Volume 2 Chapter 47 Retreat
When I returned with dragon carcasses from various places, Alex was inexplicably in the resting area where everyone was.
"Oh, it's Alex. Why are you here?"
"Huh? Well, you guys went wyvern hunting, right? If you did, then it's no longer within the adventurers' domain. It belongs to the guild and us merchants."
Alex smirked. While we had discussed this before, I tilted my head.
"So, you mean it's about deliveries and transportation?"
"Well, in simple terms, yes. And... whoa, there's an extra floating one mixed in there. Is that a Fire Dragons?"
"Yeah. They attacked me, so I took them down."
"Nice job, Wade! That's our Wade for you. And thanks to the others too."
Despite the somewhat casual tone, not many reacted. They just sighed and vaguely waved back.
"...Wade, did you push your friends too hard? Saying you dumped most of the dragons on them."
"Hey, they'll die! ...I mean, they only took down one Wyvern. Everyone was in a support role, so it must have been tough for them all. I think that's why they're tired."
"――――Hmm. I see, I've got the gist of it. So, did you take down this Fire Dragons all by yourself?"
"Huh? Oh, well, my magic is powerful, you know."
"Using Slow Magic?"
"That's an old story."
I still felt a bit uncomfortable being called that, and waved my hand dismissively. Alex surprisingly apologized, saying, "Sorry about that."
"Well, you must be tired. I'll leave you alone. I'll go ahead and appraise the purchase of the dragon."
"Why are you appraising it, Alex?"
"Well, you know, I issued the quest, so it's only natural for me to do it."
"You did?"
I stared at him in disbelief. Alex grinned.
"I'm a renowned merchant, you know. I can handle a dragon on my own."
"I'm not worried about that."
"You're quite the smooth talker, huh? How about joining my crew? I'll make sure you make some serious cash."
He made a ring with his fingers and grinned, trying to recruit me. I shrugged my shoulders and turned down his offer.
"It's not about the money."
"Then what's it about?"
"Enemies."
"Huh?"
"That's right, enemies. I like facing really strong opponents. I enjoy that feeling of getting completely absorbed in the battle."
"What's up with that?"
Alex chuckled. Then he said,
"Isn't it about the exhilaration of winning?"
"Well, that's part of it... but I still prefer getting absorbed in the fight. The moment the battle ends, there's the joy of 'I won!' but at the same time, it's like 'Is it over already?' and that makes me feel a bit lonely."
"You're quite the battle junkie, huh?"
Alex burst into laughter.
After that, it seemed like he spotted something, and he hurriedly ran off to a place a little further away.
"Hey! Wade. Are these the eggs of the dragons you defeated this time?"
As I approached, there were various colored eggs lined up there.
"Yeah, that's right. They're all from wyverns. We haven't found the nest of the Fire Dragon."
"Ah, that's too bad. You know, Fire Dragon eggs can be traded for one gold coin each."
"Wow, that's a lot of money."
"Well, for wyverns, it's about half that price. Two eggs for one gold coin."
"Well, that's not too bad, right? I mean, I don't know the market price, but..."
"It's not a bad deal in terms of market value, Wade-kun."
"Oh, Clay."
Clay seemed to have recovered quite a bit and joined in our discussion.
"But, we should add some value by coloring them. After all, these are eggs from dragons whose parents are definitely dead. The fact that there's no worry about being attacked by the parent dragon should add significant value."
"Clay-boy, you're too good at this. Alright, let's make it two gold coins for one egg."
"Thank you as always."
Clay is steadily becoming like our party's treasury department... Clay is so strong. As a muscle-brained guy like me, I can't have conversations like this. Sometimes I act tough for no reason though.
While thinking about that, Alex suddenly says, "Oh? Wait, this isn't a wyvern egg." as he picks up an egg.
"Indeed, it's a bit small. What is this, Alex?"
"If it's a dragon's egg being fostered... then"
"That's right. Alright, Wade. Even though this would easily fetch two big gold coins if you sold it, this time I won't sell it and will give it to you instead."
Slex says, pushing it towards me. I furrow my brows and ask,
"What's this? And seriously, this egg is way too expensive. Scary."
"It's an egg of a Metamor Dragon, a slightly unusual type of dragon. Let's raise it at our place. After all, the Metamorph Dragon is the only dragon that even non-experts can raise."
I widen my eyes upon hearing that. Wow, what an exciting element. It sounds super fun.
"S-So, we're going to raise a dragon. At our place."
"Oh, it's going to be fun for sure. Alright, Alex-san. I'll take care of things from here."
"When Clay-boy becomes the negotiating partner, it seems like I'll be learning a lot. Well, he's definitely a valuable client in the future. Can't be helped. So, about this large amount of meat—"
As the two of them delved into business talk, I distanced myself. Then, three girls were looking over here, so I somehow ended up heading in their direction.
"Good work, Wade-kun..."
"Oh, good work, Ice. Good work, everyone. I'm pretty tired this time."
"Tell me about it! Today, everyone saw me in a slightly embarrassing state. Well, they accepted it, so it's fine..."
Intrigued by Toxy's words, I laughed and asked, "What embarrassing state are you talking about?"
"I absolutely won't tell you, Wade! Nope!"
"Haha. Well, there's no need to force it out. Sandra, thanks for this time. It feels like you've really come out of your shell."
I hate to say it myself, but I think I've gotten a bit too strong in a short period of time. It feels like the pieces for my growth are falling into place just right, to the point where I might be getting a bit conceited.
It feels great, filling me with excitement to challenge stronger opponents one after another.
I want to fight even stronger opponents.
I want to be more engrossed, to have intense exchanges of blows.
If I can do that, it will surely be even more enjoyable.
I have a feeling like that.
"...Yes. That's more important than anything."
But Sandra seems dissatisfied about something, so I felt a bit down.
"...If you have any complaints, just say it?"
"It's nothing."
"What's wrong? Don't be mean. Just say it."
Despite my whining, Sandra inexplicably turned away with a pout. I gave up, feeling like I was banging my head against a brick wall.
"Well, well. For now, Wade-kun, why don't you take a seat?"
"Sure, thank you for having me."
I sit between Ice and Toxy. Sandra sulks even more.
"Pout"
"...Hey, both of you, why is Sandra in such a bad mood?"
"Because Wade was stronger than she thought."
"Why would she be upset just because her friend is strong?"
"Pout"
Sandra once again turns her face away from me with a huff. For some reason, Ice and Toxy are comforting her, saying, "There, there."
"So, Wade-kun, about that egg, the dragon egg?"
"Yeah, apparently. We're raising it at home."
"...Will it fit in the house, though?"
"I think it'll fit when it's small, but who knows when it gets bigger... But Clay and Alex both said to raise it."
"I see... What could it be? It looks like a wyvern egg normally, but regular dragons raised from eggs usually don't bond with humans, right? Hmm..."
Ice tilts her head, pondering. Then Alex calls out to us, "Appraisal complete!"
"Well, shall we head back?"
At my call, everyone nodded. The dragon slaying quest that began with defeating the wyverns had come to an end like this.
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