A day had passed since Matthew left the mansion. It was morning and the birds were chirping cheerfully. The temperature was getting warmer as the sun rose again. One would take this as a sign of a wonderful day.However, Bran was sitting seemingly lifelessly on the edge of his bed. He could not sleep well because he was thinking of what happened yesterday.“Damn it, Matthew. Why did you leave me here?” Bran cursed Matthew softly, he was worried that someone might hear him.(This guy right here has a crush on you. Good luck!)Bran scratched his head in frustration and exhaustion. “I was betrayed.”Knock! Knock! Knock!Three knocks came from the door. Without Bran even answering, it slowly opened. Two maids entered the room. Bran’s body became stiff as one approached him while the other passed by his bed and went to open the curtains and windows.“Rise and shine, Mister Irons. Would you care to join Lady Cecilia for breakfast? Or would you rather have it in bed?” The maid in front of hi
About one week had passed since Matthew went to the Alpen Peak. Now he had returned to Cecilia’s mansion with a certain intention.It was evening by the time Matthew arrived on foot. As usual, he was greeted friendly and respectfully by the guards and servants. However, when he stepped inside the mansion, a maid told him something intriguing when he asked where his friends were.“Lady Cecilia and Mister Bran are in the garden. They seem very intimate with each other now.” The maid said.With that in mind, Matthew took a more stealthy approach as he headed to the garden which was in the back. He watched from behind a bush as the two were playing with something that seemed like a helicopter. It was probably a bamboo dragonfly. Matthew remembered playing that when he was little, it brought nostalgia to him.What’s more, while watching them play, it hurt his poor single soul. Well, it was him that forcefully pushed Bran in that place.“Hey.” A soft whisper blew into his left ear along wit
Matthew, Yuki, Cecilia, and Bran had decided to go on a quest together. So on the next day, after getting their equipment, they headed for the local Hunter station to find a suitable quest. They got there quite early so there was almost no one present at the station except for the two receptionists and several Hunters hanging around. They were greeted warmly by the receptionists who were actually sisters that Yuki knew well.“Welcome Miss Nakamura! Wow! I see that you’ve brought a lot more people this time.” The older sister, named Olga with short blonde hair and a tall figure, said.“Yup! An old friend and a new one.” Yuki said.“Waah~ it’s rare to see you with Lady Cecilia, let alone more than that. The guy in the back actually looks familiar though?” The younger one, named Bilga with longer blonde hair, short figure but big assets, said while examining Matthew who was in the back of the team.“Of course he looks familiar. He is the newly crowned Dragon Emperor.” Yuki said with a pr
Drakes. A type of dragon that is smaller in size and cannot fly. Drakes are considered a lower class dragon due to their traits, including their lesser strength as well. Even so, they are still dragons and are incredibly powerful compared to the common species. Even the lowest of them are at least B class monsters. Earth drakes, in particular, have much a tankier build with larger body mass.“This species of earth drake can manipulate the earth around them. They burrow underground in the night and become active in the day. Their skin is incredibly tough and they are as big as a small house.” A researcher by the name, Paul, that happened to be in the area explained to Matthew and his group. Apparently, and thankfully though, Paul and the farmers did not recognise Matthew.“A small house, you say? That’s quite big.” Matthew commented. “How long have they been here? And how often do they attack the farm?”“I’m not sure myself, according to the farmers, it's been almost three months. Sinc
The next day, the Hunters returned to the Hunter station to turn in their quest. It was very early in the morning when they got on a carriage. Perhaps still tired from yesterday's hunt, Bran and Cecilia were sound asleep next to each other, leaning each sides' door. Yuki and Matthew were sitting across from them, they did not fall asleep."You just wanna push them into each other, right?" Yuki spoke to Matthew in a soft voice to not wake the other two up."Yeah. They make me feel like saying, 'just get married already!', you know?" Matthew replied in the same manner."Haha. Great minds think alike." Yuki had a chuckle.The carriage rattled as the horses ran at a steady pace. Occasionally, the carriage would rock a bit when it hit a bump, not that it affected the people sleeping.“By the way, Matthew.” Yuki spoke again.“Hm?”“I’ve been wondering if you’re preparing for something. Something big.”“What do you mean?”“Well, you’ve been training nonstop. Going from quest to quest. Seeing
I was a dwarf that loved smithing and creating new equipment of high quality. I never found much joy in anything other than metal work. I dedicated myself to crafting. I loaned a bit of money from the bank to start up my shop with a colleague. Her name was Aoi. She would take care of the store in the front while I crafted in the back. A few years passed, our business grew and we hired more people to work. It all went well thanks to my crafts and her excellent business skills.Then, 24 years ago, 5 years after we opened our shop, I finally proposed to her. I was a dwarf and she was a human. Normally that would be very weird and I was ready to be shot down. However, to my surprise, she accepted my proposal. She said that she had been waiting. I never thought that she would.We went on honeymoons when we closed our shop and enjoyed life as a married couple. I will always remember how happy she looked when we went out together. We would sometimes get into fights, but they never lasted lon
4 weeks until the World Champion Tournament Begins. Matthew had already informed Yuki, Cecilia, and Bran regarding his participation. Matthew thought Yuki would be overjoyed, but perhaps because of what happened, she wasn’t like Matthew expected. Cecilia and Bran did not decide to join, thinking themselves as far inferior to the other participants.Matthew returned to the Alpen Peak to continue preparing himself for the tournament. The others did not participate either for certain reasons. Matthew was training to control his use of astra while wielding the Dragoknight weapons since they use different sources of energy. He had to get used to using both mana and astra at the same time. He had the chimaeras spar him to help achieve that goal, doubling as their training session as well.Matthew still did several quests just to add some weight in his pockets after spending so much the other day. At some point, the Association President was there to take care of things. They had a quick gre
Four weeks have passed and the day finally arrived. The seats inside the stadium were crowded with audiences of all races. They were actively chatting amongst themselves as they waited for the event to start. On the four screens above the arena was a timer which showed the tournament’s banner.The fighters listed on today’s battles were preparing themselves by stretching and checking their equipment. They examined the sharpness of their blades, the condition of their armours, and steeled their minds.Some others were just chatting with the other fighters and friends, trying to create good sportsmanship. They knew who and when they were fighting, so they met their opponents beforehand either to simply strike conversation or to analyse who they were going to fight. The rest of them simply stayed quiet and minded their own business.Yuki wasn’t listed in today’s schedule of fighters, so she sat in the audience seat with Cecilia. Bran was unreachable and he had left to work a long time ag