"Oh, Edgar, what the hell are you doing?　Hmm?"


    Medes called Edgar to the guild president''s office to reprimand him.


    ''...... sorry.''


    ''You said you were okay with your quota for the month, right?　Hm?　What''s that?　Contract termination?　Does that mean another alchemy guild has taken your customers?　Hmm?"


    No, I mean, ......


    Don''t you know that too?　Hmm?　What the hell are you doing?


    "......"


    You''ve been slack lately, haven''t you, boy?　Okay?　If we don''t meet our quota next month, right?　You know what I mean.　You could be demoted from the quartet. Understood?"


    Oh, shit."


    Edgar kicked a trash can in the hallway as hard as he could.


    The junior staff members were startled by his rough attitude.


    Edgar continues to swear, heedless of the stares he receives from those around him.


    That son of a b*tc*, you C-class adventurer!


    Lizetta frowned at Edgar''s appearance.


    Hey, Charles," she said, "I''m sorry. What was that?　You''re pathetic."


    Oh. I heard they took a customer.


    A client?


    Yes. I heard that the adventurers of "Shield of Dawn" refused to renew the contract. So, it seems that the guild leader got angry with him. He said I was slack.


    Hmm?"


    (Although there are some rough edges, Edgar''s skill as an alchemist is genuine. Especially, his "metal molding" is A class. If you ask him to make sturdy armor, there is no one on this island who can match him. I wonder who in the world he is. Who in the world would steal customers from the quartet?


    The image of Roland suddenly pops into Lizetta''s mind.


    (No way. It''s .......)


    The members of the guild "Shield of Dawn" were launching in the cafeteria.


    "Kampai!"


    This dungeon crawl was a great success, wasn''t it?


    Yeah, I''ve never brought home so much rare metal before.


    That was all thanks to Elio, wasn''t it?


    I don''t think so. I just had the right equipment. I have the Arsenal of Spirits to thank for that."


    Ha, that''s very kind of you to say.


    Roland, who was sipping his cup among the "Shield of Dawn," said in a dreadful tone, "I''m not sure I''m going to be able to do this.


    Aina and Roddy are next to him.


    These are the two who made the equipment."


    Roland introduces Aina and Roddy.


    She did the molding and he did the design. Especially, Aina was in charge of ''exterior reinforcement (coating),'' which is the heart of the ''blue armor'' with her unique skill.


    I see." You are ......."


    Elio looks at them with respect.


    Thank you," he says. You guys have made my neck of the woods."


    I''m glad I could be of service.


    I''m counting on you to keep up the good work.


    Elio stood up and shook Aina''s hand.


    ''Yes, of course.''


    Aina responded to Elio''s handshake.


    Roland and Roddy looked at her smiling.


    ''Well, it''s nice, isn''t it? The bond between an adventurer and an alchemist.


    Roddy, are you sure you want to do this?　I don''t want to talk to him.


    Yes, she did most of the work on that armor. I''ll be ...... happy to watch her in the limelight?"


    I see.


    (You''re my kind of guy.)


    Roland felt sympathy for Roddy.


    ''That''s that, Mr. Elio.''


    Aina takes out a pamphlet to change the subject.


    She asks, "If you would like, Mr. Roland, i.e., would you like to take the Skills and Status Improvement Program with an S-class appraiser?"


    Skill and Status Improvement Program? What''s that?　Does Mr. Roland do anything besides matching equipment?"


    Yes, Mr. Roland''s main focus is on skill and status improvement and development, rather than appraisal.


    Nurture: ......


    If you undergo Mr. Roland''s training, you can hone your skills and status to acquire more powerful equipment. This is a great way for both me and Erio to reach a higher level of performance. What do you think?　Isn''t it wonderful?"


    More powerful equipment. ....... Nice. That''s good. I''ll tell the guild right away.


    Cecil, a thief (shifu), looks enviously at the exchange between Erio and Aina.


    I love it, Erio. I think I''ll switch to the ''Arsenal of Spirits'' too.


    I agree. After the contract with "Dragon''s Fires" is completed, we should also approach the guild.


    Jeff, the archer, said.


    You guys don''t have to do that.


    Leon, the leader, said.


    What?"


    Everyone, Roland and the rest of the ''Arsenal of the Spirits'' need to hear this."


    The members of Shield of Dawn, Roland, Aina, and Roddy look at Leon to see what''s going on.


    I just got permission from the top," he said. We, all members of the Shield of Dawn, will terminate our contract with the Dragon''s Fires and form a partnership with the Arsenal of Spirits. From now on, all of us will have our equipment appraised by an S-class appraiser, and we will all be required to get new equipment."


    Everyone present cheered.


    I''ve put in a call to the Shield of the Dawn.


    Dylan gives Roland an earful.


    Dylan."


    (Totally witty.)


    You''ll take it, won''t you?"


    Leon reaches out to Roland.


    ''Yes, of course.''


    Roland and Leon shook hands firmly.


    Roland and Leon shook hands firmly. "Ladies and gentlemen, tonight is the auspicious occasion of the partnership between ''Shield of Dawn'' and ''Arsenal of Spirits. Our restaurant will be buying a round of drinks for every customer here. Furthermore, every time the "Shield of Dawn" brings back rare metals to the "Spirit Arsenal," we will give you a glass of sake from this restaurant in the future as well.


    When Saki said this, the cafeteria erupted in applause.


    Saki. Are you sure?


    Yes, sir. A thoughtful gift from us.


    (It''s also a way to get adventurers to become regulars at the diner.)


    Saki overheard Roland and winked mischievously.


    Roland chuckled.


    What luck!


    Thank God for that."


    Blessed adventurers.


    Blessed be the Shield of Dawn.


    Blessed be the Arsenal of Spirits.


    Celebrate. What a good day it is today."


    Even guests who had nothing to do with the "Arsenal of Spirits" or the "Shield of Dawn" began to get excited to celebrate their good fortune.


    As they were making noise, people got drunk and someone started playing cheerful music in a corner of the cafeteria.


    Someone sing!"


    Who can sing better?


    Saki.


    Saki. Sing a song."


    The aisle is opened for Saki.


    Everyone claps and cheers.


    Saki, unable to refuse, takes the stage, looking not too disappointed (the restaurant had a stage with a higher floor than the rest for the event).


    ) "Now then, modesty."


    Saki began to sing a cheerful song.


    Her voice was light yet powerful, and it enlivened the spirits of the people, encouraging more and more drinking and merriment.


    Here and there, people began to dance and clap their hands together in time to the song and handclaps.


    Roland and Dylan were stationed by the wall of a store a short distance from the center of the festivities, watching the action.


    They were doing well," Roland said.　For a first time customer. That "exterior reinforced (coated)" weapon will sell, too," he said. After all, you can''t find them for sale anywhere.


    I''m not done yet. Aina is far from being an A-class alchemist. She needs more training.


    I don''t think so. When it comes to training, you know nothing about compromise.


    She can now use her unique skills to create her own unique products, but to make her an A-class alchemist, she still needs experience making weapons for A-class adventurers." To that end, we need to hire more people and improve the staffing in the workshop (atelier). ......, hmm?　Song''s over, huh?"


    People were in a good mood and applauded Saki''s magnificent singing voice.


    However, they still had not heard enough of her singing, so they started rushing her for one more song.


    Then I''ll sing one more of my best songs. I don''t know if it is appropriate for this occasion. I don''t know if it is appropriate for this occasion, but it is a song that everyone on this island has heard since childhood and knows.


    After saying this, she began to sing.


    The song was heroic, yet full of sorrow, with a vaguely dark rhyme scheme.


    The people in the restaurant stopped cheering and clapping their hands and fell silent.


    There was once a brave man on this island.


    He contained Fafnir, a fire dragon with steel scales and sword-like claws, who breathed the fires of hell, in the volcanoes of this island.


    (I wonder what this song is about. (What is this song? For a song praising heroes, it is somewhat sad.)


    Roland noticed that everyone in the restaurant was listening to the song intently.


    Their faces looked somewhat complicated.


    Some had blank expressions, others even had sarcastic smiles on their faces.


    Dylan. What''s this song?"


    It is a song in praise of the brave man who sealed the ''Giant Fire Dragon (Gran Fafnir)'' in the volcano. Ever since the brave men of this island sealed the "Grand Fafnir," it has been the pride of the inhabitants of this island to subdue the "Grand Fafnir. However, after the adventurers on the island became weak and had to rely on outside adventurers'' guilds, the song came to be seen as a lament for the poor state of the island''s adventurers and a self-deprecating song.


    ...... I see."


    The only way now is to attract guilds from the outside using the rare metals from the volcano as bait. So I was hoping that at least a ''golden hawk'' would come to the island. ......"


    ......"


    The song continues.


    Eventually, the brave man walked away.


    Oh, where in the world have you gone?


    You even took your courage away from this island.


    Thanks to you, there is no one on this island who wants to fight the fire dragon with sword in hand.


    You have taken courage with you, along with disaster.


    The brave will never appear again.


    The song ended with a somber rhyme.


    From that point on, no matter how much alcohol was poured, people were unable to get into the mood, and the party atmosphere was so pervasive that the party had to end.


    While Saki was singing "The Song of the Missing Heroes" in the dining room, a ship carrying a group from a certain adventurers'' guild was approaching the "Fire Dragon Island" under the cover of darkness.


    The ship was carrying the "Guardians of the Academy of Magic," a leading guild on the western continent.


    On the deck of the ship, Arul, a young man with a laid-back atmosphere, is gazing blankly toward the volcano, feeling the night breeze.


    Suddenly, flames shot up from the crater of the volcano.


    It was the breath of fire from the "Grand Fafnir," a gigantic fire dragon.


    The flames shimmer in the night sky and illuminate the night sea.


    And furthermore, it made the colorful rare metals exposed on the surface of the mountain shine.


    ''Wow. What a beautiful island."


    Arul exclaimed in admiration.


    So many rare metals shimmering under the flames of the ''Giant Fire Dragon (Gran Fafnir). How beautiful. It''s just unbelievable. The nature on the Island of Fire Dragons is so beautiful, and yet there is a city of thieves at the foot of it.


    Deputy commander, are you blind?"


    Thane ......"


    Arles often looked away from the rock face of the gemstone as Captain Sein spoke to him.


    You can see a much better prey than those rocks, an S-class monster, the Giant Fire Dragon (Gran Fafnir)!


    Sein Orbesta, the head of the "Guardians of the Magical Academy" unit, stood there fully armed, even though he had not yet arrived on the island.


    Arul sighs.


    ''The guild''s orders are to collect rare metals. ......


    Hmph. Then what''s wrong with you?　What kind of idiot would pass up on a big fish in front of a big fish?"


    Captain. The local bandit guilds are not to be underestimated. There are numerous other small guilds on the Isle of Fire Dragons ......."


    I don''t care. I''ll kick all of them to the curb, no matter how many dozens or hundreds of them there are. I''ll kick them all out with my ''dragon-headed cage hand''!


    Sein shows off the dragon-shaped gauntlet on his arm.


    Now, deputy, appraise it. Have my skills rusted on the boat trip?"


    Yes, it''s perfectly all right."


    [Sein Orbesta''s skills


    Explosive Fire Magic: A


    Swordsmanship : A


    Shield defense : A


    (Tremendous fighting ability as always. Not many knights in the world have such a well-balanced combination of firepower, offensive and defensive capabilities.)


    I''m not sure I''m going to be able to do it. We''re all set. Now, hurry up and put the ship in port. I am the one who will hunt the "Giant Fire Dragon (Gran Fafnir)"!