The continent of Filioria,

The largest landmass in the TBG Heroes world, anchored by the sun illuminating the empire of Levant—the most powerful nation on the continent.

In the context of this world, the continent is akin to Earth’s division into regions like Asia, Europe, North America, and South America.

The tutorial village lies at the northernmost edge of the continent, a poverty-stricken area far from the empire's center.

The further from the empire, the less frequent exchanges of goods and resources, making life more challenging.

The young people have all left for the capital, leaving the village elder and the remaining residents to struggle in poverty.

There is no one left to spend money in the village.

To survive, they need funds, and the only place to collect them is the adventurer’s guild,

yet the guild is populated mostly by low-ranking adventurers, so income is predictably scarce.

“Um? Then why exactly is Master heading to the guild…?”

Curious about my decision to go there, Elena hesitated, her hands instinctively covering her mouth.

“……”

Elena glanced around nervously without even realizing it.

She looked almost innocent, like a young pup.

I couldn’t help but pity her.

How much suffering had she endured?

How deeply had her wounds taken root?

Had she ever felt like she was truly in control of herself?

I couldn’t even begin to guess.

As I reached out to brush her tousled hair and gently touched her cheek, a soft smile spread across my face.

Elena smiled back, shyly, like a young girl.

---

At the guild, I reclaimed my adventurer's card from the receptionist.

But even as I prepared to leave, I could still feel the sharp glares piercing me.

“Damn… I didn’t even do anything…”

From an outsider’s perspective, I might have seemed like a scoundrel, but…

“…please be a bit kinder.”

That wasn’t my intention.

Elena entered the guild with sunken, hollow eyes.

Her usually vibrant mint-green hair was dull and lifeless,

her skin pallid, with dark circles under her eyes, as if she had been ill for over a month.

Anyone looking at her would likely see a woman who had been abandoned by her lover and was now clinging to life with a broken heart.

They might even think she was a forlorn wife, struggling to survive after being deceived by her husband.

I cleared my head of the distracting thoughts, waving them away.

Then, I unfolded a large map, scrutinizing every detail.

“Elena, take a look at this spot.”

Pointing to a cave, I called her attention as she chewed on her breakfast.

“…This place…?”

Her expression immediately darkened.

“Huh…? Why?”

I had expected her to feel relieved or at least emotional, maybe even shed a tear or two…

But instead, I found myself bewildered by her obvious discontent.

No wonder, as the location I pointed out was…

“...the Dragon’s Lair of the Golden Dragon.”

---

The Golden Dragon, the second of Edric Guild’s roundtable heroes, a half-god, half-dragon who once proclaimed herself as the mightiest.

Her entire body glowed with a radiant gold, and each step she took was said to illuminate the world like a spark.

She proudly named herself the Golden Dragon, an arrogant dragon who basked in her own splendor.

Her arrogance partly stemmed from the pride of her dragon heritage, but the blood of a transcendent being—a god—ran through her veins.

The sun of the Levant Empire, the radiant fire deity Nataya, was not just an ordinary monarch's title.

It was the name for the blazing star itself, the only appellation capable of reflecting her greatness.

And the only offspring of Nataya was none other than the Golden Dragon herself.

Of course, Nataya, having mixed her divine blood with something impure, rejected the Golden Dragon, and the Golden Dragon viewed her mother with equal scorn.

Though they shared the same blood, there was less affection between them than between complete strangers.

In name only were they mother and daughter… always watching each other warily.

“…Even if I didn’t get along well with Mama, things were at least amicable with Papa…”

Recalling memories with her, I almost let a tear escape, caught in nostalgia.

…but the tears didn’t come.

I could vividly recall the image of that mischievous young dragonling, cheekily calling herself “Daddy’s little brat.”

If Elena hadn’t looked so displeased, I might have rushed to meet that troublemaking dragonling with a kiss.

“…She’s a bit spoiled, but she’s actually quite sweet.”

Elena, noticing our next destination was the Dragon’s Lair, sulked in silence.

“……”

Far from pushing her, I realized I would need to reassure Elena before heading to the Dragon’s Lair.

That little dragon was kind at heart, after all…

---

We set off for the Dragon’s Lair by carriage.

The journey would take at least three days, so we’d need to stop at villages along the way to stock up on water and food.

A dragon’s lair is a dragon’s exclusive territory,

naturally surrounded by dangerous monsters that would challenge even Elena and me.

“That’s why we need to prepare thoroughly…”

My stats were decent,

and as a six-star hero, Elena was far stronger than me.

Quantifying her stats, hers would likely be about 30% higher than mine.

Her base attributes were nearly triple mine.

Now that Elena could command the great spirits, her accumulated experience must have made her an even more formidable force.

Keyal grinned wickedly.

He’d never set out to make her grow stronger,

but the fact that she had become so resilient for his sake made him proud.

“Well, good things are good…”

Even while pitching the tent, Keyal didn’t hesitate to move closer to Elena.

He reached out and stroked her hair.

“Hm…hmm…”

Like a kitten, she shivered and purred under his touch, her body melting with delight.

“Just… a little more…hm…just a bit more…”

She clung tightly to his hand, pressing it against her head as if she couldn’t get enough.

Slowly, their bodies became entwined, each one pressing close to the other.

He could feel her warmth and breath, the intensity of her gaze as her skin brushed against his back.

The sensation was tantalizing, possibly even intentional on her part.

Startled, he abruptly pulled away from her.

“…”

“Wow…that was close…”

Unintentionally, he had become excited.

He had almost crossed a line with someone he had cherished like a child.

He looked down, embarrassed.

There was another part of him, stubbornly persistent, that seemed to greet him with a salute.

‘Great… just what I needed…’

He sighed, trying to calm down, taking a deep breath to regain control.

“Thank you, Ent Smith…”

---

After packing the provisions into the bag, they got back into the carriage and continued their journey.

“Master, I’m…sorry.”

Was she apologizing for yesterday?

Elena bowed her head deeply.

“Huh..? Oh, no, it’s fine, Elena.”

He waved her off, trying to assure her that everything was alright.

“Is this about yesterday? If it is, don’t worry about it. There’s an old saying that when a man and a woman are close together, they sometimes cross forbidden lines…”

“Oh, no, it’s…not that. It’s…it’s something else…”

Trying to lighten the mood, he had only managed to make it more awkward, and she lowered her gaze, looking bashful.

Fiddling with a small, tattered pouch, she appeared hesitant.

“Oh…could it be…?”

Noticing her gaze on the shabby pouch, Keyal had an idea.

“Are you…worried that I spent money because of you…?”

Nod.

Without a word, she nodded slightly, looking down.

“……”

A short silence filled the carriage.

“……”

Of course, it was true he didn’t have the luxury of spare cash to throw around,

but…

“Elven silver coins aren’t quite the same as human silver coins, you know.”

Hiring a carriage would cost a regular adventurer an entire day’s wages, and even that wouldn’t be enough.

Only with the bounty from the goblin quest could they afford it…otherwise, they’d have gone broke.

“Don’t worry. Money isn’t hard to come by.”

Keyal flicked a silver coin from his pocket with ease, as if money were no concern.

Ting.

The coin flew out the window.

“Think of it as a small sacrifice…”

Elena watched him, her eyes doubtful, but she quickly adjusted her expression.

“Oh, no, it’s not necessary to go to such trouble. I have something in mind…”

Keyal smiled warmly,

pointing his hand toward their destination in the distance.

“After all, our destination is the Dragon’s Lair, isn’t it?”