Jingle.
The bell on the herb shop door rang softly.
“Welcome, Mr. Fabir.”
Bernard smiled pleasantly.
“It’s been a while, Mr. Bernard.”
“Your hands look quite heavy today.”
“I made some kimchi. I wanted to share it with everyone, so I brought a bit.”
Bernard raised his eyebrows.
“Kimchi?”
Kimjang would be unfamiliar here in the Western Continent.
“It’s a traditional fermented food eaten in the Eastern countries. The flavor deepens as it ages. It goes well with various dishes, and it’s especially good for health.”
“I’m not sure if I should accept such a precious food for free.”
“It’s about sharing jeong, so please accept it gladly.”
“J-jeong?”
Bernard tilted his head.
I smiled instead of answering.
“It’s a fermented food, so the smell might be a bit strong.”
“That’s fine. If it’s food made by you, Mr. Fabir, it must be delicious. Actually, I’m more worried that it might be so tasty I’ll finish the whole jar in one day?”
Bernard accepted the jar of kimchi with great care.
“Please pass the rest to the herb shop folks. One is for Mr. Cayton, so give it to him when he comes by.”
“Understood. Miss Ellis will be thrilled.”
“By the way, is Miss Ellis still analyzing my crops these days?”
“Yes. She seems to have discovered something recently and is all excited. She said it’s an amazing discovery and plans to publish a research paper later?”
“A research paper?”
Something big seems to be happening in a place I hadn’t thought about.
Anyway, if she’s satisfied, that’s what matters.
“Aside from that, has everything been fine at the herb shop lately?”
“Mr. Vitus has been coming almost every day. He came yesterday too, bought a vitality drink, and asked about your well-being.”
“Mr. Vitus? He’s still in the village?”
“Mr. Cayton said he eats bibimbap every morning without fail.”
“Is that so? He must like bibimbap.”
Most adventurers eat bibimbap every morning, so it’s not particularly strange.
“But in my opinion, maybe he’s planning to settle down in this village?”
“Come on, no way.”
Why would Vitus, with his high value, settle in this remote small village? Moreover, the royal capital’s adventurers’ guild wouldn’t leave him alone.
“It’s been over a week since Mr. Vitus arrived, right? It was suspicious from the start that a high-rank adventurer came to this remote area on a request. Maybe….”
“Maybe what?”
“He might have caused trouble in the kingdom? So he fled here to hide.”
“That can’t be. If he caused trouble, he’d hide in the countryside rather than a populated small city.”
“Hmm… Then maybe Mr. Cayton’s guess is right.”
“..?”
“He said Mr. Vitus came here because of you, Mr. Fabir.”
Because of me? To see me? Why on earth?
We’re not that close, are we?
Well, if I meet Vitus next time, I’ll casually ask.
“One bibimbap, please.”
“Thank you as always.”
Vitus politely accepted the bibimbap. Now, lining up every morning for bibimbap had become routine.
The sight of adventurers fainting and sprawling on the street after eating bibimbap was familiar now.
He’s full of anticipation for how delicious it will be today.
“I see you often.”
Turning at the familiar voice, it was Cayton.
“You said you were stopping by briefly for business, but it looks like you’re living here now?”
Vitus felt a sting.
“Ahem. There’s still work left to do. Mind your own business.”
Cayton’s eyes narrowed.
“What’s your real purpose?”
“Purpose? What do you mean?”
“From the first day until now, you haven’t missed a single day visiting the herb shop, have you? I heard you’ve even been to the Rose Inn and the Blue Horse Merchant Group. Is it my imagination that you’re hovering around Mr. Fabir?”
No matter how discreetly Vitus moved, there were many watchful eyes in this village.
“Wh-who’s hovering? I heard rumors about Mr. Fabir on the road and just wanted to check if they were true.”
“…It’s not related to a request, is it?”
Vitus inwardly flinched at the sharp question.
“Ahem. Let’s end the morning greeting here. I need to eat my bibimbap, so excuse me.”
As Vitus turned away, he frowned. Cayton’s behavior, as if monitoring him, was irritating. It was like a puppy scared of losing its master’s affection.
“…A request? How ridiculous.”
It’s partially true, but he’s got the wrong idea.
Vitus hadn’t stayed in Alburton because of a request.
He had discovered potential here. A breakthrough to overcome the limits he had hit in his growth.
He was convinced that by using the infrastructure Mr. Fabir had created, he could definitely surpass his limits and become stronger.
Reporting could wait. Even if he didn’t do it, the rumors would reach the royal capital eventually. No need to attract flies prematurely.
Vitus hurried his steps. Back at his lodging, he placed the bibimbap and the pre-bought vitality drink on the table.
Swish, swish.
He mixed the bibimbap carefully, as if performing a solemn ritual. The nutty sesame oil aroma wafted strongly.
“Alright, let’s eat.”
The corners of Vitus’s mouth curled up slightly.
Cayton couldn’t shake Vitus from his mind.
He thought he’d leave right after the request, but it’s been days now.
Moreover, he visits the herb shop almost every day and asks about Mr. Fabir.
“That guy, could he be….”
Planning to stay by Mr. Fabir’s side this time?
Anxiety crept up on Cayton.
Currently, he was the herb shop’s promotional model. But if the high-rank adventurer Vitus subtly aimed for his position….
“Grit.”
Just the thought made him grind his teeth.
Seeing him make excuses about rumors and requests, it seems he’s trying to stick close to Mr. Fabir somehow.
He heard that bibimbap isn’t enough; he drinks vitality drinks every day too.
He must be training in secret, no doubt.
‘I can’t lose.’
Cayton bit his lip. Competitive spirit boiled up.
Cayton headed into the guild.
Buzz, buzz.
Today, the guild was overflowing with adventurers.
He crossed the lobby and stopped in front of the request board.
Requests were divided into beginner, intermediate, advanced, high-rank, and special. Since high-rank and above were national-level, most in a remote small city like Alburton were intermediate or below.
As he scanned the board.
“…Hmm?!”
One request caught Cayton’s eye.
A red stamp reading ‘High-Rank’ stood out on the yellow request paper.
A fellow adventurer standing nearby said.
“A high-rank request in this remote area—surprising, huh?”
The issuer was the empire’s adventurers’ guild.
“What kind of request made the empire’s guild request cooperation all the way to the kingdom?”
“Listen to this and don’t be shocked.”
“..?”
“A fire dragon appeared near the empire’s border.”
“A fire dragon?! You mean the legendary ancient dragon?”
“Yeah, both the empire and kingdom are in an uproar. It’s been hundreds of years since an ancient dragon was spotted near human lands. So they’re gathering info on the fire dragon. Keeping an eye out just in case.”
The existence of an ancient dragon was special enough to tense two nations with just its movement. An ancient dragon’s actions could change ecosystems on a natural disaster scale.
Once, when an ancient dragon relocated, it caused a massive migration of monsters in the area. That not only altered the ecosystem but forced humans to redraw borders on maps.
“This request is basically nonexistent. Seeing a fire dragon is a once-in-a-lifetime luck, if that.”
“Yeah.”
Cayton shifted his gaze and picked the intermediate request with the highest performance points. He needed to accumulate achievements quickly to become a high-rank adventurer.
“But there’s a strange rumor going around.”
Cayton perked up his ears again at his colleague’s words. Information was crucial for adventurers, so even rumors couldn’t be ignored.
“Someone else was there.”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t be too shocked.”
The colleague leaned in and whispered softly.
“…That person arrived riding the fire dragon.”
“Whaaat?”
“Shh! Calm down.”
Cayton gathered his startled wits.
“Someone really appeared riding a fire dragon? And you expect me to believe that?”
The appearance of a fire dragon was shocking enough, but someone riding on its back?
Even a regular dragon’s immense pressure would crush one’s spirit. An ancient dragon would surely make it impossible to even breathe properly.
Does such an owner of tremendous mental fortitude really exist in reality?
“That’s why I said it might be just a rumor from the start.”
“…Still, rumors spread because there’s some basis, right?”
The fellow adventurer nodded.
“The source of this rumor is the person who encountered the fire dragon. They said his serious expression made it impossible not to believe.”
Cayton’s expression stiffened slightly.
Someone riding an ancient dragon like a natural disaster. It sounded like something from myths. Even Ryan, called the first dragon knight, didn’t dare think of ancient dragons.
Would you believe if someone rode a typhoon?
That’s how much ancient dragons were beyond human reach.
But if, just if, this were true….
“There are too many strong people in the world. Suddenly, I feel drained. No matter how hard I try, I probably can’t reach that level.”
The colleague let out a short sigh.
It was natural to feel utterly insignificant compared to such powerhouses. But he couldn’t just stay disappointed.
In times like this, focus on fighting yourself. Just diligently handle what’s in front of you for now.
Cayton steeled his resolve.
Meanwhile, as Cayton sorted his muddled mind from Vitus and the ancient dragon’s appearance, a commotion was also brewing in the royal capital.
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