The young dragon tries to conquer the world

　In the wilderness outside the city, a monster called a herbivorous dragon slowly approached. It had a short, stout, and huge gray body with black stripes on its back. This monster mainly fed on grass, had a docile nature, and was easy to befriend. Thus, humans began to domesticate these herbivorous dragons from very early times, and they had many uses after being domesticated. For example, they were slaughtered for human consumption, or used to pull flatbed trucks to transport people and goods. At this moment, a boy was sitting on a truck pulled by a herbivorous dragon, swaying back and forth, enjoying the travel atmosphere.

　He was not tall and looked like a hunter. His body seemed excessively thin. Although his entire body was covered in a leather armor set made of animal hides and disc stones, even a layman could see that his armor was extremely rudimentary, or rather, pitifully worn, and he was not wearing a helmet.

　But his exposed face had a vibrant expression, his eyes sparkling with curiosity, thick eyebrows, and a horizontal scar on his nose—all of which seemed to indicate the boy's personality. On his back was a longsword and katana that seemed completely disproportionate to his body. Anyone with a little knowledge would know at a glance that it was a rather rudimentary weapon, just like his armor, called an iron sword.

　Judging from his age and the weapons and armor he was using, he was clearly a novice hunter. The boy was sitting in the gap between two large bags of goods when the man riding in the same vehicle with him asked, "You're such a young age and you're already a hunter? Are you going to Dondorma to make your name?"

　The person who spoke up was a middle-aged man holding a wine bottle, who had been in a good mood since midday.

　"I'm not actually doing this for fame."

　"Huh? Really?" Seemingly surprised by the answer, the man momentarily forgot to swallow the wine in his mouth. After a while, he realized what he was doing, swallowed the warm wine, and said, "I thought you were like everyone else, but I just wanted to confirm something."

　"confirm?"

　As the two chatted, the city of Dongdorma came into view at the far end of the road. Towering mountains rose on either side of the road, and nestled at their foot was the renowned city of Dongdorma, surrounded by two great mountains. Those who had visited said Dongdorma was a place where nature and human civilization coexisted in an ideal way. For most hunters, establishing a base here for their hunts was practically a life goal.

　"Yes, Radwig is in that city."

　"Radwig? Ah! Those four famous hunters, who are said to have defeated terrible monsters, defended the city, and have several other legendary tales about them. Whether true or not, they are all very remarkable."

　"That's true!"

　"What, are you planning to become their apprentice?"

　"No! No! Although Radwig is very powerful, I already have a master whom I respect more than anyone else!"

　"Master?"

　“That’s right. Anyway, my goal is to see Radwig first.”

　"That's it."

　During their conversation, the herbivorous dragon had already arrived at the gates of Dongdorma with its wagon. The passengers disembarked with their luggage, and as they parted, the boy turned back to the man and called out, "My name is Constance. Remember this name, uncle, because it will surely be known to everyone in the future."

　"Haha, you're just spouting nonsense. Good luck then!" Constance responded with a snort, then stylishly tossed his luggage behind him, said goodbye to the man, and left.

　This was Constance's first visit to Dondorma.

　At first, he had no idea what the place was called. However, after chatting with the owner of a general store at the city gate for a few minutes, the owner kindly told him about the place. Constance then realized that he was at the entrance to the city of Dondorma. From there, he could climb the steps to reach the city center, which was called the Central Square. Moreover, since all the city's roads converged there, he could travel to various parts of the city from the Central Square.

　Constance's first reaction was that there were indeed many slopes in the city built on the hillside, and at the top of the slope was an exceptionally majestic building called the Great Hall, which was the base of the local hunters' meeting place. In addition, the group of buildings built next to the Great Hall were government agencies that were closely related to the operation of the city.

　"Alright, let's go check out the tavern in the city center first! Bai Feng and Mary, finding them might be much easier than we think!"

　In reality, Constance only knew the name Radvig and that the team members were from the New World. She knew nothing else about the team or its members. She had just arrived here and, of course, didn't know the names or appearances of any of the four people. She only learned about White Wind and Mary from the shopkeeper when he asked her about Radvig. The shopkeeper was surprised to hear about it.

　Satisfied with the smooth progress, Constance climbed the steps extending from the city gate toward the next area. At the end of these steps was the central square in the heart of Dondorma, where the tavern was also located. Inside, all sorts of people sat on wooden chairs, enjoying fine wine and food.

　The town wasn't just home to hunters; there were also many merchants and ordinary city residents. This diverse mix of people made the tavern vibrant. "Wow, really." It seemed that asking everyone one by one in this environment would be a waste of time. Besides, there were some people in the tavern who were drunk all day long, and even if Constance went up to greet them, they might not care because they weren't familiar with the place.

　Constance wandered around the tavern, hoping to find someone who seemed reasonable and wouldn't refuse her. And just then, she found such a person. "Excuse me, sister?" Constance asked the receptionist in uniform standing on the other side of the meeting place counter. If the place in Dondorma City was like where Constance lived, they would likely be both tavern staff and people handling hunter requests.

　If that's the case, then they should be quite familiar with the hunters based in this city.

　"Hello, what can I do for you, young hunter?"

　"Um, hello, I wanted to ask you about something. I'm not here to accept a hunting commission; I'm looking for someone here. Big sister, do you know Radwig?"

　"Radwig?" The receptionist tilted his head in confusion, then asked, "Are you here to become his apprentice?"

　Constance was surprised that the receptionist said the exact same thing as the man in the car. He thought to himself that the two men were indeed famous, but his purpose in coming here wasn't to become their apprentice. "No! I came here to compare them with my master!"

　"Master? Comparison?" The receptionist tilted her head even further, and realizing that continuing to explain would only make things more complicated, Constance quickly changed her words.

　“Uh, I mean I already have a master.”

　"A master who is on par with Bai Feng and Mary?"

　"That's right, that's right, he's a truly remarkable hunter."

　"Hey, who exactly is this person?"

　“Burns! My most respected hunter! However, my master has no desires. His skills are so great, if only he were more proactive, but he seems to have no interest in money or fame at all. He spends all day fishing in the village. He only intervenes when the villagers are attacked by monsters. In short, he has no ambition at all, which is really a headache.”

　"Oh~" As expected, she's still a newbie; she doesn't know this at all.

　"However, when Master gets serious, his skill level is absolutely unmatched, even by Radwig!"

　"Ah, I see. Then go and meet Dean and Mattia, and compare them properly." The receptionist slapped her fist, seemingly finally understanding what was going on.

　"Yes, yes, now that you know about it, could you introduce me to Radwig? You must know them, right?" Upon hearing this, the other person's expression immediately dimmed.

　Is there something inconvenient?

　Seeing Constance's panic, the receptionist quickly said that wasn't the reason; the two of them should still be in the New World. "What?" But upon closer thought, Constance felt that this situation was reasonable. The two of them seemed to be members of the Ancient Dragon Investigation Team of the New World. Even if they were to come to Dondorma, it would take them a long time.

　"Tsk, so it's not time yet. What bad luck."

　"indeed."

　Although the receptionist agreed with Constance's assessment, she quickly chuckled, "Things..."

　I already know, but that's just how it is. Meeting them in person is certainly important, but asking someone who knows them well might also be a good idea.

　"Their friends, that's right! Great idea! No wonder she's such a pretty receptionist!"

　Upon hearing Constance's praise, the receptionist said, "You're so annoying, how can you talk like that?" while blushing without any attempt to hide her embarrassment.

　"Who are those two people's friends?" Constance leaned forward and asked. The other person came out from the other side of the counter and led Constance to a table where a man was sitting. His chestnut hair reached his shoulders, giving him a very dashing appearance. The man looked at the approaching receptionist and Constance with some surprise at first, but after calming down, his eyes were full of wisdom.

　Constance had never seen his attire before. A deep red wide-brimmed hat adorned with beautiful feathers, its edges embroidered with decorative patterns in gold thread; an unidentified coat of arms on his forehead; the same gold thread trim on his vest, and coat of arms embroidered on both sides of his chest. His arms and legs were covered in inconspicuous armor, which at first glance appeared to be ordinary clothing. Clearly, this was not clothing, but hunter's protective gear.

　The weapon was a heavy crossbow, something Constance had never seen before. This meant that the man was actually a hunter, and a top-notch one that Constance could not even dream of. Before he knew it, he felt goosebumps all over his body.

　"This is a good friend of those two people."

　"Him?" Upon hearing Constance's question, the receptionist nodded confidently. The man, however, still wore a bewildered expression.

　"My name is Constance, nice to meet you!" After the receptionist explained Constance's purpose, the man finally understood what was going on. Even though he was facing a hunter who was many times more skilled than himself, Constance was not nervous at all. On the contrary, he was even more cheerful.

　"What a daring guy, he reminds me of someone."

　"Um, can I not use honorifics? I'm not very good at that."

　"It's ok."

　"Really!? Thank you!"

　“Mr. Cornelius, since he’s come all this way, why don’t you chat with him for a while?” Seeing Constance’s delighted expression, the man smiled wryly. “No problem. Um, you only brought up that idea because you saw me here, didn’t you?” When Cornelius asked this, the receptionist stuck out his tongue and chuckled.

　“You use a katana, huh?” Cornelius said, looking at the iron sword on Constance’s back.

　"What did the katana do to you?" Cornelius chuckled lightly when Constance asked him.

　"Oh, it's nothing. You really want to hear about the two of them, don't you?"

　"That's right! Would you like to tell me?"

　"Okay. Let's start from when I met Radwig."

　"It's so wonderful to have met you! Please help me!"

　“Don’t stand, sit in that chair. And get me some drinks.” Cornelius gestured for Constance to sit in an empty seat while ordering a drink from the receptionist.

　"Understood, you two can continue your conversation."

　The receptionist waved gently and turned to leave. Constance's heart raced with excitement at the thought of soon hearing stories about those two people.

　The next day, Cornelius arrived at the meeting place in Dondorma as usual. Unlike the day before, he was dressed in a guild knight's suit, a wide-brimmed red hat adorned with decorative feathers, a white shirt with slightly puffed shoulders, a crimson vest over the shirt, and black cloth trousers with leather boots. Cornelius quite liked this flamboyant attire. At first glance, the outfit looked like ordinary clothing, but it was actually armor only a select few hunters were qualified to wear. It had taken him a long time to adjust to wearing this armor after becoming a guild knight.

　Firefly.jpg

　P.S.: Hmm, it seems like the Legend of Sword and Fairy series isn't suitable, so I'll go back to Monster Hunter~ Those other drafts will be temporarily abandoned~

　Volume 1: Chapter 447 - Guidance Day for the Guild Knights

　Not one to readily express his emotions, Cornelius gently pulled his wide-brimmed hat down to cover his eyes before heading towards the counter deep inside the tavern. The reason the hunter's meeting place was located in a tavern was perhaps because, for hunters, alcohol was as essential as water. Cornelius's weapon was a heavy crossbow, though it was currently folded and hung on his back; when unfolded, it was a remarkably simple heavy crossbow.

　The entire gun body is in a straight line, with the stock slightly curved for better handling. The light purple covering the gun body...

　The scales from the sand dragon ensure the weapon's strength, and the bullet loading mechanism, made from the sand dragon's high-quality fins, is adjusted to a smaller crossbow shape for ease of movement. The magazine is located on the left side of the weapon. This is a heavy crossbow made primarily from the materials of the sand dragon that inhabits the desert. Perhaps for this reason, its appearance is easily reminiscent of ichthyosaur monsters.

　Reverse Sand! This is the name of the weapon specifically prepared for the battle against the next target.

　"Hello, Mr. Cornelius. Shall we accept the next commission?"

　When the receptionist greeted him, Cornelius smiled and returned the greeting, saying, "I've only recently become a guild knight, so I'm sorry to trouble you."

　Where is this commission going?

　"Senchiu, Alcoris region."

　"Alcris region? That's a hunting ground that's quite far away. It's very close to Metapetat and the Old Forest. Hmm, could it be for that?"

　"That's part of the reason, and the road through Mejpoldan is also occupied by a female fire dragon. Many caravans have complained to the meeting place that they are very worried when passing through the vicinity."

　"Understood, that's the Rathian hunting mission to Forest Hill. I'll prepare the paperwork."

　"please."

　"Hmm! Also, are there any companions for this request?"

　“No, this time…” Before Cornelius could finish the sentence about acting alone, he sensed someone standing directly behind him and quickly turned around. “What? It’s the old man.” Cornelius turned around and saw that it was someone he knew, so he breathed a long sigh of relief.

　Before him stood an old hunter. The reason he knew he was a hunter was not only because of his familiar face, but more importantly because of his attire: a full set of leather α armor and a large hammer called Iron Fist. This combination would offer no advantage during a hunt and would even be looked down upon by other hunters. However, to someone who wasn't a hunter, this outfit was quite interesting. Moreover, after retiring from the front lines of hunting, he seemed to have developed a greater appreciation for the hunter profession.

　The old hunter had a thick white beard around his lips, which he said was part of his charm. His wrinkled eyes curved slightly at the corners, giving him a kind smile that Cornelius was very familiar with, and he was smiling happily as usual today, as if to hide his mischievous nature.

　"Hehehe, as expected of the newly appointed guild knight, Mr. Cornelius."

　"This sentence should be directed at you. You came so close to me without my knowledge. You must have deliberately slowed your pace. It's really troublesome. Your nature is completely different from your age. You still like to play tricks on people."

　Cornelius's complaint seemed to hit the nail on the head, and the old man laughed again, only this time he seemed even happier, his shoulders shaking. "Just think of it as an old man in his twilight years playing a game with you, don't take it to heart."

　"Hmph, I think you'll outlive me at least. Anyway, what do you want? Don't tell me you're here to drink because you miss me."

　"Don't be so heartless. But this time I'm not actually asking you out for drinks. There's something I'd like to discuss with you."

　"Why are you so serious this time? Do you want to sneak off hunting with me? No way. If you, with your old bones, want to go hunting, you'll probably have to stay there. I don't want to be labeled a murderer."

　Although the old man was approachable, unpretentious, and often did things Cornelius couldn't understand, Cornelius couldn't help but respect him because the old man had helped him a great deal on several occasions. Now, he appeared to be just a cynical, glib old hunter, but in his youth he was a renowned hunter in the area, possessing considerable wealth.

　After retiring from active duty, he often used his wealth and connections from his youth to help young hunters. Cornelius wasn't the only one; there were many people in the city who had received his help. Cornelius had no reason to refuse any opportunity to repay the old man's kindness, so he reiterated his needs to the receptionist.

　"Excuse me, please hold onto the paperwork for now."

　"Okay, please don't worry."

　After giving his instructions, Cornelius turned and left the counter. He followed the old man to a table in the tavern, where a customer was already waiting. Cornelius looked up and saw that it was a man, who was also a hunter.

　What first caught his eye were the fire dragon wings extending from the shoulders. Crimson scales were sewn onto various parts of the body, making it appear extremely sturdy. Cornelius was deeply impressed by this armor set; it was primarily made of fire dragon materials.

　Rathalos. Every hunter knows it. It's the representative monster of the flying wyvern species, capable of soaring freely through the air with its enormous wings, earning it the title of King of the Sky. Its entire body is a fiery red, and it will ferociously pounce on any enemy it encounters.

　Divide into two groups.

　The young man's armor cleverly utilizes the shape of Rathalos material, ingeniously reproducing its highly aggressive silhouette. It is rare for someone so young to possess such armor, a complete Rathalos γ armor set, yet the entire set fits him perfectly.

　Unlike the armor, the weapon's design was as if all useless decorations had been discarded, making it appear very simple. Since they were inside a tavern, the weapon was naturally sheathed, so Cornelius did not see the blade. However, Cornelius had seen a similar katana before, with a slender, single-edged blade, a gentle curve, and exquisite blade patterns that radiated a lustrous sheen.

　This sword is called the Demon God Slayer Sword, a top-tier weapon that no novice hunter could possibly possess.

　"His name is Sibert. Sibert, this is my old friend Cornelius. As you can see, he is an excellent hunter worthy of the title of Guild Knight."

　The hunter named Sibert stood up and bowed to Cornelius. Cornelius's first impression was that he had regular features and was not pretentious. However, in reality, the Guild Knights were very special hunters. Sometimes they would even be responsible for dealing with hunters who violated the rules. Of course, in theory, as long as you did nothing wrong, there was no need to be nervous in front of them. However, many people still couldn't help but become nervous when they saw the Guild Knights.

　However, the young man named Sibert stared straight into Cornelius's eyes without the slightest tension or timidity, maintaining a perfectly natural posture.

　“Young man, it seems you are quite capable.” Hearing Cornelius’s question, Sibert humbly replied, “You’ve probably heard of the name ‘Wings of the Gale’.”

　“Whirlwind Wings, I’ve heard of that name before. They seem to be two hunters who wield katanas. Although they’re young, they’re incredibly strong. One day they’ll become the…” Cornelius stopped before he could finish speaking.

　"So, he's a member of the Gale Wings?"

　"Old man, you're asking this on purpose so that Sibert can hear my opinion of him. What a wicked old man."

　"That's settled then. You talk to Sibert first. If you were twenty years younger, I wouldn't give you this opportunity."

　"I see. Could you tell me what we've discussed first? Otherwise, I can't judge whether it's acceptable to me."

　“Ah, indeed.” For the first time, Sibert showed a slight hint of panic. He invited Cornelius and the old man to sit in the empty chairs. Just then, the receptionist brought over the drinks. Sibert first moistened his throat with the drinks, and then began to speak unhurriedly about the matters to be discussed.

　"We are twin siblings, and we both hunt with katana. We look very similar in appearance and style, so people have been calling us the Wings of Gale for some time now."

　Their coordination was as precise and meticulous as a pair of wings, and they toyed with monsters with the swiftness of the wind. Cornelius had heard that this was the origin of their nickname. Perhaps it was because they were twins that they could coordinate so perfectly.

　“My sister’s name is Sereria, and she’s really like me. Although our personalities aren’t quite the same.” Perhaps recalling something, Sibert gave a wry smile as he said this, “Our katana skills are about the same, I’ve always thought so. But lately, I’ve started to doubt that.”