Saron stepped out slowly.

To his surprise, Hannah was there at the entrance of his cave, along with Emily.

"Saron, I'm sorry, but I couldn't finish the abyssal demon fish's body, so I shared some with Emily..." Hannah said cautiously.

She couldn't bear to watch Emily scrounge for food in the dirt any longer, especially after her help the last time, and it was nice to have additional company.

But this was Saron's spoils of battle. Even though it had been given to her, she felt it necessary to explain.

Emily, meanwhile, was silent, utterly taken aback by Saron's increased size.

"You've grown again!" Emily blurted out, shocked.

Hannah seemed to only then realize the change as well.

Indeed, how had Saron grown even more?

Saron paid little attention to the dragon girls' astonishment over some leftovers. He attempted a running start and then flapped his enormous bat-like wings rapidly.

Suddenly, Saron felt his limbs lift off the ground, and he soared upwards on the strength of the wind. Watching Hannah and Emily shrink below him, excitement coursed through him.

Whether in his past life or this one, this was the first time Saron had flown on his own power. Airplane flights didn't count.

He relished the sound of the wind rushing past his ears, the sights growing smaller on the ground below, and a feeling of grandeur swelled within him.

Saron aspired to be mighty, to live joyously.

He yearned to bask in vast riches, to win over the most beautiful women of the land, to stand above all others...

Shaking his head, Saron refocused. Before all that, he'd aim to stack his feast a few thousand layers. A small goal to start with: a thousand layers of feast!

With this in mind, Saron continued his flight.

He wasn't levitating through magic, but genuinely flying with the strength of his wings.

Saron felt his wings were even larger than some red dragons of similar size, known among the chromatic dragons for having the largest wingspans and able to fly without relying on magic, unlike other dragons.

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So black dragons, along with green and white dragons, weren't adept at long-distance flying.

Saron tried adding some magic to assist his flight, and his speed surged even more.

Hannah and Emily gaped as they watched Saron fly, their mouths growing wider. Their heads tilted back further and further as they followed his ascent until he was no longer in sight.

"Is this... still a fledgling dragon?" Emily murmured to herself in disbelief.

"Saron is different. Take the abyssal demon fish, for example. Saron could easily kill it, but the same fish could easily overpower the two of us. That's the difference!" Hannah explained, her head shaking as she spoke. She had grown accustomed to Saron's remarkable metamorphoses after each sleep.

Emily didn't respond, instead focusing on gnawing at the rotten flesh of the demon fish. After a moment's thought, she began to chew on the bones as well.

If Saron liked eating bones, so would she!

Days later, the city of Caleni looked quite different.

The city's lord, Leo, bent over humbly before a young man dressed in golden robes with blond hair, offering his respects.

"Prince Rawel, I never imagined the king would send you to handle this affair!"

"Lords Leo, you are too kind!" Rawel replied with a radiant smile. He turned gently to a young woman in a noblewoman's gown behind him and said warmly, "Lora, don't worry. This time we will definitely deal with that black dragon!"

"Thank you, Prince Rawel, I really don't know how to thank you," Lora replied, tears of gratitude shining in her eyes.

"We shouldn't stand on ceremony, given our relationship. Bil was your brother, and thus my brother too. How could I stand by when he died so mysteriously here, with not even a body left behind?" A cold light flashed in Rawel's eyes as he casually took Lora's hand.

Lora, with an admiring look, said, "Rawel, you are so brave!" and subtly withdrew her hand.

"Don't worry, I will indeed become a great dragonslayer on this quest!" Rawel proclaimed proudly.

"But Your Highness, that black dragon is already mature. It won't be easy to handle!" Leo looked at Rawel, a mere level five mage, with some concern.

"Rest assured, Lord Leo, I have my ways," Rawel reassured him confidently.

"This time I've brought two level eight warriors, but the most important thing is this..."

Rawel produced two scrolls from his magical device.

"These are Forbidden Magic Scrolls!" Leo's pupils constricted at the sight, for such scrolls could only be crafted by legendary mages. They were immensely valuable, and he was shocked to see that Rawel had two of them.

"How does that sound?" Rawel inquired with confidence.

"We are certain to win this battle!" Leo took a deep breath, overwhelmed by the fact that the king had entrusted them with two Forbidden Magic Scrolls. With the power of two such spells, the black dragon wouldn't stand a chance, for only dragons in their prime or the aged could possibly withstand them.

"Heh, by the way, Lora, what about the elf who brought you the news?" Rawel asked, a lustful spark igniting in his heart at the memory of the elf's delicate features and pale thighs.

"She only met with me once to say that my brother was killed by a black dragon, then left," Lora said, irritation flickering in her eyes at Rawel's unsavory intentions towards Delia. She would rather not spend another moment with such a loathsome creature if not for the need to leverage his power for vengeance.

"That's a shame. I had hoped to invite her to visit my home," Rawel said, shaking his head in disappointment.

"Lord Leo, please arrange accommodations for us and also reassemble the troops. We shall set out to deal with the black dragon tomorrow!" Rawel commanded dismissively.

"At once, Your Highness!" Leo bowed and immediately set the orders in motion, causing an air of tension to permeate through the city of Caleni.

The next morning, Caleni's city square was bustling with activity as hundreds of warriors clad in silver armor gathered. Amidst them were slim casters interspersed throughout the ranks.

Rawel, Lora, and Leo stood at the highest point of the square. Rawel intended to rally the troops with a pre-battle speech, but found himself at a loss for words.

Leo, realizing Rawel's predicament, shook his head inwardly. The king really intended to leave the future of the kingdom in the hands of such a man. Rumor had it that the king had only this son and all other children were princesses…

"Warriors! We have an important mission today: to eradicate the vile dragon in the Bone-Eroding Marsh!" Leo declared loudly.

The soldiers below were unsettled by the announcement, wondering how they were expected to confront such a fearsome dragon. Was this a mission to deliver themselves up as food? The terrifying image of the black dragon was still fresh in the minds of some.

"Cough cough, we have Prince Rawel, the son of our king, here to support us along with powerful warriors and casters. We will surely defeat the evil dragon. Then, each of you can claim the title of Dragonslayer!" Leo encouraged.

"Dragonslayer?"

"We could become Dragonslayers?"

A glint of ambition appeared in some of the soldiers' eyes.

"Each soldier who returns from this campaign will receive a gold coin, and depending on the number of enemies slain, there will be additional rewards!" Leo announced.

"A gold coin!"

On this continent, a gold coin had considerable purchasing power; an ordinary family might not spend that much in an entire year. Leo's declaration was a strong incentive, motivating the soldiers enough to risk their lives.