It wasn't just Lymat and her companions who were stunned by the sight of dragon after dragon drifting into slumber.
Hairyl the Grand Duke, who had climbed to a high vantage point to observe the mine from afar, caught his breath. His personal guards stood stunned as well, amazed by the rare sight.
"What do you think, Father?" Anri declared, her expression one of utter certainty—as if the credit were hers alone, though she'd done nothing. "That is my fiancé, indeed!"
Though she'd never before witnessed dragons being put to sleep by human hands, she'd always held the conviction that Wolf could do it.
Hairyl stowed his far-sight spectacles and gave a firm nod.
"I see. A man with real substance. One would never think he'd been wasting away in the frontier."
"In that case—"
"But what now? This Wolf fellow has merely put the wyverns to sleep, not defeated them."
"Worry not," Anri said, lacing her fingers together in prayer. "Wolf-sama will surely vanquish them."
She gazed up at the sky above the mine.
And then she saw it—a shadow of some sort.
As she focused, the shape grew larger and larger.
"That's—"
The sound of slicing wind grew louder. The soldiers finally noticed, too. A sudden commotion erupted as they scrambled to arm themselves.
It was a dragon, its wings spread wide.
"WYVERN!!"
A soldier's scream rose. In an instant, Anri drew her sword and dashed to the front of the soldiers.
"Father, stand back!!"
Princess Knight Anri, fully shifted into combat mode, stepped forward.
A gale howled. The dragon's roar echoed across the land.
* * *
"Hashiry... do you think I could just go home?"
Reminia let out a deep sigh, resting her chin on the desk. The desk assigned to her was bare, with nothing on it but the shine of polished wood. Her personal research laboratory had been completely stripped of furnishings—the only exception being Hashiry's own desk, which held documents inherited from his predecessor's post.
She'd intended to begin her research immediately upon arrival. But the equipment and materials the kingdom had prepared had been shipped back entirely, barely a day after her appointment.
The reason was simple.
She didn't like them.
That was all.
Of course, her secretary Hashiry had tried to argue. After all, these items were purchased with taxpayers' money. "Yes, of course" was hardly an acceptable response to such plainly emotional reasoning. He'd tried to change her mind, but Reminia proved far more stubborn—no, far more willful—than anticipated.
In the end, the matter was settled by returning everything to the kingdom. The outcome, however, effectively acknowledged that the kingdom's approach had been problematic. One of the conditions for Reminia's employment at the royal research institute had been that she retain full authority over research matters. The institute's decision to provide equipment regardless—however well-intentioned—meant the kingdom was also at fault.
Now, she was waiting for the equipment she herself had specified, spending her days lounging about her desk with nothing to do.
Still, she couldn't simply go home now.
The recent dispute had inevitably drawn the attention of the institute's upper brass. If she requested leave due to boredom, she had no idea what they'd say this time.
"Absolutely not. Is this homesickness already?"
"But I'm worried about Papa, you know."
What exactly were you worried about...? Hashiry sighed again.
Force Burst, physical attack enhancement. Protection Burst, physical defense enhancement. Rising Agility, dexterity enhancement. Maginnish, magic reduction. All of them at maximum level.
No... knowing the wise hero, there might be further tricks in store.
A single human, enhanced to the maximum by a [Great Hero (Legend)].
That was practically a biological weapon. If the base template were an S-Class hero, it might be possible to reach SS-Class—no, even SSS-Class, something humanity had never achieved. Hashiry wasn't especially worried, but he could only pray that Wolf wouldn't run out of control.
Like the [Great Hero (Legend)] sitting beside him...
"Papa's such a wonderful man, isn't he?" Reminia spoke up again. "So I worry... what if some woman tries to trick him, I wonder?"
"I doubt that'll happen..."
From the brief greeting Hashiry had exchanged with him, Wolf hadn't struck him as the type to be led astray by women. Still, stories of men around that age getting burned by love were common enough at taverns.
"I'm worried, you know," Reminia murmured, curling up in her chair and gazing anxiously out the window.
* * *
Wolf was beginning to notice the changes in his body.
At first, he'd attributed them to state of mind or the fruit of decades of training. But the abnormal strength and reaction speed he'd displayed in recent battles and sparring matches could no longer be explained away.
He knew the cause.
More to the point, there was only one person capable of this kind of power.
The wyvern subjugation would be the perfect opportunity to confirm it. But for now, Anri's life took priority. That was why he'd brought the Dragon's Spill.
Wolf had intended to rescue Anri while the dragons were sleeping. But Lymat insisted that wouldn't do.
It seemed the wyvern subjugation had been requested by Anri's father, Hairyl the Grand Duke. In the course of that mission, she'd been captured by the dragon. If they failed, not only Lymat's party but even Anri herself might face punishment—even if she were rescued.
For the princess's sake, Lymat urged Wolf to slay the dragon.
"However, it's hardly feasible to eliminate all these wyverns."
"Naturally, we'll assist. But I agree with your point," Lymat replied, her calm demeanor never faltering. Dallas, meanwhile, was drenched in sweat beside her.
"What if we cut off their tails first?"
"Cut off their tails?"
The unexpected proposal made them both frown. Wolf sketched a wyvern on the ground—a surprisingly good drawing that captured the creature's key features.
"Wyverns are magic beasts made for flight. So they're slow on the ground."
"Yes... I understand that, but why the tails?"
Wolf explained: a wyvern's tail serves as a balancer—a stabilizer for midair control. With its tail severed, even taking flight would become difficult.
A grounded wyvern was nothing more than mobile rock. If they could restrict its movement, even if it woke, the subjugation would be far easier. Moreover, the area around the tail regenerated constantly and had no pain receptors, so the creature wouldn't wake even while sleeping.
"Wolf-san, is this knowledge also from your adventurer experience?"
"Yes... well, something like that."
Lymat, who'd asked the question, pressed his hand to his chin. He'd never heard such deep analysis of dragons before. Between the medicine and the tail strategy, it was strange that this information hadn't spread among adventurers—such tactics were typically shared worldwide through the Guild.
The young knight's eyes sparkled even brighter.
* * *
Without delay, the three set to work.
Dallas took the lead.
"Sonic Breed!"
A blade of wind launched forth with his forceful incantation, severing the tails of the slumbering dragons in succession. Dragon bodies were generally tough, but the tails were different—even level-four magic was enough to cut them.
"I envy people who can use magic..."
Muttering complaints under his breath, Lymat followed suit, slicing tails as instructed. His swordsmanship was both graceful and fluid—his footwork had no wasted movement, and the same efficiency showed in every swing. He carved through tails like a knife through premium roast.
As a B-Class-equivalent knight, Lymat was already skilled; but in swordsmanship alone, he was A-Class at minimum. Yet there was someone surpassing even him in dragon hunting.
Wolf.
He carved through the tails of the sleeping dragons one after another. His weapon was a cheap copper sword. And yet, with that blade, he achieved results equal to or better than Lymat's.
Suddenly, Wolf stopped.
One wyvern wasn't sleeping.
It had probably been far from the smoke. It approached Wolf, shrieking with a sharp cry.
"Wolf-sama! Stand back!"
Dallas began chanting a spell.
But before he could finish, Wolf was already running. The wyvern spat red flame. In an instant, Wolf was engulfed by fire.
"!!"
Lymat and Dallas both gasped. Had they let the man Anri acknowledged die here? For a moment, guilt filled their chests.
No need to worry.
Wolf burst from the wyvern's flames, completely unharmed.
Even for a lesser dragon, its flames were far from ordinary—hot enough to burn anything they touched. Yet Wolf's body bore not a single burn.
"RAAAAAAARGH!!"
A battle cry tore from his throat. He leaped above the wyvern's head and brought his blade down.
The dragon's body was cleaved cleanly in two. The beast collapsed into a sea of its own blood, dead.
"He... cleaved a wyvern in two..."
Lymat was speechless.
Wyverns were covered in dragon scales as well. Though considered small by dragon standards, they were by no means small from a human's perspective.
And he'd split one lengthwise.
With a copper sword.
Lymat understood instantly just how difficult that was.
As the B-Class-equivalent adventurer stood amazed, Wolf casually wiped the spattered blood from his face—not boasting of his feat, but calmly turning back to face them.
"Leave the rest to you. I'm going to search for Anri-sama."
And he disappeared into the smoke that shrouded the mine.
Summary:
After Hairyl observes Wolf's capability from afar, the scene shifts to Reminia's lab, where she worries about her father's personal life while Hashiry endures her whims. Meanwhile, Wolf demonstrates his superhuman strength by surviving dragonfire and cleaving a wyvern in two, confirming his daughter's enhancements have made him something beyond human. The chapter leaves unresolved the question of whether Wolf will fully accept his newfound power and whether Anri's rescue mission will succeed.
Trivia:
Anri is Wolf's fiancée and a princess knight, daughter of Hairyl the Grand Duke.
Reminia is Wolf's daughter, a researcher at the royal institute who has secretly enhanced him to SSS-Rank potential.
The wyvern subjugation was originally requested by Hairyl, and Anri was captured during that mission.
Wolf brought Dragon's Spill specifically to rescue Anri, not to eliminate the wyverns.
The tail-cutting strategy relies on the wyvern's lack of pain receptors in that area due to constant regeneration.
Lymat is a B-Class-equivalent knight with A-Class swordsmanship skills.
Hashiry is Reminia's secretary and frequently exasperated by her willful behavior.
The royal research institute's equipment was returned because Reminia "didn't like" it.
Wolf's abilities are a result of Reminia's buffs, not his own training or talent.
The dragon's flames couldn't burn Wolf due to his enhanced physical defenses.
Notes:
• Lymat - A young, B-rank knight and mage serving under Henri. With pale green curls and narrow eyes, she is a pragmatic, observant attendant who uses far-seeing goggles for reconnaissance. Skilled in swordsmanship and respectful in speech, she acts as a capable adventurer. Working alongside Wolf and Dallas, she is increasingly awed by Wolf's abilities, though remains suspicious of his secret knowledge of dragons.
• Hairyl - Grand Duke and Lord of Rifalas, older brother to King Murad and a powerful mine operator ruling 15% of Lexenil. A formal, extremely busy royal, he is the devoted father of Henri and Anri. Driven by genuine concern for his daughter’s safety, he arrives with private soldiers to execute a desperate rescue mission, balancing his heavy political responsibilities with deep paternal instincts.
• Anri - A beautiful half-elf princess knight and daughter of Grand Duke Hairyl, she is a B-rank adventurer, Captain of the Blue Brigade, and frontier vigilante. With blonde hair, pale skin, and a slender, muscular frame, she carries an aristocratic bearing. Recently rescued after being carried off by a dragon, she is Wolf’s devoted fiancée, possessing absolute confidence in his strength.
• Wolf - A 42-year-old former A-rank adventurer now operating at SSS-rank levels, he retired to Nicalas Village to raise his daughter, Reminia, as a humble farmer and craftsman. Though soot-stained and calm, this protective, curly-haired father possesses immense, beyond-human strength. A pragmatic, understated mentor, he leads by example, balancing quiet devotion with the quiet authority of a seasoned guardian.
• Hashiry - A 24-year-old A-class mage and researcher at the Royal Magical Research Institute, she is Reminia’s tall, slender, white-haired advisor and secretary. Sporting a white and gold jacket, boyish features, and pale blue eyes, she balances professional, patient service with a playful, teasing dynamic. Often exasperated by Reminia’s overprotectiveness, she observes her superior's magical feats with disbelief.
• Reminia - Fifteen-year-old Great Hero of Straval and researcher of the Double World Theory, this willful, intelligent girl sports striking red hair, amethyst eyes, and a slender build. A dedicated protector of her father, Wolf, she balances a tomboyish exterior with immense, limited-use magic—including holy relics and teleportation. Her speech shifts between analytical precision and deep devotion to him.
• Dallas - A B-rank knight, adventurer, and mage, he serves as Anri's attendant and Lymat's companion. Clad in black robes, he wields wind magic like Silphine Guard and Zin Vitt Fin. Though nervous and prone to visible stress in tense situations, he is a capable combatant who works alongside Wolf. He speaks casually, often displaying more emotion than Lymat, and was involved in the ruse regarding Anri's kidnapping.