What the guards felt was understandable.
Anyone who saw that man would probably react the same way as them. The second figure was carrying a giant blue sphere, many times larger than him, on his back. And, inside that very sphere was the apex predator; a dragon.
The roar they heard yesterday came back to their memory like an unstoppable flood, gripping their bodies with intense fear and sapping their strength at an alarming rate.
Many of them fell on their knees.
Nevertheless, one of the guards, a young recruit that barely joined their ranks for a month managed to strengthen his resolve to overcome the terror and acted accordingly. He rang the bell strongly with all his might, causing a commotion.
"Dragoonnnn!!! dragooonnnn!!! dragooonnnn!!!" he yelled repeatedly until no sound could escape his mouth.
In the future, this man would make a name for himself through his bravery.
Fortunately, with how good Mikaela was with words and her distinct status as a silver-ranked adventurer, she was able to explain everything properly to the frightened people by the end of the day, and the panic died down, especially after knowing the cause of the stampede was put to rest for good.
-------
Mikaela solemnly savored her non-alcoholic beverage alone in a tavern that still doing business in this broken town, while taking delight in hearing a beautiful tune played by a charming elven instrumentalist.
How peaceful, it should be that way.
Unfortunately for Mikaela, due to her peerless beauty since she arrived here a minute ago, several men had tried to approach her one after another. Praising themselves excessively and asking her out. It was irritating. Thus, she coldly ignored every one of them.
"Why you...!! You dare to ignore me??"
The last man who came seemed to be drunk, and was offended by her nonchalant attitude, then rudely tried to grab her with his oily, full of dirt, hand, until that uncouth man ran away in panic after that same hand was encased in solid ice.
"What a buffoon, no woman would ever love or so much laid eyes on him if he stayed in that unattractive way. Is that simple fact really hard to understand?" commented Mikaela in a tired tone, as there were seemingly many stupid men surrounding her.
Despite the woman's exotic dancer-like appearance, Mikaela was silver-ranked, an elite adventurer. No mere thug, or a horde of them, could match her in a fight.
'Should have done that tough act much earlier' she thought, because after a brief show of her magical prowess, no one dare to disturb her.
--A week had passed since the deceased dragon was brought here. Excited officials from the Association came two days later to hear her full report and appraise the dragon as raw material. The officials had a hard time believing the part about Alfraed and what he did but recorded it nonetheless after Mikaela insisted on it.
Claiming over something she did not do was against her personal value. Only a third-rate adventurer would do such deplorable conduct that was devoid of pride. Mikaela had no respect for that kind of person.
Unfortunately, Alfraed had left the city a day before the officials arrived to prepare for his shop's opening. If he was still here, Mikaela was confident the officials would believe the story without question.
'Seeing was believing' was the fastest way to prove any matter.
On that note, since he departed, she had been feeling sullen, and lately, that person occupied a lot of her mind., even at this moment.
Never before did Mikaela experience this kind of mental attack, and decided to consult this matter with an expert, later on, to ensure she was not afflicted by some strange magic, charm, or curse.
On the other hand, this morning, the dragon appraisal process was finally completed and was valued for nine-million Rune, notably higher than her initial expectation. Although damaged, a dragon's body remained a valuable raw material indeed, many parties wanted it.
Half of that numerical figure was Alfraed's share.
"Half?? But, I didn't do much?" was Alfraed's reaction, and he refused her offer.
Nonetheless, Mikaela persistently told him he fully deserved it, she would even give all the reward if he wanted to. He saved her life, treated her wounds, and restored her magic circuit. That did not qualify as 'didn't do much, far from it. So, it was alright for him to be more selfish.
In the end, he finally relented. But, the money would never go to his personal pocket because, as per his request, she donated his share for this town's reconstruction.
How about her share of the reward? After witnessing such generosity, she wouldn't dare not to follow suit. As such, the townspeople regarded the two as heroes, as their home could be rebuilt a lot faster with those funds, and there was going to be a celebration this evening.
It was a nice feeling to be appreciated. But, currently, she had a more pressing matter...
Mikaela pulled out a piece of card from between her ample bosom and looked at it intently. Her gaze was so sharp that a hole might involuntarily appear on the card.
Meanwhile, shallow men who witnessed what she did wonder how it would feel to be that card.
"...Herbs & Lotions..." muttered her softly. It was Alfraed's business card and that was the name of his shop. He said the shop would be the best potion store in the world. Usually, Mikaela would be skeptical. Strangely, this time she did not doubt that claim, not one bit.
She repeatedly flipped over the card over and over again to seek a certain something. Yet, no matter how many times she searched for it, that thing was not there to begin with.
"...There really is no address... how can I pick up the potions and meet him again if it's like this?"
Alfraed made a blunder in his preparation, and the reunion between the two would not happen until quite some time had passed.
Mikaela's mood turned sour and the air inside the tavern was chilled considerably...