“Do you remember the place where you defeated the hybrid species?”

“Yeah. It was about 10 kilometers east from the northern village, right?”

Fiora responded to Zighart’s words.

I also remember the place where we fought the Cymodoki.

If you continue east from there, you’ll come to a mining area, and around it, there are small villages that serve as outposts for mining and settlement development.

Unlike the shallow areas of the Magic Realm like the Forest of One, that area is known to have quite powerful magical beasts.

I only moved a little above ground, so I don’t know much about the monsters… but maybe adventurers had been hunting there? Those adventurers were gathering in the capital city, likely pleased by the villages’ support.

That aside, Zighart’s story continued.

He added to the map where the Cymodoki was fought, and then moved the pen further east, marking the mines and various outposts, going even farther. He circled a spot that had advanced a bit. Judging by the scale… it was probably around 5 kilometers from the outpost.

After adding a few more details, Zighart resumed his explanation.

“I was around this mining area looking for Demon King Type monsters for the barrier, but then I found that hybrid species. I stopped myself from disturbing the forest too much and only conducted a survey of the surrounding area.”

Fighting the Cymodoki required proper preparation, and we needed to make sure it didn’t move from its location.

That’s probably why he was cautious not to change the environment unnecessarily.

“Since I was already here, I decided to move further east… I found a small cliff just beyond the back of the mine. It wasn’t very deep, but there was a noticeable change in vegetation when I looked from the opposite side. Same forest, though.”

Zighart added a cliff and a river to the map at that point.

“So… there was a Dragon Species there.”

“?!”

While listening to the story, I thought he was dragging it out… but I guess this part did require some context.

A Dragon Species, including Demon King Types, is one of the most formidable kinds of monsters. Having one within the domain would be no small matter.

…Well, it’s hard to say where Riana’s territory ends, but I think it’s within that area.

“Zighart, are you sure about that?”

Sereana, usually so composed, seemed taken aback by the news. The others, except Alec, also appeared similarly shaken.

For them, a Dragon Species was no trivial issue.

“Yeah. I kept an eye on it for a while. It had a massive body, capable of snapping trees with just a step, and a magical power so potent that even I couldn’t sense it. Unlike the dungeon beast, this is a true Dragon Species.”

Zighart made his assertion firmly.

The Cymodoki was an aberrant dragon, but it was strong. I wonder if the Dragon Species they found this time is even stronger?

More importantly, it seems like they haven’t told Liesel about this yet… is that okay?

“So… What are you going to do about it?”

At Sereana’s question, Zighart shrugged.

“I’m not doing anything. To fight something like that, we need proper preparation, and we don’t know how much damage could spread. I do want to try eventually… but not now.”

“I see… I’m relieved.”

Sereana answered with a voice that seemed to exhale in relief.

One of the conditions for inviting Zighart to join us was to support his activities in the Magic Realm. If he were to put the territory at risk, she would definitely object. But even if he insisted, it wouldn’t be easy to convince him.

At worst, he could even desert us.

Zighart might seem like a battle-hungry man, but he’s also a rational one. We all knew he would make the right judgment, but it must have been a tense situation for them, especially for Seriana, Elena, and Teresa.

The atmosphere in the room seemed to relax after hearing Zighart’s words.

He must have noticed this as well, as he chuckled and said, “I won’t push myself that hard.”

“I’m not going after it. I’ve told the soldiers who were with me not to spread the word. But if others find it, that’s another story. The area is full of powerful monsters, so not many will venture there… but if they use horses, they could reach this city in less than ten days. It’s not a place no one will approach.”

Fighting a Dragon Species and surviving… that alone would be a huge accomplishment.

If they could bring back even a few scales, the journey might be worth it.

Given how things are going, it seems like they’re trying to keep it under wraps in Riana’s territory, but elsewhere, it might be a different story.

I guess they kept it hidden from Liesel and the others at the lunch meeting for that reason. There were government officials and people who didn’t usually interact with Zighart present.

But a Dragon Species… wow…

“Hey, Zigs, what did the Dragon Species look like?”

The Cymodoki was an aberrant dragon, so it wasn’t a real dragon.

It was strong, but its appearance… it had the presence, but not much else.

A true Dragon Species might look more… impressive.

“Huh? Well, it looked something like this… I was a bit far, so I couldn’t see the details clearly.”

In response to my question, Zighart began quickly sketching with his pen.

Adventurers like him and Alec are often surprisingly good at drawing.

They probably do it for reports or something.

After watching him for a while, Zighart handed over the completed drawing.

The figure… was…

“A tadpole?”

Or maybe a catfish with arms and legs.

…Not exactly cool.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Sera: 【Hideout】 +1 【Prayer】 【Mira’s Blessing】 【Wind’s Garb】 ・【Floating Orb】 +1 【Shadow Sword】 【Scarlet Bee Needle】 【Fairy’s Eye】 【Dragon’s Lungs】 【Amber Sword】 【Danrem’s Thread】 【Serpent’s Tail】 【Ankle Bracelet】 【Amber Shield】 【Purple Wings】 【Red Sword】 ・32 cards

Seriana: 【Range Identification】 ・【】 ・38 cards

Elena: 【】 ・【Green Fang】 【Amber Sword】 ・4 cards

Alec: 【Strong Strike】 ・【Red Shield】 【Fierce Horned Trumpet】 ・9 cards