“Oh no, right! Dragon blood is supposed to be valuable, too.” I hurriedly placed the empty wooden barrels I’d pre-washed at Sara’s mansion under the dragon’s severed neck to collect the gushing blood.

“Hey, you! Thanks for saving us!” “Not at all. I’m just glad everyone is safe.”

One of the beastkin adventurers approached me. I took a moment to properly look at them.

All four of them seemed to be feline beastkin, each with proud cat ears and tails. Since coming to this world, I’d seen beastkin like cats and dogs in Luxeria, but this was the first time I’d been this close to them.

The one thanking me appeared to be the leader, a female tiger beastkin. Judging by her striped yellow and black ears and tail, she seemed to be based on a tiger—a feline, after all.

Her weapon was a large broadsword. With something like that, she might’ve been able to wound the dragon if she landed a hit. Naturally, her armor covered almost her entire body, leaving only her face visible. Not that I expected her to wear something like a bikini armor or an outfit from certain hunting games. Really, I didn’t. …I swear.

“That was amazing, nyan!” “To think you sliced through those dragon scales in a single blow!” “And that storage magic… you must be a renowned mage, yes?”

The other three stepped forward. The one ending her sentences with "nyan" was a petite girl compared to the others. Her lighter armor and twin daggers suggested she was the assassin type—agile and adept at striking vital points. Against a dragon, though, she was probably at a disadvantage. …Also, was that “nyan” a habit, or was she forcing it?

The second woman was fully clad in heavy armor, even covering her face—a full plate tank wielding the massive shield that had withstood the dragon’s breath. She was likely the party's defensive anchor.

The last woman, who spoke with a refined tone, wore a robe and carried a staff. Clearly, she was the party’s mage. Personally, I had assumed beastkin couldn’t use magic, but evidently, that wasn’t the case in this world.

And one thing applied to all of them: beastkin faces weren’t as furry as I’d imagined. If it weren’t for their ears and tails, they’d be indistinguishable from humans. Some of the beastkin I saw in Luxeria had been quite hairy, so maybe it depended on bloodlines or something?

“Excuse me, everyone. If you don’t mind, would you—” “I have a request!”

I was about to ask for help with dismantling the dragon when their leader spoke over me.

A request? If it was about fame or materials, I wouldn’t mind. But if they wanted all the meat, I’d have to refuse.

“Could you give us the dragon’s liver?”

The liver? If I remembered correctly, it wasn’t for eating but for making some kind of elixir. I didn’t see why not, but…

“…Can you tell me why?”

“Our savior, someone who is as good as family to us, has fallen ill with a rare disease. The dragon’s liver is the final ingredient needed to make the elixir that might save them! We’ve gathered every other material but couldn’t obtain a dragon’s liver!”

A rare disease? That sounded familiar.

“Wait, could you be talking about the lord of Egarton City?”

I vaguely recalled hearing about that during the wyvern feast. I’d dismissed it as something untreatable since it was an illness, not an injury.

“Y-Yes, that’s right! The lord of Egarton! The four of us grew up in an orphanage he supported. Even before becoming the lord, she would visit us, bringing food and taking care of us. She’s the reason we became adventurers!”

An orphanage, huh? That hit hard. In this world, orphanages probably existed, and I doubted they were anything like the ones in Japan. The conditions must’ve been harsh.

“We’ve finally made it as A-rank adventurers and are even called the best in Egarton. But against a dragon, we were completely powerless…”

So they were A-rank adventurers. That explained their high-quality equipment, unlike the adventurers I’d met yesterday. Then again, their opponent was a monster stronger than anything in the Forest of Ruin. It wasn’t surprising they struggled.

“I can tell that someone as seasoned as you wouldn’t hunt a dragon without a serious purpose! It must be far greater than something like saving one person’s life!”

Oof!

…I couldn’t say it. I couldn’t admit that I came here just to eat a dragon and kill a dangerous monster while I was at it. My motive was way too petty!

“I don’t know what your purpose is, but if the dragon’s liver isn’t part of it, could you let us have it? We’ll pay any price! We’re the highest-earning adventurers in Egarton, and if that’s not enough, I’ll even become your slave!”

What!?

“I-I’ll do the same!” “nyan, me too!” “I’ll gladly pledge myself to you!”

All of you?!

Wait, there’s slavery in this world? Beautiful beastkin slaves… four of them… No, stop that! That’s way too heavy for a peaceful, nerdy high schooler like me to handle!

“I understand how you feel. Luckily, the dragon’s liver isn’t part of my goals. I don’t need slaves or anything like that. Just pay me what you can afford.”

“R-Really? But the liver is one of the most valuable dragon parts! If you auctioned it in the royal capital, it would fetch far more than our entire wealth!”

The dragon had two horns, plenty of claws, and many fangs, so I could see how the singular liver would be extraordinarily rare.

“That’s fine. I didn’t come here for money, and your desire to save your benefactor is noble and admirable.”

What an impressive thing to say, huh? Their mission was way more meaningful than mine. Just don’t ask about my goals, okay? Please, seriously.

“Thank you… truly!”

“Let’s hurry and extract the liver. There’s not much time, right?”

“Y-Yeah! Considering the time to get back to the city, it’s really tight.”