Chapter 79: Subjugation Report 2
“Ooooh—hey! Bring more booze… aaahh!”
“W-Wait, you’ve had way too much already!”
“You idiot! You don’t understand! The real fun of drinking only starts after you’ve had too much!”
“I-I don’t… even get what that means.”
“Ughhh…”
“W-Wait! Don’t throw up! Please, not here!”
Yeah… that’s it. Absolutely no more alcohol.
It’s filthy enough as it is.
This next cup has to be the last. No matter how much she begs, I have to refuse.
I steeled myself to that resolve—
“Tch… fine, I guess I have no choice! You really wanna see these babies of mine that badly?”
“Wha—!?”
What on earth is this woman saying!?
“Why do you even go there!?”
“Right now, as part of a first-time service bonus, I’ll even let you grope them!”
“I don’t need that kind of bonus!”
“Really… my charm doesn’t work on you? Could it be… you’re a virgin?”
“Apologize to virgins all over the world!”
I couldn’t help but shout.
Even virgins have their pride. Just because I haven’t had any experience doesn’t mean I’d be thrilled by the chest of a drunken pervert!
“C’mon, don’t you wanna? Look how big and soft they are…?”
He was shamelessly groping his own chest, making an aggressive display.
N-No matter what you do, it won’t work… I swallowed hard, trying to resist.
And then it happened.
I suddenly sensed a presence behind me, and before I could react, a hand clamped down on my head.
A voice, chilling enough to make my spine freeze, descended from above.
“Geo? What the hell are you doing…?”
“Anii!? Ow, ow, ow! My head! It hurts!”
“You pervert! Doing something so disgusting first thing in the morning!”
“N-No! I didn’t do anything! It’s all this drunk pervert’s fault! See? Miranda, you have to explain too!”
“Ugh…”
“Wha—she’s… asleep!?”
“No time for arguing! Prepare to face justice!”
“It’s a misunderstanding!!!”
And… I got yelled at—really, harshly.
A little too harsh, if you ask me.
◇ ◇ ◇
“Ah, Shifa-chan, welcome back. Judging by your looks, it seems the hunt went well. Honestly, I wasn’t worried—you two always get things done—but it’s good to see you safe.”
Canaria greeted Shifa and her party with a beaming receptionist’s smile at the guild entrance.
This was a request from another branch that no one else had accepted—an assignment to travel to the countryside. If left unattended, the village would have been in serious danger, and it would have been a black mark against the guild’s reputation.
“Thank you so much. You really saved us all.”
Thanks to Canaria’s persuasion, Shifa and her companions had accepted the request, preventing a potential disaster. Had they refused, there would have been no hope at all.
Overflowing with gratitude, Canaria watched as Shifa presented proof of the hunt: a wyvern scale.
“Judging by its size, it seems it was an average wyvern.”
Shifa nodded quietly.
“And… the wyvern?”
“The wyvern…?”
Tilting her head in confusion, Canaria looked at Shifa, who explained calmly.
“The wyvern was just a minion. There was a Red Dragon.”
“A Red Dragon!?”
Canaria’s exclamation drew the attention of everyone in the guild hall. But paying no mind to the stares, she leaned over the counter, her voice rising in urgency.
“R-Really!? Then we need to send reinforcements immediately! What about the village!? Did you… just turn back without checking!?”
“C-Calm down a bit. Shifa, think about the order you tell things in…”
Annii, looking exasperated, cut in.
Shifa nodded, unsure how to explain, and relayed the situation to the panicking Canaria.
“No need to worry. It’s already defeated.”
“…Excuse me?”
“The Red Dragon has been defeated. This.”
Shifa placed something on the counter.
“Th-This…!?”
It was a massive scale, glowing like a roaring flame.
Roughly thirty centimeters in diameter, incredibly thick, and heavy enough that the counter groaned under its weight.
It resembled the scales of a named dungeon boss—a higher-ranked Lizardman called Volcano—but this one was far larger.
No doubt about it. This was a Red Dragon’s scale.
“Y-You’re saying you defeated it all by yourselves…?”
Canaria’s voice trembled with disbelief.
“We weren’t alone,” Shifa said.
“Phew… of course. A Red Dragon is an S-class threat. No single party could defeat it.”
Relieved, Canaria’s mind raced—then a question struck her. Who else had fought alongside them?
Annii nudged Shifa with her elbow.
“Hey, Shifa.”
“Huh? Ah.”
Shifa snapped to attention and clarified.
“No. It was just us. We didn’t rely on anyone else.”
“W-What… but just now—”
“Just a mistake.”
“R-Really…?”
“Yes.”
Though something felt off, Canaria had no choice but to accept Shifa’s composed assertion and dropped her questioning.
Later, official confirmation came from the Zari guild regarding both the wyvern and Red Dragon hunts, solidifying their achievement.
The rumor that a young, all-female party had single-handedly defeated a Red Dragon spread quickly to surrounding cities.
High-ranking adventurers, eager to recruit them, flocked to Arcel in droves.