Chapter One

Huff huff. I leant my hands against my knees, my chest heaving as my heart pounded against my ribcage, desperately trying to catch my breath. My feet had carried me towards the commotion, but the days spent idling away had made me so unfit. I desperately tried to catch my breath, I couldn’t miss this, my one chance for some excitement this year.

Lifting my head, I peered through the strands of my hair and caught a glimpse of red before the next cry. A man's voice pierced the air as a swift kick sent him hurtling into the bridge's wall, right next to the guy who was felled previously.

Another assailant charged for her, sword raised in preparation to strike, only for the sword to be flung from his hands as her tail whipped around her. Following suit, the next brave adventurer charged for her with his shield held high. I swore what I could see of his face looked oddly familiar, but I couldn’t place it. In another deft movement of her tail, the shield meant to protect him slammed into his face. I winced, thinking for sure that was going to end up as a bruise.

Whoa, a tail. And one that can be used in combat? I’d never seen anything like that before.

With a change of tactic, two adventurers approached her from behind, one with his sword ready whilst the other had reached his hand out and had grabbed her around her chest. I had fully expected some sort of wind attack to be projected from the wings pinned to her back, instead, her pale skin began to blush, a faint steam rising from the beads of her sweat. Mr. Grabhold’s hands started to rapidly turn red and he began to yelp “Hot hot hot” before letting go. His accomplice backed away, aborting the plan.

That seemed odd, but it was normal for adventurers with high amounts for mana to burn a little hot. Maybe she just had crazy amounts of mana?

At the failure of a duo, a group of adventures could be seen speaking in hushed tones, colluding on how to take down the girl. They settled for a simple ambush, brandishing their weapons as they charged towards her. She somehow stood even taller, her aura towering higher than before, an intimidation tactic paired with hissing flames from her lips dwindled the numbers as they fell to the floor in terror, weapons clattering against the cold stone. The remaining charge were felled with a flick of her wings, the gust sending them tumbling in a comical heap.

Wings? Hang on. Horns, tail, fire spitting out her mouth, AND wings? Brushing my hair from my face to get a better look, the bated breath I had held during the fight was gone. A d-d-d-d-dragon?!!

SO COOL!

She crossed her arms. Was it a look of displeasure I saw on her face? But she had won. Maybe the fight wasn’t fun enough for her? After all, none of the adventurers were able to leave even a scratch on her and the only one who had even touched her had been left with burns on his hands.

Once the number of adventurers left to challenge could be counted on one hand, they wearily backed away and let her claim victory. Who was this person so strong not to need a sword or a shield and besting our adventurers?

Standing tall amidst the unfolding spectacle before me, her commanding presence seemed to eclipse everything else. Cascades of red hair framed her piercing gaze, while the horns atop her head caught the glint of the setting sun. Her tail swished in a self-congratulatory manner whilst everyone else around her stood silent, aside from the groans of the fallen.

This felt like a jackpot. Not only was there a super-duper strong adventurer in town, but they were also a dragon?! How cool!

My first mission had begun. Find out who this is!

I waited patiently for the girl to depart the scene, resisting the urge to follow her despite the persistent itch in my feet. It felt as though her scarlet eyes had briefly locked with mine, a fleeting moment that compelled me to remain where I stood.

As she disappeared from view, the wives who had come to fetch their husbands scurried to their aid, either altered by the sound of the commotion or concerned their dinner would get cold as the sun was already beginning to set. The younger adventurers were either limping picking up their scattered gear, their metaphorical tails between their legs, or being helped by the Adventurers Guild healers. This was my opportunity!

"Who was she?" I inquired of the nearest person.

"Who was she"

"Who was she?"

"Who was she?"

"WHO WAS SHE?!"

My repeated inquiries yielded no answers and eventually, I ran out of people to ask. No one seemed to know, not even the town's guards. What use were town's guards if they didn't know who was coming or going?! All they could attest to was her desire to challenge the strongest adventurer present, a proclamation that had eagerly drawn her opponents to the bridge. There was no need to even put out a notice in the Adventurers Guild as word spread that fast.

I wanted to continue my search for an answer, but I couldn't ignore the fact my mother would turn red in the face and the whole town would hear my name for returning home late, even if she turned a blind eye to my damp attire. This town wasn’t big enough for two commotions in one day. The mission would have to be resumed tomorrow.

Somehow, I had overestimated this town, not realizing how difficult this task would end up being.