“Is that person from White Castle? Did they recruit the… Fire Dragon Killer?”
“It’s not really strange that they recruited the Fire Dragon Killer, is it? After all, that black-clad maid will gladly accept any job related to Fire Dragons.”
“The Fire Dragon Killer truly lives up to their name. Who would have thought she could turn the tide when the terrain was completely disadvantageous and the opponent held all the positional advantage?”
…
Iaar listened to the chatter around her, feeling a sense of unfamiliarity. She rarely interacted with the Adventurer’s Guild. She usually only visited to browse commissions and check records of recent Fire Dragon BOSS appearances in the vicinity. In the past… she wouldn’t have even stepped into the Adventurer’s Guild without Will bringing her in for a meal.
Sitting here, she could barely understand the conversations of the adventurers nearby, so she just focused on eating the delicious grilled meat, delicious fried banana skewers, and delicious grilled fish… She looked at the empty table. The members of White Castle had gone to various tables in the Adventurer’s Guild to toast for this celebration banquet. So… only she was left here “watching the table.”
Thinking this, Iaar took a bite of grilled meat. This was the first time in nearly a month that she had eaten such “unhealthy” fried food. “Surprisingly… it doesn’t taste good at all.” She used to like it so much, and because Will loved it, she had even learned how to make barbecue even better. But now, the food before her no longer held the taste it once did.
“Hello, Fire Dragon Killer! Are you listening?” Among the noisy voices nearby, a voice seemed to be calling her.
“Hm…?” She raised her head. What appeared before her were adventurers from a more “luxurious” style of dungeon delving. A group of three men and one woman, one of whom was wearing a large Witch Hat—because of Liya, Iaar recognized it at a glance. One of the blonde men, his lineage should be Half-elf, as he had slightly pointed ears. Iaar had learned this from Treya. The person standing in the center was likely their leader. He looked handsome, and although well-maintained, he was likely over thirty, with a few wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. It was worth noting… he bore some resemblance to the Half-elf, perhaps they were brothers? Their equipment was excessively “luxurious.” Both their arm guards and helmets gleamed, and they were well-maintained, showing signs of many repairs to scratches. More importantly… their equipment even bore a unified, metal emblem that looked like a fiercely burning flame. This proved that their equipment was not only “exclusive” but also personally cared for.
“Are… are you calling me?” Iaar tilted her head, a little uncertain. But she was surrounded by this group, and there was no one else at this table, so they must be talking to her. However… Iaar couldn’t think of a reason why such a luxurious adventuring team would strike up a conversation with her.
“Let us introduce ourselves first. We are the adventuring team Crimson Flame. Our current rank is generally stable within the top ten.”
A nauseating scent. Even though he hadn’t said anything yet, Iaar had already caught a whiff of it from him. She instinctively recoiled. Will had told her to trust her sense of smell, and her sense of smell had always been accurate.
“Rank… top ten? Hmm… what kind of ranking is that? Is it a ranking based on who has more people in their adventuring team? Or is it a ranking based on who can clear dungeons the fastest?”
“You jest. The renowned Fire Dragon Killer, and you haven’t heard of adventuring team rankings? This is the key metric for evaluating an adventuring team’s strength, judged by comprehensive criteria—including the number of dungeons cleared, the adventurers’ fame, and their ability to drive business. Ahaha, though these are evaluation standards kept secret by the Guild.”
“Hello, I haven’t.” Iaar answered decisively, even completely ignoring the latter half of his sentence. Because when she heard the question, her first reaction was to recall Will’s teachings—when encountering a question she didn’t understand, she must answer honestly.
“It’s fine, Fire Dragon Killer, we’ll skip that part. As a top-ranking adventuring team, we seek strong individuals. Let me put it this way: Crimson Flame believes you are very powerful.”
“Very powerful?” It felt like the first time Iaar had heard an unknown “outsider” describe her in such terms.
“Miss Iaar, you see, in this battle, you not only accurately used the Ancient Magic ‘Ice Array’ to control the situation. That is a top-tier defensive Ancient Magic! In this world, apart from Witches, not many people can use Ancient Magic with such mastery.”
Crimson Flame’s captain seemed adept at flattery. Perhaps this kind of approach easily recruited teammates, as Iaar showed a flicker of confusion before he began his “compliments.”
“Mastering ‘Ice Array’…?” Hearing this, Iaar thought of the mission Will had left her. *In young master’s eyes, this little bit of proficiency is far from enough, but now, in the eyes of outsiders, it… it has reached a description I can’t even understand?!* *Compared to after leaving young master, I haven’t grown that much.*
“Indeed. Your combat details have been spread among the members of White Castle, giving you complete control of the situation! You shifted the entire battle’s momentum in your favor! Shield Saints are often on the defensive, but you possessed the strength to overwhelm the opponent single-handedly. Truly… truly astonishing!”
“Mm… But isn’t that a basic skill for a Shield Saint?”
“Apart from that! Oh, Miss Iaar. You are also a Shield Saint with extensive dungeon exploration experience. Such Shield Saints are rare nowadays; most people think that casting an Ice Wall and perhaps a few protective spells for teammates is enough to lie down and rest.”
“Hmm… That definitely won’t do, right?!”
“So, a Shield Saint this powerful… would you like to join the equally powerful Crimson Flame?” Crimson Flame’s captain was clearly quite cunning. After a long preamble, he threw an invitation that was difficult to refuse at Iaar. He had laid the groundwork, making the adventurer, who clearly lacked experience, feel favorable towards them, making her susceptible to being tricked into joining the team. But… Iaar was clearly not someone who fell for such tactics.
“Based on the name… your team has many little fire dragons… Will you fight Fire Dragons for me?”
“…Ahaha. No, no, it’s just that we are indeed lacking an ice-elemental teammate.”
“Then why should I go?”
“Haven’t you considered the conditions? Adventurers all over the world want to join Crimson Flame. This is the adventuring team that pays the most, has the strongest teammates, the Adventurer’s Guild’s strongest Half-elf warrior, a mysterious Witch, and of course, me, a rare swordsman and strategist.”
After listening to his boastful and numerous conditions, Iaar tilted her head. Her grey eyes looked at the blonde man before her, finding his words incredible—
“…Are these things rare?” she asked with a hint of doubt. “The team I was on before also had a Half-elf, a Witch… and a very great Strategist, though he was the most, most, most trustworthy Priest. I don’t think your setup is anything special.”
Although not intended as mockery, Iaar’s question, delivered with a tone of doubt, carried a strong sense of sarcasm. However, even after hearing this, Crimson Flame’s captain only raised an eyebrow slightly, suppressing his anger.
“Uh… then what was your previous team’s rank?”
“I don’t know. But if it hadn’t disbanded, it would definitely be number one, an undisputed number one, a number one that no one could surpass.”
“…” The Crimson Flame captain hesitated. “Miss Iaar, are you serious?”
“Serious. A team with young master in it is absolutely number one. Even if it isn’t now, he will definitely lead us to achieve it in the future… as long as… as long as he is still alive…”
Being asked this seemed to stir up old memories, and Iaar suddenly began speaking excitedly. “Well, it has disbanded for now. So, it’s not impossible for us to borrow your ‘number one’ title temporarily.”
“Brother, I think we can just get rid of her here.” The other blonde Half-elf warrior behind him, seeming unable to hold back any longer, finally spoke.
“Ah… ahaha…” The Crimson Flame captain looked somewhat helpless. The Witch behind him crossed her arms, looking down on Iaar with disdain, and said, “There’s no need to waste more words on her. Mr. Carver’s mission to us is just to be a stable top-ten example. Hmph, with her completely out of touch with current events and seemingly brainless, there’s no point in agreeing to her.”
“Wait a moment, Aunt Sylph. I think there’s still some hope, at least… we shouldn’t just hand her over to the people from White Castle.” The Crimson Flame captain, clearly trying to accomplish his goal while suppressing his anger, pondered his words slightly before continuing. “Since that team has disbanded, Miss, you can consider others, can’t you? Like us? After all, White Castle has lost a key player. Although they’ve temporarily entered the top ten, someone as excellent as you would surely consider the future changes in the situation, right?”
“Situation?” Iaar tilted her head. “Sorry. I thought being an excellent adventuring team only required knowing how to defeat BOSSes. I don’t understand such complicated matters…” Iaar instinctively looked around for help, but of course, Will was no longer by her side. “…If young master were here… he might explain the situation.”
“Are… are you serious?”
“Thank you. I’m only with White Castle temporarily because they gave me information about the Fire Dragon of City of Mad Burning.” Iaar completely ignored the implied meaning in his words and rejected him in a very direct manner. “Of course, if you need to defeat a Fire Dragon, you can always call on me. I am looking for a Fire Dragon named ‘Al’.”
After speaking, Iaar took out the small booklet she carried and pushed it across the table towards the Crimson Flame captain. “If you are inviting me because you lack experience in dealing with Fire Dragons, then please accept this ‘Rules to Remember When Killing Fire Dragons.’ Compiled from young master’s original words, it is highly reliable.”
The Crimson Flame captain, who had been smiling, finally couldn’t contain his anger when he saw the cover and the author’s name. Will. Written there was the name of the person she kept referring to as “young master.”
“Never mind. I understand now, Miss Iaar. Alright… I didn’t pay attention. Yes, yes, yes… you are that trash’s woman, it’s indeed pointless to talk to you. Forget it.”
“…Trash?” Before Iaar even realized it, she had risen from her sitting position, her grey eyes fiercely staring at the man before her. “Who… are… you… talking about?”
