The dragon's harem

As the snowstorm started blowing again, the massive, six-foot-tall man walked through the city’s opal walls, and the guards greeted him. He wasn’t a stranger but was mostly alone, except for several soldiers who were walking behind him, having been saved by him.

Arad and his comrades have stopped the main orc invasion, but not all of the small skirmishes. When Gamond enclosed the Arctic North, she sealed off the biggest rift where millions of orcs would show up, but there were countless other small cracks all around the north, which were the threat the soldiers of Gojo’s kingdom were dealing with.

This man was called Neil, a former S-ranker, who is now retired. He was out hunting in the storm when he came across the soldiers and adventurers clashing with the stray orc skirmishes, and he had saved them.

The soldiers looked at the old man, who looked as dense and muscular as a well-trained young man would be. He had wide shoulders, well-defined arms and legs, and a build that many dreamed of. His hair was pure white, and his blue and green eyes hid a faint glimmer of magic. His wrinkly face, short beard, and thick eyebrows were covered with frost, yet he still wore nothing but regular clothes and a coat.

”I heard the fight against the orcs’ main force had ended.” A captain approached them, saluted Neil, and then ordered the injured soldiers to be taken to the infirmary, where the healers awaited. ”But dealing with the stray ones and the fleeing monsters is putting a huge load on our already thin forces. I know you already helped us a lot...”

Before the captain could finish speaking, Neil walked past him and tapped him on the shoulder. ”What are you asking of an old man pushing to the end of his tenth decade? I already did more than I should have... I need to rest.”

The captain looked at Neil’s back with a sad face and then saluted him once more. ”I once more thank you for saving my men. I’ll make sure a fitting reward is sent your way.”

Neil waved his hand. ”Just let me sleep.” And he disappeared into the dense crowd of the city’s busy streets. The commander sighed and turned back to follow his soldiers. The city was lacking in manpower; most of the young and promising adventurers had gone south to warmer places, and not that many remained.

He could count the B-rankers around on two hands, and there were only two A-rankers staying here, and those only remained because of their families, who refused to move with them; due to that, they were too salty and angry to deal with.

It was almost a miracle that this poor and remote city still had an S-ranker hanging around. Neil had been around fighting monsters for longer than the commander’s father had lived. Many cities just dismissed his existence as he is old and fragile now, but to the soldiers and the people of this city, he was the last hero holding the people’s hopes up.

Neil walked up to a bar and pushed the door open. A few drunk young guys rushed past him, some bumping into him as they stumbled out, but he paid them no mind and walked to the counter, where he sat and asked for a drink.

The bartender was a young girl, barely approaching her twenties. Her father, who owns the places, seems to have fallen sick in his old age, and she is now taking his place to support her mother and siblings.

”Old man...” She looked at him with a smile and poured him a large mug of a special cocktail. ”Father said to give this to you if you ever show up.” As she pushed the mug toward him, Neil looked at it with a smile. ”How is Alex doing?”

”Father is... stable. He isn’t getting any worse or better. We tried every healer, but none of them could point to a cure.” She shook her head. ”He’ll be fine one day.” She then looked back at the full bar. ”I’ll hold this place until he feels better.”

As Neil started drinking, she went back to her job, and time flew by. Several minutes, then an hour. It was then that something happened: two guys started arguing in the back, and soon, it turned physical. One was an old man in his forties, and the young brat was in his twenties, a C-ranker.

The heated argument quickly shifted from mere words to physical in seconds, and soon, they were already trashing the tavern. Seeing the daughter of his old friend getting stressed over the damage, Neil stood and sighed. ”I’ll handle it. Don’t get too close or you might get hurt.”

He slowly walked over to the fighting guys and then stood by their side. ”Would you please stop it? And pay for what you broke.”

The two were arguing about the old man’s daughter, who recently married this young man, and now he wants to take her south to warmer cities. The old man doesn’t want his daughter gone, but the young man wants to find a better place for his wife. Down south, he could find more work, and she would have less of a harsh life without the freezing cold.

Neil understood where both came from. If all the young people left, this city would soon die. And the young man just wants a better life, in a better place. ”You don’t have to fight over this. He just wants a better place for your daughter; you can’t keep her here. I know that you love this city, but you can’t argue that it’s not already crumbling. Talk this over; I’m sure you can reach an understanding.”

”So, what is it, old man!?” The young man growled, grabbing Neil by the collar of his cloak. ”I’m going south and taking her with me. This city be darned. Everything is frozen cold: the water, the plants, and even the dirt. Each quest is a struggle to survive, and money is tight. It’s not just us adventurers who can’t live here; Everyone can’t survive in this ice hole. This place isn’t suitable for human life, and this old man doesn’t want to understand it.”

Adventurers always die young, killed in battle. This young man understood that well, and working in this dangerous and harsh area makes his survival chances even lower. He just... doesn’t want to die in battle and leave his new wife a widow.

”The new King Gojo and his tiny goddess are already fixing the city.” The old man growled, ”If you take my daughter and leave, I don’t want to ever see you back here when things get better. You’re abandoning the city and its people when they need you the most.”

”IT IS NOT MY PROBLEM!” The young adventurer growled, and then pushed Neil away as he tried to leave. This was a good sign; the fight should be over. If none of them would pay for the damage, Neil was ready to pay for it himself. It was to fix the bar of his old friend Alex after all.

But as the young adventurer was leaving, the old man grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him back. ”Where do you think you’re going!? We’re not done talking!”

”Get your hand off me!” The young man shouted as he pushed the old man’s hand away, but the old man refused to let go. At that moment, he snapped. The young man moved back so fast that he looked like a monster, and before any normal person could even realise it, a monster-killing fist was flying toward the old man’s face at blinding speed.

A C-ranker was far stronger than any regular guy, and just one could kill tens of armed civilians with ease. But... before the young adventurer’s fist could hit the guy, Neil caught it. ”Calm down, don’t use your strength on people. Basic discipline.”

”Fuck off!” The young man growled as he threw a kick right at Neil’s torso, and it was at that moment that he knew... he had messed up. When he kicked him, it felt like kicking the city’s titanic stone wall. Solid, dense, and unmovable.

”Huh?!” He gasped in surprise, stared at Neil’s face for a second, and then grunted as he started throwing tens of punches as hard as he could, punching Neil’s torso as if it were a punching bag, yet he wasn’t able to move him an inch.

Each punch shook the entire bar and tore a bit of Neil’s clothes and cloak, slowly revealing a dense, muscular, and scar-riddled torso that had seen tens of thousands of deadly battles. And when the young man’s fist shattered, Neil grabbed him by the face and lifted him up like a toy. ”Did you calm down, son. Don’t use your powers on civilians; they could die.” He clenched a fist. ”Here, I’ll give you a demonstration.”

Neil clenched his fist and smacked the young adventurer in the guts so hard that he sent him flying out of the tavern. ”True weakness is the inability to control yourself, son. So next time, have power over yourself first before you try to impose it on others.”

At that moment, an armored soldier rushed in through the bar’s door. ”Sir Neil!” He approached Neil and handed him a fancy envelope.

Neil studied it for a second. ”The compensation? Is this too quick?” He asked, and the soldier shook his head. ”No, sir. That would still take a while to sort out.” The soldier then cleared his throat and straightened his back.

”I hereby deliver a letter from our King, Gojo Orion the First. S-ranker, War Hero, The North’s Fist, Neil Bjorn. His Majesty requests your presence at the royal palace.”