--- Lava
It feels like everyone kind of forgot about me, but that's fine for me.
I should take a look at that book Elestra gave me anyway.
It appears to be exactly what she said, a collection of runes and their meanings. It's probably much more than anyone else in this world knows about them.
I might be able to do what Elestra did by writing them down on paper.
Then again, I don't really have pockets or anything as a dragon, so I'm not sure yet how I could suitably carry them other than transformation.
"What are you doing? You don't have time to read when you have friends to play with!" Ria returns with probably the only kids that still recognize me-- AKA the ones that pulled on my tail a lot.
The rest either grew up or left.
Of course she wants to come back right before I get to have any fun with my new knowledge.
At least the adults should be the same, right? I don't want to suddenly become a stranger in the very place I grew up!
Before I know it, I'm being pulled and yanked into the open for everyone else to see.
It hasn't been a month that I've been away from my perspective, but just the idea of being forgotten and shunned makes me nervous. Ria is probably the only one that would try to follow me wherever I went.
Thank god they don't start tugging my tail like they used to, but now they want to ride me.
I've always pretended to be so bothered and annoyed, partly because it gets annoying after a while of not having a break.
But now I realize that I better not waste any of the time I have with them by trying to keep my distance.
Even if it's uncomfortable, I just need to let them-- Never mind, they're too dumb for that!
"Stop it, don't touch those!" I command some of them that kept trying to touch my claws before I pull them away.
The damn instant I think about letting them do whatever they want they try to go get themselves cut on my claws.
They used to be so dull that I didn't have to care what idiots like them did around me, but after sharpening them to be able to fight easier I can't just let them do whatever anymore.
Meanwhile, Ria is trying to show me my adventurer card.
That's right, I forgot I'm an adventurer, I never really got to go on any adventures since I just joined because I had to.
"Look, Lava! You're the best adventurer in the world! S-class!" She shouts at me.
Huh, they must have promoted me a lot while I was gone.
I guess if defeating a god isn't enough to reach S class then what would? But best in the world? I can't be the only one, and I got kind of lucky.
Aside from the people that welcomed me back, the newer orphans kept their distance.
I guess the statue of me isn't enough to convince them, but they should be more scared of what Ria is going to do if she sees them trying to avoid me.
--- The adventurer's guild
The manager of the adventurer's guild used to have lots of work to do, but things have slowed down a lot.
Now that his biggest job was updating ranks there was even the possibility of having time off.
Today was like any other, just head into the storage room and update some information.
This time, something caught his eye. A card that wasn't active for years is suddenly active again, and it just happens to be the dragon that defeated the demon lord.
As the manager of the Prazia branch, he was the one that put this dragon here, but he definitely wasn't the only one that will see this.
"Augh, what a horrible time for you to come back... Good thing it's none of my business." He muttered as he went about his own business.
--- Vesper
Vesper needed a suitable medium to use, a silver blade just wasn't going to cut it. Something more efficient as a Mana conductor would greatly boost his growth, and where else to start looking than the dwarf kingdom?
Sure, he could gather the materials himself. But he doesn't have that much money and it's just easier to find someone that already has a finished product and take it from them.
It was safe to assume anyone that came here for such a valuable item would go to the best crafter.
And assuming the best crafter here had the biggest shop, he faced a dwarf that had more than enough muscles to show for his work, but Vesper wasn't here to spend even a single coin.
"I want to know everything about all the magic metals you've forged in the past. Who you made them for, where they are, everything." He demands.
"I'm sorry, client privacy is part of the business. I can't tell you any more than that. But you're more than welcome to purchas-" The dwarf responds.
"That wasn't a request, it was an order." Vesper interjects and unsheathes the cheap sword he swiped from a discard pile.
Of course, with his luck, he swiped the absolute worst one that looked like it would fall apart after just a few swings.
'There's no use trying to rob him, anyone leaving with something good would need to bring their own materials', He calculated.
"Guar-" The dwarf starts before he interrupts again.
"Don't bother screaming, I've already isolated this room with magic." Vesper states confidently, everything already going to plan.
"Don't look down on me with such a worthless weapon! I'll cut you down myself if I have to!" The dwarf yells as he grabs a sword that was hidden away in the corner. "You're no match for a dragonslayer!"
The dwarf yells and turns to face the attacker.
As the dwarf turns, his wrist is grabbed and pulled from behind.
"Did you really think I'd let you retrieve such a thing?" Vesper said with a smirk.
"I'm not giving you anything, brat! Do you think Valgore will forgive you for messing with their top blacksmith?!" The dwarf declares, losing hold of the sword but not seeming extremely bothered by the threat.
"Fine, if you're not that worried about yourself, why don't you take a good look at all of these masterpieces? Why, it even looks like you left the forge running, how careless of you!" Vesper speaks with a devilish tone, "Wouldn't it be a shame if these were to fall in and melt?"
"No! Leave my babies alone! They haven't done anything to you!" The weapons' creator cries, "I've put everything I have into every one of my creations, I'll tell you everything, just stop!"
'This was too easy', Vesper thought.
Most of the information he got was useless, just a lot of pendants and rings.
But there was one that he knew he wanted right away. A huge sum of Orichalcum.
It was years ago, but to not even have it made into anything means the only possible use would have been to quickly absorb lots of Mana. And if they looked poor, it had to be used to clear away Mana from a small village.
He didn't know how they managed to afford it, but it was like handing him what he wanted on a silver platter, he just had to search all the smaller towns and villages in the direction they left.
"We'll be seeing each other again soon, dwarf. You can tell anyone you want about me, it won't make a difference when I return." Vesper states as he gestures and leaves, but pauses just before getting out of the door.
"Actually...
The dwarf is left alone on his knees, a completely destitute mess.
--- Lava
Napping on my back was the most comfortable thing in the world here.
Relaxing wind, nothing to worry about, just some faint wiggles on top of me and Ria feeding me honey treats.
I tried to get the others to stuff me with even more of them but most of them get too scared to let me take it from their hands even though they have no problem touching my snout to pet me constantly.
Being seen as a little sister isn't that bad. Ria will make sure to spoil me.
Whenever she says no I can just whine until she gives me what I want.
If I have to be the little sister then I'm getting spoiled like the little sister.
I was ready to devour all the honey desserts in the village, when suddenly I was teleported somewhere and landed hard on my back.
Owie.
I landed in a dark place surrounded by a bunch of unfamiliar people in seats, except for Chrome, I do remember him.
These must be gods!
"I just got comfortable, what do you all want?" I complain loudly at how rude teleporting me away is.
"You have multiple god titles right now, we've brought you here to explain what you plan to do with that power. If we don't like your answer, then all of us are going to work together to take you down!" The council of gods commands.
"Power? You call this power? I don't even have as much Mana as I did without either of them! Even if I had unlimited magic I just want to live normally anyway! I have a family to care for, I don't have time for any nonsense like taking over the world!" I fume at their implied accusations.
Chrome doesn't even seem to be taking any part in helping me either, as if doing nothing is the best he can do.
"Very well, but don't forget this warning, lest we have to step in to deal with you. Rosen, send the dragon back." One of the unfamiliar voices commands.
"Hey! You can't just take me and then send me back without answering anything! Who are you-" I try to get answers, but they send me back to a few paces from where I was.
Now I'm back home, again.
The soundscape isn't the same as when I left either. In the minutes I was gone the air was filled with constant crying.
Ria is where I was earlier sobbing and wailing over it.
Well... I guess watching me suddenly disappear again would be enough to cause that.
"Don't cry, little sister." I console and push her to make her look at me.
Trying to explain it is probably pointless, it would just sound like making the same excuse as I did for the first time I disappeared...
"Lava! No more desserts for you, not for the whole day! Lava used to be such a good dragon, and now you're being so bad!" She cries and points at me while turning red and stuffy, "And I'm the big sister now! I get to punish you for being bad!"
Nooo, those stupid gods! They've cost me so many treats!
How do I get out of this? Trying to look scary to intimidate her into not trying to punish me would feel mean and that wouldn't work on Ria at all.
That just leaves one way left.
"I'm sowwy, sister. Pwease don't punish me!" I try my best to pretend to cry, even going far enough to act cuter. I didn't even say 'little' this time, even though it's true!
"You can't get out of your punishment that easily! Are you going to be good from now on?!" Ria demands.
She's so bossy now!
"I'll be good..." I pout. I'm older than her mentally and I'm still bigger physically, yet I'm still scoldable somehow.
But I'm definitely not getting any more treats.
Now I feel like crying for real!