92. Interlude 4

After parting ways with Iberia at the Spirit Hills, Adra drifted south aimlessly, then descended to the foothills of a nearby mountain and settled there for a while.

But her mental state deteriorated steadily. She reached the point where she could no longer endure it, and so, seeking help, took flight once more toward the direction where she could sense human presence.

That direction led toward Oxidonia—the city-state home to the Mage Academy.

While traveling, Adra spotted a promising spot nestled in a rocky ravine at the base of a mountain and decided to rest there for a time.

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From a small hilltop forest a few hours’ ride north of the northern border of the Mage Academy City-State, a group of students—adventurers in name, though still students—were completing a bounty mission against a monster. Registration as an adventurer was open to students, though they started at rank G or F.

“Hey, look over there,” one student called, pointing north.

They stood atop the hill, near a cliff’s edge, with a clear view northward—unobstructed, sweeping vistas stretching ahead.

“Huh?” The other student followed the direction of the finger.

“What is that…?”

At the base of a northern mountain stood something resembling a colossal dragon. And surrounding it were numerous, massive, black shapes.

“Wait—could that be a dragon? No, it’s the Monster King, I think! I read about it in a book—some giant dragon commanding a legion of monsters.”

“Seriously? Then we’ve gotta report it to the Adventurer Guild! If we’re the ones who found it, we’ll definitely get a reward!” Another student said, excited.

In truth, a simple report wouldn’t earn a reward—but they were still students. Naive, unworldly, desperate for money, they reacted with unthinking enthusiasm to the first bold claim they heard.

They hurried back to pack up, then returned to the Adventurer Guild.

The country-town Guild reported straight to the capital’s Adventurer Guild before properly verifying the truth of the claim.

That, somehow, became news that the Dragon King had appeared.

No matter how well-designed the Guild’s system might be, this was a classic example of human error in operation.

A few weeks later, the Adventurer Guild would dispatch an investigation party to the site for verification and confirmation.

By then, the dragon was gone, and the black object turned out to be a well-known geological formation—unusual rock shapes common locally—casting doubt on the original report’s accuracy.

But by the time the news reached headquarters, a dragon had actually appeared in the capital, making their report, in the end, correct.

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