Chapter 75: The Subjugation Report

After successfully slaying the Red Dragon, we returned to the village to report our victory.

First, when we mentioned that we had defeated the wyvern, the village chief visibly relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief.

“Truly, thank you so much. Now the villagers can finally sleep peacefully,” he said, his shoulders easing for the first time in days.

“But actually,” I began, “that’s not the full report.”

“Oh? What do you mean…?” he asked, leaning forward with a mix of curiosity and apprehension.

“There was a Red Dragon in the mountains. The wyvern was probably just a minion.”

“R-R-Red Dragon――――!?”

At the moment Shifa said it, the village chief was so shocked he nearly fell over on the spot. His hands flew to his head as his face drained of color, and he started shouting in panic.

“W-We have to flee… this village is doomed――――!”

“Don’t worry,” Shifa said calmly. “It’s already been taken care of.”

The chief froze mid-flail, confusion and disbelief etched on every line of his face.

“…Excuse me? What did you just say?”

“We’ve already defeated it. Here—this is a scale from the Red Dragon.”

Shifa held up a massive red scale, nearly thirty centimeters in diameter. The scale gleamed in the sunlight, its surface rugged yet beautiful—a trophy we had pried from the beast to prove our victory.

Apparently, even a single scale was worth several gold coins.

“Y-You defeated a Red Dragon!?” the chief stammered.

“Yes,” Shifa replied.

“And with only this many of you!? Wh-What…?”

He trailed off, unable to process the enormity of the feat.

“By the way, we brought the corpse back. Would you like to see it?”

“You brought it… back!?”

“It’s placed just outside your house.”

“Outside!?”

The chief hurried to the window and peeked.

“Gyaaah!?”

He let out a scream at the sight of the enormous Red Dragon’s lifeless body. Its massive head was almost eye-level with the window, and though it was dead, the sheer scale of it was terrifying up close.

Naturally, its size made it impossible to ignore. Villagers had gathered at a safe distance, staring wide-eyed and whispering among themselves. Fear kept them from approaching any closer.

Next to the Red Dragon lay the wyvern’s corpse, but it drew no attention at all compared to the giant red menace.

“How… how did you even get something like this down from the mountains…?” the chief muttered, voice trembling.

“That,” I said with a grin, “is a secret.”

Yes, we had transported it here using a small magical garden plot. A little trick that made moving even something this massive practically effortless.

“Th-Thank you so very much… But as you can see, our village is… rather modest. I’m not sure we could offer sufficient reward for slaying a Red Dragon…”

“No need to worry. Instead, we’ll take the corpse with us. Selling its materials should fetch a considerable sum.”

“Ah, thank you… But even transporting it to Zari… wouldn’t that be quite a struggle?”

“Don’t worry. I’ve already planned for that.”

With the magical garden, reaching Arcel City would be a matter of moments.

“In that case… at least allow us to host a feast in your honor. Though, with the livestock losses, we don’t have much food, but we do have alcohol—ah! …Would you drink?”

The chief suddenly seemed aware of our youth, hesitating as he asked.

“Only Anii and Sarassa drink, really?”

I, along with Sena, had only just come of age, and neither of us had ever tasted alcohol. Shifa seemed unable to drink as well. That left only Anii and Sarassa.

“My… my apologies!” he stammered, as if embarrassed.

Seeing the chief flustered like this, I had an idea.

“Then let us provide the ingredients. You can prepare the meal with them.”

“Eh?”

Soon, the village square was transformed. Tables groaned under the weight of a lavish spread, steaming and fragrant, the aroma making my stomach rumble with anticipation.

The women of the village had worked diligently, using the fresh ingredients we had provided to craft dishes with care. Everything came from their home gardens, harvested and stored meticulously to preserve flavor. The results were impressive—not just fresh, but rich and savory, a true feast.

Of course, the chief was astonished at the sheer volume of ingredients. I explained that I had stored them in a magical bag, the same convenient magical tool that Lilcarilia had once used. He nodded, satisfied, apparently assuming that we had used the same device to transport the Red Dragon.

The villagers gathered, their eyes full of awe and perhaps a little envy.

“Mom, I’m hungry…” a child murmured.

“No, those are for the adventurers who saved the village,” the mother replied gently.

“But… there’s so much…”

“Well, perhaps if anything is left over…”

The villagers, both adults and children, were all surprisingly thin—likely due to losses in livestock that had made adequate meals scarce.

I raised my voice to address the crowd.

“Everyone! There’s far too much food here for just us! Please, eat together with us!”

The villagers exchanged glances, hesitant.

“I-Is it really okay…?”

“We’re meant to thank you for saving the village…”

“Besides, the ingredients were provided by them, weren’t they…?”

But the children, impatient and fearless, surged forward.

“We can eat it!”

“Yay!”

“I want meat!”

“Me too!”

They tore into the food, scooping it up with their hands, utterly disregarding manners.

“Take your time! There’s plenty!” I called out, but they were so hungry that nothing slowed them down.

Seeing the children devour the meal, the adults began to relax and join in.

“What… what is this!? It’s amazing!?”

“I’ve never tasted anything like it! Even familiar village recipes taste completely different!”

“The ingredients… they’re just on another level!”

One bite and their eyes widened in astonishment.

Soon, the entire crowd, children and adults alike, were eating with abandon. The initial hesitation vanished, replaced by sheer delight.

“This… this is incredible! What is this flavor!?”

Even the village chief joined in, tears welling in his eyes.

“I-I’m sorry! I’m overwhelmed by how delicious this is…”

“It’s perfectly fine,” I assured him.

“But… were we really meant to partake?”

“Yes. That’s exactly why we asked for so much to be prepared.”

In fact, from the beginning, we had intended for the villagers to enjoy the feast.

The chief suddenly dropped to his knees in the dirt, overwhelmed by gratitude, sobbing loudly.

“Please…! I’ll never forget this kindness!”

Though his reaction was dramatic, seeing everyone so happy made all the effort worthwhile.