The next morning, Siegfried was awakened by the boasting adventurers chattering downstairs.

Adventurers worked in shifts, day and night. Some monsters only appeared at night, so hunters who targeted them had to adjust their schedules accordingly.

As a result, "The Stallion Banner" was only quiet during the deepest hours of night. At all other times, it was filled with the drunken laughter and shouting of its patrons.

That's why, although the tavern offered lodging, people rarely stayed here. Who could possibly sleep peacefully in such an environment?

Siegfried sat up, holding his slightly throbbing head. He had gone to bed late last night, and being awakened so early meant he'd gotten less than four hours of sleep.

And the quality of sleep wasn't great either.

He lifted the blanket to find Fafnir hugging his waist, sound asleep. Her large tail was lying across his legs, making them go numb.

"Well, I guess some people can sleep in this environment after all."

The girl had insisted on staying with him and refused to sleep in the next room. Siegfried had no choice but to share the bed with her for the night.

This feeling was nostalgic - his sister Qi Ling'er used to cling to him the same way.

After a while, the others were gradually awakened by the noise as well.

The group, with dark circles under their eyes, packed up their spoils and bid farewell to the enthusiastic innkeeper before heading back to the village.

Before leaving, the innkeeper gave Yang Jing a heartfelt embrace.

She really had taken her as her own daughter!

By the way, the young man whom Yang Jing had rescued from the death cell had been secretly watching her from the kitchen. He had clearly been conquered by the beautiful and powerful Lady Star Mei.

Unfortunately, when he had expressed his intention to pursue the lady warrior, the innkeeper had pulled his ear in front of everyone and scolded:

"Look at yourself in the mirror, you fool! How could a dimwit like you ever be worthy of my little Mei!"

The poor fellow was truly unfortunate - though he had saved his life, he had lost his mother.

...

By noon.

"They're back!"

"I'll go report to Lady Catalina!"

"My goodness, how much stuff did they bring back?"

"What's so surprising? With Her Highness, Sir Roland, and even that hero going along, this kind of haul would be easy for them."

"Hiss~ Why are you so proud? What does it have to do with you?"

"Eh? Where's the hero?"

The patrol soldiers were the first to spot the rapidly approaching carriage in the distance. They marveled at the cart full of spoils.

Under Roland's constant whip, the two pack horses had galloped thirty kilometers carrying five people and a chest of spoils, finally reaching Wind Peach Village before afternoon.

The poor horses collapsed as soon as they reached the stable. If it weren't for Kriemhild's occasional Sun God prayers restoring their strength, the carriage would have broken down halfway.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

This wasn't Roland's fault. According to the plan, his schedule today was packed. Tomorrow would be the day of the "trade" with Hilton, and he needed to organize the troops and plan the tactics today to ensure everything would go smoothly.

Catalina, that tiger girl, had actually been waiting at the village entrance since early morning. However, after waiting all morning without seeing anyone, she had gone back to eat when hunger got the better of her.

She had always been someone who feared loneliness, and having been left out of this operation by Siegfried, she was now so excited to "reunite" with her best friend that she forgot all about the distinction between ruler and subject.

The two girls found a random spot and started chattering about the details of the operation.

"The city is really lively, so much more interesting than the countryside."

"And let me tell you..."

"Those beasts! Not only do they traffic humans, but they also desecrate the Queen's relics!"

"So then we..."

"Hahaha, you guys are so bad! What happened next?"

"Then we split up, and I don't know what Sir Siegfried went to do, but when he came back, he had an ancient dragon with him!"

"What? An ancient dragon!"

Catalina listened with an ever-changing expression, increasingly regretting not having gone to the city with them, missing out on so many exciting adventures.

In private, they had always been like this, without any barriers between ruler and subject, just like ordinary best friends.

Back when they lived in the palace, they would even bathe together. The girls would often compare sizes in the bath, though everyone knew Catalina would win overwhelmingly every time.

"Eh? Where's Lord Meilan?"

Catalina finally noticed that Siegfried and the legendary young dragon girl hadn't returned with the others.

...

A small merchant caravan, escorted by mercenaries, was traveling on the main road toward Konstantin City.

They came from Duke Galloway's domain, planning to sell their local spices to the wealthy merchants of Golden Ear Street in Konstantin.

Suddenly, a mercenary dressed as a swordsman felt something and jerked his head up.

He saw a winged figure hovering in the sky.

He saw that the figure had a thick, round, scaly tail trailing behind it.

He saw birds fleeing in flocks from the figure, those usually fearless sparrows desperately abandoning their airspace.

The figure was scanning the caravan with a cold gaze, looking down upon the earth like a ruler of the sky.

"Everyone on guard! Enemy attack!"

All mercenaries immediately drew their weapons.

Warriors raised their swords, shielding the merchants and goods behind them.

Rangers decisively nocked their arrows and aimed at the figure in the sky, ready for a volley. Though they knew well that at this distance, neither arrows nor even magic could reach their target.

"What is that? A half-dragon?"

"Are you kidding? Have you ever seen a half-dragon with such terrifying presence?"

Everyone in the caravan watched the sky tensely, as if facing a great enemy.

The thing in the sky was so terrifying that they almost wanted to turn tail and run, though they didn't understand why they were reacting this way.

The reason was actually quite simple.

Because they were humans, the spirit of all things who had always stood at the top of the food chain, they rarely had the chance to experience being targeted by an apex predator.

The being above them was the most powerful species on this continent.

However, the figure seemed uninterested in them.

After scanning the area, its wings beat powerfully, stirring up a violent gust of air.

"Get down!"

The merchant caravan below was thrown into chaos by the sudden gust.

The figure cut through the air at an incredible speed, leaving a crimson arc of light as it disappeared into the horizon.

...

Siegfried truly hadn't noticed the caravan. All his attention was focused on memorizing the surrounding terrain. Otherwise, he would have reminded Fafnir to flap her wings more gently.

Fafnir was lying on Siegfried's back, her small hands wrapped around his chest - this was how he was flying through the sky.

Because Fafnir's human form was so small, hidden behind Siegfried's broad back, it made him appear as if he had grown wings and a tail.

She had a chocolate bar in her mouth - her payment for serving as a transport.

Siegfried hadn't taken the carriage with Roland and the others, partly because he couldn't bear to add more burden to those poor pack horses, and partly because he wanted to personally survey the terrain and resource distribution of this earl's domain.

After all, this place would soon become the company's base of operations.

"""