Chapter 35: The Otaku Returns to Town (And Rumors Travel Faster Than Drakes)
Soufthval looked the same as always.
That irritated Meliodas slightly.
The gates were open.
Two town guards stood watch, spears grounded, posture alert but relaxed. They recognized the farmstead insignia on the accompanying guards immediately.
One of the farm guards spoke first.
"Drake east of the high road. Three ogres routed. Caravan hit. Survivors secured."
The town guards stiffened.
One looked at Meliodas.
Then at the F-rank plate on his belt.
Then back at the farm guard.
"…Who engaged it?"
The farm guard didn't hesitate.
"He did."
Silence.
The town guard looked at Meliodas again.
Longer this time.
Measuring.
Meliodas kept his posture loose. Neutral. Not arrogant. Not humble.
Just there.
After a moment, the guard nodded once.
"Report it to the guild. Captain will want confirmation."
No accusation.
No praise.
Just procedure.
Good.
Procedure meant stability.
They entered town.
Whispers started immediately.
Not loud.
But quick.
Drake.
High road.
Ogres.
Survivors.
The words moved through the street like wind through tall grass.
Meliodas did not speed up.
He did not posture.
He did not let {Smouldering} flare intentionally.
But the perk didn't need permission.
Evening light hit at the perfect angle.
Dust hung in gold.
His coat shifted slightly in the breeze.
It looked dramatic.
He internally sighed.
Kaelen noticed.
"…You look like you planned that."
"I didn't."
Bud sent a pulse that felt like quiet laughter.
The Adventurer Guild was louder than usual.
When the farm guards entered first, conversations dipped.
When Meliodas followed, they dipped further.
Not awe.
Not fear.
Interest.
That was more dangerous.
The same clerk from before looked up.
Her eyes moved from Meliodas's face—
To the dirt on his coat.
To the shallow claw marks on the fabric.
To the faint scorch marks on the road dust still clinging to his boots.
Her expression sharpened.
"Report," she said.
Meliodas placed the signed escort token down first.
"Contract complete."
She checked it. Nodded.
Then she waited.
He didn't embellish.
"Second caravan destroyed east of the farmstead. Three high ogres present. Drake intervened."
A chair scraped loudly somewhere in the hall.
"Intervened?" the clerk asked.
"Yes."
She stared at him.
"And?"
"And it left."
That got a reaction.
Not disbelief.
Calculation.
The farm guard stepped forward and confirmed the wreckage, the survivors, the drake.
The guild hall began murmuring openly now.
Drake sightings were not common.
Drake engagements were even less common.
A veteran adventurer near the board muttered, "Tier 2…"
Another said quietly, "That's B-rank suppression."
The clerk looked at Meliodas again.
"You're F-rank."
"Yes."
A pause.
She stood up.
"Wait here."
That was never a casual sentence.
The Guild Captain arrived five minutes later.
Older. Scar down one cheek. Heavy pauldrons worn smooth by use.
He didn't look at Meliodas first.
He looked at the farm guard.
Then the clerk.
Then finally at the field damage reports being scribbled on parchment.
Only then did he look at Meliodas.
Long.
Assessing.
"Drake," the captain said evenly. "Describe it."
Meliodas did.
Precise. Controlled.
Scale Ward resistance.
Compression breath.
Wing membrane weakness.
Intelligent withdrawal.
No bragging.
No exaggeration.
The captain listened without interrupting.
When Meliodas finished, the captain nodded once.
"High-tier ogres?"
"Yes."
"Survivors?"
"Two merchants. Hidden inside the wagon. Alive."
That earned a flicker of approval.
"You protected them?"
"Yes."
The captain folded his arms.
"You're not B-rank."
It wasn't an insult.
It was a statement.
Meliodas didn't react.
"Rumor doesn't justify promotion," the captain continued. "Evaluation does."
Good.
Structured.
Logical.
"I can authorize a provisional C-rank," the captain said. "Temporary. You'll take two evaluation contracts. If your performance matches reports, it stays. If not, it drops."
Murmurs rippled through the hall.
F to C directly was not normal.
But it wasn't reckless either.
It was cautious advancement.
Meliodas considered.
C-rank meant:
Better contracts.
More scrutiny.
More attention.
But refusing would be stranger.
"I accept," he said calmly.
The captain studied him one more moment.
"You'll report any further drake movement immediately. We don't want a nesting problem."
Nesting.
That was worse.
"I will."
The captain nodded to the clerk.
"Provisional C-rank. Evaluation pending."
The clerk replaced the iron F plate with a steel C plate.
Meliodas took it.
He didn't smile.
But inside—
The system flickered.
Not loud.
Not intrusive.
Just a quiet acknowledgement.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Social Progression Achieved
Rank Advancement Logged
+3 Hero Shards
[UPDATED BALANCE]
Hero Shards: 77
Destiny Shards: 44
Broken Shards: 12
No dramatic quest.
No fireworks.
Just quiet progression.
That felt… good.
And dangerous.
They left the guild under heavier stares than before.
Kaelen walked close.
"You moved up."
"Provisional," Meliodas corrected.
The mage finally spoke.
"That drake will remember you."
"Yes."
"You're not concerned?"
"I am."
That answer seemed to unsettle him more than bravado would have.
That night, back in their rented room, Meliodas finally opened the catalog again.
Hero Shards: 77.
Sky Dragon Slayer — 40 HS.
Armament Haki — 15 HS.
Relentless — 4 HS.
Future Sight — 10 HS.
Plenty affordable.
Tempting.
Especially Sky Dragon Slayer.
Wind control.
Aerial combat.
Direct counter to flying drakes.
It would make sense.
Too much sense.
He leaned back against the wall.
Bud crawled into his lap in tiny form.
Not asleep.
Thinking.
Kaelen looked between him and the closed window.
"What are you considering?"
Meliodas stared at the ceiling.
"The drake wasn't hunting randomly," he said quietly.
Kaelen frowned.
"You think it was scouting?"
"Maybe."
He closed the catalog.
Not yet.
Power gained too quickly without context was a trap.
And something about the drake's behavior bothered him.
It didn't try to kill the survivors.
It didn't pursue the ogres.
It tested.
Measured.
Then withdrew.
That wasn't random predator behavior.
That was territorial intelligence.
Outside, the wind shifted.
Somewhere beyond the walls of Southval—
In the dark treeline—
Golden eyes opened briefly.
Then closed again.
Waiting.
---
[END OF CHAPTER 35]