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After extracting blood from three dragons, the team arrived at the final cave, which was home to a golden dragon. I had a feeling this one would be harder than the others as soon as I pricked it to draw its blood. Sadly, my instincts were correct.

It was incredibly difficult. The scales were so much harder than the previous three that I had to use all my strength to pierce them. My hands were still shaking from the effort.

“Is it over?”

While I was pouring the blood from my blade into a vial, a deep voice rang from above. Despite the dragon’s attempt to speak softly, its sheer size made its voice boom throughout the cave.

“Yes, it’s all done. Thank you for your cooperation.”

“It’s nothing. It is only natural for a child to honor the agreements of their parent.”

The dragon made a gesture that seemed like shaking its head. From a human perspective, it was hard to tell exactly what movement it was making when you were looking up at such a massive creature, but I could tell the response was friendly.

Since the Empire’s founding, detailed records of dragons have been meticulously maintained. These included their locations, ages, temperaments, favorite foods, and even reasons for relocating if they moved to a new lair. Thanks to these records, the Empire had managed to coexist peacefully with dragons for centuries.

This dragon, born about 300 years ago, was particularly friendly towards humans, or more specifically, the Livnoman imperial family, compared to other dragons.

“By the way, how is that child, Corvus, doing these days?”

The dragon casually asked the question while watching my team transfer the blood, as if remembering something. I froze. Referring to the Emperor by his first name and calling him a ‘child’ was enough to be deemed treasonous—but this dragon had that right.

“His Majesty has begun delegating tasks to the Crown Prince. It seems he’ll abdicate soon.”

“Ah, has it come to that already? Humans grow old so quickly… what a pity.”

I couldn’t respond to the dragon’s lament. ‘Quickly’ was a relative term, considering the Emperor had ruled for decades.

But for this dragon, who was born during Emperor Amanca the Great’s time and had lived through the reigns of all Kefellofen’s emperors, it was just a blink of an eye. In fact, emperors traditionally visited this dragon with a few trusted aides after their coronation.

It might seem excessive for the Emperor to come in person rather than sending a representative, but it couldn’t be helped.

“Still, I envy him. That child will soon see his father again.”

The dragon’s wistful tone carried a weight of longing. After all, it was the only offspring of Amanca the Great’s mount—the Dragon Lord who had fought alongside the Emperor on the battlefield. That lineage made it a special existence to both the Empire and the dragons.

“Oh dear, I seem to have burdened you with sentimental ramblings.”

The dragon, lost in thought for a moment, broke the silence with a flick of its tail. A pile of objects slid across the ground and stopped in front of me.

“Labor deserves compensation. These are my scales and claws. Take them all.”

“…S-sorry?”

I couldn’t help but stammer. Intact dragon scales and claws were as valuable as their blood. But unlike blood, which could be drawn periodically once you pierced the scales, getting intact scales and claws required waiting for the dragon to molt.

Unfortunately, their molting was random. Moreover, dragons generally disliked leaving remnants of their bodies behind, so they usually burned them immediately after molting.

“I molted two years ago. Knowing you’d be coming soon, I kept these instead of disposing of them.”

But this dragon endured the discomfort and saved them.

“Thank you. We’ll use them wisely for the imperial family and the empire.”

“It’s fine. This is a gift for the hardworking child in front of me, so use them as you wish.”

I stared blankly at the dragon.

As I… wished?

***

“…So, you brought all this to me?”

“Yes.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle after seeing the 4th Manager’s eyes sparkle as if she was seeking praise. I half-wondered if she had changed careers to be a dragon slayer when she first walked in draped with dragon scales and claws, but it turned out that she had just received them as gifts.

“The Minister of the Special Service Agency also said that byproducts obtained during missions belong to the field captain.”

The 4th Manager hurriedly added when an awkward silence fell. She must’ve thought I was hesitating about whether I could accept these items. That wasn’t really why I was quiet, but I didn’t bother correcting her.

“Thank you. Who would’ve thought I’d get to handle things like this in my lifetime?”

I patted the 4th Manager’s head in gratitude. It was a bit surprising, but I did receive valuable items for free. Dragons willingly gave their blood, but they weren’t inclined to give anything else.

Honestly, it was understandable if you put yourself in their position. Humans might donate blood, but if someone asked for their skin or fingernails? That’d earn them a string of curses. Dragons would probably give a look of contempt and say something like, ‘Are you looking at me the same way Apels did?’ if you even mentioned their scales.

“M-Master, f it’s not too much to ask, then a hug…”

The 4th Manager timidly spoke up as I continued patting her head. For someone who shares the same rapid heartbeat tendencies as the Mage Duchess, it was unexpected for her to make the first move.

But it was admirable that she gathered the courage. It was so noble to see her moving forward despite knowing her weakness.

“Alright. If Penelia wants it, then of course I’ll do it.”

So, I hugged her right away. To be honest, I would have hugged her even if she hadn’t asked.

“Huup─”

She let out a small gasp as her arms wrapped around my back. I could feel her trembling slightly, but I chose to ignore it. I could also sense her determination to endure as much as possible.

I was worried since she was one of the weakest when it came to physical contact along with the Mage Duchess, but I really felt glad to see that she was improving without me noticing.

“You worked hard piercing those scales. Do you have time to join me for dinner later?”

“Y-Yes… Of course.”

Seeing her nod hurriedly, it didn’t seem to be a lie. Not that the 4th Manager had ever lied to me before.

“Um, Master? If it’s alright, could Elizabeth also—“

“I already met Elizabeth for lunch. Don’t worry about it.”

Her concern for the 1st Manager even in this situation made me smile.

They really are friends, huh.

The 1st Manager also told me when the 4th Manager would arrive. Watching them care for each other like this was heartwarming—especially after witnessing the intense sparring between Sarah and Countess Horfeld recently.

***

The meal itself ended uneventfully. The 4th Manager was naturally quiet, and with her mouth full of food, she became even quieter. Still, she responded eagerly whenever I initiated a conversation and made sure the discussion didn’t fall flat. She probably realized that it’d be a while before we’d see each other again after today, so she made an effort to engage.

Thanks to that, the meal itself ended peacefully and warmly, but there was a bit of a commotion at the end.

“I-I can’t accept this! How could I dare to take something so precious…!”

“Come on, you’re the one who brought this in the first place.”

After thinking about it, it didn’t feel right for me to keep all the scales and claws the 4th Manager received as compensation for her work, so I tried to return half to her.

Naturally, the 4th Manager firmly refused, but—

“Dragon scales enhance magical resistance just by carrying them. Share them with your unit.”

She finally accepted when I mentioned the Masked Unit. For the 4th Manager, the Masked Unit was like family. Besides, for the Masked Unit that ran around like dogs both domestically and abroad, a charm that improved magical resistance would be worth their weight in gold to them. They’d all be happy to get it for free.

Of course, I insisted that she make weapons with the claws. With dragon claws as material, top-tier craftsmen would beg to work on them, even offering money to do so. Whatever they make would undoubtedly be better than the sword I gifted her.

“I’ll definitely repay your kindness, Master.”

“Your presence is repayment enough, so don’t feel burdened.”

“Y-Yes. I’ll keep that in mind…”

After sending off the 4th Manager, who bowed several times even though she brought the items herself, I looked at the still plentiful remains.

What should I do with the rest?

It was a dilemma. I might have kept it all if there were less, but there was enough to share with others, so I couldn’t do that. Keeping all this treasure for myself felt like tempting fate to punish me later.

…Should I give it to the Crown Prince?

After pondering for a while, a reasonable idea came to mind. Why not just dump it on the Crown Prince? Giving him about half should be fine.

Right, let’s call it an early pregnancy congratulations gift. Although I didn’t obtain it myself, weren’t lovers of one body and soul? It should be okay to take credit on the 4th Manager’s behalf.

—Or so I thought.

“Executive Manager.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“What kind of accessories do you think we could make with these scales?”

I hadn’t accounted for the Crown Prince being utterly unhinged.

The Crown Prince, who was puzzled when I came to his palace voluntarily, widened his eyes as soon as he saw the scales and claws. Even for a royal, dragon byproducts other than blood weren’t easy to come by.

Not long after, his initial shock gave way to an unsettling gleam of madness. Judging by his immediate interest in making accessories, this was clearly not an ordinary kind of madness.

This crazy bastard.

I barely swallowed the words rising to the tip of my tongue. Sure, that dragon might not be a direct ancestor of his, but it was still the child of the Empire’s founding figure. In a way, it could be seen as a minor founder itself.

At the same time, I felt like laughing. How badly must he have been scolded by the Crown Princess to think of making accessories from dragon scales? She must have torn into him as soon as I left the palace. Suddenly, I felt at peace.

“How about sending armor made from the claws to the Invincible Duke instead?”

However, it was a subordinate’s duty to stop a superior who had fallen into madness. Before he committed the atrocity of crafting jewelry from the scales, I suggested a better alternative.

Knowing the Crown Princess, receiving jewelry wouldn’t improve her mood. On the contrary, she’d likely be furious about how such precious materials were used. In that case, it’d be more efficient to target the Invincible Duke, the Crown Princess’s father, rather than the Crown Princess herself.

“That’s a good idea. As expected of the Executive Manager.”

Thankfully, the suggestion was convincing enough for him to nod in agreement.

You idiot. Make sure you apologize to that dragon when you ascend the /genesisforsaken