After gently waving goodbye to them, Gauss commanded Hephaestus to take flight.
"The Dragon Knight has left!"
"I’ve decided, I’m going to become an adventurer too, I want to ride a dragon as well!"
"Phil, if I told you that the kind person who helped me was actually that Dragon Knight, would you believe me?"
"I believe you."
"Phil, don’t listen to Dreil’s bragging, how could that be possible?"
"Look, he saw me, he’s turning around and waving at us."
"Huh!?"
Soon, the Red Dragon Beast disappeared into the high skies, eventually vanishing from sight.
Gauss left Flute Castle, but the legends about him would clearly continue in the town.
...
"Boom!"
The Red Dragon Dragon Beast Hephaestus flapped its wings, generating a strong thrust to propel itself forward.
Hephaestus’s flight didn’t rely entirely on the physical act of wing flapping.
It was more like a magical force, but as everyone knows, Dragon Beasts do not possess magic.
Even now, Hephaestus was barely able to take to the sky, so he could not have mastered the flying skill.
So this must be some kind of innate ability imprinted in its bloodline.
Gauss took in the scenery of the land below.
If there was any gain from the trip to Flute Castle, it was that the Red Dragon Dragon Beast Hephaestus no longer had to hide.
Since others already knew about it, it might as well just be used openly for travel.
"Control the speed."
Gauss gently patted Hephaestus beneath him, conveying his intention.
Hephaestus had been cooped up for many days since the battle between Gauss and the Dragon Priestess, and it hadn’t been let out since, so it was hard for it to contain its excitement.
But for long-distance flight, it naturally had to maintain a relatively steady speed, as an all-out sprint would be exhausting even for a giant dragon’s strength.
Gauss gazed at the silhouette of the snow-capped mountains in the distance.
According to the principle of mountains running horses to death, the snow mountains seemed close but were actually not.
Based on Gauss’s estimation, it might still take several days of flying.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
At dusk.
Gauss directed Hephaestus to land in front of a small town, which elicited a wave of exclamations.
Among the town’s guards, someone had already recognized Gauss’s identity.
In recent days, the fame of Red Dragon Knight Gauss had spread rapidly to the surrounding villages, towns, and cities.
Some admired him, while others were skeptical.
It wasn’t until the beautiful red dragon descended from the sky with a human on its back that the guards understood the rumors weren’t fictitious.
"Welcome, Red Dragon Knight Gauss."
After retracting the giant dragon, the guard responsible for inspection at the gate flushed bright red.
Other townspeople, who had witnessed the landing, gathered eagerly, wanting to see the dragon’s magnificence with their own eyes.
Seeing this, Gauss quickly withdrew Hephaestus.
The guards feigned an inspection and quickly allowed them through.
"The Dragon Knight Gauss has arrived!"
"The Dragon Knight is here!"
Children ran excitedly through the streets, spreading the news about the recently rising star, the Red Dragon Knight.
This was just an ordinary small town, and Gauss’s arrival was headline news to those who lived repetitive daily lives.
Gauss wore a slightly stiff smile as he responded to the cries of the enthusiastic townspeople.
It seems like he’ll have to be mindful of his influence in the future.
Although, technically, he wasn’t a true Dragon Knight; normally, a Dragon Knight would be a human warrior who could partner with an adult giant dragon, possessing unmatched strength and being at the apex of power.
Gauss’s own strength was far from meeting those standards, and Hephaestus was only a dragon beast in its adolescence, calling him a younger version of a Dragon Knight was already flattering.
But it’s hard to stop the spread of the name, and he’s young with limitless potential.
Moreover, his combat prowess was undeniable, taking down extraordinary foes with the body of an elite.
In the coming future, with the spread of trading caravans, newspapers, and other information channels, his fame would continue to rise.
Gauss looked at the bustling town.
He finally realized that his once obscure existence had ended, and a new stage awaited him.
He and his team would gradually rise to fame, gaining the adoration of many while also attracting more covert adversaries and facing increasingly dangerous enemies.
Fame is a double-edged sword.
The town wasn’t large.
The group searched around before entering the town’s only tavern, the "Big Horn."
Every gaze in the tavern immediately focused on him.
The whispers and clinking of glasses paused for a moment; even the bartender’s hand shook slightly as he wiped glasses.
"Is that the one from the rumors..." someone whispered.
"I thought it was just a child’s story."
"It must be him, the black hair, that aura, and his companions’ outfits match the bard’s songs exactly."
"The black-haired dragon-riding hero, the fearsome Snake-man companion, and the giant by his side..."
"I heard he single-handedly repelled an entire monster army from the Dragon Worship Sect at Flute Castle?"
"He doesn’t seem any different from us."
Gauss ignored the chatter, habitually heading to the bar to order drinks, some hot food, and a room.
As they got closer to the snow mountains and winter approached, the temperature rapidly dropped.
"Hah—"
Exhaling warm breath.
Though their bodily resilience protected against ordinary cold, they still felt some discomfort.
Resting midway on the journey was necessary.