Where Are the Dragons?

Fritz hoisted the log onto his shoulder, ignoring Lark, who lay paralyzed on the forest floor by Growing Pains.

“I’m heading back with this one first, alright?”

“W-wait a second. If something attacks me while I’m like this…”

“You’re one of the Empire’s Ninth,” Fritz countered. “Even if you get jumped this close to town, you should be able to handle it easily enough, right?”

“No, no, I’m telling you, I’m a total wreck right now—”

Fritz didn’t wait for him to finish. He turned and marched off, log in tow.

Left alone, Lark remained sprawled out in the dirt, abandoned. Fortunately, the agony soon began to recede.

“Hup…”

He pulled himself up, checking his joints before retrieving the axe still lying in the grass.

I see. An axe that raises your Level just by swinging it. I don't understand the mechanics, but Yuri and the others' absurd strength starts to make sense now. Wait… does that apply to that Cotton Ball, too?

Now that he thought about it, that creature possessed a level of power that was impossible for a mere animal. But if it could trigger a Level up significant enough to cause Growing Pains in an instant, then its strength was logical.

If I keep swinging this, I might eventually reach the First Rank myself.

Reinvigorated, Lark resumed his work. He unleashed one vacuum slash after another, felling trees in rapid succession. The problem was that his strikes flew far too deep into the woods, inadvertently slaughtering distant birds as they passed—but he was too focused to notice.

◇　◆　◇

I had arrived at the site where the Guild Master claimed to have seen the creatures, but…

“I’m not picking up any Dragon-class signatures.”

I suppose a mountain of treasure—a Dragon Swarm—wasn't going to be dropped into my lap that easily. While the Guild Master remained hunched over in a state of high alert, I had completely lost interest.

That was when I spotted Fritz lugging a log toward us.

“Yuri? What are you doing out here?”

“What do you mean? I heard there were Dragons in the area, so I came to investigate.”

“Dragons…”

The image of an Earth Dragon clearly flickered through Fritz’s mind. He had grown considerably stronger since our last encounter with one, but the mere mention of the species still seemed to make him tense up.

“Don’t worry. As far as I’ve checked with my Presence Detection, there isn’t a single Dragon in the vicinity.”

“Man, what a waste of a good panic,” Fritz muttered, visibly relaxing.

The Guild Master cut into our conversation, looking frantic. “Is that true? Are you certain?”

“I’ve scanned a wide enough radius for any Monsters with a significant power reading. There’s nothing nearby that poses an immediate threat.”

“Is that so…? Thank goodness…”

The Guild Master let out a long, heavy sigh of relief.

“To be honest, the Town of Noblebark has a history of Dragon attacks. It’s ancient history now, preserved only in records, but they say the town was utterly devastated. Even the man hailed as the Strongest Mercenary of that era was slaughtered. I was terrified we were seeing a repeat of history. It must have been a fluke—someone probably saw a lizard gliding through the air and panicked. They’re similar enough, if you ignore the size and the sheer lethality.”

He ended with a dry joke, attempting to lighten the mood for the surrounding men. It earned him nothing but a few hollow, awkward chuckles.

“But still, to have dragged all of you out here for nothing…”

The Guild Master looked at the line of Mercenaries trailing behind him, his expression troubled. I decided to throw him a lifeline.

“If you feel bad about it, why not have them help us transport the timber for the Mercenary Guild renovation? You can pay them out of the cleaning budget, right?”

“That’s it! Yes, let’s do that. Men, you heard him! Start moving those logs back to town!”

Under the Guild Master’s orders, a group of Mercenaries swarmed Fritz, taking the log from his shoulder to carry it as a team. Relieved of his burden in an instant, Fritz realized he’d have to go back for more.

“Lark is still clearing trees back there. I’d better get a move on before he finishes.”

“Take the other Mercenaries with you,” I suggested. “We can never have too many hands for this.”

“…Fine. But if they can’t keep up, I’m leaving them behind.”

With that, Fritz led the pack of Mercenaries back toward Lark’s position.

◇　◇　◇

I ended up wasting more time than I intended.

I used Wind Magic to fly back to town ahead of the others and resumed my chores. The Grand Hall was essentially finished; all that remained was for the new timber to arrive so I could refit the furniture. I’d added some basic Magic Stone lighting and a Water supply station, but I didn't want to over-engineer the place too much.

“Now then, that just leaves the Guild Master’s Room and the Staff Room.”

Elie still hadn't emerged. I assumed she was drowning in paperwork. I considered starting with the Guild Master’s Room, but decided to check in on her first. I walked to the Staff Room and knocked.

“Hyah?!”

“Elie? Are you ready for me to clean the Staff Room?”

“Ah! W-wait! Just a moment! Give me one more minute!”

A series of violent crashing and banging sounds erupted from inside. After a short delay, Elie peeked out, her face flushed with embarrassment.

“S-sorry to keep you waiting. Please, come in.”

She was panting as if she’d just run a marathon. I stepped inside. The room was certainly in better shape than the Grand Hall, but years of deep-seated grime aren't easily dealt with by hand.

“Well, this shouldn't take long.”

I didn't waste time. I unleashed a wave of Water Magic to strip away the filth in one go, followed immediately by a spell to flash-dry the floor.

“It’s incredible,” Elie whispered, looking genuinely moved. “It really is as beautiful as I’d hoped.”

However, my attention was drawn elsewhere—specifically to a door behind her that looked like it was under immense structural pressure, as if it were about to explode.

“Um, what’s behind that door over—”

“T-that area is fine! It’s… it’s strictly off-limits to children!”

She put up a desperate, frantic resistance, babbling nonsense. I didn't need Presence Detection to know she’d just shoved all the clutter into that one closet to hide it.

I decided not to push it. Everyone has things they don't want seen. With a wry smile, I finished polishing the Staff Room until it shone and installed the same climate control enchantments I’d placed elsewhere.