Chapter 12
“Thank you for your cooperation, Hunter Lee Se-yeon.”
“Sure~”
After handing Lee Ho-jin over with Ha-eun, I received my reward.
I’d stopped by a café afterward.
Let’s see…
First, let’s check the money.
One, ten, a hundred, ten thousand…
Heh heh…
[100,000,000 won]
After taxes and splitting it with Ha-eun, I ended up with 100 million won.
Hunters have it good.
Sure enough, when you handle a job properly, money just pours in.
Yeah, this is the life….
“Unnie, are you that happy?”
“Look at the amount. It’s hard to believe a hundred million won just came in all at once. Aren’t Hunters ridiculously overpowered?”
At that, Ha-eun smiled faintly and handed me my coffee.
“Not every Hunter makes this much. And that was the bounty for an A-rank Hunter. In reality, Hunters up to B-rank can’t get that kind of money.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Um… most D-rank Hunters and below live paycheck to paycheck.”
So you had to be C-rank to feel like you were actually recognized as a Hunter.
“What was his name again? Lee Ho-jin? What’s going to happen to him?”
“Hmm… He’ll go to trial, and they’ll decide his sentence.”
“Really? Hmm, I have a feeling I’ll see him again soon.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s just a feeling. A feeling.”
As I said that, I took another look at the World Tree’s Leaf hanging around my neck.
“Come to think of it, about what we talked about earlier. The elves.”
“Oh, yes.”
“I don’t have particularly good feelings toward elves… but do you think I should go anyway? I mean, it seems like they’re from a different world.”
The truth was, the elves had betrayed me three times already.
Those pointy-ears were pretty damn devious.
“Hmm… Still, the elves are more friendly toward humans than the other races….”
“I’m not human, though. I’m a dragon.”
“I-If you’re worried, would you like me to come with you…?”
“Should I? I’ll send them a message.”
Elves generally didn’t let other races into their lands.
They claimed that just setting foot there would contaminate the soil or something….
Anyway, that was the kind of belief they had.
“But they’re just going to give you a treasure?”
“They said something about improving relations between races. Seems like they have a favor to ask me, in the end.”
Of course, I didn’t particularly care either way.
What mattered was getting a treasure.
Besides, outright robbery wouldn’t exactly be looked upon kindly in modern society.
It was better to make a ‘legal deal’ and avoid any hard feelings.
“I’ll talk to the Association, too.”
“Okay. Oh, and Ha-eun.”
“Yes?”
I smiled at Ha-eun.
Perhaps she sensed danger, because her shoulders trembled and she hurriedly started to get up.
“U-Unnie, I need to use the bathroom….”
Grab—
“We need to form a contract, right?”
“Eek….”
Unfortunately, I still couldn’t get her to form a contract this time.
What a shame.
I wanted to raise this kid into a gem as soon as possible.
***
A few days later.
[HarvestBumper]
[We can only approve two companions. We will allow you to broadcast as requested, provided it does not pose a security risk.]
After receiving that message, I packed as if I were going on an overseas trip.
The Association had only approved it yesterday, so it seemed Ha-eun had hastily packed last night, too.
“Terra.”
“Yes.”
“So, this is your luggage?”
“That is correct.”
Why’d she put a bunch of dirt in her bag…?
“The computer would not fit.”
“What are you talking about…? Since you brought it up, you need to cut back on gaming.”
“What?! W-What do you mean…?”
“You haven’t been sleeping much lately. You won’t grow taller if you keep that up.”
“B-But…!”
Lately, she’d gotten completely hooked on RPGs.
I was a little worried seeing her play nonstop, like it was so much fun she couldn’t even take a break.
At this rate, she might even forget she was a dragon.
Maybe I should send her to school.
I did think she needed to develop some social skills.
…Actually, maybe that would be a little difficult.
“Anyway, pack some clothes, too. Where are your other clothes? Why do you keep wearing the same thing?”
“This is comfortable!”
“Good grief….”
It was a boxy T-shirt I’d bought to wear comfortably.
She’d snatched it from me.
But it felt a little wrong to take it back from a little kid….
Shaking my head at the sight, I took Terra to the place we’d arranged to meet.
But….
“So, this is your luggage?”
“Yeah.”
“Sigh… Unnie… Who only packs clothes like this…?”
“…Aren’t clothes enough?”
This is a huge difference in standards.
And what else am I supposed to pack besides clothes…?
“You don’t have any makeup or toiletries? At least wet wipes?”
“Uh… I don’t use that stuff.”
“….”
“D-Dragons don’t need that stuff!”
What makeup….
I’d never used any before.
“Let’s just get going, okay? We have to hurry. Don’t look at me like that.”
“Sigh… All right.”
Worried she’d keep nagging me if we stayed any longer, I pushed her along as I spoke.
How much time had passed since we set out?
Maybe because she was bored, Ha-eun asked me a question.
“What were the elves like in the world you lived in, Unnie?”
“In the world I lived in? Hmm… They were usually called pointy-ears.”
“P-Pointy-ears…?”
“Yeah. They were insanely arrogant, looked down on other races, and betrayed people as easily as breathing.”
“…Don’t dragons look down on other races, too?”
At that, I narrowed my eyes and looked at Ha-eun.
What did this girl think dragons were, exactly?
“D-Didn’t they…?”
“We might not think highly of other races, but we do recognize their merits, you know?”
“Is that so…?”
“Look at me! I recognize human society and live in it!”
“That’s just because it’s you, Unnie….”
Anyway, elves were different in that regard.
They flaunted their racial superiority while exploiting other races.
Even when you helped them, they’d turn around and stab you in the back.
Then they’d threaten you and demand money.
They were rotten to the core.
“There was even a time they suddenly came all the way to my lair and asked me to invade the dwarves’ country.”
“I-Invasion…?”
“Yeah. And what did they bring me? A human woman they’d kidnapped, or something.”
“….”
“Did they think I was some kind of beast? That I’d pounce on any woman I saw? That’s why they got caught and sold into slavery instead.”
At that, Ha-eun asked cautiously.
“…So what did you do?”
“What do you think? I told them to get lost if they didn’t want to die. I handed the humans over to the empire. I don’t need things that aren’t treasures or useful to me.”
At my words, Terra, who was looking at her phone in the back seat, flinched.
…She really watches my reactions closely.
“Anyway, the elves on Earth turned out to be a Holy Kingdom, too. They’re probably the same sort.”
“Still… they get along with humans, so maybe they’re different?”
“Who knows. Have you ever seen an elf?”
“Um… once, when I was D-rank. They were the party’s ranger….”
“What was that elf like?”
At that, Ha-eun seemed to search her memory for a moment before quietly answering.
“They liked mushrooms…?”
“…Mushrooms?”
***
After nearly three hours of driving, we arrived at Taebaek Mountain, where a direct road to the Elven Holy Kingdom had been built.
Elves and asphalt.
They didn’t exactly go together.
“Stop. This area is the territory of the elves. What is the purpose of your visit?”
When we reached the checkpoint, an elf with a golden bow strapped to their back approached us.
In response, I showed them the emblem and the World Tree’s Leaf that HarvestBumper had sent ahead.
“You’re the visitors expected today. We’ll conduct a brief inspection of your belongings. Do you consent?”
“Yes.”
“Also, cars cannot enter past this point, so we will take custody of yours.”
As the elf spoke, their gaze briefly swept over my horns and tail, and they flinched slightly.
“Is something wrong?”
“…It’s nothing.”
Don’t tell me it’s nothing.
Their gaze had been awfully lingering.
It couldn’t be because of my looks, could it?
Most elves were women, given their racial traits.
And blond hair was so common that I wouldn’t stand out to them, either.
In that case, something about my racial features must have bothered them.
Tap—
We got out of the car, unloaded our luggage, and began the inspection.
We could hear the details once we were inside, after all.
“Ha-eun, it’s a luggage inspection. Should we take our clothes off, too?”
“Y-Yes…?!”
“Why not? It might be necessary.”
While I was killing time by teasing Ha-eun a little…
“Why is there so much dirt in your bag…?”
“Dirt…? Let me see.”
It seemed a few of the elves had questions about Terra’s bag.
But then.
“What? It really is just dirt.”
“How strange….”
“It looks like it belongs to that kid.”
“A kid? Oh… she’s cute.”
“Cute? That’s still a lizard.”
…A lizard?
Did they just call Terra a lizard?
Of course, I occasionally heard that during my streams….
But people were so casual in chat online that we just let it slide.
But saying that in person was kind of out of line, wasn’t it?
Did they think we couldn’t hear them?
Or had they said it deliberately so we would hear?
Whichever it was, if they’d meant to get under my skin, they’d succeeded beautifully.
This is why those pointy-ears—
“What did you just say in front of our honored guests?”
“Ah! I-It’s….”
“We apologize. Please forgive their rudeness. They only enlisted recently, so I will make sure they’re properly trained.”
That was when I was about to say something while cursing the elves in my heart.
The elf with the golden bow bowed to us and spoke.
“….”
“The inspection is complete. I’ll escort you to the reception room, so please follow me.”
“May I ask your name?”
“I am Narsil.”
“Narsil… I’ll remember that. Ha-eun, let’s go.”
With that, we passed through the checkpoint.
At the same time, perhaps because she’d been quite tense, Ha-eun let out a sigh of relief and spoke.
“Unnie, are you okay?”
“I’m not in a good mood. Still, I guess they have some sense?”
If they were the elves I knew, they’d have started with ‘So what?’
This was a huge improvement.
“Terra, you held back well too.”
“…Because you told me before, Lady Goldie.”
“Good job.”
She’s improved a lot, too.
Dragons really are better than elves.
“Whoa… Unnie, look at that. Is that…?”
“Yeah. It’s the World Tree.”
As we went farther into the city, the World Tree, which had been under a concealment spell, slowly came into view.
The scent of treasure was overwhelming.
If I just chipped off a little of that World Tree’s bark, it’d count as a treasure, right?
“Unnie.”
“Hmm?”
“Wipe your drool. What on earth are you thinking?”
“I’m curious. What does the World Tree taste like?”
“Pardon…?!”
Even gemstones all have their own distinct flavors.
Of course, I couldn’t actually eat them….
Anyway, smacking my lips at the strange thought, I continued following our guide and passed through the inner castle gate.
A castle with a clean, elegant look, built in white.
It wasn’t very large.
However, elven knights armed with longswords stood guard throughout, adding to its majesty.
They’d managed to build a castle like this on Taebaek Mountain.
How much money had it cost?
“Lady Goldie.”
“Hm?”
“Look at that.”
We were on our way to the reception room when…
Terra pointed to a painting hanging midway down the corridor.
“Hmm.”
When I looked at it too, I saw an elven swordsman clashing with a red dragon.
“What about it?”
“Um….”
“Does it bother you? Well… other races often make myths about defeating dragons.”
“…Is that so?”
“Don’t read too much into it. It just means they’re that afraid of us.”
At my words, Terra made an inscrutable expression.
I suppose it might be hard to understand for someone who’d only just started living in human society.
“That’s a painting of the hero Kairan. As you said, it’s a scene from our elves’ mythology. The moment he defeats a dragon.”
At the voice, we turned around.
An elf in a long white dress was walking toward us with elegant steps.
At the same time, Narsil saw her and bowed deeply.
Judging by the circumstances, that elf must be…
“It’s an honor to meet you. I am Silvaria, Mother’s humble first child.”
She seemed to be the person behind HarvestBumper.
Hmm, but.
Even so, to casually say in front of us that she’d defeated a dragon….
It was a little surprising.