Chapter 23: The Promised Arrival of the Business Prodigy

“Awo. In this critical situation, I’ll give you one more boost of help,” the dragon egg, Lein, said.

“Comrade, you could have stepped in earlier! Why wait till now?” Draxel exclaimed in frustration.

“Awo. But this will affect my growth after I hatch. You might have to take care of me for a long time.”

“Damn it, let’s deal with that later! If you don’t help now, we’re both goners today!”

“Awo. For a chosen one of the dragon lineage, you’re quite helpless, Count.”

The dragon egg again summoned a reddish mist that slowly enveloped Draxel’s hands. Remarkably, the wounds on Draxel’s hands began to heal quickly, and the Wolf King’s claws ignited into flames.

The Wolf King, already reeling from the pain of its burst eye, was overwhelmed by the searing agony of the flames. It began to falter and weaken.

By this time, Safiya had taken care of the lesser wolves and had refocused her aim on the Wolf King.

“Whoosh!” The autumn moon bow was taut, the arrow flew like lightning, ruthlessly embedding itself in the Wolf King’s forehead, splattering blood and flesh.

The Wolf King howled in pain, collapsing to the ground, its body consumed by the flames, remaining lifeless.

[You have gained 2500 experience points and increased your reputation by 20.]

[Reputation Prestige: 100, Honor Points: 6.]

[You have acquired the bones and teeth of the Wolf King, suitable for crafting a new weapon.]

‘Great, but where can I forge this new weapon?’ Draxel pondered.

[I won’t tell you. Please continue the game.]

“Fantastic, just freaking fantastic,” Draxel muttered sarcastically.

“And you said the wolves were weak. Looks like you’re the weak one, always full of hot air,” Safiya teased, having just saved Draxel’s life, her playful demeanor resurfacing.

“Thanks, my sweet princess~”

“Hey, how did your hands heal so fast? Oh, was it magic, Magic~?”

Watching Safiya imitate his English-speaking manner, Draxel suddenly found her endearingly goofy and cute.

“Well, this time it wasn’t magic. It was Lein, the dragon egg, that helped me. It also helped me during my duel with Nayan Tu Lu.”

“It’s still just an egg, and it could help you? That’s amazing.”

“Indeed. But it did mention that helping me has impacted its growth post-hatching. I’ll need to take extra care of it later on.”

Hearing this, a wave of concern washed over Safiya. She stepped on Draxel’s foot with some force, eliciting a loud yelp of pain from him.

“You had to play the hero, coming here by yourself. You know, I was always so careful when looking after dragon eggs. Honestly!”

Draxel, feeling somewhat remorseful, endured the pain and responded, “I’ll be more careful from now on, and avoid reckless actions.”

Reflecting on his usual approach in battles, charging in headfirst, he acknowledged it wasn’t the wisest tactic. In video games, you could restart if you died, but here in this reality, a real death might be the end.

Seeing Draxel genuinely sincerely taking her words to heart, Safiya spontaneously took his hand and said, “Come on, we’ve got a journey ahead.”

“Alright, let’s go.” Grasping her tender hand firmly, he headed toward Owens and Awang.

Following accolades from the village chief and the villagers, they once again embarked on their journey back to Uxkhal. On their way, Draxel discreetly communicated with the system, browsing through the weapon merchant interface, while the others engaged in light conversation.

After purchasing a standard Germanic war sword and a common travel horse, and accounting for recent food and troop hiring expenses, Draxel found himself left with only 200 Denars.

[Comment: Your new horse this time won’t be as stubborn.]

Draxel, glancing at his dwindling purse and recalling the last obstinate horse that led to his injury, couldn’t help but exclaim in frustration.

It took yet another full day of travel, but at last, the group triumphantly made their way back to the town of Uxkhal.

The Swadian soldier on duty at the main gate, a clear rookie, struggled to stay awake, his eyelids drooping heavily.

Safiya couldn’t resist the chance to rib Draxel, “Hey, Count, is this really the kind of person you trust to guard your stronghold? Hahaha~”

“It’s a miracle to even have someone standing guard. Did you know, Safiya, the entire town only has four soldiers, one for each gate?”

“Oh, come on, you must be kidding me again.”

“No kidding here. When I left for the Abyssal Mountains to find you, I had no choice but to leave these four clueless guys in charge.”

Safiya’s spirits lifted slightly upon hearing this. “Hmm, okay~ It seems you were genuinely concerned about finding me.”

“Absolutely, so my dear princess, you’ll need to put in more effort for Uxkhal in the future,” Draxel responded with a mischievous smile, thinking to himself, ‘Girls raised in the mountains are so gullible. I was actually off to find the dragon, haha!’

Just then, Owens, riding at a brisk pace, reached the main gate. Without uttering a word, he landed a resounding slap on the face of the drowsy soldier.

A sharp ‘Whack!’ echoed, leaving five distinct red marks on the young soldier’s face.

“You lazy brat! Next time I catch you slacking, I’ll have you drinking horse urine in the stables!”

It was a rare sight to see Owens angry, but it underscored the strict military discipline he enforced. Draxel couldn’t help but feel fortunate to have such a reliable right-hand man as Owens.

Soon after, the group made their way back to the lord’s hall, a place of opulence that Safiya was seeing for the first time.

Bela, Draxel’s mother, who hadn’t seen her son for a while, emerged to greet his victorious return.

Following a brief refreshment and bath, they all indulged in a sumptuous dinner, replete with beef, chicken, and an array of vegetables. During the meal, Draxel introduced Safiya, Owens, and Awang to his mother. Bela seemed quite taken with Safiya.

Safiya, for her part, was unusually well-behaved, hiding her typically mischievous nature.

After a journey full of hardships and battles, they were finally able to rest. That night, everyone slept deeply.

The next morning, as the sun rose, bathing Uxkhal in light, Draxel, seated in the lord’s chair in the hall, pondered his next moves, “Hmm… I need to think about what to do next.” 

Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed in the distance. “No need to ponder too hard if, of course, it’s about making money. Lord Count, I hope I’m not too late.”

It was Merchant Marnid, keeping his word and arriving as promised.

Draxel, ecstatic, disregarded his just-awoken state–clothes disheveled and hair unkempt, a far cry from his usual noble leader’s poise–and eagerly approached Marnid.