In late autumn, at the age of eighteen. I fought against the foul dragon Valacirca and defeated him.

Even with the blessings of the gods, the help of the dwarven spirits and my allies, it was a last-minute decisive battle that took everything I had. I don’t think the outcome would be the same if I repeated it.

However, what awaited me after the dragon’s death was not as peaceful as “The Paladin lived happily ever after.”

My body had absorbed dragon factor, overstepping the bounds of the human hood. The aftermath was enormous. I lost my favourite weapon and armour. Seriously, being a hero wasn’t easy. 

The news of the dragon’s death needed to be spread to put the people at ease to avoid potential mobs created out of fear.

So I negotiated with the forest giants to go to various regions and announce the dragon’s death to comfort the people. 

Relief supplies were sent to a village where remnants of elves had survived. There were plenty of smaller-scaled campaigns led by the mountain dwarves to drive the remainder of the demons out of the Iron Country. Of course, being the feudal lord, I had a lot of everyday work where I had to visit Whitesails, report the situation and discuss plans. 

I’ve been running around dealing with various issues left behind in Southmark, making the autumn and winter seasons very busy. Not to mention enduring the anxiety of my cursed body.

As time passed, I realised whether I liked it or not. I almost didn’t require any need to eat or sleep. I can eat and feel hungry, same as sleep and feel sleepy. However, there were no adverse side effects if I didn’t eat or sleep for several days. 

I consulted Master Hiram, a professor from the Academy of Sages, but he seemed to have no choice but to believe it was the influence of the dragon factor within me. It was the power of the dragon that didn’t weaken without nourishment or sleep. 

In addition, as you can probably guess already, I hardly succumb to fatigue, and my strength wouldn’t decline if I chose not to train. That’s right… training my muscles became meaningless.

I was overwhelmed by this. What would I say if Blood asked? 

It really was a terrible curse. Your technique and abilities will dull over time if you don’t train. Saying that, I could imagine Blood flicking eyes looking troubled. 

Strength and techniques were two sides of the same coin. Some techniques can only be used with a certain amount of strength, and some strengths can only be used with a certain amount of technique. 

Strengthen your body slowly and adjust your technique over time. That was the essence of his training. One of the sides of the coins was rubbed away. 

Even if I trained, my body wouldn’t physically gain anything. As a warrior, I felt like I was going to die. 

That’s why I decided to train even harder than before. 

Even though I’m busy, I don’t skimp out on meals or sleep. I manage to find time to not rely on the dragon’s power. Since most things feel a lot lighter, I engraved signs on objects to increase their weight. 

Alternatively, you can use your own muscles, which have gained the power of a dragon, as a load and perform isometric and contraction training. 

I adjusted my movement accordingly to the way I could now swing my spear and swords to increase my efficiency. Alternatively, I could engrave my weapons with words of weight and slowness to revert them to how they felt before. 

When I did, I felt an increase in movement and strength by a little bit. I felt relieved. 

After all, you can rely on muscles if you train them. With well-trained muscles and violence, you can solve most problems with brute force.

It was flawless, perfect logic. 

 

◆

 

It really was proof of how flawlessly perfect Blood’s theory was. 

I had turned nineteen after the winter solstice, and by the time spring came, the state of affairs had calmed down considerably. 

Naturally, in the spring, the demonic beast emerges from their burrows after hibernation, but I wasn’t worried since it could be quickly dealt with, even by others. Many adventurers have devoted themselves to hunting monsters. 

Among them was a strong-willed ranger with black hair and red hair with an ash staff. I feel a little relieved remembering so. They seem to be making a name for themselves as they continue their adventure. 

Meanwhile, Menel has temporarily taken Dine to his birthplace, the Great Forest of Erin. My Mithril chainmail had melted entirely and was ruined after my battle against Valacirca. It originally belonged to Terperion, a hero from the Great Forest of Erin, along with the silver string bow and arrows Menel wielded. He seems to intend to deliver the memento and then request assistance to help the land of flowers, Lothdor. 

Just as they were leaving, a large number of dwarves and some amount of elves and halflings joined them after rumours spread of the Iron Country and Lothdor. They all had their set of circumstances.

Most of the dwarves were either residents of the former Iron Country or their descendants. Hearing the mountains of their homeland had been recaptured from the foul dragon. They rushed to assist with the restoration. 

Among them were numerous people with different goals who established themselves in various places. Some were there for fortune, others came with their children, and several looked like refugees, with their only luggage being the clothes they were wearing. There was an abundance of different people, but there they were, burning with passion, wanting to repay the former king Aurvangr and regain their hometown. I was pleased about it. 

The elves had a different situation from the dwarves, and few were from Lothdor. This is probably because they are a naturally long-lived race, rooted in their own forest, harmonising with the spirits to maintain the order of the forest and being complete there.

However, they were also an intelligent race, and a certain amount of them travelled out of curiosity. Many elves heard rumours about the liberation and immediately rushed to join them. Given their sense of time, many of them make decisions in the blink of an eye. Many of them were just there to repay small debts. Their eyes were filled with pride. 

The halflings were simpler. A chef, a street performer, a fortune-teller, a hawker of sundries, miscellaneous goods and livestock. Finally, of course, a musician and a poet. They make a living by wandering and travelling from place to place. There’s no way they would miss a hot area where there was a commotion. They come and go with their bright, happy eyes, make a fuss here and there and then go away like a storm. 

Along with such trends, it was only natural there was an influx of new settlers. Southmark was getting very busy, and unfortunately, I didn’t have the skills to deal with the sudden population increase around here.

Of course, what I did was nothing compared to what Tonio and Resytov were dealing with a town like Torchport. In the larger overall framework, many things can only be done by His Excellency Ethel and the head of the temple.

That’s why in the springtime, I moved around for the primary purpose of fundraising. Together with Al and Menel, we went to retrieve the corpse of Valacirca and the treasures which were still enshrined in the land of the Iron Country.

Valacirca had a tremendous amount of treasures. It was a collection of treasures a single dragon had hoarded since the age of gods.

Rubies and sapphires are so big that you can hardly believe your eyes. Large shining Mithril coins. Luxurious fabrics with gold and silver threads. Countless amount of signs engraved on equipment. The treasure chest where gold and silver coins were stored was also randomly scattered around it. It was dazzling, the type of wicked brilliance that can drive many people crazy.

I worked with serval people I trusted, including Al and Ghelreis, to make a list and organise them. They were then stored and securely locked into a treasury of the Iron Country to prevent any unscrupulous individual from getting their hands on it. This alone was a tremendous amount of work that took us a month.

Among the listed treasures, which were easy to calculate in value, were to be distributed among the dwarves, elves and humans. I had an approximate market price for the gold and silver coins and some engraved equipment. But there were some items I couldn’t calculate and would cause disputes, so we’re holding off on those. Treasures that were too expensive and magic tools that were too powerful could not be distributed and will be put together as a common property of a community to be sold or used in the event of a major disaster. We couldn’t appraise some items, so we had to ask Gus in the City of the Dead or Master Hiram from the Academy of Sages to appraise them. 

In any case, the gold and silver coins that can be quickly calculated will be distributed to be used for the reconstruction funds of Lothdor and the Iron Country. I decided to leave some of the money that was turned over to me to His Excellency Ethel and the head of the temple for the time being to be used as a source of funds to help the settlers.

Although the dragon’s treasure was cleared up, it was relatively easy compared to the highly troublesome corpse. When I released the wards that sealed the corpse and tried to dismantle it. A dwarf craftsman who touched the scales out of curiosity held his palm and writhed around. Valaracirca’s corpse still retained an extreme amount of miasma even after death.

I was in a rush to treat it and thought, “How am I going to dismantle it?” In the end, we dismantled it with carpentry tools that had been carefully engraved with signs and benediction. In the process, we broke an excessive amount of saws and other similar equipment. In the end, there was nothing I could do about it, so I had to use engraved weapons to cut off some parts.

Even if we made it that far and succeeded in dismantling it, the scales, entrails and bones are a poisonous mass. There’s nothing we can do about it as it is. Therefore, in parallel with the work of the list of treasures and the remains in the Great Temple of the Iron Country, the purification ceremony was still ongoing.

So, with the help of the God of the Flame, I cleanse the place with a sanctuary and a powerful detoxication blessing. On top of that, the dwarven priest has come and gone, and even now, they are purifying themselves with their daily prayers, but Valacirca’s corpse has not yet been completely purified. After about a year of daily rituals, likely, we’ll finally be able to do something about it.

The stubborn stains are no longer at that level. It was so persistent that I felt some resentment for it.

I could hear the foul dragon’s laughter echoing in my mind as I shook my head. It will be a while before I can wear equipment made of dragon scales.

◆

It was early summer. Although the situation hasn’t completely stable yet, I was on board a ship with a trusted merchant, Tonio and His Excellency Ethel. In order to cross the sea and head for the homeland of the Fertile Kingdom, its capital, Ilia’s Tear.

It was a request from His Excellency Ethel and summoned from the Fertile Kingdom. It was the purpose of a political campaign related to the reclamation as well as the introduction of the unidentified dragon slayer. It would seem it would be troublesome if I weren’t introduced to the home country. If it’s from His Excellency Ethel, to who I am indebted on a daily basis, then I have no reason to decline.

“Wow!”

The sound of waves. A refreshing breeze blows through—the white wings of seabirds passing by and the lively chirping of their calls. Several white sails are swept by the wind.

It was my first time on a boat trip.

Perhaps because of the dragon factor, I never got seasick and enjoyed the boat voyage to the fullest.

 

Separated from the Grassland continent in the north, a vast sea called the Middle Sea. There are islands here and there and no shortage of ports.

Incidentally, Gus’ homeland is on an island in the Middle Sea, but it’s further west than the current route we’re taking. It was a little disappointing because if we could stop by, it would make for a fond memory to share. I heard that the island is still peaceful, raising sheep and living relaxing lives. I’d like to go there one day, I thought idly on the deck.

“Sir William.”

“Ah, Yes.”

His Excellency Ethel spoke to me. He had grey hair, a wrinkle between his eyebrows and a sharp gaze. Combined with his usual impeccable appearance, he looks like a shrewd man.

“I think I’ll tell you about it while I’m at it.”

“What is it?”

The seriousness of his voice makes me straight up.

“The Defence Faction will probably trouble you.”

“Trouble me?”

“The Defence Faction have their own internal agendas. They have been reluctant to accept new settlers due to defensive concerns.”

“Defensive concerns?”

“You understand, don’t you? You’ve experienced it first hand.”

“Right”

The beasts, demons, giants and most notably, the dragon from the age of gods. The continent of Southmark is unexpectedly packed with all kinds of danger.

“Many don’t want to wake a sleeping child by jabbing it. The same goes for the seal of the High King you brought up.”

“…”

The other day I had a proper discussion with His Excellency Ethel about the current situation in the City of the Dead, the place I grew up. As expected, he listened sincerely and with the same respect before I slayed the dragon.

The demons are trying to break the seal of the High King. His Excellency understands that it’s safer to rebuild the city than to leave it unattended and properly manage the location of the seal, which even Gus has yet to tell me about. But it’s one thing for His Excellency to understand and another for the general population to understand it.

“I’d like to announce the existence of the seal, but it would likely cause conflict. Only a handful of people know about its existence. We’ll keep quiet about it for the time being.”

There will always be those who’ll make a fuss and try and take advantage of the situation for their own greed, unaware it will only lead to further destruction in the future. Politics is difficult to understand, as it was in my previous life. Will I be able to manage in the political world? The anxious thoughts must have appeared on my face.

“Don’t worry. We won’t make it worse.”

His Excellency Ethel laughed as if to reassure me. It was a reliable and mature smile.

“Anyway, now we’re aware of the troubles of the Defence Faction. You understand that you’re a key player in the protection of the continent of Southmark?”

“Yes. It’s as one would expect.”

My campaigns have been turned into songs by Bee and spread to all parts of the continent.

• The Faraway Paladin
• The Torch of the Borderlands
• The Demon and Beast Slayer
• The Three Heroes’ Descendant
• The Beloved of the Goddess of the Flux
• The Liberator of the Iron Mountains

There is no end to the number of grandiose honourable titles.

“A single scandal about you could shake the foundation of the future of Southmark.”

His Excellency Ethel said with a serious face, and the wrinkles between his eyebrows deepened.

“They’ll try and cause you trouble, but please be careful not to cause any unnecessary fuss. You understand?”

“Yes!”

I answered very cheerfully. It’s alright. I’m really mature now, so don’t worry. I will show respect and never fall for any schemes. I really thought so at the time.

Well… you know how that turned out.

Translator Note: Sorry for the wait, life been hectic, I can only ask for you to keep on being patient for future chapters. Thank you.