Quest Complete?

Fee’s group had come to the market to shop for ingredients.

However, it seemed nothing was quite clicking with her.

"I want meat that’s... more big. Something really, really big."

She spread her arms as wide as her small frame allowed to demonstrate the scale she was looking for.

The clerk behind the counter met her request with a sour grimace.

"I'm afraid we don't carry any Meat that large here, little lady."

"S-She’s right, Fee-chan. To be honest, I’ve rarely seen cuts of meat larger than the ones they have here," Emilina added, trying to soothe her.

"In my territory, there are many," Fee insisted.

She’s probably thinking of entire carcasses that haven't been butchered yet, Emilina thought to herself.

"If it’s big, I know they'll be happy."

"In that case, why don't you girls try hunting for yourselves?" the clerk suggested.

His gaze shifted toward Luna. Being a citizen of the Empire, he likely recognized her. He probably knew she was the third-ranked member of the Single Digits, the Ninth.

He knew that with her there, they could hunt down virtually any Monster they set their sights on.

"That is a good idea," Fee agreed.

"……Are you sure about this?" Elu asked, her voice trembling with anxiety.

"We won't go after anything actually dangerous."

"That’s true. And since we’re already out, I’ll stay with Fee-chan until she’s satisfied," Emilina said.

"……I’ll do my best."

With the others in agreement, Elu gave her timid consent.

The four of them turned and began making their way toward the city gates.

◇　◇　◇

Riding atop the Giant Doll Luna had summoned, the group charged forward.

"So fast~!"

"It’s almost like traveling with Ram-san."

"Mm. It’s a draw."

"Awawa! A-Are you sure we won't fall off?!"

They simply bowled over any weak Monsters in their path as Fee continued her search for something that met her standards.

Suddenly, a massive shape plummeted from the sky, slamming into the ground right in front of them.

"Is that a Dra—"

"It’s a Giant Lizard!" Fee declared.

"Eh? A Giant Liza... No, it definitely isn't!?" Emilina shouted, her voice cracking.

"Why is Meat like this just falling in a place like this?"

"……There was no commotion," Luna noted.

"Usually, if a Dragon attacked, the whole area would be in an uproar, but..."

The moment the words left Emilina’s mouth, another Dragon fell from the sky. Then another.

"It... it is a Dragon, right?"

Dragons were creatures so formidable that a single one was considered nearly impossible to slay. The idea of them falling like rain was absurd.

Unless, of course, Yuri was involved. If he was behind this, the impossible became a distinct possibility.

"It’s a lizard," Fee insisted stubbornly.

For some reason, she was doubling down on the lizard theory. Then again, given the sheer number of them, perhaps they really weren't Dragons. Maybe they were just Flying Lizards.

I didn't even want to contemplate the alternative—Dragons falling out of thin air for no reason.

"I suppose... you’re right. These are definitely just lizards."

"……Eh? They are?"

"Yuri-sama said so before. He called them huge lizards. He also said that as long as they aren't Rock Lizards, they're delicious."

"I see. But since someone clearly hunted these, we can't just take them home without permission."

"……No one is coming," Luna observed.

"Didn't they just fall here on their own?" Elu asked, scanning the area. She remained on high alert, but her nose picked up no approaching scents.

"It’s all-you-can-eat!!" Fee cheered.

"Well... alright. Let’s wait a little longer. If no one comes to claim them, we’ll take them back with us."

And so, while they waited for a "rightful owner" who would never appear, they began gathering the fallen Dragons (lizards).

In the end, no one ever came. The mountain of Dragons (lizards) was officially designated as the primary ingredient for tonight’s dinner.

◇　◆　◇

I was finishing up the cleaning in the Guild Master’s Room—the final task on my list—when the Mercenaries finally returned with the timber, accompanied by the Guild Master.

"I'm back! ...Wait, wha—!?"

The Guild Master’s voice boomed through the Grand Hall the moment he stepped inside.

"Did something happen!?" I called out.

"W-Why is it so clean?! Why does it smell so good?! And the temperature... it’s neither hot nor cold, it’s perfect!"

"You walked through here earlier, didn't you?" I asked flatly.

He had passed through the Grand Hall once already when the Dragon Subjugation panic started. This was technically the second time he was seeing the finished product. Why was he only reacting now?

"Earlier, my head was so full of Dragons that I didn't even notice!"

"Well, I cleaned it. That’s all there is to it."

"What do you mean 'that’s all'?! This is way too clean, regardless of the circumstances!"

"If you say so..."

To be honest, I hadn't even shown him the bathroom or the toilets yet. I’d tinkered with the plumbing extensively, and if he was this shocked by a clean floor, I was going to have a problem later.

"I’m still planning to move furniture in here. Can you have the logs delivered to Gale? He’s going to handle the woodworking."

"A-Ah, right. I understand..."

Massive logs were piled up in front of Gale.

"H-Hold on. This is far too much material..." Gale stammered.

"Really? If we're going to replace the guild's counter, the shelves, the tables, and the chairs, I figured we might actually be short."

"And you expect me to handle this volume all by myself?"

"Fair point. Fine, we'll all pitch in and build them together at the end."

"I... I’m holding you to that."

Gale sighed and began working on the first pieces of furniture.

"Now, only the Guild Master’s Room is left. Is it alright if I go back in?"

"A-Ah, yes. Go ahead. Whenever you like..."

His tone had shifted to something bordering on total resignation.

Taking that as my cue, I headed back toward the Guild Master’s Room. He followed close behind me, likely curious.

However, he would only end up shouting in shock again once he realized I had finished the entire room in the blink of an eye.