As the dragon’s head dropped heavily to the ground, I grabbed its mouth with both hands. The jagged, sharp teeth poked out from the edges of its lips. Hooking my fingers into the gaps, I pulled them apart with all my strength, causing a sudden surge of blood to gush from the severed neck. It spilled rapidly, forming a pool beneath the dragon’s head.

As I pried its mouth open, a thick, grotesque tongue flopped out, hanging limply. A foul stench filled the air, but I wasn’t bothered by it. I leaned in close, peering into the dark recesses of the dragon’s throat.

But there was no sign of Rella—her small, round body wasn’t there.

Had she already been swallowed into its stomach?

My heart sank. No, perhaps she was still lodged in the throat. Rella’s claws were stronger than they seemed. She had a tight grip, strong enough to cling to me even when I moved at full speed or made sudden movements. It was possible she was stuck somewhere in the dragon’s throat.

With growing urgency, I shoved my hand into the dragon’s mouth, pushing past the soft tongue and feeling the hard bones of its throat. Just as I was about to probe deeper, something wriggled under the tongue and crawled out.

Before I could react, a deafening screech erupted from the small creature.

"Peep-peep-peep-peep-peep-peep!"

The sound was incredibly loud, amplified by the dragon’s mouth. It seemed as if the dead dragon had come back to life, screaming. The adventurers surrounding me were so startled that they jumped back, some letting out yelps of fear. One even fell backward, landing on his backside in shock.

I couldn’t help but laugh. They were truly terrified.

But more importantly—Rella was safe.

A wave of relief washed over me, and my body relaxed. As I pulled my hand out of the dragon’s mouth, Rella sprang forward, flinging herself into my arms like a battering ram.

She cried out loudly, the force of her voice echoing in my ears. It felt like my eardrums might burst.

Rella… you’re so loud.

“….”

I could barely stand the noise, but at the same time, I realized—this was the same voice I had heard earlier. That’s how I had noticed her.

‘She screamed so loud, I could hear her from all the way over there.’

No matter how enhanced my physical abilities were, there was no way I could have picked up such a faint noise from that distance. Rella had screamed with everything she had, desperate for me to notice her. She had cried out for me to find her.

Somewhere along the line, she must have come to see me as her mother. I had found her when she was just a tiny, helpless chick, so perhaps she’d formed that bond.

But… this is a bit much.

I looked down at Rella, who clung to my chest, her claws digging into my shirt as she pecked at me like a woodpecker. Her beak was going at me with such force, it was as if she held a grudge against me. She pecked and pecked, relentlessly attacking the same spot.

At this rate, she was going to put a hole in my chest.

What is this? Are you mad at me for not finding you sooner? I thought as I reached out to grab her.

But before I could, the remaining male dragon let out an enraged roar. It had noticed the death of its mate and was furious. Flapping its wings wildly, it sent several adventurers flying as they tried to hold it down with nets. The dragon’s immense strength was overwhelming, and the adventurers were thrown to the ground like leaves in the wind.

With a snarl, the dragon locked eyes on me, its gaze filled with hatred.

Maybe the fight between the two males had just ended, and this dragon had emerged the victor. Now, it was coming for me.

I grabbed Rella and lifted her onto my head.

That’s your spot, Rella. Hold on tight. And don’t run away again.

As if she understood, Rella clung to my hair with her claws. But she held on too tightly, her sharp talons digging into my scalp.

Still, I didn’t have time to worry about that.

The dragon, its eyes blazing with fury, was already charging toward me. A few adventurers tried to throw nets and spears to stop it, but it was like trying to slow down an avalanche with feathers.

Hah… I took a deep breath.

My body tensed with anticipation. I couldn’t use wind magic like before to blast the dragon away—there were too many people around. And if I used my axe to cut it down, it would lose its value, just like the female I had decapitated.

This was the largest and strongest of the dragons, its hide gleaming under the sun, likely making it the most valuable.

Focus.

The only option was to use my fists, channeling just enough wind magic to beat it into submission without killing it. But that was the tricky part. If I used too much wind, I could end up hurting the adventurers nearby.

That’s the hard part.

It was like trying to pour water from a giant pool into a tiny teacup—nearly impossible to do without spilling. I would have to give it everything I had to control the wind just right.

I can do this. I can do it. I repeated the mantra over and over in my mind.

Once I felt my mind calm like the surface of a tranquil lake, I let go of my axe. It hit the ground with a loud thud, startling the adventurers around me.

Suddenly, several people started shouting.

"Get back! The rookie’s moving!"

"Drop the nets and run!"

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"If you don’t want to die, move!"

"Get as far away as you can!"

The adventurers scattered like frogs fleeing from a snake, retreating in all directions.

They’re treating me like a walking natural disaster, I thought, slightly bewildered.

With the dragon now nearly upon me, I sprinted toward it, closing the gap in an instant. Just as I reached its massive form, I leapt into the air.

The dragon let out a thunderous roar, its hot breath washing over me, reeking of decay. I could feel my nose burning from the stench, but I held my breath and swung my fist down.

My fist connected with the spot between its nose and mouth.

With a strange thud, the dragon’s body crumpled. Its thick hide rippled like waves, its belly and legs sagging as it collapsed to its knees before toppling backward.

Huh?

By the time my feet touched the ground, the dragon had already stopped moving. It lay there, staring blankly with wide-open eyes, its body completely still.

One-Eye rushed over, peering at the dragon’s body before shouting, "It’s unconscious!"

"Yeeeaaaah!"

"We got it!"

The crowd of adventurers erupted in cheers. The ones who had fled earlier came rushing back.

It seemed I had hit the dragon’s weak spot perfectly. But really—how fragile was this thing? It went down with one punch.

As I stood there, dumbfounded, Rella leaped from my head and clambered onto the dragon’s body.

"Peep-peep-peep!" she chirped loudly, spreading her tiny wings like a conqueror.

So that’s it, huh? You think you took down the dragon, don’t you?

I couldn’t help but laugh at her antics as I walked over to the dragon’s head.

But amidst the laughter and cheers, something important seemed to be forgotten—dragons that are merely knocked out will eventually wake up.

While everyone celebrated, I stood beside the dragon’s head and delivered a few more punches, just to be sure. The area fell silent as I did.

When I glanced around, I saw everyone staring at me, their faces pale, as if they were watching a psychopath at work.

I felt the need to explain myself.

"It’s unconscious. If we don’t kill it now, it’ll wake up."

The crowd seemed to understand, but how they looked at me remained cold.

Strange… why are they acting like that?

At that moment, Paul, the leader of the hunting party, came running over. Despite being the leader, he hadn’t been directly involved in the dragon fight—he had left that to his more seasoned officers.

Paul glanced around at the scene, his face twitching as he opened and closed his mouth, as if struggling to find words.

Finally, he managed to speak.

"My goodness…"

The adventurers around him began to laugh.

Even though Paul was a noble, his reaction seemed so absurd that no one could help but find it funny.

He seemed oblivious to their laughter, his wide eyes still fixed on me. After a long pause, he murmured something under his breath.

"You… you really are a du—"

But he stopped himself before finishing.

Was he about to say ‘duke’?

I’d heard that wind magic wasn’t exclusive to the ducal house, but they were certainly the most famous practitioners. And with my barbarian-like appearance, it wouldn’t be surprising if people started drawing connections.

A cold sweat ran down my back.

Did I make a mistake?

Maybe I should have kept my wind magic under wraps. Regret started creeping in, but it was too late now. Sooner or later, someone would have made the connection. After all, I looked so much like my mother that anyone familiar with her would eventually realize the truth.

The best course of action now was to make as much money as I could and leave town before things escalated. I’d need to move quickly before anyone got too curious or started asking questions I couldn’t afford to answer.

Paul seemed to have regained his composure. He gave me a serious look before bowing slightly.

"Thank you, Rafa. Truly, I don’t know what we would have done without you. A whole city might have been destroyed if not for your help."

I silently thanked him for not pressing the matter further. If he truly felt that grateful, he’d keep his suspicions to himself. The last thing I needed was for anyone to pry into my background.

Just then, the adventurers around us let out another cheer. The successful dragon hunt had put everyone in a festive mood, and the earlier tension from the battle was quickly forgotten. Even the fact that I had decapitated one of the dragons was overshadowed by the excitement of the victory.

This is turning into a real celebration, I thought, watching as people began to laugh and slap each other on the back. It was like a party had broken out in the middle of the forest.

But as the celebration continued, something caught my eye. In the distance, the fire mage Lira was approaching, her flowing dress billowing dramatically as she marched toward us. From the look on her face, she wasn’t happy.

She was grumbling under her breath, and though her voice was too low to catch all of it, I could tell she was upset about being left out of the fight. It seemed like she had expected a chance to show off her skills, but by the time she arrived, the dragons were already dealt with.

Paul noticed her as well. His expression tightened, and he quickly walked over to intercept her before she could start causing a scene. After a brief exchange of whispers, Paul made a motion to the guards, who promptly escorted Lira away, back down the mountain.

Good. She’s leaving.

It seemed even Paul didn’t want to deal with her tantrums right now, not when the mood was so high after our victory.

Just when I thought things were calming down, one of Paul’s officers approached him, a worried expression on his face. The officer glanced at me, then leaned in close to whisper something into Paul’s ear. I couldn’t hear the whole conversation, but I caught a few key words:

"... the party... killed... by him..."

I immediately knew they were talking about the 9-man party I’d fought earlier. Were they trying to pin the blame on me? My heart sank for a moment. If I didn’t handle this carefully, I might be in serious trouble.

Before Paul could speak, I stepped forward and raised my voice. "The men in my party attacked me first. I acted in self-defense."

Paul looked conflicted, but before he could say anything, One-Eye stepped forward.

"I can confirm that," One-Eye said firmly. "I saw it happen. That party turned on Rafa without warning. He defended himself."

Several other adventurers chimed in as well, offering their support. Even though the fight had happened quickly and few had witnessed it, they vouched for me without hesitation.

One-Eye caught my eye and gave me a knowing smile. "You’re welcome," his look seemed to say.

Paul sighed, visibly relieved. "Thank you for clarifying that. The party was recommended by another noble, but I trust the word of my own people. We’ll handle this matter quietly."

He turned to his officer and issued some quick instructions about cleaning up the situation. When he turned back to me, he gave me an apologetic smile. "I’m sorry you had to deal with that, Rafa. We’ll make sure there are no further issues."

"Thank you," I said, genuinely grateful. This could have turned into a much bigger problem, but One-Eye and the others had come through for me.

As the situation was being wrapped up, I turned to One-Eye and bowed slightly. "Thank you for speaking up for me. I didn’t realize anyone had seen what happened."

One-Eye chuckled and clapped me on the back. "To be honest, kid, I didn’t see a thing. I was too busy dealing with the dragon." He winked. "But it doesn’t matter. You saved all our hides out there, so we’ve got your back."

I blinked in surprise, then glanced at the other adventurers who had also vouched for me. Were they all just covering for me?

One-Eye leaned in, his voice lowering to a conspiratorial whisper. "None of us saw what happened. But the truth doesn’t matter much when you’ve got people willing to stand up for you. Paul knows it too—he’s not going to make trouble for someone who just saved his city."

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. "Thanks, really."

One-Eye grinned. "Don’t mention it. You earned it."

As I walked around, thanking the other adventurers who had spoken up for me, it became clear that they shared the same sentiment as One-Eye. In this world, having the right people on your side was everything. And today, I had learned that lesson well.

The loudest voice wins.

In the end, it wasn’t about what was true or false. It was about who had the most people willing to back them up.

This world… maybe it’s not so bad after all.

With the crisis averted, the next phase of the operation began—the grueling task of hauling the dragon carcasses down the mountain. It wasn’t glamorous work, but it had to be done.

It took days to carefully move the massive bodies of the dragons, using a mix of ropes, logs, and brute force. The process was slow and exhausting, but the thought of the rewards waiting at the end kept everyone motivated.

As I helped the others roll the dragons along, I couldn’t help but reflect on how much I had learned from this experience. It wasn’t just about strength or skill. Survival in this world depended on knowing how to navigate the complex web of alliances, trust, and reputation.

By the time we reached the base of the mountain, I felt like I had taken a big step forward as an adventurer.