Chapter 24: The Earth Dragon’s Horn

After leaving the dungeon and returning to the royal capital, we stopped by the Adventurers' Guild and were informed by the receptionist that we had been promoted to A-rank.

Both Kazuya and I had successfully been promoted to A-rank.

There’s no special exam for A-rank promotion; it’s assumed that by the time you reach B-rank, you’ve already acquired the basic etiquette and knowledge required.

Incidentally, to become S-rank, it seems you just have to defeat an S-rank monster. It doesn’t have to be something as powerful as an Earth Dragon, but I’d like to take one down sooner rather than later.

Judging from the battle in the dungeon, Kazuya should be able to handle A-rank enemies just fine—unless he’s up against someone with a particularly bad matchup.

So, if we’re aiming to get stronger, our only real option is to start taking on S-rank opponents. But then again, there aren’t many of those to begin with.

And if we’re going to fight S-rank monsters, we’ll need better weapons.

Not that mithril is bad or anything, but looking ahead, we’ll need something stronger.

If I remember right, we collected the Earth Dragon’s horn. I heard it’s made of an extremely rare mineral and can be used to make powerful gear.

If it’s something that surpasses mithril, then I want it forged into a weapon.

With that in mind, we got a letter of introduction from the Guildmaster and headed to the top blacksmith in the royal capital.

As expected of the best blacksmith in the capital, the shop had a very impressive appearance.

There were way more customers than at the top blacksmith in Cylindarl, and the place was buzzing with activity.

“Excuse me, we have a letter of introduction from the Adventurers' Guild,” Kazuya said.

A dwarf who seemed to be the shop foreman responded.

Apparently, the top blacksmith was too busy to meet with us right away, even with the letter. Instead, a second-class blacksmith would first hear us out and assess our request, and then determine how to proceed based on that.

Considering how busy this place is, it makes sense that the top blacksmith can’t deal with every request personally. Kazuya and I accepted the explanation without complaint and showed the Earth Dragon’s horn to the second-class blacksmith.

After examining the horn, the second-class blacksmith said:

“This is... a fine horn and certainly very hard, but as a material for weapons, it’s lacking. If we made a sword out of it, it’d have poor durability and break easily. It probably wouldn’t meet your expectations.”

That can’t be right. I’m sure I read that the Earth Dragon’s horn is a rare ore and an excellent material.

But judging by the way he spoke, it wouldn’t even result in a weapon better than Kazuya’s current mithril sword.

If that’s the case, there’s no point in forging it at all.

“Hmm, well, that’s unfortunate. But still, could you make it anyway—”

“Wait, Kazuya.”

I stopped Kazuya just as he was about to place the order and canceled the request.

“What’s wrong, Miki? I mean, it’s fine to cancel and all, but...”

“I’m sure this horn can become an incredible weapon. That’s why we need to have it properly appraised by a first-class blacksmith.”

I was certain. Not just because of what I’d read in books—this horn will become a powerful weapon. I knew it. There was no way I could entrust it to some second-class blacksmith.

But did we know any first-class blacksmiths we could ask casually...? Ah! Zack!

“That’s it! Kazuya, let’s have Zack take a look. If he says it can’t be made into a good weapon, then I’ll give up.”

Zack, the top blacksmith in the city of Cylindarl—he knows us, and he likes Kazuya. We can count on him.

“Yeah, if it’s Zack, he’s a first-class blacksmith and has a good eye. Sounds like a plan.”

And so, to have the horn evaluated, our next destination was decided: the city of Cylindarl.

That evening, we had dinner together with Roy and the others.

"Hey, Kazuya! Over here!"

When we arrived at the tavern where we were supposed to meet, Roy and the others were already there and had already started. We quickly ordered drinks and the eight of us raised our glasses for a toast.

Naturally, the seating split into a group of guys and a group of girls.

Kazuya, unsurprisingly, hit it off with Roy and looked like he was having a great time chatting. It reminded me of the time we drank together back in the city of Cylindarl.

As for me—I was being entangled by Claudia and her drunken rambling.

Thanks to Kazuya’s nonsense, Roy and the others believe that I’m Kazuya’s girlfriend. Kazuya had also asked me to pretend to be his girlfriend, so I’ve been playing the role out of necessity. Yes, out of necessity.

“You know, Miki, you really are beautiful—must be the elf in you. That’s why I bet you’re super popular with guys. So why’d you pick Kazuya? Weren’t there better guys out there?”

I almost denied it on the spot. It’s not like I chose Kazuya... no, no, I’m just pretending. Okay, let’s think of a reason...

“He might seem careless, but he’s actually pretty reliable. And... I feel like we really understand each other. He’s kind, he’d risk his life to save me, he sees me for who I am, and I can feel that he likes me, that he loves me. I don’t know how to put it—we have this strong, special bond. Plus, the other day—”

I was surprised at how smoothly and fluently the words came out of my mouth.

That’s when I noticed. Claudia, Erin, and Corinne weren’t looking at me with curiosity anymore—their eyes had softened, filled with warmth and tenderness.

“Wha—!? I mean, uh, well, who knows? Weird, right? We’ve just known each other for a long time, that’s all.”

Yeah... no. Too late. That didn’t fool anyone.

Strange, isn’t it? I haven’t clearly fallen for him yet... right?

For some reason, Claudia and the others clasped my hands in both of theirs and gently cheered me on, saying, “Wishing you happiness!”

“Even your ears are red, Miki! So cute. Honestly, beautiful girls like you look good no matter what—so unfair.”

...Ugh. Why is it always me? That’s it—I decided to strike back.

“Well, Claudia, what about you? Why are you dating Roy? How’d that start?”

That was supposed to be my counterattack. I was hoping Claudia might get flustered or blush—but instead, she jumped right in, eager to tell the story.

Erin and Corinne both muttered an “Ah,” and quickly slipped away toward Wyndham.

“Listen, listen! So, it all started when my father brought Roy home as a disciple, treating him like the hero he believed he could become. We happened to be around the same age, and after that we began living together. I looked after him and stuff. At first, he was weaker than me, but he worked really hard and got stronger and stronger. Watching him grow through sheer determination and honesty, even when he became stronger than me, I didn’t feel bitter at all—instead, I was proud. And I kept working hard too, so I could stay on the same level as him.”

I get it. A guy who grows through effort and perseverance—it is attractive.

It’s only natural to be drawn to that kind of strength.

After that, Claudia’s Roy-praising and lovey-dovey talk continued, and I ended up just listening the whole time.

With everyone fired up in their own way, the night helped deepen our bonds.

Roy and his party were set to leave tomorrow, heading into the territory ruled by the Demon Lord.

We’re planning to head there as well, once Zack turns the Earth Dragon’s horn into a weapon for us.

“Alright then, see you around, Kazuya!”

“Bye, Miki!”

“Yeah, take care, Roy and everyone!”

“See you!”

And with that, we said our farewells to Roy and his group.

The next morning, we left the royal capital, Axenpedal, and set off for the town of Cylindarl.

On the way, we dealt with a few monster attacks and wiped out a bandit stronghold—taking a few detours here and there for some well-earned combat—before finally arriving at the town.

First, we stopped by the guild, then headed to Zack’s blacksmith shop.

“Yo, Zack! You in there?”

Kazuya called out loudly from the storefront, and sure enough, Zack appeared from the back of the shop in response.

“Oh, if it isn’t Kazuya! Haven’t seen you in a bit, and you’ve gotten even tougher, huh? So, what brings you here today?”

“I’ve got something I want you to take a look at. According to Miki, this is some amazing mineral—should make a great weapon, supposedly. But the Second-Class blacksmiths in the capital just said it’s hard and nothing more, not good for weapons. So, I figured I’d bring it to you.”

As Kazuya spoke, I pulled out the Earth Dragon horn from my magic bag.

“Whoa, an Earth Dragon horn, huh? First time I’ve seen one... Hmm, this really is something.”

Zack began examining the Earth Dragon horn. After a while, he finally spoke again.

“At first glance, yeah, I can see why they’d think it’s just a tough material—not exactly weapon-grade. But… there’s something odd about it. Give me a little time to run some tests. Let’s see… come back this evening.”

Even Zack, seeing it for the first time, seemed to share the capital blacksmiths’ initial opinion. But the fact that he noticed something unusual—that was at least some hope.

“I’m counting on you, Zack. This has got to be something incredible.”

“I won’t say anything for sure just yet… but don’t get your hopes up too high.”

Kazuya and I left Zack’s shop with something close to a prayer in our hearts, booked a room at the inn, and passed the time at the guild.

We reunited with some fellow adventurers we hadn’t seen in a while, and the hours flew by as we shared laughter and stories.

By evening, we returned to Zack’s shop.

To our surprise, Zack was already waiting for us outside.

As we approached, he spoke, clearly excited.

“Kazuya! Miki! This thing’s the real deal!”

It was rare to see Zack this animated.

When we entered the shop, he closed the front door behind us.

“Kazuya! Just like Miki said, this horn is something else! This right here—it’s Orichalcum, the legendary metal!”

“What!?”

Unbelievable! The Earth Dragon horn was actually made of the mythical metal—Orichalcum!