Chapter 15: The Blacksmith Skilled in Handling Corpses Suspiciously Well

The dragon had fallen.

At last, we had achieved what we desired.

I had obtained the dragon heart and various dragon by-products.

And the ancient dragon had found the rest it yearned for.

As I gazed at the fallen dragon’s corpse, I looked at my missing right arm.

‘How do I recover from this? I hadn’t thought that far ahead.’

Dismantling a dragon requires tremendous strength.

I couldn’t easily find a dismantler since it had to be kept secret from the family.

At the very least, I’ll have to get the family to recognize the dragon heart is mine.

My father and brother would surely impose all sorts of restrictions, fearing I might misuse it.

But handling the dismantling without a professional presented another problem.

The dragon heart, at least, wouldn’t break easily, so I could get it out somehow, but the other parts were also valuable, making it hard to give up on them.

Even if I managed to solve all this, one problem remained.

This dragon was the source of the Moon’s Magic Realm.

‘The source of the Magic Realm is gone, so the Magic Realm will disappear in a couple of days… but that’s not something I need to prepare for.’

After all, the dragon heart, especially one from the strongest dragon, was more important than any Magic Realm.

It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.

From the Empire’s perspective, if I successfully obtained the dragon heart, they would overlook the loss of the Moon’s Magic Realm.

The Moon’s Magic Realm had long lost its significance, except for its use as a preliminary experience of Magic Realms.

There’s unlikely a law prohibiting the destruction of a Magic Realm without permission.

As I was assessing the situation,

The two women nearby were focused on something else.

“Wait, Abraxas! You’re an Aura Master?”

“Eh, Elia…! Am I seeing this right? It was really Aura Awakening, wasn’t it? And that arm…!”

People around were more excited about these aspects than the fact that we had caught the dragon.

Theseus, who had known in advance, remained quiet.

Of course, whether it’s Aura Awakening or my missing right arm, neither is a problem.

With my left hand, I showed them the missing arm.

“As you can see, it wasn’t cut off but disintegrated because it couldn’t withstand the power. There’s no bleeding at the severed area, so it’s not a problem. Don’t worry.”

“But that’s not the point. If you can use Aura Awakening, you’re almost certainly the top cadet. Why hide that?”

“Judging by the power I just saw… I don’t think I could beat it either…”

These were inevitable questions.

Certainly, this ability is overpowered if judged solely by its might.

An overwhelming speed leading to an absolute first strike.

If one doesn’t evade or defend before the technique is executed with overwhelming speed, neither defense nor avoidance is possible.

However, this technique has many flaws since it’s the first Aura Awakening ability I’ve gained.

Although it may seem overpowered just by description, the actual power is only about three to four times that of my sword energy.

Many can withstand it by blocking or even get hit even once.

The dragon died from this because it exposed a weakness.

Pure firepower might be enough to scratch a dragon’s scales, but that’s about it.

Losing an arm as the cost, the efficiency doesn’t match up.

I can have multiple Aura Awakenings, so I might get another impressive one later, but that’s all.

Before that, there was something I had to do, so I spoke to everyone.

“Ha-ha. Please keep this a secret from the academy. We all caught this dragon together by chance, didn’t we?”

“Eh?”

“We all worked together to catch it, right? Isn’t that so?”

Emphasizing ‘we’ again, they seemed to understand what I meant.

However, while they understood the meaning, they didn’t grasp the intent, leading them to question me.

“Weren’t you planning to fulfill the dragon’s wish?”

“That can be corrected later. I could fulfill it right after leaving the academy. But while I’m still here, it’s obviously not possible. They’ll question how I knew about it, and then everyone would become a target of suspicion.”

Of course, naturally, hiding this information is only until I leave the academy.

If the academy learns of this, the chancellor will do whatever it takes to keep me there.

The skill gap is significant, and although the rest are like rubbish compared to me, reaching the same realm as the renowned figures of the empire at just 17?

I would definitely be held onto at all costs.

If this fact spreads, even if I assault a member of the imperial family, they might defend me.

Thus, this fact must never be revealed.

“Let’s first think about finding a dismantler. Even now, the dragon heart is strong enough to be dismantled. But then, the other parts might end up a total mess. The scales on the chest area might get severely damaged.”

“Contacting the family… is not an option because of you…”

“Ladies? Is there a dismantler associated with your family? Someone skilled enough to dismantle a dragon?”

“There isn’t really anyone like that…”

“Our family is only a barony, so we hardly have such connections.”

Everyone replied that they had no ties to such a skilled dismantler.

So, there were essentially three options:

-Contact the family.

-Find another dismantler and ask for help.

-Give up.

Looking at the list, it seemed hopeless.

Firstly, contacting the family could lead to losing ownership of the dragon heart in the quest for its scales, so that’s rejected.

The second option is possible, but not really appealing.

And the third option is simply frustrating.

Should I just give up on the chest scales?

But I need every penny I can get for the business I plan to run during the academy festival.

‘I know a dismantler, but do I really have to talk to that lunatic again?’

Technically, he’s a skilled craftsman, so he should be able to do it.

In the game, he notoriously destroyed equipment, so no one trusted him.

“Then, I’ll ask someone I know.”

“You knew a dismantler?”

“I only know of him; this would be our first encounter. If I had met him, I would’ve already been in touch.”

I had minimized contact with key figures until I could escape my family’s influence.

I had faced dangers due to a single contact in the past.

The more money, the better!

I didn’t realize that the business I started as a child would become a stranglehold on my life.

‘It wasn’t legally a scam. If it’s not legally a crime, what kind of exception are they applying?’

Clearly, we’re still in the early modern era.

It’s not even been that long since stoning was abolished.

“But… who will carry this?”

As we were discussing the rewards, Sylvia Renen made a sharp observation.

How would we transport this gigantic dragon?

“I’ve prepared a way. I’ll use my authority. If we go to the entrance and fire a flare, they’ll come here.”

“To the entrance…?”

“Of course, we have to carry it there. Equipment can’t come down here! Let’s all work hard!”

By the way, I am missing one arm, and the other isn’t normal.

No one would ask a one-armed person to work, they’re even exempt from military service.

Conclusion: Everyone (except me) must gather their strength to move the dragon’s corpse to the entrance.

“I’m going to kill you.”

Theseus, supporting the dragon’s corpse, said to me.

Regrettably, even with one arm, I can still beat someone like Theseus.

Sylvia used magic to create a net and lighten the corpse.

Elia was at the top of the stairs, holding the net and pulling the dragon.

The dirt cave was easy to descend, but ascending with the dead body of the dragon was hellish for us.

Except for me, of course.

Even the South Korean Ministry of National Defense, with a higher conscription rate than the Japanese Empire, would give up on a disaster like me.

It was too easy for me.

Of course, I wasn’t tactless enough to say it out loud.

As we emerged, it was slightly darker than when we entered.

The sun had already set beyond the horizon, its remnants lighting up the sky.

The plants embedded in the ground, now turned to ash, flew in the air, looking eerily beautiful.

Having survived the encounter with the most dangerous entity in this Magic Realm, we did a check around before firing the signal flare.

“Ugh… Ugh…”

Theseus, not adept at Aura Enhancement, was panting, barely keeping up.

“My muscles are sore, but… I guess we don’t need a priest.”

Elia was checking her physical condition.

“The dragon… it’s intact.”

Sylvia Renen was casting various protective spells to prevent damage to the corpse.

Then, I pointed the flare gun, which had been at my waist, towards the sky.

“Here I go.”

A red flare shot up with a hissing sound.

A bright light burst from the red dot, scattering red smoke along its path.

As the flare turned into a small sun in the dim sky, a sudden noisy commotion started.

It seemed they were on standby, thinking we might be in danger.

The tiny sun shot into the night sky attracted many like moths to a streetlamp.

Not that those coming to our rescue were like bugs, but they were more concerned about us than themselves.

“Is everyone okay?!?!”

The officer who had briefed us earlier shouted to us.

Fortunately, we were all fine, except for my missing arm.

As long as my life was intact, recovery was possible, so it wasn’t a big concern.

However, his expression changed to one of horror as he saw us.

He approached us with the expression of a senior soldier whose leave was canceled due to provocations from North Korea.

“Oh, uh… How is everyone’s condition? Eek! What is that!”

The officer, who had been worried about our appearance, changed his view upon seeing the fruits of our labor behind us.

‘Would they believe if I said we accidentally encountered the dragon and killed it in a scuffle?’

Probably not.

Let’s just move on.

The people he brought with him shone magical tools like flashlights on us.

Our conditions and the results of our encounter, hidden in the darkness, were now fully revealed.

The second son of a duke, missing an arm.

The future duke, his body in tatters.

A countess without a scratch.

A baroness who looked exhausted.

And the enormous dragon corpse following behind.

I’ll spare the details of how the Magic Realm Management Bureau employees reacted to this scene.

“So, the reason you called us is…?”

The experienced staff didn’t ask what the dragon was or anything else.

High-ranking officials disliked such questions.

They would provide necessary information, though.

“As you can see, we’re not in great shape.”

The dragon had startled the officers.

Our condition alone was reason enough to fire the flare.

“That’s true, but…”

The officer in charge of us spoke.

Hearing that, I pointed at the dragon’s corpse with my remaining left arm.

A few quick-witted people caught on.

“You want us to move that?”

“Yes.”

“But we don’t have the equipment yet, so first, let’s get medical treatment…”

“Move it to a proper place before midnight, and I’ll give you 10 scales.”

“I’ll show you even greater speed than when we rushed here. Young Master.”

Of course, I don’t plan to give them.

What will they do if I don’t?

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