"Oh, what is it, Tori-chan?" the receptionist, Tristina, responded warmly. It seemed they were on good terms, calling each other by affectionate nicknames, likely due to their similar names.
"It's nothing too serious. Do you happen to know where Miba-san is? It would be great if she's at the clan home."
"Miba-san? What do you need her for?"
"It's not a big deal. These people just want to ask Miha a quick question."
"Hmm, the timing isn't great. Miha left about an hour ago with some members of the clan to take down a Fire Drake at its nest."
"Wait, what?! A Drake's nest?!"
Yeah, the name alone sounds dangerous.
"And it's not for a guild request; they went because of a personal matter... clan trouble."
"...Trouble, you mean the one we've heard about?"
"Exactly, that one."
Trinity gave a dry laugh, thanked Tristina, and stepped away from the reception counter. We made our way toward the tavern.
"So, what now? It sounds like Miha has already headed to the Drake's nest."
"Hey, what exactly is a Drake's nest like?"
"It's literally an area where almost only dragons live—rated at a danger level of A."
No kidding.
I can't believe they went straight to a dragon's lair.
"By the way, how far is it from here?"
"It's about a six-day ride east from the royal city. Normally, you'd teleport to the water city of West Yorlpa first, and then it would take about a full day's ride by horse from there."
When I first heard six days, I was genuinely worried, but this is a fantasy world, after all. So, that means Miha and the others definitely used the teleportation circle, which means about two days for the round trip.
"Alright, let's head to the Drake's lair," I said.
"Why!? It's the Drake's lair! We should wait here for Miba and the others to return!"
Trinity immediately voiced her objections. Naturally, no one wants to go where dragons dwell.
"Right now, every minute counts. Besides, just because Miba and the others defeated the Fire Drake doesn't mean they'll come back to the capital without delay."
"But it's the Drake's lair! The danger level is A-class!"
"We're not planning to fight the Drake ourselves. If we use Ava's aura detection, we can avoid trouble. And if they left an hour ago, we might be able to catch up."
I glanced at Ava, and she nodded. "If it's just aura detection, it's not a problem."
"...Things don't always go that smoothly," Trinity muttered.
"Sorry, but I'm rejecting Trinity's opinion. And you know you can't stand against us, right?"
"...I'm starting to think it might just be better to report this to the guild and accept the penalty."
If Trinity chooses to pull out, that's her decision. But I'll forcibly hire her as a guide to the Drake's lair!
I'll negotiate her penalty with the Thieves' Guild and the Guides' Guild, so there shouldn't be any issues.
When I mentioned that, Trinity scowled as if she had tasted something bitter.
"You're definitely going to die young."
"Thanks for the compliment."
"I'm not complimenting you!"
"Well, if we're heading to Drake's nest, we need to prepare properly."
I was ready to leave right away, but Ava was right—heading there in my current gear would be nothing short of suicidal. We followed Trinity's lead as we browsed several shops in the capital to gather our equipment and supplies.
◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇
Ava and I were now waiting by the teleportation magic circle for Trinity to arrive. The magic circle was located within a fairly large building near the royal castle, under the watchful eye of guards managing the comings and goings.
"Sorry, Ava, for making you spend so much money," I said.
"Don't worry about it. If you could buy a life for that money, it would be a bargain.
"How about we hunt some dragons ourselves to earn some money?"
"That sounds good, but Trinity would vehemently oppose it."
Indeed, my current gear had been funded by Ava. I wielded a one-handed sword made of Lunametal steel, carried a shield crafted from Mithril wood, and donned armor made entirely of dragon leather—quite high-spec equipment. I also gathered essential adventuring tools (rope, torches, flint, a small knife, blankets, and a water pouch) and a leather bag to hold them all.
Of course, I couldn't cover the expenses with my initial funds, so Ava generously took care of it. I didn't ask for the exact amount, but I'm sure several gold coins vanished.
"Wow! You all look quite courageous!"
When I turned toward the voice, I saw a small boy gazing at us with bright eyes. My dragon leather armor and Ava's sleek black armor must have seemed incredibly impressive to him.
He seemed to be a noble's child, dressed in a way that attempted to blend in with commoners, but upon closer inspection, the quality of his fabric clearly indicated his background. The absence of any escorts suggested he had snuck out into town.
"Hey, kid, are you alone? No adults with you?"
"What are you saying? I'm just a child of the streets. It's completely normal to run around town by myself!"
Ah, yes, definitely a noble's child. His manner of speaking gave it away.
"Well, we're heading out to slay a dragon. I'm sorry, but we don't have time to chat right now."
"Oh! Dragon slaying! Wow! I'd love to try that just once!"
I could understand his enthusiasm; every boy dreams of slaying a dragon.
"Alright, then. I won't keep you from your quest. I wish you success in your dragon hunt. If you have the chance, I'd love to hear about your adventures later!"
The child, trying to be considerate, attempts to leave the scene, but I stop him by handing him an Ava item.
"Hey, wait a minute. Take this with you."
"What's this?"
"It's a smoke bomb, an Ava item. You use it to escape from monsters or bad guys by smashing it on the ground. Even kids like you should have some form of self-defense."
I emphasized the word "kids" as I handed the smoke bomb to the boy.
"Really? Kids carry self-defense Ava items? Well, I appreciate it. Thank you."
With that, the boy disappeared into the town.
"I'm sorry, Ava. I ended up giving away the Ava item you bought for me."
"Oh, there's no need to apologize! You did a good thing, Suzanne."
It's not like that, but I just wanted to give him the smoke bomb in case he needed it—I'm sure he has some kind of bodyguard watching over him.
"Hey? What's going on? Did something happen?"
Trinity arrived just as the boy left.
"No, nothing's wrong. How did it go?"
Trinity, looking curious, quickly shifted her focus and began to recount what she found out at the thieves' guild. I had asked her to check if Miha had headed to Drake's lair. I also made sure to settle the outstanding quotas she had, to help clear her mind.
"Ah, there's no doubt we're heading to Drake's nest. It seems there have been sightings south from West Yulpa."
"I see. Then we should hurry."
We quickly made our way to the teleportation facility, where Trinity began preparing the necessary procedures with the staff. Though I had essentially forced her into our party, she had also updated her gear for the trip to Drake's nest.
She was equipped with a Damascus steel short sword and a chest plate, gauntlets, and shin guards made from metal cloth harvested from the agile metal tarantulas, prioritizing mobility over defense. The facility staff seemed to recognize her, showing a hint of surprise at her equipment.
"The permission to use the teleportation circle has been granted."
"Got it."
We moved deeper into the facility and stepped onto the teleportation circle in one of the rooms. With a light sense of weightlessness, the scenery around us shifted, and we arrived at the teleportation facility of the water city.
"This is West Yulpa, once known as the magical city of the Central Kingdom. Now it belongs to the Elegant Kingdom as the water city."
Apparently, during the great disaster about a hundred years ago, the Central Kingdom fell, but West Yulpa, skilled in magic, managed to survive. The surviving West Yulpa sought the protection of the Elegant Kingdom and, in return, provided magical tools to create water necessary for living in the desert, marking the beginning of the water city.
The desert was quickly transformed into a grassy plain by the goddess Alice.
"I'd love to take my time sightseeing, but we can't afford to. Let's head to Drake's nest as soon as possible."
It was just around noon. Since Miha and the others had left about two hours ago, we needed to catch up quickly; otherwise, we wouldn't reach the nest until nightfall.
"Ugh, are we really going…? First, we need to rent a horse from the Beast Guild; otherwise, we won't be able to move at all."
"A running Drake would be better than a horse," one of us chimed in.
The running Drake was said to be a lizard specialized for travel. Its powerful hind legs allowed it to run on two feet like a kangaroo, making it faster and more resilient than a horse. However, being a Drake, it was known for its temperamental nature, which made it harder to handle.
Naturally, the rental fee was higher than that of a horse, so it wouldn't be easy to acquire one; but with our treasurer in the group, we had nothing to worry about.
We successfully rented the running Drakes and set off southward—toward Drake's nest.
---
**AIWOn Adventurers Guild Thread 453**
625: Amishu: 2059/05/02 (Tue) 11:01:11 ID: Am3Sh6sh
"I finally reached D-rank in the Adventurers Guild! ⤵️(*゜∀゜*)⤵️"
626: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/05/02 (Tue) 11:04:32 ID: lip9S616rm
"Oh wow! Congratulations!"
Anonymous Adventurer 627: 2025/05/02 (Tue) 11:07:50 ID: HkOj33sSn
"Congrats! You're now one of us, a full-fledged adventurer."
Anonymous Adventurer 628: 2025/05/02 (Tue) 11:10:22 ID: MdrSoks69
"Good job!"
Anonymous Adventurer 629: 2025/05/02 (Tue) 11:15:35 ID: Ia13nig10T
"The real challenge begins now that you're D-rank."
Amishu 630: 2025/05/02 (Tue) 11:16:16 ID: Am3Sh6sh
"Thanks! ♪(〃▽〃)ゞ My goal is S-rank! A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step!"
Anonymous Adventurer 631: 2025/05/02 (Tue) 11:19:11 ID: AkjAlssft1
"Going for S-rank, huh?"
Anonymous Adventurer 632: 2025/05/02 (Tue) 11:22:50 ID: HkOj33sSn
"Wow, that's a bold challenge!"
Anonymous Adventurer 633: 2025/05/02 (Tue) 11:24:31 ID: Ng88mM31
"Honestly, becoming an S-rank adventurer is just a fantasy."
Anonymous Adventurer 634: 2025/05/02 (Tue) 11:28:09 ID: sUo5tONan0t
"Right? S-rank is beyond what any human can achieve."
Anonymous Adventurer 635: 2025/05/02 (Tue) 11:30:50 ID: HkOj33sSn
"Well, that's not necessarily true. After all, the current S-rank, Miba-san, is a player just like us," said one adventurer.
"Seriously?!" another interjected.
"Is that really true?" a third adventurer responded, excitement building.
"Wow! Now I feel motivated!" exclaimed Amishu, full of enthusiasm.
"I can't believe it's actually true," another adventurer said, disbelief evident in their tone.
"No way! That's impossible! It's already nerve-wracking enough battling monsters in AIWOn!" someone else exclaimed.
"I thought you had to be a resident of AIWOn to reach S-rank," another chimed in, still processing the revelation.
"Isn't Ms. Meirin the one with the title 'The Absolute Blade'?"
644: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/05/02 (Tue) 11:39:16 ID: AkjAlssft1
"Yeah, apparently the moment she set foot in AIWOn, she was already on a different level. I've heard she possesses some kind of blessing."
645: Amishu: 2059/05/02 (Tue) 11:40:11 ID: Am3Sh6sh
"Oh wow! I'm so envious of that title! (*゜∀゜)=3 Haa Haa"
646: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/05/02 (Tue) 11:40:50 ID: HkOj33sSn
"Yeah, the rumor is that she's not just any blessed individual; she's rumored to be fully armed with an S-class blessing."
647: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/05/02 (Tue) 11:41:49 ID: P6so7GdaN
"Even her blessing is S-class!?"
648: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/05/02 (Tue) 11:42:35 ID: Ia13nig10T
"That's total cheating!"
649: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/05/02 (Tue) 11:43:32 ID: lip9S616rm