I Have a Task Log

He set the plate in front of Colin and said, "They actually recommend eating it raw, just dipped in a little salt."

"Shouldn’t we chill it first?" Kase chimed in.

"Ha, you’re quite the connoisseur," Dorn said with a laugh. "The most authentic way is to slice the meat and bury it in snow for half an hour. We can’t do that here, of course—this is the Supreme Forest." He then turned to Colin. "Alright, our Dragon Slaying hero gets the first bite. Please, be my guest."

’A White Dragon shouldn’t have any parasites, right?’

With that thought, Colin didn’t hesitate. He picked up a slice of dragon meat with his fingers, dipped it in the salt crystals, and popped it into his mouth.

He savored it for a moment. The White Dragon meat didn’t actually have much flavor. It felt cool and crisp in his mouth, and the overall texture was fibrous, like calamari.

Dorn ate a piece as well, then asked, "Some of the White Dragon’s flesh was ruined by Magic, so we ended up carving off over three hundred kilograms of meat. What do you want to do with it all?"

"Let’s just sell it all..." Colin said. "I mean, it doesn’t seem any different from ordinary meat."

Dorn nodded. "You’re right, there isn’t much difference. Most people have the wrong idea about dragons. You know, some Knight tales claim that bathing in dragon blood lets you absorb a Giant Dragon’s Power. In reality, if you bathed in fresh White Dragon blood, the only thing that would change is that you’d freeze to death."

"For real?" Kase asked, his brow furrowed in doubt.

Dorn snapped his fingers. "See? A classic victim of folk tales."

"I remember you collected some of the dragon’s blood. What’s that for?" Colin asked, his curiosity piqued.

"A special type of Healing Potion. Besides healing wounds, drinking it also grants resistance to its corresponding energy Damage." Dorn waved his hand dismissively. "Enough about that. Tell us how you dealt with the dragon."

Kase grinned and clapped Colin on the shoulder. "Yeah, I want to hear it too."

"Fine, it’s a long story..."

Colin then recounted the entire story of how he’d outsmarted the White Dragon on the Church roof.

He made a point of explaining to Kase how knowledge from books could be applied in combat and the benefits of being literate. He also refuted Dorn’s ridiculous theory that "a lower center of gravity is better for maneuvering."

As the conversation wound down, they all started to feel drowsy and retired to their respective rooms for the night.

「Three days later.」

Colin opened his eyes and sat up on the edge of his bed, then began to put on his shoes.

The door creaked open. Ale peeked in, leaning on her crutch. "Don’t you need a crutch anymore, Colin?" she asked.

"I’m recovering pretty quickly," Colin said. "I think I can walk on my own today."

In truth, his injuries were fairly evenly distributed. He’d needed the crutch for the past few days simply because his body had been too weak, leaving him with no strength in his legs.

It was also worth noting that they were staying in a house offered to them by a local Half-Elf family. It consisted of two buildings and a small courtyard, making it one of the larger properties in the village.

After pulling on his boots, Colin went downstairs and stretched a bit.

He was just about to look for Kase to find something to kill time when several figures appeared outside the courtyard fence.

A closer look revealed it was Edwin and his companions.

With Edwin were Yuri, Oak Heart... and a man dressed as a Forester. Colin had to look twice to realize it was the stubborn Forester father he’d met during the White Frost hunt.

’It looked like they were the reinforcements who’d arrived outside the village. And back in Three Bays City, Yuri had indeed mentioned he was heading north to deal with Cultists. I can’t believe the Signal Flare he gave us actually brought him here. I guess this is what people call fate.’

"Colin, some friends of yours wanted to come and see how you’re doing," Edwin called out from outside the fence.

"Alright, I’ll get Kase and the others."

No sooner had he spoken than Kase and Dorn emerged from their cabin.

Colin then turned and called toward the house he was staying in, bringing the other two out.

As they all approached the fence, Yuri, who was leaning on it with both hands, let out a low whistle. "Looks like your party’s got a new member."

"This is our Dungeon Expert," Colin explained.

"And the core combat member, Locksmith Expert, seasoned grand strategist, and a master of humor well-versed in Elven jokes..."

Colin couldn’t help but cut him off. "We don’t have room for that many people."

"Well, I just came to check on you. Didn’t realize you had so many friends," Yuri said with a yawn. "I was in the area tracking down Smoke Powder smugglers, and next thing I know, you’re dragging me into a fight with a bunch of crazed Cultists. Just my luck."

"I just came to take a look, too," Oak Heart rumbled from the side.

Colin gave him a slight nod. "Thank you for your help in the battle."

Just then, Ronan, who had been standing behind the others, stepped forward.

He offered them a bundle of six small clay pots tied together. "You’ve probably finished the honey you took before. I harvested some more from the forest."

"If you want to apologize, just apologize. There’s no need to be so roundabout about it," Ale said, crossing her arms.

Ronan faltered for a moment. "I... Thank you."

Orelia stepped forward to accept the honey. "It seems Mr. Aidan is recovering well," she said. "Thank you for your gift."

"Hrmph. There’s something else," Oak Heart said abruptly. "The Cold Calamity isn’t over. I’ve spoken with the other Druids, and I wanted to let you know."

The Bearman probably hadn’t had a normal conversation in a long time, which made for a very abrupt change of topic. Still, what he had to say was critical.

Colin glanced at Edwin, who was standing nearby.

The Paladin felt his gaze and gave a slight nod. "It’s true. We have evidence that Lady Rime hasn’t abandoned her plans. The only reason things are quiet is that a situation has developed in Snow Deer Valley that’s keeping Her preoccupied."

Colin sighed.

’That’s bad news. The weather had been warming up, so I’d figured the whole thing was over.’

"I’ve said what I came to say. Goodbye," Oak Heart declared without a moment’s hesitation.

The towering man then turned and walked away, not even giving Colin and the others a chance to say goodbye. It seemed to be a social style unique to Bearmen.

The others glanced at each other. Yuri shrugged. "Well, I’m not in that much of a rush."

With that, he clapped Edwin on the shoulder. "I do have one more question, though. What exactly did you see outside the village that day?"