"Liuju, Dragon Emperor!　Where did you go?

　The townspeople, mostly elderly people, are scurrying around looking for us.

Hmmm, that's annoying.

　I talk to myself as I walk past the old man who was calling me right now.

'How could I let this happen?'

""What's the point?"

　I look behind me and see Liliera and the others looking at me with jaded eyes.

''You could have seen the trouble you'd get into if you rode a golden dragon.

''Haha, I didn't expect you to go that fast. After all, only a dragon knight in his day job would be able to successfully control a dragon.

　It is said that a dragon knight can control dragons like a limb by making a contract with them.
So it's only natural that I, without a contract, can't follow the dragon that well.

You're not. That's not the point.

　Huh?　Isn't it?

'I mean, as far as I'm concerned, I'm more concerned about this situation where I'm walking openly in the middle of a city that's in this kind of turmoil and no one notices me.

　And just as Mina said, we were walking normally through the city where there was a lot of commotion.

''As I said before, we're using a magic to hide our appearance.

　That's right, we were now hiding our appearance with the magic of concealment.
　When people saw the Golden Dragon, they suddenly panicked and mistook us for the Dragon Emperor.
I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most out of the situation.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most of your time and energy.
　Incidentally, this magic is also the magic that was used before when tracking down the impostor who tricked the people of Liliera's hometown.

''It's a hell of a spell to be right in front of you and not be noticed.

It's just awful to think of this magic in the wrong hands, isn't it?

Well, you don't have to worry about that. This kind of bullshit magic, only Lex can use it.

No, no, no. You should learn to use it when you practice.

'I don't think I can...'

　　That's what Norbu-san says, but everyone's getting used to the no-chanting magic, and I think it's time to try this kind of anomalous magic.

''That's amazing, bro. You can use not only attack magic but also this kind of magic?

'Considering you're operating alone in hostile territory, you'd do well to learn this kind of magic.

Yeah, I'd love to learn it for reconnaissance purposes.

　Gyros, you guys are busy being impressed and excited.

But be careful not to bump into them. If you make contact with them, they will see you.

Well, you'd have to risk that much to believe in this bullshit magic.

　We succeeded in returning to the inn safely.

　We were able to return to the inn safely.

　The next day, we came to the Adventurer's Guild using a cloaking spell to avoid being seen by the excited townspeople.
　Our goal was to buy materials for the dragons.

Welcome to the Adventurers' Guild.

　The receptionist welcomed us with a calm look, unconcerned with the hustle and bustle of the outside world.
　That's the staff of the Adventurer's Guild, even though the town is in an uproar like this. I guess we can just concentrate on our duties.
　Well, no staff member would make a fuss over a mere child of a golden dragon.

　In a previous life, a dragon knight who signed a contract with a golden dragon would normally come to town on a carriage.　

''Excuse me, I'd like to ask you to buy some demon materials.''

Very well. Now, please place the materials you wish to purchase on the valuation table there.

Ah, I'm settling in for the usual exchange of ideas.

Well, we'd like you to come to our demolition site to make an assessment.

'Well, you've worked very hard not to get on the assessment table. The dismantling yard is over there behind the door, so please give this wooden tag to a staff member at the dismantling yard and ask for an assessment.

　I receive an aged wooden tag offered by the receptionist.
　If you look closely, you can see a number written on it.

Thank you.

Uh-huh, keep up the good work.

　You're not going to be able to do that.

　The strong smell of blood irritates my nose as I open the door and enter the demolition area.
　I hold up a wooden tag to a nearby staff member and request an assessment.

'Excuse me, please assess the demon materials. I apologize for the large number of them.

Hmm?　You don't look familiar. Are you new here?

Yes, I'm new to this town.

First time assessing a demolition site, huh? They're pretty spirited bunch.

'Why would asking for an assessment at a demolition site be treated as spirited?'

'If you use the demolition yard, it means you've either hunted a big game or you've hunted a lot of prey. It's not only that, but also that it's difficult for ordinary adventurers to hunt such a big game, and if you don't have a bag of magic, it's hard to hunt a large number of them. So being adventurous enough to use a demolition yard is a kind of indicator.

　Liliera told me.

'I see, you're as good as Liliera. You're well-informed.

'No, no, no, no, this is knowledge that comes naturally from working in a guild.

　Don't be so modest.

"The number on your tags is 7... 7 is in the corner. You see the sign on the wall that says "7"?　Go back inside and wait for me when you've finished lining up. You guys are number 7, so it'll take quite a while. If you want, you can go get a bite to eat.

　Oh, I see that the number on the wooden tag is not only a reception number, but also a place to put the material.
　And while we were waiting for them to dismantle the material, they even told us how long we had to wait, which was nice of them.

Then let's line them up.

" " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "

　You're not going to be able to do that.

Well, I guess we'll have to settle for the next one.

　It was unusually crowded at the demolition site since this morning.
　Probably because the people participating in the festival were making the final adjustments to their demons.

It's a good thing that the guild is able to gather materials, but we can't do anything about it.

　It's only a demon that's strong enough to be carried there anyway.
　I know I don't want to force myself to get injured as long as there's a real festival going on.

You should go hunt some dragons anyway.

　Come to think of it, a few days ago we heard about a stray dragon that attacked the town.
　Well, we were too busy dismantling it to notice anything out there.

　Moreover, the dragon that attacked at that time was killed by a single female adventurer, but I wonder if it's true.
　The old men in town were excited to hear that the dragon princess had returned.

If it's true, it sounds like they want us to dismantle it.

　If they don't show up, it means that stories of them slaying dragons must be raising eyebrows.
　It's probably a wyvern at best.
　I'm sure he's a pretty good player, even if he defeated a wyvern by himself.

It's not going to get any easier. "Let's just finish the rest of the dismantling and go get a drink.

　Then I head to the last demolition request.

I think it was number seven.

　I look at square 7 and see a colorful mountain towering over me.

''Oh, well, you've put in a lot of work,''

　However, this amount is depressing at the end.

This is a dragon. There are even blue dragons and red dragons here. The only thing you can do is to get your hands dirty.

　If you look at it, everything that was piled up there was a dragon.
　Well, there was a wyvern in there too, but this guy is just like a dragon to an ordinary human being.

　There was also some kind of gold nugget at the foot of the mountain in the shape of shining golden scales.
　What is this?

But a mountain of dragons. I told you to go hunt some dragons anyway, but this number...

　And that's where I got the oddest feeling of discomfort.

　What is it?　What did you find funny?
　It's true that a pile of dragons is a tedious job, but it's not too much considering the amount of work on many days.
　Well, it's true that it's hard work because of its large body.

'It's just a normal dismantling of a dragon... hmm?　A dragon?

　I look at the mountains again.
　Green dragons, blue dragons, red dragons, dragons with jewel-like scales, black dragons ... and golden scales.

'Dora ... gon?'

　Yes, it finally dawned on me.
　That the demons placed in this seventh square were all dragons.

''Huh?　Wait a minute. Huh?　A dragon?　Are these all real, real dragons?

　I look back at square seven even more again.
　Dragons, all dragons.
　Dragons, no doubt about it.

"D-D-Do-Do...

　If you look, the people around you stop working and look at me with a kyotoned look on their faces, rightly looking at the pile of dragons.
　Yes, of course.
　Because anyone who sees it will do a double-take. No, you'll look at it three times.

　It was so extraordinary that my brain couldn't recognize it as an extraordinary sight.
　So to show my brain that this was real, I yelled out.

"A mountain of dragons...?

　Yes, this was the Mountain of Dragons.