Chapter 7

Karan the Dragonian Warrior / Fraud Victim / Solo Gourmet The proud dragonians had a mission: to serve a human hero and save the world. That said, the world wasn’t currently in any danger. The war between the humans and the demons ended ten years ago, and there were no dark forces ruling the world. The times were peaceful. The dragonians, however, were facing a crisis. They participated in the war as mercenaries, and many did not come home. A substantial amount of people died, but many simply decided to remain in the lands of the humans. The dragonian settlement was a rural, insular society that had remained unchanged in its tranquility for centuries. The dragonians, who joined the war as mercenaries, found the countries of men fascinating with their melting pot of cultures and convenient, developed way of living. There were also many who fell in love with a human during the war and started a family. Karan was the third daughter of the chief of the declining dragonian population. Everyone loved her for her bright personality. She was stronger than any man, and while she wasn’t always the most intelligent, people put up with it because of her excellent potential as a warrior. It was inevitable that she would eventually show interest in the outside world. No matter how strong she felt she was, she only had her small village to compare herself against. She wanted to see the world and test her strength, and she was attracted by the dragonian mission of serving the hero. As such, she resolved to leave the village and go on a journey. But Karan was lacking in one aspect. Because she grew up in a village with a declining population, she could count the number of friends around her age on one hand. She had zero friends who were her exact age. Most of the adults in the village were old, with few at a working age. She had been spoiled growing up, and she didn’t yet know the coldness of the world or the ugliness that people were capable of. “Pick that up and give it a close look, missy.” “Okay.” Karan did as the street male vendor in Labyrinth City said and picked up a silver pendant. The hanging ornament was shaped like a swan, and she was captivated by its elegant design. The only problem was its hefty price tag. “That’s two gold coins, which is twenty thousand dina. Sorry, but I can’t reduce the cost,” the man said, holding up two fingers. Karan was torn. She could afford it if she used the money her parents gave her, but that wasn’t money she should waste. After much deliberation, she handed the pendant back to the street vendor. She decided she would come back once she was able to support herself. Rather than repay her friend’s kindness while she was still inexperienced, it would be better to wait and give it to him once she showed she could be independent. She returned the pendant, and the street vendor screamed. “Nooo!” “Wh-what is it?” Karan asked. “Don’t give me that, missy. You’re a dragonian. You need to be more careful!” the man yelled, holding out the pendant for Karan to see. There was a scratch on it that looked like it was left by a sharp claw. “I can’t sell it in this state… Oh dear.” “Th-that scratch wasn’t me!” “…I suppose I can’t blame you for being careless. It’s in your nature. But it’s not right to play dumb.” “B-but!” From the elbow down, dragonians had the arms of a dragon. They were covered in scales and had sharp claws. That was exactly why dragonians always took special care not to injure people they came into close contact with. Karan was not a child, and she knew how to be careful. When the man gave her the pendant, she grabbed it with the insides of her fingers to avoid scratching it. She was sure her claws never touched it. “You look like you just left the countryside, girl. I’m sorry, but you can’t get away with this kind of thing in Labyrinth City,” he said. “…” “That said, I’m not a monster. I know you didn’t mean to scratch it.” “…Huh?” “I’ll reduce the price by half to ten thousand dina. Give me one gold coin. I won’t ask for a full reimbursement, and I’ll give you the scratched pendant.” The street vendor smiled at Karan kindly. She could feel herself being pulled in by his smile. Ten thousand dina was a lot of money. She could get out of this with just ten thousand dina. Both of those thoughts crossed her mind at the same time. What should she do? “Think of this as the price of learning your way around this city, missy. Or do you want me to call the Sun Knights and have them mediate for us?” he threatened. The Order of the Sun Knights was a police organization that protected the peace in Labyrinth City. They kept criminals in check and did their best to maintain justice, but they occasionally arrested people on false charges, and there were many merchants who had bribed them as well. Even if the knights weren’t entirely trustworthy, gaining their attention here would make life in Labyrinth City difficult for her. Karan felt a wave of fear when he mentioned the Sun Knights. Just then, a man put his hand on the street vendor’s shoulder. “Hey, you got a bone to pick with Karan?” he asked. “Callios!” Karan smiled joyfully and called the man’s name. He was a handsome man with long blond hair and a longsword on his back. His permanent smile made everyone he talked to feel like a friend. The street vendor, however, made an uncomfortable expression in response to the smiling Callios whose hand was on his shoulder. “Sorry, Karan. Gettin’ our payout at the guild took kinda long,” Callios apologized. “I-it’s okay,” Karan responded, shaking her head. Despite his friendly demeanor, he was the leader of White Heron, Karan’s adventuring party, making him essentially her boss. That wasn’t all—he was also the person who approached her when she arrived in Labyrinth City without a clue of what to do. Callios invited her into his party and looked after her, for which she was grateful. Karan looked down, blushing from embarrassment that he found her in this predicament. “I told you to call me whenever you go shoppin’, didn’t I? I don’t mind helpin’ out if you want something.” “O-okay.” “Anyway. Back to you,” Callios said, returning his attention to the street vendor. “Wh-what’s your deal?” the man asked. “Didn’t you hear me? I asked if you have a bone to pick with Karan.” “N-not exactly… This dragonian girl ruined my twenty thousand dina pendant. I can’t just let her walk free. Look at this scratch. It’s unsellable now.” Karan ducked her head, afraid Callios would be mad at her. It wasn’t like he had ever yelled at her before, but just imagining it set her quaking in her boots. She didn’t want him to abandon her. “S-sorry, Callios…” “Hey, Karan. Try scratching this pendant,” Callios said. “What do you think you’re doing?!” the street vendor yelled. “It’s already unsellable, right? What does another scratch matter?” Callios asked. “I-I’ll only allow that after I receive ten thousand dina for it,” the man insisted. “Fine, I’ll pay for it. But you know what you did.” Callios pulled a gold coin out of his pocket and gave it to the street vendor. The man’s face went pale as he accepted the money; he didn’t look the least bit happy about being paid. “All right, Karan. Go ahead and scratch it. Scratching a pendant feels really wrong… This is kinda exciting.” “Huh? B-but…” “It’s fine. Just do it.” Karan did as Callios said and timidly pressed a claw against it. The silver screeched as she scratched it. She closed her eyes reflexively, afraid of looking at the scratch. “Hmm. Can you make a smaller scratch, Karan?” Callios asked. “Huh? I—I can’t,” Karan stammered. “Exactly,” Callios said, looking at the street vendor with a cocky smile. “Karan couldn’t have made such a clean scratch with her claws. This was just a ploy to sell a damaged item.” As Callios said, the first scratch was thin and perfectly straight. By contrast, the scratch Karan just applied was large, clumsy, and visibly different in shape. “This doesn’t have anything to do with you!” the street vendor shouted. “Wha—? I’m the one who paid for it. You’re not making any sense. Also…” Callios reached into the street vendor’s pocket with speed that would have amazed a pickpocket and felt around. “Wh-what the hell?! What are you—?” “I knew it.” Callios pulled out a swan pendant without a single scratch. “You switched this with the scratched pendant and pretended like she scratched it.” “Oh!” Karan gasped. “You could’ve also tried swapping the good pendant for the damaged one when you wrapped it. That’s an old trick.” Karan didn’t look closely at the pendant when she returned it to the street vendor. She was lost in thought about whether she should buy it, giving the man the opportunity to take advantage of her. “So what should we do here? I could call over the Sun Knights…,” Callios threatened. The street vendor was visibly sweating. Anyone could see he was guilty. Karan was captivated by the skillful way Callios handled this, and she was surprised when he turned to her for a decision. “Hey, Karan. Do you want this pendant?” “Huh? Y-yeah, but…” “Cool. All right, we’re gonna take this pendant instead of handing you to the Sun Knights. I’ll take that gold coin back, too.” “Dammit!” the man yelled. “That makes this a free gift. Lookin’ at this closely, this isn’t worth twenty thousand dina. Two thousand dina would make more sense.” The street vendor turned away from Callios’s mocking gaze. His response made it clear he was guilty as charged. Despite that, Karan politely accepted the pendant from Callios. “Callios,” Karan began. “What’s up?” he responded. “Um…thank you.” Callios smiled and patted Karan’s head. She couldn’t imagine anything more comfortable than the warmth of his hand. “All right, Karan. Time to get back to work,” he said. “Okay. Where are we going next?” Karan responded. “Pot Snake Cave. It’s a difficult labyrinth. Are you up for it?” “Yeah, you can count on me!” Karan wanted to repay his kindness by living up to his expectations. She nodded enthusiastically. A bright-red light flashed inside the dark labyrinth. “Take this! Fire Dragon Slash!” Karan swung her large two-handed greatsword down in a wide circle. The force behind her extremely heavy weapon was enough to cut through the hard shell of the silver stag—a giant stag beetle—and sever it into two pieces. It wasn’t just a simple downswing—she also burned the section of the monster her sword passed through to a crisp. Her most powerful move imbued her trusty Dragonbone Sword with the divine protection of the fire dragon and gave it the ability to burn through anything. “That’s our Karan! You’re amazing!” “Not even an S rank would be a match for you!” “Ha-ha, stop it,” Karan said, smiling proudly despite herself. The two men praising her profusely were the mage and priest of White Heron. They were also friends of Callios. They bent down to begin disassembling the severed silver stag for materials. The silver stag beetle was one meter in length. They were difficult enemies that could only be damaged by physical or magical attacks of considerable strength. The danger of taking them on was made worth it by the spoils—the hard yet light pincers and the exoskeleton sold for high prices. The dungeon they were in, Pot Snake Cave, was populated by tough monsters like the silver stag, but it was known as a place where you could make a lot of money. “…Hey. Are you sure you don’t want me to help?” Karan asked. “Yeah, this work is below you. Take some time to rest!” “But that’s not fair to you…” “Come on, you did all the work killing this thing. You’d put us out of a job if we let you do any more, so leave this to us.” The mage and the priest didn’t look up from their work as they responded to Karan. They were reliable companions, but she couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy. “Callios…,” she began. “It’s okay, Karan. They’ve got this,” Callios said. “But I should help at least a little…” “Hey. I appreciate the thought, and you’re right to ask. But adventurers have to trust each other. It’s important to entrust some work to your party members.” “O-okay.” “Also, you don’t know how to dissect a body, you’re illiterate, and you can’t do math. Leave that stuff to those who can do it. You can rely on us anytime. That way you’ll avoid being roped into scams like the one earlier today.” “I guess so, but…” Karan clutched the swan pendant in her pocket. Callios touched her shoulder gently. “Karan. There’s nothing wrong with entrusting things you’re not good at to other people. Just trust your party members and focus on what you’re good at. If you do that, we’ll be famous adventurers in no time. Everyone will see us as heroes,” he said, not letting her help at all. Karan had incredible talent as a warrior. She worked hard despite her physical gifts, and D-rank labyrinths that were normally difficult for novice adventurers were a piece of cake for her. But she was still young—not even twenty—so she didn’t think it was right to let the others do all the work just because she was strong. She was happy to be relied on for combat, but their refusal to let her do anything else gave her a strange sense of unease. Though every time she began to feel that way, Callios consoled and encouraged her. “There’s a really strong monster on the next floor. We’re countin’ on you, Karan,” Callios said, clapping her on the shoulder. “Okay, I’ll be ready!” Karan responded, her apprehension leaving her right away. It was in her nature to focus on the task in front of her over more difficult issues. That was much easier for her. “The next floor down is the last one. The boss is there. It’s a strong monster called a pot snake. Know anything about it?” Callios asked. “No,” Karan answered. “It’s a snake that hides in a giant pot bigger than a person. It’s very cautious, and there’s nothin’ you can do while it’s hunkerin’ down.” “It hides in a pot? Will magic not work?” “Yep, the pot repels spells. But if you strike the pot as hard as you can, the pot snake will get angry and come out. It goes after the person who struck the pot, so you gotta kill it when it emerges.” “…Oh.” “Sorry to ask this, but…can you take that risk for us, Karan? We’ll back you up, of course. Right, everyone?” Callios asked. “Yeah, we got your back! I’ll hit it with my fire spells!” the mage proclaimed. “Leave the healing to me,” the priest said. Karan thought of those two as important friends as well. If they were telling her to trust them, she decided she wouldn’t think too hard about it and just focus on fighting. “…Okay, I’ll do it!” The pot snake was the boss on the bottom floor of Pot Snake Cave. It was a very difficult enemy, and all adventurers who could kill it were looked upon with awe. White Heron typically hunted in labyrinths suitable for D-rank adventurers. Taking on the boss of a C-rank labyrinth like the pot snake was a bit out of their league. One needed strength to penetrate its hard scales, speed to keep up with its fast movement, equipment to guard against its deadly poison, and most of all, a leader with the ability to stay focused and make the correct calls over a long battle. It could not be defeated unless the party and each individual member were sufficiently skilled. “Okay… Karan, proceed as we discussed. Save Fire Dragon Slash until the end,” Callios instructed. However, there is a surefire way to kill the pot snake. Not many people were aware of it, but even among those who knew, only a few would attempt it. “Sure thing, Callios!” Karan responded. She hurled herself against the giant pot the snake was hiding in and knocked it over. “Ssssssss!” The snake angrily rushed out of the pot. “Be careful, Karan!” “Okay!” The snake turned toward Karan, angry at her for knocking its pot over, and charged. It looked as if it wanted to swallow her whole. She swung her greatsword and blocked its attack. Dragonians were stronger than humans, and a snake this size would be a cinch for a full-fledged dragonian warrior. Even Karan, who was still growing as a warrior, deflected its attacks easily. “Give her support!” Callios ordered, and the mage shot a fire spell called Fireball. The snake was focused entirely on Karan, and the spell hit it directly. “Sssss!” The snake’s anger intensified, and it glared at the adventurers. Something strange happened next—the snake’s body glowed a sickening green. “Callios! What’s that?!” Karan shouted. “It’s just trying to intimidate us! We’re gonna prepare the finishing blow! Hold it right there!” he responded. “O-okay!” Feeling anxious, Karan continued to fight the snake. She had trouble cutting through its thick scales. The strategy they discussed was for Karan to act as a decoy and divert its attacks while the mage supported her. While they were buying time, the priest was going to strengthen Callios with support magic so he could kill it in one blow. “Callios! Are you ready?!” Karan called out without turning around. She trusted them, and those men responded to her trust by backing away quietly as she focused on fighting the snake. “Ssssssss!” The snake opened its mouth so wide it looked like its jaw would break, and it spouted out poisonous green mist. “Wh-what is this?! Callios… Help me…” When a pot snake grows angry and senses critical danger, it responds by spreading a deadly vapor around itself. It was an extremely powerful poison made from mixing the snake’s venom with poisonous insects and flowers from the labyrinth that it gathered inside its pot. They then convert that poison into mist and spit it out, killing any ordinary human immediately. There were drawbacks to the attack, though. Once the snake exhausted all its poison, it was unable to use the attack again. The poison also served as the snake’s energy, so it was weakened right after using it. That left a few ways of dealing with it. One option was to kill the pot snake with a powerful blow before it released the poisonous mist. Equipment that gave one resistance to poison was also useful. “All right, the poisonous mist has cleared up. We should be fine.” “Our plan worked.” The other option was to use someone as a sacrifice. “Sorry, Karan. Good job takin’ care of the pot snake for us… Though, I guess it took care of you just the same,” Callios mocked. “Wh-why…?” Karan muttered after collapsing onto the ground. She didn’t have the strength left to lift a finger. It was all she could do to just respond to Callios’s mocking laughter. “She can still talk… Did the pot snake not have enough poison built up?” “The poison probably works slower on her ’cause she’s a dragonian. Don’t worry; it was a lethal dose.” Callios and the mage were surprised to find Karan alive, but they focused on the task at hand before turning to her. They finished off the pot snake that had collapsed limply just like Karan and then deftly tore off the parts that could be sold for money. Karan had a thought. This was all just part of the plan to kill the pot snake. They kept it a secret from her so she wouldn’t be afraid of the poison. They were surely going to heal her any moment. “Let’s head out as soon as we’re done collectin’ materials.” Her hopes were dashed when Callios and the others left her there heartlessly. “Geez, you’ve gotten good at this, Viper.” “Stop callin’ me that. I’m Callios now.” “I hate usin’ different names… What a waste of a good girl, though. She was head over heels for you. You shoulda had some fun with her.”