Chapter 5: A Dragon’s Gift and a Princess’s Pursuit

Vivian was jolted awake by the thunderous roar.

She opened her eyes, annoyance clouding her features at having her sleep disturbed once more.

Yet, the moment her gaze fell upon the gargantuan corpse of the dragon, an undeniable spark of excitement ignited within her eyes.

Lynne instinctively moved to cover his daughter’s eyes, wishing to shield her from a gory sight far too premature for a child.

However, he proved too slow.

Vivian, her voice brimming with exhilaration, pointed at the dragon’s carcass.

“Papa! It’s a dragon!”

It was only then that he recalled the numerous dungeons he had cleared with Vivian.

This scene before them was, for her, merely a trifle.

“Indeed, it is a dragon. Papa will fashion a toy for you from its horn.”

“Yay!” Vivian cheered, practically bouncing with delight.

Lynne ruffled his daughter’s hair before stepping forward to attend to the dragon’s remains.

He had completely forgotten Serina’s presence.

Left standing alone, Serina stared blankly at the black-robed man and the adorable, well-behaved child.

She was too stunned to utter a single word.

‘W-what just happened…?’ she mused.

‘To slay a wicked dragon with a single move—such power is terrifying beyond measure.’

What astonished her even more was the little girl beside the man.

Despite her tender age, she seemed utterly accustomed to the events unfolding before them, even displaying open excitement.

‘So… so frightening.’

Had she not noticed the elven features of the little girl, Serina might have suspected the man and child were high-ranking demons.

“You… just who are you?”

Princess Serina murmured, disbelief lacing her tone.

“You are…?” Lynne turned his head upon hearing the voice, his gaze settling on Serina.

He felt a vague sense of familiarity regarding the woman, but for the life of him, he couldn’t recall where he knew her from.

‘Never mind,’ he decided.

‘If I can’t remember, I won’t dwell on it for now. The materials are more important.’

Lynne brushed past her, walking directly towards the colossal dragon.

He had initially intended to simply store the dragon’s corpse within his spatial ring.

Then, he abruptly remembered an elf was still present.

Storing it directly into the ring would be far too conspicuous.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, Lynne feigned using magic to cleanly dispose of the dragon’s body.

Of course, Lynne hadn’t forgotten his promise to his daughter.

Recognizing the dragon as a corrupted creature tainted by the Black Tide, he purified it.

Afterward, he carved off a piece of its horn, fashioned it into a toy, and turned to hand it to Vivian.

Upon receiving the gift, Vivian beamed with a radiant, joyous smile.

Though it was a far cry from the toy her papa had described, Vivian was still overjoyed!

After all, it was a present from her beloved papa.

Ultimately, Lynne couldn’t bear the toy’s crude appearance.

He used magic to reshape it into a dragon horn necklace instead.

“Magic is quite amazing, isn’t it?” Lynne asked with a smile.

“Mm-hmm!” Vivian replied, a sweet smile gracing her lips as she nodded vigorously.

“How about Papa teaches you magic?” Lynne continued, gently coaxing her.

The moment Vivian heard ‘learn,’ her small face instantly fell.

Suddenly, magic didn’t seem quite so amazing anymore.

“No!” Vivian declared, rejecting the idea of learning with absolute firmness.

Lynne gazed at his dear daughter, whose resolute refusal to study left him looking utterly helpless.

He wondered who she took after in this regard.

He pondered, realizing that both he and Childhood friend seemed to be the types who weren’t particularly fond of studying.

‘That’s just terrible,’ he thought.

‘No, no… two academic slackers are already enough.’

Lynne didn’t want his daughter to be a slacker like him.

Thus, education—it had to be taken seriously.

As the saying goes, ‘start learning from a young age.’

While Vivian was still small, there was still a chance for everything!

Lynne’s gaze returned to the dragon’s corpse.

Unexpectedly acquiring a dragon and incidentally saving an elf made Lynne feel as though he had returned to his novice days.

Just as he finished his good deed and prepared to depart, the elf, who had been left waiting, finally found an opportune moment to speak.

“Um—please wait a moment!” the elf called out urgently, stopping the father and daughter who were about to leave.

“Thank you… for saving me. May I know your name?”

“Don’t concern yourself with it. Just consider me a passing traveler.”

Lynne’s departing footsteps did not falter.

Instead, he scooped up Vivian and continued on his way towards the royal capital.

He had no time to linger here engaging in trivial social pleasantries.

Moreover, Lynne hadn’t expected any repayment when he intervened.

Serina watched Lynne’s retreating back, his hand waving dismissively, with a complex expression.

She pursed her lips, then lifted her head and resolutely gave chase.

After walking for a considerable while, Lynne noticed the elf continually trailing behind him.

He quickened his pace, and the elven maiden, falling behind, would break into a run to catch up, only to wince in pain as her wounds protested.

Lynne admired her tenacity; despite such evident pain, she followed him persistently without a single complaint.

He felt that with such a disposition, the young maiden would be perfectly suited to study chivalry in Avalon.

“…Papa, that older sister keeps following us,” Vivian murmured, resting her chin on Lynne’s shoulder.

Her eyes reflected the unyielding figure of the elven maiden.

“She seems to be in a lot of pain.”

Lynne discerned the worry in his daughter’s voice.

He sighed, then turned his head, his gaze falling upon the maiden.

From his spatial ring, he produced a bottle of healing potion and tossed it to her.

“This is a healing potion. Drink it; it should at least mend some of your injuries.”

“Oh… th-thank you.”

Serina fumbled to catch the potion Lynne had thrown, her eyelids lowered as she offered a stiff thank you.

Since this man was her lifesaver, Serina didn’t hesitate or question if there might be any issues.

She simply tilted her head back and drank it down.

She wiped away the droplets from the corners of her mouth, having assumed it was just an ordinary potion with no immediate restorative effects.

However, the very next second, the elven maiden felt a surge of immense life energy coursing through her body.

A warm, comforting current flowed, and wherever it touched, a rich vitality blossomed.

Serina was astonished to discover that the wounds she had sustained fighting the wicked dragon were completely healed, not a trace remaining.

The skin that had been torn open and bled was now whole again.

Had it not been for the lingering bloodstains, no one would have believed her claim of having just battled a ferocious dragon.

“Such astonishing recovery speed,” Serina murmured in surprise.

“It’s as if I bathed in an elven spring.”

Indeed it was—this very potion had been refined from the elves’ Sacred Spring, an unparalleled healing elixir.

At this current time, the elves’ Sacred Spring had not yet opened.

Thus, the potion Lynne had given her was one that would only appear in the future.

He also didn’t carry any low-grade healing potions in his bag.

Still, he doubted anyone would connect it to the Sacred Spring.

“Could you be a legendary Alchemy Master?” The elven maiden’s eyes sparkled with reverence.

“Ah… something like that,” Lynne replied evasively.

He wasn’t exactly lying; his sub-profession as an alchemist had indeed reached master-level proficiency.

Upon hearing Lynne’s admission, the maiden’s expression grew solemn.

She elegantly lifted the hem of her skirt and performed a graceful, formal bow towards Lynne.

Lynne found the gesture familiar.

‘Wasn’t that elven royal etiquette?’ he mused.

However, the very next moment, the maiden revealed her identity, causing a look of surprise to cross his face.

“Forgive my impudence… my name is Serina Morningstar.”