Dragon Horn
Ruby's clear and impassioned voice still echoed in the warm air of the tavern, carrying the excitement of a victor and the undisguised boastfulness unique to young girls.
Her large, emerald-green eyes sparkled with excitement, as if the epic battle against the Demon King had just taken place right before her eyes.
"Then, I used my 'Blazing Truth - Flame Vortex - Assault Burst' to force the Demon King to retreat! And then, Himmel's sword light flashed like this—'whoosh!' faster than a shooting star! And finally..."
She clenched her little fist, her face beaming with undisguised pride. "Of course, we won a resounding victory! The Demon King and all that are utterly no match for a true Hero Party!"
"Haha! Ruby, didn't we do our part? Besides, the Demon King isn't as weak as you say. We were close to defeat several times!" Heiter took a big gulp of ale and joked with a laugh.
"Oh dear, that's not important... Hmph~ Of course, Ruby remembers everyone's contributions! It's just that defense and healing aren't exactly as cool as they sound..." Ruby her nose, trying to smooth over her slightly biased narrative.
Her mouth was dry from talking, so she picked up her glass and took a big gulp of juice. Then, as if she had suddenly remembered something extremely important, she let out a soft "Ah!"
She put down her cup and frantically began rummaging through her seemingly small backpack, muttering to herself, "Wait! I almost forgot! I have a super awesome trophy to show you!"
She rummaged through the bag for a while, and finally, a look of joy appeared on her face as she carefully took an item out of her bag.
When the object was first taken out, it was only the size of a palm, but as soon as it left the backpack, it seemed to break free from some kind of restraint, and instantly began to expand, emitting an ancient and evil pressure. In the end, it turned into a huge dragon horn that was winding and twisting, with a dark obsidian color and a surface covered with natural and mysterious patterns.
"Ta-da! Look at this!" Ruby both hands and presented it to Frieren like a treasure, her little face full of smugness that said, "Praise me!"
"Dark Dragon's horn! Found in the Demon King's Castle's treasury! Hidden deep inside, locked with a barrier, it's definitely the Demon King's treasure! I used compression magic to squeeze it into my bag with great difficulty, it took so much magic power!"
The dragon horn lay quietly in Ruby's hand, yet it seemed to carry an invisible sense of oppression, making the surrounding air seem heavier, and even the noise in the tavern seemed to be isolated by this profound aura.
Its horns emitted a faint, ominous glow, and if you listened carefully, you could vaguely feel the low, resentful roar of a dragon, seemingly from ancient times, echoing on the soul level.
Frieren was happily eating the hamburger tower Lowell had prepared for her, but the moment the dragon horns appeared, she paused slightly as her gaze was drawn to them.
She reached out a finger, as if wanting to touch the dragon horn, her eyes filled with the pure, elven interest in studying ancient magical creations.
"The horn of Dark Dragon is indeed a very rare material," she commented softly, her tone calm, but those who knew her well could detect a hint of curiosity in her voice.
"Oh, that?" Lowell interjected casually, instantly silencing the lively table. "Speaking of which, it's said that if Dark Dragon's horn is carried around for a long time, it will continuously emit a curse-like aura that erodes life force, greatly accelerating the aging process of the holder and shortening their lifespan."
"Whoa--!" Ruby's smug smile froze instantly, replaced by terror. As if holding a red-hot iron, she frantically dropped the huge dragon horn onto the ground at her feet with a dull thud.
She jumped back half a step, patting her chest with lingering fear, her emerald eyes filled with lingering terror. "It was such a terrifying thing! The Demon King is truly insidious! To actually collect something that can shorten one's lifespan! How despicable!"
Lowell looked at the dragon horn lying on the ground, smiled helplessly, reached out and grabbed it, and the ominous dragon horn disappeared silently, stored in his own alternate dimension, a clever way to steal it.
"Look how scared you are. It's fine to come into contact with it for a short time, otherwise why would any shop dare to sell something like this? However, this thing does contain a huge amount of magic power; it's a top-tier magical material. If handled properly, it can be quite useful. The Dark Dragon's strength is comparable to that of the Imperial Prison Dragon."
He said it so naturally, as if he were just giving an example offhand.
Ruby immediately seized on the information in his words, her eyes widening in surprise. Forgetting her lingering fear, she curiously leaned closer and asked, "Huh?! Lowell, how did you know we dealt with an Imperial Prison Dragon before? We don't think we talked about that, did we?" She tilted her head, her face showing an inquisitive expression that said, "You've been secretly following us."
Lowell paused slightly in his hand as he picked up his wine glass, glancing at her without changing his expression, his tone tinged with a hint of helpless disdain. "... I was just giving an example. You're the one who loves to show off the most. Defeating a Demon King isn't enough; you even add the monsters you casually dealt with along the way to your credit list."
"No way!" Ruby covered her mouth and laughed. "You guys are really well-informed! How did you know we defeated the Demon King and dealt with the Imperial Prison Dragon? How did you know we also took down that 'immortal' Böse of the Seven Sages of Destruction? Hahaha... that Böse's barrier magic is so annoying..."
She started chattering away, recounting her other adventures, her attention quickly drawn to the new stories.
Lowell watched her profile lightly as she regained her excitement, took a sip of his drink, and said nothing more.
Frieren glanced at him, blinked her emerald eyes, and said nothing, continuing to eat her hamburger.
Himmel observed all of this, a thoughtful glint flashing in her blue eyes, but it quickly turned into a calm smile as she listened to Ruby's energetic narration.
Heiter and Eisen were clearly used to Ruby's personality; one drank heartily while the other ate meat quietly, and the atmosphere became relaxed and lively again.
Solitär maintained her sweet smile, her pale green eyes darting between Lowell and Ruby, as if recording some interesting data.
Linié quietly munched on her apple, while Lupa ate her steak while quietly reminding Linié things like, "Don't just eat apples, you need a balanced diet."
Dinner drew to a close amidst the merriment. When everyone had almost finished eating, Himmel thoughtfully ordered an extra omelet for each person, drizzled with honey, so that everyone could share it.
Soon, several golden-brown, fluffy omelets, exuding a rich aroma of milk and sweet honey, were served. The omelets had a delicate and soft texture, with just the right amount of sweetness, providing a perfect ending to this hearty but slightly greasy dinner. Even Frieren couldn't resist taking a few more bites, her emerald eyes narrowing with satisfaction.
After a hearty meal and drinks, as night deepened, the group left the still bustling tavern and, bathed in the cool moonlight, headed towards the town's cleanest-looking inn. The Northern Frontier night wind carried a chill, but the satisfaction of their recent meal and the warmth of reuniting with friends made everyone's steps light and steady.