Thirty: So this is what reuniting with family feels like, huh?

"Long time no see, Kyle."

"Yes, Father."

We arrived at Lord Bairoroad, the Marquis of the Frontier’s manor, wrapped up the tedious formalities, listened to the usual warnings, and were led into the grand hall.

The room held me, Kyle, Maina, Leifan, Persia, and Alphard. The adventurers had gone straight to lodgings upon arrival.

And then there was Orthros Gandar von Bairoroad himself.

A tough-looking older man, a few strands of white in his hair.

Standing beside him was his eldest son, Flatten—looked barely older than me, youthful and calm, a cool smile on his face.

Next to him stood his younger son, Zaid, who looked a good decade older. Weird.

Flatten stood silently, eyes fixed on the exchange between Orthros and Kyle, his expression unreadable.

"Report’s read. Quite bold stuff written there. You’ll explain it all today, right?"

"Yes. I’ve got a few things to discuss. That’s why I came in person."

Watching Kyle stand straight and speak with confidence, Persia’s eyes welled up.

Mom!

"Got a bunch of questions, but first—let’s see the details of that secret elixir. And whatever you want to hand over directly."

"Yes, Father. Craft… Craft-san. Can you show us all of the elixir?"

"Ah… no, yes. You can lay it out here, right?"

Shit!

Nervous, words stammering—gaga—gaga!

"Yes. I can lay it out here, right, Father?"

"Uh-huh."

Guess my tone’s getting ignored. Good.

Letting out a quiet sigh of relief inside, I started arranging the medicine on the table.

Four dozen of Elixir, the universal cure that healed Kyle’s illness.

One hundred twenty-nine bottles of Slar wine, temporarily boosting all abilities significantly.

Seventy-three bottles of Amrita, reversing aging by about a year per bottle.

Hmm. Lining them up again, it’s pretty impressive, huh.

Ah, even Flattened brother over there has a strained smile. Staring right at the Amrita, he is.

Zaid’s just gaping.

Father Orthros looks like he’s got something heavy on his mind.

“This is the Elixir, capable of curing any illness. I’ve personally confirmed its effects, so I’m sending two ahead first.”

Ah. That’s why only the Elixir was sent. Makes sense now.

"This is the enhancement elixir, the Slar wine. This is the rejuvenation potion, Amrita. Both have been cleared by鉴定, but since I haven’t tested them myself, I thought a personal explanation was needed—so I brought them here myself. The creator is Craft, over there. For production, they used a fragment of dragon material and a rare herb that only grows near it. Some ingredients simply won’t keep, so I judged it best to have Craft make the finest remedy possible. Forgive the boldness."

Hey, wait—no warning at all? You planning to take the fall alone if something goes wrong?

Not a chance.

"Good....Still, another outrageous item, another outrageous amount, brought by someone outrageous, huh?"

"Yes. This is beyond my authority to handle. I must leave the decision to my father."

"True. I’ll give you credit for not selling it off recklessly."

A small click of the tongue followed the words. Zaid, of course. No one else dared interrupt.

"True, it’s a hassle to handle. But, Kyle—hold your head up. This is impressive."

"……! T-thank you! Father!"

"Hmm. Well, I think it’s best we present this to the Emperor. If something like this hits the market, the economy might collapse."

"Father! Can’t we just offer the elixir and Slar wine?!"

"Hmm? Flatten. What’s your reasoning?"

"Yes! Among those secret medicines, Amrita is the only one meant for the market! It’s not a problem to handle! So we should be the ones to keep or sell Amrita!!"

"Hmm... True. Though, who’d even buy it on the market?"

"U-um..."

"Good. Hold onto the Amrita for now. Now, Kyle. Let’s talk about the dragon slaying. This elixir indirectly proves it. But is there anything that proves it directly?"

"Yes! I actually have the dragon’s head with me!"

"What? No carriage to carry it, though?"

"Stored it in Craft’s spatial pocket."

"Hmm?"

At that moment, Zaid—who had been glaring at Kyle with open hostility—suddenly smirked.

"Ah, I see. So you’re talking about a dragon? More likely some rare lizard, isn’t it? Seems like Kyle’s finally picking up noble manners."

Huh?

Why the sudden lizard verdict?

...Ah! That’s right! Spatial pockets can’t hold something that big, normal people can’t!

Yeah. How the hell do I explain this?

"Father, could I show it somewhere open?"

" Hmm. Then, the garden behind the manor."

"Um... Father. There isn't enough space there."

"What was that?"

"Ah! So it's growing big again, huh!"

Zaid spread his arms with a grin.

"Isn't that splendid, Father! If you need a wide-open space, just place it on the front gate's grounds!"

"..."

Ah. I could see Zaid’s little scheme now.

This place is mainly a residence, but it’s built to gather soldiers in emergencies. Right past the front gate is a large open area.

He probably figured that if he placed the head—something not actually very large—there, it’d look even smaller.

And outside the front gate, there were already crowds of onlookers. Maybe he wanted to spread Kyle’s bad reputation even further.

Then there’s only one thing to do.

Resolve drowns out the tension.

"Lord Bairoroad, sir. May I interject without offending?"

"Craft?"

"Kyle's alchemist. Good. I'll allow it."

"Thank you. If the spot by the main gate is the one we entered through in the carriage, there's no problem placing the head there. Though some flower beds will be crushed."

"What?"

Zaid makes a strange noise.

Yeah, that's fair.

If flower beds are getting crushed there, it'd take at least a house-sized space to do it.

"Hah! If you're going that far, show me! Flower beds can be fixed any number of ways! Father! Is that acceptable, yes!?"

"Fine. Allow it. Show us, alchemist."

"Yes, sir! Thank you!"

I bow, then step outside. I ask the butler to have everyone in the garden clear out.

I nod to the nobles watching from the second-floor windows, then pull it out.

The enormous dragon’s neck, rivaling the nobleman’s mansion it stood upon.

I pulled it out—right there in the wide space just inside the main gate, so massive it seemed ready to spit curses at any moment.

The onlookers, stunned by the impossible sight, froze for a second—then shrieked and tried to flee.

Yeah. Not my fault this time, right? I got permission, so it’s fine.

Seeing the crowd on the verge of panic, I activated the spell I’d already prepared.

This one’s my own creation—magic that uses mana to amplify sound across a wide area.

Here we go! Full power!

Hear me! Before you now, seated in the home of Lord Bairoroad, the Marquis of the Frontier, is the head of a wicked monster—the head of a dragon! Yes! A head! Our third son, Kyle Gandar von Bairoroad, led the charge! He slew it! All of you! Praise Kyle’s great deed!

My voice rides the magic, spreading across the entire area.

…Wait, did I just… say that out loud?

The wave of confusion spreading through the crowd slowly settles, then turns into frenzy.

And then, spontaneous chanting begins.

“““Long live Kyle! Long live Kyle! Long live Kyle!”””

A roar erupts from every side.

In an instant, the mood shifts completely. People push forward toward the main gate, eager to catch a glimpse of the dragon’s head.

“““Long live Kyle! Long live Kyle! Long live Kyle!”””

"Seriously, you actually killed a dragon!?"

"I saw it! A huge, terrifying neck!"

"Hey, I wanna see too!"

"Hey, how about five silver coins to climb up on the roof of my house?"

"Better spot on the roof of my place—six silver coins!"

"Whoa! A dragon's head bigger than the wall around the Marquis's estate!?"

"Yeah! Kyle-sama’s definitely on our side!"

"Get back, idiot! You'll crush me!"

"How about some dragon meat skewers?"

"Amulet made from a dragon's fang!"

"Look! Real dragon scales! Seriously! Wait—what? The size is way off from the one I just saw? What? It was that big?"

"We’ve got real dragon meat!"

"How about a portrait of Kyle-sama? By a famous painter…"

"Meat!"

"Fish!"

...No way. Dragon fish? That’s pushing it too far.

I just traced the magic flow. Turns out it’s spread way wider than I thought. To the point where voices reached every corner of the Gandar city, maybe?

Yeah. Went too far.

Looked up. Persia, Alphard, Leifan had their heads in their hands. Zaid? His jaw was hanging loose.

Hmph. Serves you right.

No need to spare Kyle’s enemies.

There were Dragon Bone Soup Ramen, Dragon Offal Stew, Dragon Beard Violin—definitely a Dragon Festival going on.