“I was asked to help with the scouting, so they could find the lost dragon. Just a little scanning before they send the main party.”

…It wasn’t exactly right, but it wasn’t wrong either.

“And you weren’t able to find the dragon.”

“Yeah. It won’t be official until the scouting party returns, but it’s definitely the case. No one would miss such a huge dragon.”

“If you say so, Yuji, it must be true. The scouting party would be made up of normal Adventurers, so they won’t find anything that you missed. …In that case, there’s even more reason to register for the hunting team.

Tina said as she tried to enter the guild.

…Had she heard what I just said?

“As I was saying, it’s going to be canceled.”

“That’s why. As long as I register, the records will still show that I volunteered to go on a dangerous mission.”

I see.

If she declared that she would go at this time, she would be able to gain the trust of others without putting herself in danger.

That was very smart of her…

“Thanks for the information!”

Tina and Lisa said as they entered the guild.

Now…what should I do?

The guild manager had his eyes on me, and so I wanted to leave the city if I could.

He clearly meant well by giving me this attention, but I was sure it would get me involved in things I wanted to avoid.

Still, I could not leave until the scouts returned with their results.

While I already knew the outcome, since I had already said that it was gone, I needed to wait for the results.

I wouldn’t be able to collect my reward until then.

As I thought of this…a voice rang in my head.

…It was from the slimes.

‘Yuji. Yuji.’

It wasn’t the slime that was on my shoulder now.

It was one of the slimes that were left in the Dryad forest.

…Had something happened there?

‘What is it?’

‘The Dryad wants to talk to you, Yuji.’

The Dryad? That was unusual.

However, it must be rather important if she went out of her way to use the slimes.

‘What is it?’

‘Did you know that really nice mushrooms grow after you kill a dragon?’

‘Mushrooms?’

‘Yes. And the medicine made from these mushrooms will help the trees in the forest grow! But it’s so much work. Can you help me?’

Mushrooms that helped trees grow, huh?

I didn’t really understand, but I guess I could listen to her.

‘So, where should I go?’

‘Anywhere in the forest. As long as you are there, the Dryad will come!’

I see.

That’s right, the Dryad was able to teleport wherever there were trees.

And so I went to the forest.

‘Yuji. It’s been a while.’

Once I was quite far from the city, I heard the Dryad’s voice.

She was standing in front of a tree.

I had killed the dragon in the Delight Forest, which was quite far from the city.

And so I would have preferred to return there in good condition…

‘But the mushrooms that grow after killing a dragon will disappear after one day if left alone. I don’t think they will last until tomorrow…’

The Dryad said with a sad expression.

Apparently, it couldn’t wait.

‘Is this medicine very valuable?’

‘Incredibly! There are different kinds of mushrooms, but I want the Red Dragon Mushroom to make Magic Potions. If humans drink it, it will recover most of their magic. And only a few drops of it will revive sick trees.’

…I see. That sounded very good.

The name of the mushroom seemed a little simple, but maybe it was because it was so rare that it was never given a decent name.

Not only did it not grow unless you killed a dragon, but they disappeared after one day. Hardly anyone would ever find them.

‘Would this potion help me recover my MP too?’

‘Ah… With your amount of magic, it might not make too much of a difference… The recovery amount is by normal people’s standards…’

Apparently, it wasn’t going to do me much good.

If it was so valuable, I thought maybe I could take some with me while I helped… But it seemed like it would hardly make a difference for me if I drank it before using Hellfire of Death.

‘Could you make a potion that would help me from the other mushrooms?’

‘Uhh… The Blue Dragon Mushroom can turn into Energy Recovery portions. I think it would work on you!’

‘Energy Recovery?’

‘It recovers you MP to what it was 10 minutes ago. I will probably only be able to make one, but it’s strong enough to work on a dragon!’

…It returned your MP to what it was 10 minutes ago?

In other words, if I used Hellfire of Death repeatedly while having full MP, then I could drink this potion and have full MP again?

That almost seemed too strong…?

‘I’ll help you gather the mushrooms. And can you make me that potion in exchange?’

‘Of course. I just want the Magic Potions.’

And so it was settled.