I Am Not A Goblin Slayer

But now was definitely not the time to overthink things.

After chatting with his teammates for a while, Gauss went to bathe and change his clothes in the camp. Once completely refreshed, he unhurriedly approached an Adventurer’s Guild staff member, asking to be led to the Guild President, Matthias Monroe.

Before he even got close to the building, Gauss could hear the sound of a conversation coming from inside. He tilted his head and glanced at the staff member, silently asking if it was a good time to go in.

”President Monroe gave orders that you can go straight in whenever you arrive,” the staff member replied.

”Alright.”

Gauss had only been worried about interrupting, but since President Monroe didn’t mind, he naturally wouldn’t hesitate. Guided by the staff member who pushed the door open, Gauss quickly walked into the room.

Despite being the frontline temporary office of the Adventurer’s Guild President, the interior remained spartan. Neither the walls nor the floor had any decorations or furnishings. There were only a few sofas, an office desk, and a classic silver tea set.

When Gauss entered, the bearded president was conversing with a burly man in armor sitting opposite him. Hearing footsteps and glancing up to see Gauss, Matthias Monroe stood up and waved him over.

”Gauss, you’re back. Grab a seat wherever you like.”

Gauss didn’t stand on ceremony, picking a single sofa to sit on.

True strength breeds quiet confidence.

His [Dragon Seed] class had advanced to [Dragon King Descendant], his Intelligence attribute had broken past 21 points, and he had even awakened [Future Sight], an ability that touched upon the domain of time. It was safe to say that although he was only Level 9, his true capabilities far exceeded what was on paper. At the very least, he was stronger than most Extraordinary Professionals.

In this very room, both President Monroe and the military figure sitting nearby exuded a faint sense of pressure. However, compared to before, the pressure radiating from the President was nowhere near as suffocating as it used to be. It wasn’t that the President had grown weaker, but rather that Gauss had grown vastly stronger in a very short period.

Ever since Gauss sat down, the burly military man had stopped talking, opting instead to stare at him with intense curiosity. It was as if he wanted to see past Gauss’s handsome exterior and sense the true power hidden within.

Gauss turned his head and gave him a calm nod in greeting. This effortless, breezy demeanor made Wenster Xavier unconsciously raise an eyebrow.

In truth, before Gauss had entered, Matthias had been telling him all about the young man. Of course, even without this old fellow’s introduction, Wenster had already heard of Gauss’s reputation. Still, this was indeed their first face-to-face encounter.

His first impression of Gauss was far better than he had imagined. Before they met, his subconscious impression of Gauss was that of a pretty boy with exceptionally outstanding Magic Talent who had somehow been incredibly lucky enough to gain the favor of a Red Dragon. He had actually seen quite a few similar magic geniuses during his travels in the Royal Capital. Without exception, they all came from excellent family backgrounds, wore luxurious Magic Robes, and exuded an air of unspeakable arrogance and privilege.

But Gauss seemed completely different from everyone else he had met.

He was far too calm.

Despite having a Professional Level of only 9, he didn’t seem outmatched in presence in the slightest while sitting between two top-tier Extraordinary, Level 15 Professionals. One shouldn’t underestimate this feat. It was impossible to fake this kind of composure; it only proved that the young man’s true strength was far greater than he had anticipated.

Furthermore, when Wenster closed his eyes, he could almost feel a scorching aura blazing outward from the young man sitting nearby, as if the entity resting on the sofa wasn’t a human, but a mighty Giant Dragon. It was just that this Giant Dragon was still in its infancy and hadn’t yet grown to its peak state—but its dangerous aura was already showing its terrifying potential.

Especially considering that the young man was currently only in his early twenties—a frighteningly young age—everything combined painted a somewhat shocking picture.

If Gauss hadn’t been a prodigy that the Adventurer’s Guild was throwing its weight behind to cultivate, Wenster might not have been able to resist tying him up, dragging him back to the Xavier family to marry one of their female relatives, and locking him down with a few children before he could say no. However, even if he wanted to recruit this son-in-law now, it was probably too late. This genius sitting before him seemed to have already come into his own.

Amidst their silent mutual appraisal, Monroe spoke first, formally introducing the two.

”Wenster Xavier, this is the peerless genius I was telling you about, Gauss. And Gauss, my boy, this is the biological younger brother of the current Earl of the Xavier family, and the Commander of the Iron Guard Knight Order, Wenster Xavier.”

”Commander Wenster, a pleasure to meet you. I’ve long heard of your renowned name,” Gauss said.

”Not at all. It’s a pity my military duties keep me so busy, otherwise I would have sought you out much sooner,” Wenster replied. ”I wonder if you are currently betrothed? We have many beautiful young women in the Xavier family.”

Wenster’s words were completely sincere. Driven by certain ambitions, he genuinely regretted not meeting Gauss before the young man had fully blossomed in strength. But it was too late for regrets now. He could only force a smile. Perhaps because he rarely smiled on a daily basis, the expression on his face appeared incredibly stiff.

So stiff, in fact, that his friend Matthias Monroe could hardly bear to watch.

He could more or less guess what his old friend was thinking. Despite being the second son of the Xavier family’s main branch, Wenster’s desire to revitalize their house was not a single bit weaker than that of his brother, Earl Augustine Xavier.

Faced with Wenster’s inquiry, Gauss only offered an awkward smile, utterly surprised that the man would bring up such a private topic on this occasion, right after they had just met.

”Alright now, does a rough brute like you really need to worry about the marriage prospects of a brilliant young talent and a pillar of the kingdom like Gauss?” Monroe interjected, effectively pushing Wenster back down.

He had actually spoken up to interrupt because he had caught Gauss’s polite but declining expression in response to Wenster’s olive branch.

Seeing Gauss’s lukewarm reaction, Wenster sighed inwardly. He didn’t know why, but the more top-tier a genius was, the more apathetic they seemed toward marriages of convenience with the nobility, avoiding them like poison. He didn’t know if they were worried about being gossiped about behind their backs, or if they simply looked down on provincial powers like his family, hoping instead to marry into even stronger factions.

Rumor had it that the Third Princess was indeed of marriageable age...

”Well then, Gauss, Monroe, I’ll leave you two to chat. I won’t disturb you any further. I still have some military affairs waiting for me to handle.”

After seeing Wenster out, Gauss finally discussed the details of his commissioned mission with President Monroe. First, he returned the [Silent Birdcage] that the Guild had lent him.

”As for this large Storage Bracelet, I might need to hold onto it for a while longer before I can return it,” Gauss said.

”No rush, no rush,” President Monroe said, waving his hand dismissively.

He naturally understood what Gauss meant. He could guess that the bracelet probably contained several priceless True Dragon Corpses, and he couldn’t help but feel a tinge of envy. True Dragon Corpses were extraordinarily precious, even to a Level 15 Professional like himself. Even with his own strength, if he were to face those juvenile dragons head-on, he could likely slaughter them all without breaking a sweat.

But an opportunity like that was almost impossible to come by.

No True Dragon would ever be so reckless as to appear in human territory. Furthermore, due to their racial traits, it was incredibly difficult for humans to use karmic divination or similar methods to track the coordinates of these young dragons. They could only rely on the most primitive and clumsy search methods.

Yet, even with hard-won intelligence, attempting to slay a True Dragon was still fraught with danger.

He felt only admiration for Gauss’s success, with no jealousy at all, and he quickly reined in the emotions flickering in his eyes. He knew that Gauss was perhaps the only person capable of completing this mission. Had Monroe gone himself, he would likely have only tipped off the enemy and ended up perishing in the process.

”So, how did the mission go?”

”Mission accomplished. There were four of them in total, and I killed all of them. I didn’t let a single one escape.”

Hearing Gauss’s official report, Monroe nodded in deep satisfaction. He had originally estimated that Gauss would be doing well just to kill one or two within the limited timeframe. He never expected Gauss to wipe out all the juvenile dragons without exception.

This was, of course, the best-case scenario. Every True Dragon that survived could, within the next few centuries, become a terrifyingly powerful Lord with an extreme hatred for humanity.

”However, you need to be careful from now on. Even though the Green Dragon Queen has vanished from the frontal battlefield, if she catches wind that you killed those juvenile dragons, she’ll inevitably point her spear at you.”