"Welcome to… eeh!? Oh no!! Not you girls again!"(Clara)

"What? Clara!?"(Luvia)

Luvia, Iris and Nana decided to check the local adventures guild. They weren't looking for work in particular as their funds were still plentiful, but since they all miss Yufine, they thought that coming here would help them clear their mind.

The shock couldn't have been greater, as the clerk girl was none other than their old acquaintance, Clara.

"Clara-chan… what are you… doing here? Humans… aren't really welcomed… on the demon continent."(Iris)

"It's all her fault!"

Clara pointed her finger straight towards Nana.

"Mine?"

"Yes! Your Highness, why didn't you think it through? Aeonia was turned upside down the moment you disappeared. What's worse, nobody even knows where to look for you."

"I left of my own accord. I don't see any issues. Yufi left a proper letter too, so why would there be a problem if I followed my heart?"

Clara started to explain the situation to them. Apparently after Yufine took Nana, both the king and Julius turned Aeonia upside down in search for her. Yufine was labeled public enemy number one. Despite Gilbert’s quest reward of “anything you want”, taking a member of the royal family was taking it too far. What’s more, plans were made for Nana’s engagement. Princesses of Aeonia would marry as soon as the ruler deemed them fit.

Yufine basically threw the balance of the royal family off track. However… nobody knew where she went. That didn’t stop them from questioning everyone Yufine came in contact with. That includes Clara. Long story short, Clara had nothing to do with it, but the royal family put pressure on the guild and started making her life miserable.

“Eventually, I got demoted and was sent to the branch over here as punishment. Demons hate humans, but beastmen still tolerate them to some extent. And so… I ended up here.”

“Poor Clara…”(Iris)

“Speaking of the devil, where is that troublemaker? Where is Yufine?”(Clara)

“Well… we don’t know. We kinda got separated. And now maybe we hoped to see if we can find her again.”(Luvia)

“Figures… That woman is always causing trouble no matter what. Hey, wait! If you girls are here, I know exactly what you could help me with!!”(Clara)

“We aren’t looking for work, Clara.”( Luvia)

“You aren’t allowed to object. You owe me this much for all the trouble you put me through!”(Clara)

“Okay, okay. What’s all this about?”(Luvia)

"Supplies for this town have been cut. Technically this quest hasn't been officially registered yet, but I'll cut to the chase. A dragon. A dragon is lurking somewhere at the main highroad that leads to the mountaintop.

There haven't been any dragons in these parts according to the local people, but with this appearance food is going to be more scarce. It will also ruin the economy. Think about it. It's pointless to have money but have nothing to spend it on."(Clara)

Clara continued to provide them with various details. The problem was rather serious, but given this opponent was a dragon it would take quite some time for an adequate party to be formed.

"Clara, Yufi did take on a dragon as her first quest, but… she's not with us right now. We 3 could achieve something similar as long as it's not a high ranking dragon."(Luvia)

"I'm not asking you to go and get yourselves killed. But can you at least take a look into it? If you feel the danger is too great, retreat and I guess we'll recruit more people. But if it's you girls, you should be able to handle it."

All 3 of them started staring at each other for a bit. Something like this might just be an activity they need to get their minds off of Yufine, at least for a while. And like Clara mentioned, they did feel guilty a bit for what happened to her, so it seems only natural to try to pay her back. Eventually all 3 nodded.

"It seems we all agree. Okay, Clara. We'll have a look into it."(Luvia)

"Thank you very much."

------

The owner of a huge pair of emerald green eyes peered into the distance. The owner’s huge body rested on a brown boulder. Its azure scales appeared to be a part of the snow and ice below. The owner had their long tail behind them. The owner irritably smacked the ground with the tip of their tail, kicking up chunks of snow and dust that had been collected there.

Dragon. A being of myths. A creature of ancient times. The most powerful beings ever known. It is as feared as the Demon King or any of the Divine Generals. Long ago, the demons feared that the dragons would scorch their homes so they started a war to get rid of them. Of course, not all dragons were on Olivia’s level, but that didn’t mean they weren’t powerful beings.

Female dragons generally are superior in both size and strength to males. In fact, males are solemnly seen only as a way for reproduction. If the case should ever arise, a female dragon can, like a frog for example, change its gender and reproduce asexualy. However, just like any natural being, they also felt lust.

Dragons were lustful creatures. All dragons originated from the demon continent. Some fled to other continents. A female dragon during mating season and with no partner is scary. They can go on a rampage and destroy countless villages. That’s why dragons were illustrated as evil beings in the eyes of the races. But it wasn’t their fault.

They are also extremely territorial. There are some like Red Dragons who go nuts and will attack any living being, but some will allow other living beings to pass through if they don’t bother them.

Currently, the owner of the azure scales was the cause that the supplies were cut. This dragon has settled here.

“God, just how did Mother manage to handle her lust? It’s really driving me to the point where even the tip of the mountain would look appealing. But that would be too humiliating.”

As the dragon was having those thoughts she took a deep breath in and then narrowed her eyes.

“More trespassers? I’m getting tired of them. I left the human continent to find some piece since it’s said that dragons originated here. Why can’t they just leave me alone? I’m getting tired of all this, and I still don’t know what I am supposed to do as a high dragon. 

It’s weird. I can smell… an elf alongside demons. Interesting… but at the same time it doesn’t matter. I will show them my title. If they won’t turn back, the Maelstrom Dragon will end their lives.”