The Dragon Emperor of Another World: Awakening of a Legend

CHAPTER 13: Brand-New

The city of Avelline had never known such silence.

When Ethan Lockwood and Celestia Draconyx stepped through the towering doors of the Adventurers' Guild, they were met not with the usual bustle, but with a hush so deep it seemed the walls themselves held their breath.

The pair stood side by side, battle-worn and exhausted. Ethan's armor was scorched and dented, a makeshift bandage wrapped around his shoulder. Celestia's obsidian-scaled armor was dull with soot and streaked with dried ichor. And yet, their eyes gleamed with an unmistakable fire.

The silence shattered.

"They did it!" roared Garrett, the grizzled senior officer whose voice rarely rose above a bark. "They actually cleared the hellhound den!"

The guild erupted.

Adventurers surged forward, voices overlapping in disbelief and admiration. Questions flew like arrows. Tessa, the once-dismissive receptionist, pushed through the crowd holding a steaming mug of tea.

"Here, for your burns. And... congratulations," she added, almost shyly.

Ethan offered a tired smile. "Thanks. We could both use a bath, a bed, and maybe a month of sleep."

Celestia snorted softly beside him. "You forgot the wine."

Lysa, quill already scratching furiously over parchment, looked up. "We'll need a full report. A pack that size hasn't been purged in over a decade."

The Guild wasted no time. Ethan's adventurer rank was elevated to S-class with unanimous approval. He was presented with a polished obsidian badge etched with glowing silver runes—the mark of a top-tier guild member.

With the recognition came generous gold rewards and an invitation to speak before the Guild Council. But it wasn't just his combat that drew attention.

A few days into their recovery, Ethan unveiled a personal project: an alchemic potion he had crafted himself. Unlike standard healing potions, his concoction healed wounds, restored stamina, and provided minor resistance to toxins and curses. It had been key to surviving the multi-element hellhound assault.

"This... this is unlike anything in our stores," Lysa murmured after sipping a sample. "How did you synthesize this effect?"

Ethan gave a modest shrug. "It's a blend of rare materials, battlefield insight... and a little creative thinking."

He left out the fact that the formula was refined through years of gaming logic, Eileen's forging wisdom, and a hunch about how fantasy-world ingredients might interact.

Word spread fast. Within a day, guild healers, merchant alchemists, and even nobles had approached him with offers to buy or replicate the potion.

Despite the celebration, Ethan couldn't relax. The applause felt... too loud. Too bright. Behind the cheers, he sensed unease, as if their victory had disrupted something old and hidden.

Later, as the crowd thinned and torches flickered low, Celestia leaned close.

"You feel it too, don't you?" she whispered, her voice a soft rumble.

Ethan nodded. "Taking out that pack was a major win. But it stirred something. This world’s shadows run deeper than we guessed."

He recalled the Syndicate's relentless pursuit, the strange rot left by the chimera corpse, and the murmurings of political unrest threading through Avelline's upper circles.

"This S-rank quest... it might've been the beginning, not the end."

Celestia placed a clawed hand on his. "Then we stay ready. Together."

Back in their upgraded lodgings—an elegant suite atop the renowned "Silver Griffon Inn"—Ethan sat beside the window, watching the moon rise over Avelline’s tiled skyline. Golden candlelight flickered across polished wood and velvet drapes. The soft murmur of distant fountains blended with the hush of night, casting a rare peace over the room.

Behind him, Celestia lay curled atop the feather-stuffed mattress, her armor shed, obsidian scales catching glimmers of moonlight through the open balcony. Her breath was steady, her wings folded, tail draped like a ribbon of shadow over silk sheets.

Ethan turned away from the window and stepped quietly to her side.

“You really do burn yourself out for me,” he whispered.

She didn’t respond—not out loud. But the faint twitch of her ear told him she heard.

With a tired smile, he reached out and gently brushed his hand across her head, fingers sliding through her silver-white hair. She leaned slightly into the touch, a quiet rumble of contentment vibrating through her chest.

Ethan lingered a moment longer before retreating to the other side of the room, slipping beneath the covers of a second bed. As his eyes closed, one thought echoed softly in his mind.

Whatever comes next… we’ll face it together.