Chapter 30

"It's been a while, Kail."

"Yes, Father."

After arriving at the mansion of the Baron of Baeroroad, we completed the necessary formalities and were briefed on the rules before being led to the grand hall.

In the hall were me, Kail, Mina, Reifan, Persia, and Alphard. The adventurers had already gone to their inn upon arriving at the mansion.

Facing us was Baron Orthros Gandar von Baeroroad himself.

He was a stern-looking man with a touch of white in his hair.

Standing next to him was his eldest son, Flattan, who looked only a bit older than me, with a youthful appearance.

His second son, Zaid, looked much older. It was a mystery.

Flattan listened to the conversation between Orthros and Kail with a cool smile, without saying a word.

"I've read your report. It was quite heroic, but I assume you're here to explain it in person today?"

"Yes. I also have a few matters to discuss, so I came to see you directly."

Seeing Kail speak confidently and proudly, Persia was on the verge of tears.

"Mom!"

"I have several questions, but first, I'd like to see the details of that secret potion and the items you want to hand over directly."

"Yes, Father. Craft... Craft, could you please bring out all the potions?"

"Ah... no, yes. Is it alright to place them here?"

Shit!

I'm so nervous, my words are all jumbled!

"Yes, it's fine to place them here, Father."

"Um-hmm."

It seems my tone of voice is being ignored. That's a relief!

I let out a sigh of relief and began placing the potions on the table.

There were 44 vials of the all-curing elixir that cured Kail's illness.

129 bottles of the power-boosting Slur Wine.

73 vials of Amrita, which could rejuvenate a person by about a year per bottle.

Wow. Laid out like this, it's quite a sight.

Ah, even Flattan's handsome face is twitching. He's staring at the Amrita.

Zaid is completely stunned.

Father Orthros looks rather serious.

"This is the elixir that cures all diseases. I've confirmed its effects myself, so I sent two vials ahead."

Ah, that's why you only sent the elixir.

"These are the power-boosting Slur Wine and the rejuvenating Amrita. Both have been appraised without issues, but since I haven't tried them myself, I thought it best to bring them here directly. The creator is Craft here. In making them, we used some dragon materials and rare herbs that only grow in the area around the dragon. Some of the ingredients don't keep well, so I decided to have Craft make the best potions possible. Please forgive my擅自的决定."

Hey, you never mentioned that. Were you planning to take the responsibility all by yourself if something went wrong?

Absolutely not!

"Very well. ...Still, you've brought an incredible amount of incredible items."

"Yes. It's beyond my authority to handle, so I need your judgment, Father."

"Indeed. I appreciate that you didn't sell them without permission."

At this, a small sigh of frustration was heard. Of course, it was Zaid, but no one commented on it.

"It's true that it's a challenge to handle, but Kail, stand up straight. It's a remarkable achievement."

"…! Ah, thank you, Father!"

"Hmm. Well, I think it would be best to present these to His Majesty. If such items were to flood the market, the economy could collapse."

"Father! Shouldn't we only present the elixir and Slur Wine!?"

"Hmm? Flattan, what's your reasoning?"

"Yes! Among these potions, only Amrita is something that can be sold on the market! It's not a problem to handle! Therefore, we should keep or sell the Amrita ourselves!!"

"Hmm... Indeed. But who would buy it on the market?"

"That... is..."

"Very well. We'll hold off on the Amrita for now. Kail, next, let's talk about the dragon slaying. These potions indirectly prove it, but do you have any direct evidence?"

"Yes! I actually have the dragon's head!"

"What? But there was no carriage?"

"Craft has it in his spatial storage."

"Hmm?"

At that moment, Zaid, who had been glaring at Kail with obvious hostility, suddenly broke into a nasty smile.

"I see, I see. When you say 'dragon,' you must mean some rare lizard, right? Kail has learned to speak like a noble, I see."

Huh?

Why the sudden lizard assumption?

...Oh! That's right! Normal spatial storage can't hold something that large!

Yeah, how do I explain this?

"Father, could we show the head in a wider area?"

"Hmm. Then, in the garden behind the mansion."

"Um... Father. That area isn't wide enough."

"What?"

"Ha! You're really going all out, aren't you!"

Zaid spread his arms wide, looking amused.

"Isn't that fine, Father? If a wider area is needed, we can place it on the grounds near the main gate!"

"..."

Ah, I can see Zaid's plan.

This is the main residence, but it's designed to accommodate soldiers in emergencies. The area just inside the main gate is a large open space.

Zaid probably thought that if the head, which he believed to be not that large, was placed there, it would look even smaller.

Moreover, there are many onlookers outside the gate. He might want to spread bad rumors about Kail.

In that case, there's only one thing to do.

Determination replaces my nervousness.

"Baron of Baeroroad, may I speak?"

"Craft?"

"Kail's alchemist. Very well, you may speak."

"Thank you. If the area near the main gate is the same place where the carriage entered, it should be fine to place the head. However, a few flower beds will be destroyed."

"Huh?"

Zaid made a strange sound.

Of course, he would.

If the flower beds in that area are destroyed, it means the head must be at least the size of a house.

"Ha! If you say so, show us! Flower beds can always be fixed! Father! Is that alright!?"

"Fine. Show us, alchemist."

"Ha! Thank you!"

I bowed and moved outside. I asked the butler to have everyone in the garden evacuate.

After bowing to the nobles watching from the second-floor windows, I took out the head.

The enormous dragon's head, which rivaled the size of the noble mansion, filled the wide space just inside the main gate. It was a terrifying sight, as if it could spew curses at any moment.

The onlookers, who were momentarily speechless at the sudden appearance of the incredible object, soon began to scream and flee.

Yeah. This isn't my fault this time. I got permission, okay?

Seeing the crowd about to panic, I immediately cast a spell I had prepared. It was an original spell of mine that uses magic to amplify my voice over a wide area.

Here goes! Full power!

"Listen! The head of the fearsome monster, the dragon, now sits at the residence of the Baron of Baeroroad! Yes, it's the head! It was slain by the third son of the Baron, Kail Gandar von Baeroroad! Everyone! Praise Kail's great achievement!"

My voice, amplified by magic, spread throughout the area.

...I hope the lines weren't too cheesy.

The wave of confusion that was spreading through the crowd slowly subsided and turned into enthusiasm.

And a spontaneous chant began.

"Long live Kail! Long live Kail! Long live Kail!"

A roar of enthusiasm rose from the crowd.

In stark contrast to before, the residents were now pushing to get a glimpse of the dragon's head at the main gate.

"Long live Kail! Long live Kail! Long live Kail!"

"Did he really slay a dragon!?"

"I saw it! The terrifying, enormous head!"

"Hey, I want to see it too!"

"Hey, for five silver coins, you can climb up to the roof of my house!"

"From the roof, you can see it better! Six silver coins!"

"Wow! A head bigger than the walls surrounding the Baron's mansion!"

"Ah! Kail really is on our side!"

"Don't push, idiot! I'm getting crushed!"

"Hey, how about some dragon meat skewers?"

"Here's an amulet made from a dragon's tooth!"

"Look! Real dragon scales! Really! What? They look much bigger than what I saw earlier? What? Was it that big?"

"We have real dragon meat!"

"How about a portrait of Kail? By a famous artist..."

"Meat!"

"Fish!"

...No, dragon fish is a bit too much.

I just checked the spread of the magic, and it seems to have covered a wider area than I expected. Specifically, it reached the entire city of Gandar.

Yeah, I overdid it.

Looking up, I saw Persia, Alphard, and Reifan holding their heads, and Zaid... his jaw had dropped.

Hmph. Serves him right.

Kail's enemies deserve no mercy.

Other items like dragon bone soup ramen, dragon offal stew, and dragon whisker violins were also on display, turning the event into a dragon festival.