Read with BonusRead with Bonus

Separating Pearls From Swines

Similar to their first return from the Ironcross Mountain, the trip back to the Stonefall Village had a slower pace, which was a consequence of taking home bountiful gains.

Thank the heavens, they didn't have to face many challenges on their way. Perhaps it was due to the intimidating number of Kobolds that came with them that they were able to carry on with relative ease.

“It’s good to be back,” Ryan said with relief upon seeing the silhouette of the village in the distance. “I can hardly wait to finally sleep on a mattress.”

“Was the cave really that uncomfortable? I’ll make sure that it has been decorated properly by the time you return!” Chrysus declared. “I can sleep comfortably almost anywhere, but it seems like the bodies of humans like you are too soft.”

“Why thank you, Chrysus,” Ryan replied in appreciation. ‘It seems that, while Chrysus is very fond of me, he still subconsciously thinks of heading back to the Ironcross Mountains. In the grand scheme of things, this isn't necessarily negative in the long run since we each have our own territories to look after.’

“I think there are giant birds with quite the soft feathers. There's also a plant that has those fuzzy little things. I think they'll make a good stuffing too,” Chrysus babbled on excitedly as he looked up at Ryan earnestly.

“That sounds—”

“Master Ryan!” Tom, who had been waiting for their return everyday since their group left the village, ran out the moment he spotted the young man in the distance.

Tom was excited to report his diligence during work.

However, seeing the golden baby dragon and the entourage of Kobolds behind Ryan, Tom lost his balance and fell on his butt. He blatantly gawked at them.

Spike and Doran looked at Tom’s reaction and chuckled. They would never admit that their response when they first saw the Kobolds and the little dragon was closer to fear than anything else.

“Let’s try to not cause a stir, okay?” Ryan chuckled. “It’s good to see you too, Tom.”

“Who… who is that?” Chrysus frowned at the sight of the human. He stopped by Ryan’s feet and suspiciously scanned Tom.

“This is my aide, Tom.” Ryan introduced. “He's the one taking over the management of the village whenever I'm out.”

“Y-yes…” Tom smacked his face with both hands to make sure that he wasn’t dreaming.

“I see.” Chrysus said with a small pout.

— — — — — — —

The people of the Stonefall Village were mostly busy with their work and didn't pay attention to anything else, but once the news of Master Ryan's arrival reached their ears, they all came to check out what he had brought this time with their own eyes.

“K-Kobolds!”

“There's countless of them!”

Some of the villagers were so intimidated by the sight of the Kobolds that they passed out at once.

Others who had keener eyes immediately noticed the golden dragon.

“Is that… is that?”

“My eyes must be tricking me, is it not?”

“But look at all the gems Master Ryan brought back!”

“You have earned 10 Grimoire Points,” The Grimoire called out to Ryan. “You have a total of 41,120 Points.”

All the villagers looked at everything with awe.

They were all dumbfounded by everything that Ryan had accomplished in as little as two weeks since his arrival in the village.

“First it was the Giant Buck…”

“And now, this too? What else will Master Ryan bring?”

‘Hmm… judging on their faces and expressions, they’re all amazed with the great amount of wealth I brought back, but they’re also scared of the Kobolds. I’m not sure whethwr these people are susceptible to greed, but if they are, they’re doing a great job of keeping it hidden.’ Ryan thought.

“Chrysus, shall we head to my home first?” Ryan asked with a calm smile, pretending to ignore the crowd of onlookers. They’re still in shock now, but they might break into a stampede once they realize how much these gems are worth.’

“Oh yes! I want to see your cave too,” Chrysus chirped cheerfully.

“Then that’s settled. I’d like to have the two trees planted near my mansion when we get there,” Ryan said to Chrysus, addressing the Kobolds around as well.

“Kriee!”

All of the villagers snapped back to their senses at the sound of the Kobolds and stepped back a little in worry.

“What does that ‘kriee’ mean?” Ryan curiously asked Chrysus. ‘Now that we have Chrysus, I can ask him to translate for me.’

“It means yes,” Chrysus answered.

“Haha, I see.” Ryan expected as much.

“Their language is really not that as expressive as ours,” Chrysus said. “They do a great deal of body language though.”

“Is that so?” Ryan said, after which he turned to Spike and Doran. “Thank you for your services for the past week. The two of you don’t need to accompany us back to the manor. Instead, take this time to get a proper rest at last.”

“Thank you, Master Ryan.”

“One more thing though.” Ryan approached the Kobolds that carried gems.

He picked up a handful of gems and passed them to both Spike and Doran. “Here’s a little something.”

“This is—!” Spike's and Doran’s eyes both widened.

“I’d like the two of you to have it,” Ryan said. “No take backs. I’m not sure if there’s a treasury here that can purchase the gems from you, but it’s yours. You can do whatever you want with it.”

“I’ll use it to decorate my bow!” Spike declared.

“Thank you so much, Master Ryan,” Doran thanked him as well.

“Think nothing of it. You deserve this much from your service.”

‘Now that I gave some gems to Spike and Doran, the other villagers will definitely see it. Instead of directly coveting my newfound wealth, they will realize that they'd get what they want if they work for me.’

— — — — — — —

Soon enough, Ryan, Joan, Chrysus, and Tom returned to the manor alongside the Kobolds.

Ther Kobolds remained outside, immediately taking care of planting the fruit trees.

Inside, Ryan immediately sank down into one of the sofa.

He rested his back against the soft velvet couch and let out a soft sigh of relief.

“This is the life. After putting in long days of hard work, it's satisfying to finally take a moment to relax and catch one's breath, you know?"

Chrysus immediately jumped and made its way around the head rest of the couch, curling up around Ryan’s shoulders like a cat.

“It is indeed comfortable. I perfectly understand why you like it,” Chrysus said.

“Ryan, would you like me to prepare some tea?” Joan asked.

“Yeah. It’s time to catch up with Tom.” Ryan smiled.

Previous Chapter
Next Chapter