"A… ah, Commander…"  

"You can call me Dad if you like."  

Keyal wore a faint, awkward smile as the Dragon nestled into his embrace, taking in his scent with deep, heavy breaths.  

From an outsider's perspective, they might have looked like a warm, happy family—a father and daughter with an unbreakable bond.  

...Though this “family” had a devil for a father and a dragon for a daughter, making them quite the "odd family."  

A daughter who harbored twisted affection for her father, and a father oblivious to the warped nature of her love.  

And…  

"…M-master…"  

The pitiful Elf, seemingly abandoned by her master, whimpered with tears in her eyes, glancing at Keyal with the pained expression of a forlorn pet. She reached out hesitantly, pulling her hand back each time, as though hoping for her touch to be noticed.  

Though she was a firm atheist, she might as well have been praying to the heavens at that moment.  

"Hehe… Daddy’s so warm."  

The Golden Dragon, Rivera, smiled innocently, her head nestled into his shoulder as she looked up at him with a childish grin.  

Keyal closed his eyes with a soft smile. Had he noticed the glint in her eye, he might have realized that Rivera wasn’t just a young girl snuggling up to her father—there was a hungry, possessive gaze hidden beneath her innocent act.  

But, of course, Keyal was unaware.  

---

Since embodying the body of Keyal Klein, everything felt strange and unsettling.  

The most frustrating part was the game’s system, constantly imposing arbitrary rules and demands.  

Pop-up warnings and messages filled his view with threats, offering little help when needed most but boasting about rewards later.  

Fine, maybe he could tolerate it with his vast patience…  

But being forced to rely on a system, playing the part of a bird feeding him clues bit by bit, made him question why he’d been dragged here in the first place.  

If the goal was to protect the world, shouldn't they have given him better perks? At the very least, they could’ve ensured a steady income.  

Risking his life with nothing but scraps to get by didn’t sit well with Keyal.  

“…Rivera.”  

"Hm?"  

"Does your lair really have no gold coins at all?"  

Inwardly, he pictured mountains of gold, but the lack of even a trace of treasure in a lair preserved over thousands of years puzzled him.  

"Nope, none at all."  

At her simple reply, his dreams crumbled.  

“Not even silver?”  

“Nope, not even silver.”  

The finality of her answer left him wondering if she was hiding something somewhere. But no—after thousands of years, this dragon seemed to be flat broke.  

Disheartened, Keyal decided to stop asking.  

“…Well, I’m screwed then.”  

---

Huh?

Returning to the lair, Keyal and his companions found an extravagant banquet spread out before them, the kind fit for royalty. Every delicacy imaginable was laid out on the grand table.  

"What… what is all this…?"  

Even Elena, normally unfazed by anything outside her immediate concerns, widened her eyes in astonishment, her mouth half-open in shock.  

It was baffling. A desolate lair with no silver or gold, yet now it boasted a feast that could rival a king’s banquet.  

Rivera puffed out her chest proudly, casting a smug glance at Elena.  

“Bet you can’t do this, can you, big sister?”  

“Ugh…”  

Elena clenched her fists, biting her lip as Rivera smirked.  

After all, spirit magic only channeled elemental spirits from nature and didn’t have the creative capacities of true magic. While spirit magic harnessed the power of the World Tree, magic itself relied on mana—a power source one cultivated personally, making it vastly different from relying on an external force.  

"Aww, my poor daddy~"  

She hugged Keyal tighter.  

“Uh—?!”  

Rivera clung to him, drawing in his scent. Elena averted her gaze, trying to ignore the scene, but she couldn’t help but glance back, feeling a pang of envy.  

"He’s my master… my master…"  

"What was that? I didn’t quite hear you~"  

Rivera’s innocent facade slipped, her true possessive nature emerging as she clung to him.  

Clinging to him as though she’d never let go, Rivera’s presence grew warmer, her gaze more intense.  

"Heehee, I love you, Daddy."  

Rivera gently cupped Keyal’s face, her eyes gleaming with a possessive glint.  

"And you love me the most, don’t you, Daddy?"  

"Of course, I like you very much, Rivera."  

*As a parent,* he mentally added.  

She was clearly crossing a line, but he brushed it off, seeing her affection as harmless.  

"I’m the one you love most, right? More than any other big sister or guild member?"  

Rivera’s grin grew wider, anticipating his response, her eyes sharp and almost predatory.  

He glanced at Elena, noticing her teary eyes and the hurt evident on her face.  

Despite wanting to appease Rivera, he couldn’t ignore Elena’s visible distress.  

“R-right… Rivera is my favorite.”  

“Yay!”  

Elena’s eyes grew redder, and tears began streaming down her cheeks.  

“And, of course, I love Elena as well.”  

He had no other choice. In such a tense atmosphere, this was the best response he could muster.  

“Hmm…”  

Rivera’s innocent smile twisted, a glint of menace flickering in her eyes.  

*Look at her expression…*  

Rivera’s gaze turned icy, her crimson eyes glaring at Elena with a piercing intensity.  

“For Elena, as my precious companion. And Rivera, as my beloved daughter.”  

A perfect answer… or so he thought.  

If he hadn’t seen both women clicking their tongues in displeasure, he might’ve believed it.  

---

======  
**Quest Completed**  

You have successfully recruited Rivera, the Golden Dragon, as a companion.  

[Quest Success]  

======  

Congratulations! You’re one step closer to restoring the Edric Guild.  

======  

After registering Rivera as a party member, Keyal found himself disappointed that no additional reward was granted.  

*Not even a notification the last time,* he mused.  

The system acted as it pleased. If it set some clear guidelines, he’d at least try to follow them. But at this rate, rounding up the rest of his companions would be a problem.  

Depending solely on the system for sustenance wasn’t sustainable. With only three party members, it was a struggle to make ends meet day by day.  

Even the prospect of renting a decent place was out of the question due to his lack of funds.  

“Is there a portal or doorway to travel to the lair?”  

“Nope, nothing like that. I only recently found my way back to it after parting from you. Magic can be versatile, but technically, I’m not even its true owner anymore.”  

Using the lair as a residence was out of the question.  

“What about flying if you dispel your polymorph?”  

“I’m… half-dragon, so I can’t fully transform.”  

Even flying was out, as none of them could take to the skies.  

*Maybe I should look into getting a wyvern… oh, but I’m broke.*  

In the end, it all came down to money. Solving even the smallest issues would require funds.  

With no wealth to speak of, they’d have to scrape by with hard work.  

“…For now, let’s stop by the Adventurers’ Guild and find a high-risk quest.”  

---

Unlike the shabby shops in the beginner’s village, the village near Rivera’s lair had a pleasant, well-maintained environment.  

Perhaps that was why the Adventurers' Guild here was far more impressive.  

Inside, they found spacious lodging areas, cat-eared servers moving about, and an atmosphere that felt more like an inn and a restaurant than a guild.  

*Now this is what a fantasy world should feel like…*  

The adventurers around them were fully equipped and diverse in appearance, unlike the ragged, bandaged novices he’d seen elsewhere. Many of the adventurers here seemed well-known in their own right.  

As they walked through the guild, many adventurers stared at them, murmuring as they noticed Elena and Rivera.  

“Whoa… do you see that? She’s gorgeous.”  
“An adventurer with an elf and a dragon? Never seen that before.”  

This must be the infamous “harem” people spoke of. Given that the TBG Heroes world valued monogamous marriages, it wasn’t surprising that someone like him, surrounded by beautiful women, would attract both admiration and envy.  

The fact that female members were rare among adventurers only added to the attention.  

“Are there any high-risk quests available?”  

Ignoring the stares, Keyal approached the guild attendant at the far end of the room.  

*As long as it’s not dealing with ‘Soul Wolves’ or ‘Undead’...*