"Man, there've been so many patrols on the streets these past couple days."
"Yeah. Every couple days you see someone passing by."
"Must be something big going on." Faced with the younger folks' confusion, even some older city residents offered their own take.
They didn't have any real insider channels—but with enough life experience, it wasn't hard for them to reach that conclusion.
Clop-clop-clop—
A squad of cavalry thundered down the fast lane and cut through the street.
The crisp autumn wind skimmed over their leather armor, hissing through the air.
"Stop!"
The captain yanked the reins, swung down from his horse, then signaled the others to surround a nearby residence.
"Drag everyone inside out!"
At his order, the well-equipped troops filed in.
Before long, they marched the residents out one by one, under guard.
"Captain, what did we do? Why are you arresting us?"
"There's got to be a misunderstanding!"
"Our family's been law-abiding citizens since my grandfather's time!"
The people hauled out—men and women alike—sobbed and pleaded, tears and snot everywhere.
The captain kept a hard face and ignored their wailing.
But the mage beside him shook his head.
"You know Quin, right?"
That name made the lead man's expression twitch—then he quickly smoothed it away and put on an innocent look again.
"I don't know him, sir."
Seeing him still refuse to admit it, the mage looked helpless.
"Into the wagon. Ladies and gentlemen."
Soon they were shoved into the carriage.
After the arrests were finished, the captain and the mage spoke in low voices.
"Mage Jack… do you know why the higher-ups are doing a citywide crackdown on the Dragon Cult this time?"
Confusion flickered across the patrol captain's face.
He was following orders, but he still had no idea what had sparked this whole storm.
The Dragon Cult had always been active in the chaotic mix that was Longflute Fortress, but in recent years the upper levels hadn't made any major moves against them.
"Captain Kai, don't pry. Knowing too much won't do you any favors."
Mage Jack didn't answer directly.
Truthfully, even he didn't have much detail—he'd only heard rumors that the Dragon Cult had offended a very big shot.
Even the Hayes Viscount family—the real power behind this city—had to pull private troops to assist with the arrests.
You could tell from that alone: whoever was involved behind the scenes had a terrifyingly large background.
"Sigh… we're going to be busy for days."
Kai let out a long breath.
He wasn't asking out of idle curiosity—these last couple days the whole city had been on edge.
He'd even heard that one or two of his colleagues—patrol squad leaders—had been arrested too, accused of having "business ties" with the Dragon Cult.
…
"Sir Gauss, you're awake."
"Would you like some porridge?"
Gauss slowly opened his eyes.
A lavish room—almost like a noble's palace—filled his vision.
Classical landscape oil paintings hung on the walls, and bright curtains swayed in the breeze.
Four beautiful young women in maid outfits stood beside his bed with hands folded at their waists. The moment they saw him wake, they hurried over with concerned questions.
"Where am I?"
Gauss looked around, confusion flickering across his face.
His last memory was being struck in the abdomen by that dragon priest—then a wave of agony swallowing his mind.
He quickly lifted the satin-smooth covers and checked his stomach.
His memory wasn't wrong—there was still a faint purplish bruise there, but the stabbing pain and that blood-freezing cold were gone without a trace.
So… he'd been rescued?
"This is the Hayes family's castle. Lord Playaos brought you here to recuperate."
The maid answered respectfully, clearing up his doubts.
So Playaos had received his message and come to save him.
But… why bring him here?
"Where are my teammates? How's Alia? The blue-haired lady—she's okay, right?"
He immediately pressed for news. He was safe, sure—but he didn't want anything to have happened to them.
"Lady Alia's condition has stabilized. She's out of danger."
Gauss exhaled in relief.
As long as she was alive, that was what mattered. Whatever effect this had on her breakthrough—he didn't care right now.
He felt his body.
This time was different from any serious injury he'd had before—he felt strong, like he'd slept the deepest, most satisfying sleep of his life.
More than that… his condition felt even better than before the injury.
Like he'd been rebuilt fresh off the production line.
With the maids flustered as they helped him, Gauss threw off the covers and stepped onto the soft fur carpet.
"Sir Gauss, you've just recovered from a grave injury—please stay in bed."
A blonde maid held his arm.
Gauss's build was fairly lean, but he was heavier than she expected. Still, he'd only been stiff from lying down—he quickly found his balance, and even steadied the maid when she wobbled under his weight.
"I'm fine. I feel great—just walking a couple steps."
He waved it off.
If his body had no problems, he wasn't going to lie there wasting time.
He felt too good.
He even had the faint impression he was about to level up.
…Maybe it wasn't just an impression.
A small smile tugged at his mouth.
"Take me to see Alia."
The maids hesitated, but didn't dare disobey—because the viscount had personally ordered them to treat Gauss with the same respect they would show him.
As a guest enjoying the highest courtesy, Gauss could walk freely within the castle.
He pushed open the heavy doors. The spotless corridor was cooler than his warm room, but still comfortable.
Guards stood watch in the hall. Seeing Gauss emerge with the maids, they saluted respectfully.
So much money…
Gauss shook his head. The room, the corridor, the bright autumn garden outside—everything screamed luxury.
All of it was cleanliness and splendor stacked up with gold coins.
On the way, Gauss ran into Albena and the others—they'd been heading to check on him, just returning from Alia's room.
Seeing he could walk normally—and looked visibly healthy—they all relaxed. The boulder in their hearts finally dropped.
Together, they went to Alia's sickroom.
When the door opened—
The layout was similar to Gauss's room. A few maids stood by.
On the soft white bed, Alia lay sleeping. On another bed, the silver wolf Ulfen lay resting too.
She still hadn't awakened.
But Gauss could see her breathing was steady from the rise and fall of her chest.
That was good.
He stared at her a moment longer.
She seemed… changed too.
Her skin looked paler, and faintly, it seemed like a thin layer of moonlight clung to her body.
Was she, like him, also… blessed by misfortune?
After staying a while, Gauss caught sight of a familiar figure by the door and walked out.
"Seeing you safe and well… that's truly wonderful."
Playaos smiled, dismissing others with a gesture.
"And I have you to thank, Lord Playaos."
Gauss knew the injuries from the ghost-dragon stacked state and the priestess's final freezing spell should not have vanished so completely. For him to recover this fast—Playaos must have played a huge role.
He'd been the first reinforcement to arrive.
And paladins weren't just fighters—they were masters of healing as well.
"You don't blame me for arriving late, I hope." Playaos shook his head gently.
He was ashamed.
With his strength, he should have reached Gauss sooner.
If he had, Gauss wouldn't have been hurt this badly.
When he finally arrived and assessed the enemy, even he had felt a chill.
He couldn't imagine how Gauss and the others had held out that long.
But thankfully—dangerous as it was—the outcome had been good.
Most of the Dragon Cult's power near Longflute Fortress had been shattered in that fight.
Especially Cecilia—the dragon priestess. She was transcendent-level. Losing her was a massive blow to any faction.
He'd killed her in a single Holy Slash only because she was already at a fraction of her strength—and he himself was higher level. That was the only reason it became a surprise execution.
"If you came to save us at all, I'm already grateful—how could I blame you?" Gauss said sincerely.
Even if Playaos had promised in advance, rescue was still a kindness, not an obligation.
Playaos wasn't his babysitter—he couldn't be summoned like a servant.
"Why did you bring us here?" Gauss glanced at the guards in the distance, curious. "To the Hayes family's castle?"
He wasn't ignorant of Longflute Fortress's factions and top-level friction.
From what he'd heard, Playaos's side—centered on the executive Noah Shade—didn't exactly get along with the Hayes family.
"This place is relatively safe," Playaos replied after a brief hesitation. "And it has the best medical resources in all of Longflute Fortress."
He paused, then added, "The past two days… the whole city hasn't been calm. And, frankly, it may have something to do with you."
"How so?" Gauss asked, genuinely puzzled.
He'd noticed Playaos's eyes kept drifting toward him.
For Playaos to say the city's turmoil had something to do with him… it didn't make sense at first glance.
Yes, Gauss had fought and crippled Dragon Cult forces outside the city, even severely wounded a transcendent dragon priestess—then Playaos finished her off.
But that alone shouldn't be enough to trigger a citywide shockwave.
At least, Gauss thought he understood that scale.
Playaos looked at him, confusion flashing in his eyes.
"You truly don't know?"
Gauss scratched his head, putting on an innocent face.
Playaos opened his mouth, then seemed to get stuck.
They stared at each other.
After a long moment, Playaos finally said slowly:
"After you were injured, our Guildmaster Ferguson received a message from the provincial capital—ordering Longflute Fortress to launch a full citywide purge of Dragon Cult elements… and to ensure you were properly settled and protected."
"But… I've never even been to the provincial capital." Gauss shook his head.
Playaos gave a dry, almost forced smile, and played along.
"Then perhaps… the upper authorities were simply planning to strike the Dragon Cult anyway."
He said it, but inwardly he couldn't help thinking of what he'd heard from another friend—that the provincial capital had received an urgent message from the royal court.
In other words, Gauss wasn't lying—because that order came from the very top.
If Gauss didn't have pure black hair, Playaos might have suspected he was some prince traveling under an assumed name.
One thing, though, was now undeniable:
Gauss's background was not small.
And that was exactly why Playaos felt safe placing him in the Hayes family's castle.
The Hayes family wouldn't dare harbor malicious intent. In fact, they'd raised the security level to the highest possible—terrified that anything might happen to "these great lords" under their roof.
Still, since Gauss didn't want to elaborate, Playaos wasn't going to be tactless and press it.
They shifted to discussing the aftermath.
The slain dragon priestess, the two high-ranking cultists captured alive… and Hephaestus.
Yes—the red dragon drake's existence could no longer be hidden.
At least among Longflute Fortress's upper circles, many now knew Gauss possessed a powerful red drake.
Gauss had tried his best to keep it quiet, but at this point it was impossible.
Surviving cultists had seen the drake firsthand.
The later stages of the battle had also caught the attention of the city's tower-based reconnaissance mages, who recorded the drake in their reports.
"Sigh… I can't believe it's exposed."
Gauss rubbed his temples, letting out a long breath.
A drake wasn't just combat power—it was a prime target.
If the Dragon Cult wanted him, wouldn't other human powers have ideas too?
Sure, big noble houses wouldn't openly steal it, not with their faces on the line.
But Gauss had always worried about the knives that came in the dark—that was why he'd never ridden Hephaestus openly.
"Don't worry," Playaos reassured him. "It's only a juvenile drake. The growth cycle is long—and it's already bonded."
"People who would truly dare covet it are extremely few."
"And word has spread that you 'slayed' a transcendent dragon priestess. That alone should extinguish a lot of foolish thoughts."
"…Huh?"
"Slayed a transcendent dragon priestess?"
"Me?" Gauss pointed at himself, half in disbelief. "Sir Playaos, you're joking."
"Yes—weren't you the one who killed her?" Playaos blinked, smiling lightly. "Our Crimson Dragon Knight, Sir Gauss."
"Everyone knows."
Gauss sucked in a sharp breath.
This was…
Clearly, Playaos had handed the credit—and the fame—for killing Cecilia to him.
But Gauss knew the truth: he'd only managed to seize a narrow opening and grievously wound her.
Cecilia had held back almost the whole fight because she wanted to capture him alive.
Without Playaos, Gauss would be on a Dragon Cult operating table right now.
And logically, the Adventurers' Guild should verify achievements strictly. Otherwise, this world would be drowning in "young geniuses" propped up by noble families.
"Hah… that's a lot of pressure."
Gauss could already imagine how explosive the rumor would be: an elite-tier adventurer killing a transcendent dragon priestess.
That was far louder than "Lake God's Chosen."
The second title sounded like luck.
The first sounded like power.
And this world worshiped strength.