a manly confession!

I couldn't help but swallow hard and watch in amazement.

"Um... well..."

"I'm serious! The... answer... can be... later, if you want!"

Suddenly, he became hesitant!?

"...Idiot. I... I'll answer now."

"O-Okay."

"Y-Yes... I... I would like to... please."

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

I couldn't help but make a fist pump.

Then, Beppu, Bardack, and Morda came running out.

"Congratulations! Leader!"

"Congratulations!"

"Hmph. It's about time. It was frustrating before."

"Um, that's..."

"Whaaat!? Everyone knew!?"

"Well, well. Let's not worry about the details! Today is a celebration!"

"Hey! Congratulations, buddy!"

"You were the main contributor in the dragon slaying? Drink up, drink up!"

"Alright! Another dragon steak!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

Thus, Raidock, who was waiting for Soral, successfully confessed.

The festival was further fueled and burned even hotter.

Leaving behind Jitaro, a burnt-out husk, in the shadows.

Nam.

Completely... burnt out, old man...