"Does thou have a moment, Lord Emiya?"

Shirou blinked as Adrianne walked up to him in the early morning hours. It was just barely after sunrise, marked by the still on-the-horizon sun.

"Of course, Lady Valliere. What do you need?" He motioned towards the hallway, the implication for privacy clear. The elf shook her head with a small laugh.

"This need not be a private affair. I merely wanted to question, does this not seem like the time to retrieve thou bounty?"

At this, the magus had to furrow his brow. He couldn't remember when could've accumulated whatever bounty Adrianne was talking about. Unless she counted the Imperials and their vassals, he hadn't exactly killed anyone noteworthy recently. And if he did, he doubted that anyone would be willing to pay their enemy.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."

"The dragon corpse, Lord Emiya."

"Ah."

In all the excitement and chaos going on, he had almost forgotten that he had, in fact, killed a dragon. Which was the entire reason that the elves were even here in the first place. A dragon whose corpse they had left in the smoldering heap that used to be the elves' village.

"You're right, Lady Valliere. I assume you have a plan in mind?" They could just go and ask the JSDF for help, which, in of itself would be the smartest decision. The problem was that they would likely get some 'samples' to take back to the other side of the Gate.

As much as Hazama and the others here felt trustworthy enough, they still worked for the Japanese government. And no matter what anyone said, Shirou just couldn't trust that any politician out there would use the dragon's corpse for anything good.

Adrianne stepped closer, her expression one of determination. "I propose we organize a small, skilled team to return to the village and secure the dragon's remains. The team should be capable of handling any unexpected threats and skilled enough in magic and combat to ensure the mission's success. I am willing to lead this expedition myself, alongside thou."

Adrianne's proposal was sound, even if, left unsaid, only the elves would be partaking in the retrieval. As much as the gap between the elves and humans had lessened, it was still wide enough that she didn't trust them fully, with some exceptions.

Moreover, he understood that having this conversation in public was more than just a power play. They were almost certainly being watched, and this conversation was likely to be relayed back to Hazama.

That was fine, in all honesty. They could hide that a couple of the elves were gone. The JSDF were likely used to Shirou himself disappearing without a word. Both things were easy enough to obscure.

They certainly couldn't, however, hide an entire dragon corpse. Especially one of Rubrasax's size.

That was where this conversation would come into play. Adrianne was making sure that it was clear as day that her people were on Shirou's side in whatever may happen. That doing something that went against Shirou's interests would also mean that they were going against the elves.

Basically, more politics.

Internally, the magus groaned. The more time he spent here, the more he got dragged into the political messes that he really wasn't interested in.

The sad thing was, he knew that it was going to devolve into a mess sooner or later. No matter what the elves might do, what their political status may be, someone somewhere - not just the Japanese government, but likely everyone and their mothers - would try and steal part of the dragon for research purposes.

That wasn't even mentioning that three Clock Tower representatives were with them on this side of the Gate.

While Gray would likely just want to see the dragon itself, Waver would at least want some pieces of it to test for alchemy, and he didn't even want to think of what Reines would want it for. And he certainly didn't know what would happen once the rest of the Lords of the Clock Tower heard about it.

Whereas he figured that maybe the mundane governments would make better armor, or weapons to pierce said armor, the magi of his world were much, much more dangerous. The possibilities were, quite literally, endless.

The fact was he knew, Adrianne knew, and anyone with a brain would know, that once the dragon was revealed in all its glory, it would be a bloodbath to see who gets what.

The elves were nothing more than a stopgap solution, one that Adrianne was offering. By positioning herself and her people with him, she was adding another layer that people would need to bypass, even if the end result was inevitable.

He didn't need to say this to the Grand Elder. It was clear to see in her eyes, brightly grim, that she knew where this was going.

Along with the resolve and stubbornness that he could almost picture in a mirror from his younger self.

"...We'll need some equipment, likely several carts at the minimum."

"Mine people have everything ready. They only await thine word."

It was only an hour later that they were already heading out. That hour was itself less for actually leaving, and more trying not to attract any attention. Still, Shirou and Adrianne were heading out a bit before the last few carts.

So far, the magus counted three carts, Reinforced with magic to lift more than they normally should. Along with them, another four were still in the base when they left, and would join them when they could.

The journey to the ruined village would take a couple of hours, shortened by the fact that they didn't have any injured with them this time around. That, and the elves were a lot more fit than even some of the JSDF themselves, owing to their active lifestyle.

It made the trip a lot more manageable this time around.

Now, they only had to deal with their other passengers.

"Master Cato had us travel to Alnus when we had to evacuate Coda Village. The other villagers had already gone elsewhere."

"Ah, so that's who those were!"

Two of them, to be precise. The first, was Rory herself, walking along with the cart, halberd in hand. She was talking to the young mage, who sat on one of the carts being pulled by several horses.

Lelei La Lelena. Cato's apprentice, and one that deserved that position from what Shirou had witnessed. She was practically a genius, a prodigy in magic, so much so that Shirou wouldn't be surprised if she took Cato's mantle once he passed.

The two of them had intercepted them just as they left the camp, though they did so separately. The first had been Rory, who'd jumped in front of their cart, almost scaring the horses. She wasn't much of an issue. The Apostle and Shirou had similar goals, and it was inevitable that she would've noticed them.

Anyone with a knack for sensing any form of magical energy would've noticed a large chunk leaving, after all.

With no one really protesting, Rory had joined them. It was an added bit of protection that nobody would say no to, after all.

It was Lelei that was the issue.

Shirou could pick up her scent a good distance away. That is to say, the scent of her pure mana. It was strikingly potent. Where Rory had the scent of death and destruction, both Cato and Lelei's were almost unnaturally pure.

Which was why he wasn't surprised when they were intercepted a second time.

He was surprised as to who did so. He had expected that it was Cato, who'd undoubtedly be interested in the dragon himself. Instead, it was the rather petite girl that had all but silently demanded that she join them.

He figured that Cato must've sent her in his place. The sage likely had the same thought process that Adrianne had - the dragon corpse must be retrieved, and must not fall into some unscrupulous hands. By sending Lelei, he had silently given his support to Shirou. As well as gave him permission to let her use her magecraft to help them with whatever they needed.

He refused to let this opportunity go to waste.

He had asked Lelei to use her magecraft as she saw fit, and she had done so with no trouble. In fact, part of the reason it would only take a couple of hours of travel this time was that she had cast a spell to lighten the carts' load on the horses.

Just for that, he would smother his worry at dragging the young mage to the smoldering battlefield. If worst comes to worst, he could always pull her back and refuse to let her near the actual site.

Still, as the sun neared its highest point, he could pick up the faint smell of death once more. He grimaced. To his side, he watched as Adrianne and the rest of the elves' features hardened.

…

The scent of ash and the sight of the ruined village hit them long before they arrived, a stark reminder of the devastation wrought by the dragon and the battle that ensued. The elves, though stoic, carried a palpable sense of loss and determination.

Shirou could see the mixed emotions on everyone's faces - awe, fear, sadness, and a resolve to press on. Adrianne, in particular, seemed to steel herself, her gaze fixed on the dragon. It was clear that the elves saw the dragon not just as a threat that had been neutralized but as a part of the natural order that had been disturbed. Their respect for the creature, despite the destruction it caused, was evident in their solemn demeanor.

The red dragon lay dead, in the same position as they had left it. He could spot the rot within it, already decomposing on the inside. The smell of it could not be understated. Maggots and insects had crawled all along its orifices.

Shirou grimaced.

As much destruction that it had caused, it was a pitiful sight to see the corpse of such a creature being eaten away.

That being said, the scales themselves were untouched. They glistened in the light, not having lost their luster. The dragon's scales, shimmering even amidst the surrounding destruction, presented a stark contrast to the decaying flesh. It was a reminder of the creature's once-majestic nature and the raw power it had possessed.

Adrianne stepped forward, eyes both angry and determined. She kept her composure as she spoke, guiding her people with a practiced eye.

The elves moved with efficiency, guided by Adrianne's commands. They began the meticulous process of dissecting the dragon, an operation that required precision more than anything. Shirou, Rory, and Lelei provided support, the former two forming a perimeter to ensure that the elves' work was undisturbed, and the latter using her magecraft to reduce the weight of the parts as they were loaded onto the carts, the remaining ones having already joined them.

"You really did kill a red dragon." He looked to the side, seeing Rory staring at the corpse in awe. He furrowed his brow.

"Surely you've done something similar?" He knew she had. Looking through the history of the halberd she had, he could see that the Apostle had killed more dragons than just this one. Twenty dragons, with another two being grievously injured, had been felled by her halberd to date.

Rory shook her head, "That's true, but I had the advantage of being an Apostle. You, a plain old human? If you weren't who you were, the Empire would be singing your name for generations!"

There was a collective scoff from everyone near as they heard her. Shirou gave a rueful chuckle. There was certainly no love lost for the Empire here. Not that Rory cared, it seemed.

"I'm guessing that it doesn't happen very often, then?" Shirou raised an eyebrow. He could certainly tell that killing one wouldn't be easy, yet in a world like this, surely more than a couple of people would have killed a dragon before.

"A plain old dragon sure. A red dragon is a completely different matter entirely." Rory waved her hand towards the corpse, "Normal dragons can just breathe fire, hit you hard as hell. That whole thing. A red dragon can use red lightning, an ability that can harm even the gods."

At that, Shirou's eyebrows reached his hairline. He quickly reviewed the history of the halberd. Not one of the dragons Rory had killed wielded red lightning. Yellow and blue lightning, sure. Ice, in a few instances. A lot of fire.

Not one bit of red.

"And, judging by this," She motioned to the massive crevice that had been opened up by one of Rubrasax's attacks, "It wasn't exactly a young dragon, was it?"

His silence was already an answer.

Putting the conversation into the back of his head, he moved to the elves that were working on the dragon's head.

The decomposition had looked worse than it actually was. Only those outer parts - particularly the eyes - were the ones affected. The rest of the body had been preserved through whatever residual magical energy the corpse still had.

More or less, the entire corpse had been sectioned into pieces, and was now in the process of being tied down onto the carts.

Soon enough, the last thing that showed there was a dragon here in the first place was the silent, ashy landscape.

A/N: If you like what I do and want to support me, check out my P-atreon at P-atreon•com(slash)Almistyor.

Thanks to my newest patrons: Gwwynblaid.

And a special thanks to: FireRogueWolf25, brutalcrab and Tassimo.