Chapter 3: The Hunter meet the Dragon race Child

<p>Sure, here is the story translated into English:<br/><br/>---<br/><br/>Previously, Nao was given a contract by Madam Airi when he wanted to go to Spira village. The contract stated that he would become a permanent adventurer in Spira village and live there until he retired from his duties as an adventurer. Nao would be responsible for anything that happened in Spira village, serving as the front line to protect the village from any danger.<br/><br/>Nao began to understand the noble intentions of his parents in protecting Charchol Village through this contract. It made him realize that becoming an adventurer was challenging and risky, involving life and death stakes.<br/><br/>A few days later, Nao finally arrived at Spira village. The village head and the other villagers warmly welcomed him, glad that a permanent adventurer would be there to protect the village from roaming monsters.<br/><br/>"Welcome to Spira village. My name is Ran. Nice to meet you, adventurer," the village head greeted with a wide smile.<br/><br/>"Nice to meet you, Madam. My name is Nao, an adventurer from Oswald. I hope to cooperate with you all," Nao replied.<br/><br/>"My name is Ran, the village head of Spira. So, don't be too formal with me. We already consider you part of us, so don't be too shy, okay?" said Ran.<br/><br/>"Yes, thank you very much, Madam Ran," Nao replied.<br/><br/>Ran then turned around. "Alright, how about I take you to your new house where you will stay during your duty here?" Ran said.<br/><br/>Nao was surprised to hear that. "I get a house to stay here? I thought I would just stay at an inn," Nao said.<br/><br/>Ran replied, "Of course, we couldn't let our special guest not have a proper place to stay while protecting our village."<br/><br/>Ran then led Nao to a house prepared by the villagers for him. The house was a wooden structure with basic furnishings such as cooking utensils, a bed, a wardrobe, a bathroom with a toilet, and a fireplace for warmth at night. Nao felt honored by the villagers' efforts, even though he was just an ordinary person without any special status or noble family background.<br/><br/>Nao then bowed. "Thank you very much for everything, Madam Ran. Are you sure you want to give me a house just for myself?"<br/><br/>Ran answered, "This is a collective decision, so don't worry about it. Once again, please cooperate with us, Mr. Nao, or shall we call you Mr. Hunter?" Ran said with a smile.<br/><br/>"Mr. Hunter? Is that a nickname for me?" Nao asked, confused.<br/><br/>"Wow, you don't even know your nickname from the central guild," Ran said.<br/><br/>"I don't pay much attention to the nicknames given by the guild. I just focus on the quests they give me, which mostly involve hunting," Nao replied.<br/><br/>"No wonder you got that nickname at the guild. Well, I have to go now, as I still have many tasks to complete. I hope you enjoy your stay here," Ran said.<br/><br/>"Oh, alright. Sorry to bother you. I think I will enjoy my stay here," Nao replied.<br/><br/>Ran clapped her hands. "Good to hear. I'll take my leave now. Goodbye, Mr. Hunter," Ran said, waving her hand as she left.<br/><br/>"Goodbye, Madam Ran," Nao said, waving back before entering his new house.<br/><br/>Nao started to arrange his belongings, taking off his helmet and armor, and changing into a t-shirt and cloth pants he had brought in his bag.<br/><br/>"Finally, I've arrived at Spira village," Nao said, holding and staring at the necklace his mother gave him. "Father, Mother, please continue to watch over me and give me strength," Nao said.<br/><br/>After that, Nao sharpened his sword and knives using a river stone he always carried and cleaned his armor with a damp cloth. Once he had finished cleaning his equipment, Nao went out to buy food at the general store across the street from his house.<br/><br/>When Nao entered the store, he was warmly greeted by the shop owner couple, Small and Mayrel.<br/><br/>"Welcome to our store, dear customer," Small and Mayrel greeted.<br/><br/>"Oh, good afternoon. My name is Nao. I would like to buy some beef, bread, and wheat," Nao replied with a smile.<br/><br/>"Are you Nao the Hunter who will be staying here? I'm Small, and this is my wife, Mayrel," Small introduced himself.<br/><br/>Mayrel bowed. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Hunter. You wanted to buy some supplies, right? Just a moment," Mayrel said, going to get Nao's order. Small approached Nao suddenly.<br/><br/>"So, have you had a chance to explore the village?" Small asked.<br/><br/>Nao took a step back. "Well, I haven't had the chance to explore because I was busy arranging my house," Nao replied.<br/><br/>Small sighed. "I see... you must be very tired from your journey. Here, take this," Small said, handing Nao a small pouch.<br/><br/>"What is this?" Nao asked.<br/><br/>"A little gift from me, some sweet chocolate made by my wife to help ease your fatigue," Small replied with a big smile.<br/><br/>"Um... thank you. I'll try it later," Nao said.<br/><br/>After chatting, Mayrel brought Nao's order and placed it on the counter.<br/><br/>"Alright, everything comes to five silver coins," Mayrel said.<br/><br/>"Okay, five silver coins for you. Oh, and the chocolate—" Nao started to say.<br/><br/>"No need to pay for the sweet chocolate. It's a gift for you," Small interrupted.<br/><br/>"Thank you very much for everything, Mr. Small and Madam Mayrel," Nao said.<br/><br/>"We should be the ones thanking you for shopping here," Mayrel replied.<br/><br/>After finishing his shopping, Nao left the store and returned home to cook lunch. He prepared smoked meat with a piece of bread and wheat porridge.<br/><br/>Meanwhile, in a different place, a little girl was sleeping, trembling in fear due to a nightmare.<br/><br/>"Quick, take her away and save our daughter," a dragon man said urgently.<br/><br/>"I can't leave you alone, dear," the dragon woman replied.<br/><br/>"We don't have time. We must—" the dragon man started to say but was interrupted.<br/><br/>Suddenly, the man was struck by an arrow and died on the spot. The woman screamed hysterically, and their daughter froze in place, watching her father die. A group of humans then entered the dragon family's residence.<br/><br/>"Hahaha, we got a bonus, guys. Quickly, take both of them to the carriage," said the first bandit.<br/><br/>The woman fought back with her claws, but the second bandit reflexively stabbed her with his sword, killing her instantly, leaving only the daughter alive.<br/><br/>"What are you doing? You killed our valuable asset," the first bandit raged, hitting the second bandit on the head hard.<br/><br/>"Sorry, boss, it was an accident. She almost killed us," the second bandit apologized, trembling.<br/><br/>The first bandit sighed. "Fine, quickly take the daughter to the carriage now!" he ordered.<br/><br/>"Yes, boss!" the second bandit said, approaching the little girl.<br/><br/>"Stay away from me. Back off. Don't come near me. Help, Daddy, Mommy!" the dragon girl screamed.<br/><br/>Suddenly, the girl woke up from her sleep, sweating and pale. She started to cry, remembering the incident.<br/><br/>"Daddy, Mommy, help me. I'm scared," the dragon girl sobbed.<br/><br/>The next day, the girl was taken to a city to be sold to a slaver by the bandits who kidnapped her. When she saw an opportunity, she breathed a small flame from her mouth, melting the chains that bound her, and ran into the forest.<br/><br/>The bandits noticed her escape and chased her into the forest but lost her trail. They returned to their carriage to continue their journey after lunch. The girl kept running until she found a cave and sat there, catching her breath.<br/><br/>"Finally, I'm safe. Daddy, Mommy, I'm scared. I miss you," the girl cried, hugging her knees.<br/><br/>Meanwhile, in Spira village, Nao was ready in his armor with his weapons. He headed to the guild hall and met the receptionist named Airis.<br/><br/>"Oh, Mr. Hunter, are you here to take a quest today?" Airis greeted.<br/><br/>"Yes, what quests are available today?" Nao asked.<br/><br/>"Today, there's a quest to hunt a Class B monster called Crazy Bear. This monster has been roaming and disturbing our farms, stealing our crops for the past few weeks," Airis replied.<br/><br/>"Has no one taken this quest?" Nao asked again.<br/><br/>"Unfortunately, no, because the adventurers here are still bronze class, so they can't take this quest," Airis said, looking disappointed.<br/><br/>"I see. Alright, I'll take this quest to keep the farms safe," Nao said.<br/><br/>"Thank you, Mr. Hunter. Good luck with your hunt," Airis said.<br/><br/>After taking the quest, Nao headed into the forest to find the monster. Along the way, he found tracks and claw marks from the Crazy Bear and followed them. As he got closer, Nao heard the scream of a little girl, prompting him to hurry towards the source of the scream.<br/><br/>Nao had a bad feeling, and sure enough, there was a little girl about to be attacked by the Crazy Bear. Quickly, Nao drew his sword, took a throwing knife from his satchel, and threw it at the bear's thigh.<br/><br/>"Get out of there," Nao commanded.<br/><br/>Nao rushed towards the Crazy Bear and stabbed it in the stomach. The monster fought back, trying to slash at Nao, who dodged and took a flash grenade from his waist pouch.<br/><br/>"Close your eyes, little girl!" Nao ordered.<br/><br/>"Okay," the dragon girl replied, closing her eyes.<br/><br/>Nao threw the flash grenade, temporarily blinding the bear. Seizing the opportunity, Nao ran forward, flipped his shield to use its sharp edge, and used the sword embedded in the bear's stomach as a stepping stone. He then thrust his shield into the bear's jaw, piercing through to its head.<br/><br/>The Crazy Bear collapsed, and Nao had successfully saved the little girl. The girl, however, was terrified, mistaking Nao for one of the bandits who had chased her.<br/><br/>"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Nao asked.<br/><br/>"You want to kidnap me, don't you?" the dragon girl responded, trembling.<br/><br/>"Kidnap you? What do you mean? I came to save you and hunt that monster," Nao said, confused by the girl's response.<br/><br/>"I don't believe you. I saw humans kill my parents, so you must be one of the bad ones too," the dragon girl insisted.<br/><br/>"Humans killed your parents?" Nao asked. "This must be the work of bandits who capture people to sell as slaves," Nao thought. "Don't worry, I'm an adventurer here to save you from the bad guys," Nao reassured her.<br/><br/>"Really? You're not lying?" the dragon girl asked, still wary.<br/><br/>Nao removed his helmet and smiled at the girl, trying to earn her trust.<br/><br/>"My name is Nao, the adventurer. What's your name?" Nao asked.<br/><br/>"My name is Anna. Nice to meet you," the dragon girl replied. Their encounter would mark the beginning of a new adventure they would embark on together.<br/><br/>TO BE CONTINUED...<br/><br/>---<br/><br/>With the monster defeated and Anna saved, the story of Nao and Anna's journey together begins, setting the stage for future adventures and challenges they will face side by side.</p>