Chapter 3: Gospel for Dragon Lovers

Seeing someone finally stand up, Saar let out a quiet sigh of relief.

This was already the eighth tavern he had visited in the third town over the past two days.

In every other tavern, most adventurers had flatly refused his request the moment they heard what it was.

Even among the few who had agreed, almost all of them had been tempted solely by the sight of the gold coin Saar had pulled out.

And those kinds of people — greedy, ill-intentioned, just waiting for a chance to rob and kill —

Saar naturally had ways to deal with them.

So when he saw the black-haired man rise from the corner, he didn’t look particularly relieved.

Because that man’s appearance was nothing like what a silver-ranked adventurer should look like.

Rather than an adventurer, he looked more like a vagabond who spent his days loafing around taverns.

(Should I just reject him outright?)

(But if I turn him down, who knows how long it’ll take to find someone suitable?)

He really didn’t have much time left.

If he delayed any longer…

After weighing his options, Saar decided to give the scruffy man now standing before him a chance.

“Are you a silver-ranked adventurer?”

The man answered honestly.

“No.”

Well. He was very honest.

Saar’s expression, which had been faintly hopeful a second ago, instantly fell.

Even the corner of his eye twitched.

It was the first time he’d encountered a situation like this.

Even the ones who’d planned to rob him at least pretended to meet the requirements.

But this guy didn’t even bother to fake it?

Thankfully, the man didn’t come just to mess with him.

His next words revealed the truth.

“Because I’m a full-time mage. I don’t need to take quests to make a living.”

……

Well, fair enough.

A full-time mage — if skilled enough — indeed didn’t need to register as an adventurer or rely on commissions for income.

But still…

A proper full-time mage wouldn’t show up in a place like this.

And certainly wouldn’t look as shabby as this man did.

“So… are you saying you, as a mage, possess power comparable to a silver-ranked adventurer?”

The moment Saar said that, he regretted it.

He shouldn’t be wasting time with someone like this.

Probably just a drunk talking nonsense.

He had already written off the man before him.

No way someone like that could actually—

Before Saar could even think of how to politely dismiss him, a gust of cold air brushed past his ear.

The sudden attack made Saar’s pupils contract sharply.

Almost at the same moment, a scream and the clatter of falling dishes came from behind him.

He turned — and saw a thief lying on the ground, a silver blade still clutched in his hand.

It was against tavern rules to draw weapons here.

And yet, until the man had cast his spell to strike the thief down, Saar hadn’t even noticed the attacker’s approach.

The thief had probably planned to ambush him, steal the coin, and run.

Before Saar could even process what had happened, something icy appeared before his eyes.

Hovering in the air was a tiny dragon made of pure ice.

(That spell… it’s his doing?!)

To wield magic with such precision…

Maybe he really could do it.

“I suppose… we can continue our conversation now, can’t we?”

Just then, the drink Saar had ordered — a “Leaf Lover” — was delivered to the table.

The man casually pulled the glass toward himself, as if it had been ordered for him from the start.

“Name.”

“…Saar.”

“Age.”

“……”

Saar squinted slightly.

Was he being interviewed, or the other way around?

The man saw his displeasure and gave a small, knowing smile.

“Looks like you don’t like sharing personal details. Fine — let’s get to the point.”

Resting his chin on one hand, his calm eyes reflected not the blond-haired boy before him, but something far greater.

“Tell me, what kind of reason drives someone as young as you to become an adventurer?”

He didn’t ask why Saar wanted to slay a dragon.

Nor where he’d gotten the gold coin.

Because from the man’s perspective, Saar’s figure was far larger than what it appeared to be.

That man — once known as Rein, the young graduate who had boldly confessed his “preferences” at the Magic Academy’s commencement ceremony — had come to understand many things over the years.

First among them: the truth about pure-blood dragons.

In those years, he had traveled across the kingdom and beyond, to nearly every corner of the continent.

As his mastery of magic and depth of experience grew, so too did his clarity about one thing.

Perhaps… pure-blood dragons really had become nothing more than history.

It took only ten years for his hope to turn into despair.

For the next five years, Rein spent his days drowning himself in drink at a tavern in this border town, clinging to the remnants of his youthful dreams.

Pure-blood dragon girls.

He wanted a pure-blood dragon girl for a wife.

He wanted to hold a soft, fragrant dragon girl in his arms every night.

He wanted to wake up every morning to the sight of a pure-blood dragon girl cooking breakfast in nothing but an apron.

He wanted to stroll through town with her, go on dates, live the dream.

In short — a life with a pure-blood dragon girl was the good life!

……

But for Rein, such a life had become utterly out of reach.

……

Until today.

He had planned to spend the entire day drinking, as usual.

But just before taking his first sip, he heard Saar’s voice.

Even though the boy had tried to lower his tone, Rein could still hear the youth in it.

(A kid whose voice hasn’t even changed yet, trying to recruit adventurers?)

He had put down his cup — not out of interest, but curiosity.

He just wanted to see how badly the kid would embarrass himself.

What caught his true attention, however, was what the hooded “boy” did next.

Right there in front of everyone, Saar had pulled out a gold coin as payment.

Not a small sum.

And then — the answer to the elf’s question.

“Dragon slaying.”

Dragon slaying?

Rein froze mid-motion, his cup halfway raised.

Ever since pure-blood dragons had gone extinct — leaving behind only weak hybrids — how long had it been since anyone had taken such a commission?

To slay a dragon, you first needed a dragon worth slaying, didn’t you?

So the silence that followed wasn’t from fear of danger.

Everyone just thought the kid was crazy.

And until he looked at Saar properly, Rein had thought so too.

But the moment he did, his expression changed.

Because in his eyes, behind the nervous, boyish figure…

He could faintly see the golden silhouette of a massive dragon rising up.