For the next few days Adam could hardly pay attention to his studies with the wind formation. He was too giddy with excitement and imagination of the reward the Silver Saviors would get for the dragon. The monetary amount that they will be rewarded with will be handed over after the upcoming ceremony ends. For the ceremony itself, it was decided that the Silver Saviors in attendance would all be wearing their freshly cleaned leather armor with blue and white tones that represented them.

Adam met up with Clayton and a few other high-ranked Silver Saviors. Besides Clayton, everyone seemed stiff and anxious as they did not want to do something stupid and tarnish the Silver Saviors' name. Clayton took a look at the lot of them and gave a laugh: “Look at you all. You look like dainty boys getting ready for their first date! Just relax a bit.”

There were a few embarrassed chuckles as the anxiousness that everyone felt lessened. Shortly after a small procession of luxurious carriages came to the Silver Saviors. These carriages were sent by the military to pick up and escort them to the award ceremony. Adam got into the same carriage as Clayton since they would be standing next to each other during the ceremony. Adam had been feeling a little more nervous than the others since he was going to be right next to Clayton who would be the center of attention. He really did not want to look foolish in front of anyone that would be attending.

The carriages were taking them where the military headquarters was located, which was in the center of Hessler. The headquarters was boringly called Hessler Command and Dispatch Compound but everyone called it HeCo for short. This was where all the orders for the military in the northern half of Heider came from. Like everyone else, Clayton had never actually been to HeCo before. There were plenty of military offices located around Hessler and mercenary contracts were primarily conducted through one of these offices. The ceremony itself was going to be performed in a public assembly area that was part of HeCo. It would be richly decorated but there were not going to be any lavish banquets or anything like a high end private ceremony would have.

Before too long the military headquarters could be seen from afar. There was a vast amount of land that was for the exclusive use of the government in the center of Hessler. Much of it was used up as space for a giant castle compound which was the center of the city's governing. HeCo itself was not too far from the walls that surrounded the castle's grounds. The walls blocked the view of the castle, which was further in the distance but was like a white backdrop for HeCo. HeCo had a few trees and small gardens around its grounds to bring a more relaxing and lively feel to the place. In front of the compound was a large open square which was the public assembly area. Behind the square there were various sized buildings going from as small as a one story restaurant to as large as a five story building that was easily one hundred meters wide! They were all situated in an enclosed campus that only military personnel would be allowed entrance to.

The square was presently had a reasonable amount of people clustered inside. It had not been long since an announcement had been made about an award ceremony happening today so not too many people actually knew about it. Many of those currently in attendance just came to see what all the hubbub was about. They were shocked to hear that there was going to be an award ceremony for a mercenary company that had allegedly managed to kill a dragon for the military! There was a lot of chatter among the crowd as they talked about the circumstances behind this event. The carriages took Adam and the others to a side entrance that would allow them to get to a building that stretched across the back of the square, in front of which was the stage where announcements and ceremonies occurred. Inside the building Adam and the others were led to a green room to await the time of the ceremony. There was comfortable seating and simple foods and drinks to help them calm down. Having finally arrived everyone had started getting tense again. Clayton could hardly believe that these fellows who could fight bravely in battle were so frightened of a ceremony!

He said loudly: “Calm down! I am the only that should be nervous since I will be accepting the award! The rest of you only have to worry about not scratching your butt our coughing during the ceremony! Just stand tall and look good, that all you need to do!”

The others felt a little ashamed from Clayton's words. He was correct, it was just they had never done this before! Anyone would be a little nervous when doing something for the first time without any practice, right? Adam had even less life experience then everyone else present so he had been more nervous and anxious than anyone else. Adam tried not to but he would occasionally glance outside with his elemental sight and could see the dense throng of people. Clayton had seen this and gave Adam something else to think about: “Adam, after the ceremony we will finally receive the reward money from killing that dragon! Just distract yourself with thinking what you will do with your share. Will you take Helen out on a fabulous date? Buy yourself some fantastic armor? Just fantasize about it.”

Adam felt foolish for not thinking of this earlier. He started to fantasize about what he wanted in a house. What he felt would be good for him to raise a family in. A place where he just might spend the rest of his life with Helen in...

Before too long someone came into retrieve the Silver Saviors to start the ceremony. As the man took them to an exit that would lead directly onto the stage he told them of some etiquette they should mind. Basically it was what Clayton had said earlier; look tall and firm and don't move too much. As they got close to the exit a voice was heard introducing them: “Before I get into the specifics of today's ceremony, let us welcome the group who is being awarded today: Clayton and his company of the Silver Saviors!”

There was enthused applause as Clayton, Adam and the others walked out onto the stage. They neatly arranged themselves off to the left side of the announcer. On the right side there were some official looking military men in smart clothing that denoted a fairly high rank. Adam and Clayton stood side by side with the eight other high rank Silver Saviors standing in file behind them.

The announcer gave a broad smile as he introduced the Silver Saviors and then continued into the ceremony. “Now I am not sure if everyone here has heard but there was actually a dragon that had awoken in the Obermann territory to the North West! We did not know it was a dragon at the time and had only sent these brave Silver Saviors to deal with what we believed was a simple demonic beast! Regardless, it was these brave warriors alone that defeated the rising dragon!”

There was plenty of excited cheering as the announcer controlled the crowd. “Even this young man standing beside me fought such a savage beast!”

Adam tensed a little as he realized that everyone started concentrating on him with curious gazes. “Even though he is young he is a budding spiritualist that was a major factor in determining the Silver Saviors' success in defeating the dragon!”

More cheering splashed out from the crowd. “For their great deeds both Adam and Clayton will be receiving Medallions of Meritorious Service!”

Adam was stunned. “Wasn't it just Clayton who was supposed to receive an award for the Silver Saviors?”

Two of the men from the announcers right side came over. One held a wooden box that contained the medallions while the other pinned them on some of the softer parts of Clayton and Adam's leather armor. As the man did so he said in a voice that was loud enough for some of the closer audience to hear: “With these medallions you can instantly join the military while bypassing most of the regulations for new soldiers! You will also receive special privileges that even most martial artists and spiritualists do not receive. If at any time you wish join us you will be warmly welcomed!”

The audience members who were able to hear what was said started talking about it with their neighbors and before too long the entire square had heard the words that man had said! The announcer continued: “The entire Silver Savior company will be receiving a hefty reward for defeating this dragon on behalf of Heider!”

After some more cheering he then said: “We have put investigators to the task of discovering why this dragon woke up now of all times. As it turned out there were the recent remains of a spiritualist found inside the dragon's lair! We even have SILU's verification that they are indeed the remains of a spiritualist! Unfortunately they were unable to tell from which kingdom they hailed from. There were, however, miscellaneous goods that were also found on the site that seem to have come from Luxom! To think that there is a high possibility that this was a spiritualist sent from Luxom to awake a dragon in our own lands! We will be investigating further into this matter and demand justice from where it is due!”

The crowd had turned into angry cheering and approval. To think that Luxom was this nasty!

Clayton gave a frown that went unnoticed while Adam was a little stunned. Cathryn and the others had already confirmed the remains and there truly was a chance this spiritualist was actually from Luxom! Deep down a pit of fire burned in Adam's heart. Luxom had beset Fort Erich with ghouls so he wouldn't put it past Luxom to truly try and control this dragon.

The announcer then went through some closing statements and the Silver Saviors could finally leave. Going back into the building behind the stage the high ranking military men greeted Clayton. “The reward for your Silver Saviors has been deposited into your bank account with Heider Trade Financial. You should see that an amount of one thousand gold coins has been transferred for you to do with as you see fit!”

Everyone was stunned by this. They knew they should be getting a hefty reward but no one even knew what the going price of dragon parts was on the market since there was no market for it! A family could easily get through a year with just a few silver. One silver was worth one thousand coppers! With one hundred silver for a single gold coin... just how much money did they receive? Adam didn't even dare to calculate.

The military men continued to talk, probably trying to make a good impression to pull Adam and Clayton in but Adam was not paying attention. To get a really decent house that would be even better than the one they had at Fort Erich he would probably need ten to twenty silver. If he could get just one of those gold coins... just what kind of house could he buy?

On the way back to the Silver Saviors nobody talked about that reward money. Ultimately it was up to Clayton to decide how to divide it up. He could decide to spend it all on buying a new headquarters area that was much better than their current ones. He could also spend it on getting good gear for everyone and call that payment. It was all up to Clayton and no one wanted to pressure him into anything. Start to act greedy over this money and he might just cut you out of it!

Before they had even arrived Clayton had come to his decision on what to do. When they finally got out at their headquarters Clayton started rounding everyone up for an announcement. It did not take much coercion as everyone was eager to hear what their reward from the mission was going to be.

Clayton said: “We got quite the hefty reward this time around. Over the course of the next few days I will be taking groups of thirty or so of you at a time to Heider Trade Financial. There you will all receive one gold coin each!”

A shocked murmur spread through the crowd. Everyone was asking the other if they had heard right. A whole gold coin? This alone was worth a few years of work for them! The murmurs were quickly replaced by vibrant cheering after they became so rich! In truth they would still only be part of the upper middle class with this much money but it was still a lot!

After they quieted down Clayton continued: “I am sure later you will all hear about the total amount we received so I will just tell you now. The Silver Saviors received a total of one thousand gold for this mission!”

Silence ensued. It was already hard to believe that they were each going to get a gold each. That amount wouldn't even be three hundred gold and they expected that to be the total sum of the reward for this mission but there was actually a whole seven hundred gold that was left unused!

Clayton continued on ignoring the silence: “Before all you get up to arms about receiving a bigger payment since we now have so much excess I will go ahead an deny each of you now! If you gain too much money at once you all will just become targets for cutthroats in the city. While we are at the Heider Trade Financial we will also set you each up with an account to deposit the money in so you don't have to hold onto it all! This will cost some money in addition and part of that seven hundred will be used for it. Still, it won't cost more than a few gold to sign everyone up with an account. As for the rest I will see about how best to invest in the Silver Saviors' future!... that is all.”

After Clayton said that he immediately started walking away as everyone started to snap out of their stupor. A few people ran after Clayton to get details on how people were going to be assigned to groups to go on which days. The rest started to chat excitedly among themselves about this huge windfall they just received.

Adam was also infected with excitement. A years worth of work yielded somewhere between five and fifteen silver as a mercenary. A large portion of this amount would end up being used to maintain their equipment, though. Adam even had to give a large portion over to Madame's since he was still a minor and that was what was decided since the boys first decided to hunt. Adam had started to feel that it was a little unfair these last couple years but was too scared to try prying silver from Janette's hands to try and fight for it! After talking with others about how the ceremony went and showing off the award that both he and Clayton had received, Adam went back home to Madame's. There he continued to spread the word about the reward he and the others were receiving and the recognition he gained at the ceremony. A hot topic among many was the idea that a spiritualist from Luxom had awoken the dragon. A few were mildly interested in the politics behind it while others were inflamed with intense hatred against Heider's old foes.

Adam also went to talk to Janette. He wanted to know if he really had to give a majority of the gold he was going to receive to Madame's. This would truly be unfair compared to Alfred and the others who had only stayed for a couple of years since they started working with the Silver Saviors. Yes they also gave a majority of their earnings to Madame's but it truly wasn't a whole lot. Nothing like the reward for this time. The door to Janette's office was open and Adam knocked on it as he peered in. Janette looked up from her desk and smiled: “Adam, I figured you would be coming around. I have been hearing quite the rumors circulating about the ceremony. I imagine you have come to talk about how much of that gold coin you will actually have to give to Madame's?”

Adam's heart sunk a little as he nodded his head. If Janette knew already she may have already prepared a defense to make sure he still gave a good portion of it to her! Seeing this reflected on Adam's face Janette continued: “Don't look so glum I have good news for you! We were going to wait to tell you when you turned sixteen next month but I will just tell you now. In truth Madame's only required a small portion of the money we received from your contracts! The rest has been going into a savings fund for you and you will receive it after you turn sixteen! I won't bother with taking anything from that gold away from you since you will just get it back in a little over a month. My only question for you is what will you do with all that money?”

Janette wanted to make sure that Adam wasn't just going to go splurge all the money as soon as he received it. She really hoped he would either invest it somewhere or spend it wisely. Vivienne was of the very same opinion. Adam was a little shy as he responded: “I want to get a house. One where my mother could live with me and no longer have to deal with the rooms of the dormitory. I also want it to be the home for any future family I will have.”

Janette nodded. “An excellent choice! A home where Vivienne can finally relax and a place to start a family with Helen! I approve.”

Adam's face burned red at the comment about Helen but could say nothing about it. It was true after all. He left as Janette wished him luck on finding an excellent home. Adam then sought out his mother to talk to her about moving out after he bought a new home. He didn't talk to Helen yet since he wanted it to be a surprise for her. He had yet to officially propose to her or anything though it seemed unlikely that she would refuse him.

The next day Adam went back over to the Silver Saviors to see which day he would be able to go on. It turned out he didn't even have to wait! He was going to be with the first group. After everyone came together for the first group to head out, they went to Heider Trade Financial on foot. The group was fairly large so it would have required many carriages to ferry them over so it was decided they would walk even though it would take longer. After close to two hours of weaving through the crowded streets, they finally arrived. Before them was a rather large building that served as the first floor. The rest of the establishment was hidden underground with many floors being dedicated to vaults that hid many types of treasures and money.

The Silver Saviors created quite the scene as their huge group of around thirty members came in and went up to a free counter. The employees were rather apprehensive about this large group that suddenly appeared. Clayton was at the fore front and he gesture with a wave of his arm: “I wish to sign everyone in my group up for their own account and transfer some of my funds to them!”

The female attendant already felt a headache coming. “Okay sir, it will take a few hours for everything to proceed. With this many people it is simply unavoidable for it to take any less time than this.”

Clayton nodded. “That's fine. Oh, and just to give you fair warning. I will be coming with a group this big everyday for the next week or so until all the members of my mercenary group are signed up!”

Even though the attendant's heart sunk at the amount of work this was going to cause she had no choice but to sweetly smile as she said: “We thank you for your patronage sir.”

It truly was going to take a long time to get everything done. Clayton had to be present for each member as they signed up since he was paying the fee for the account and transferring funds to them. They could only do it one person at a time. Adam was actually one of the first people to go!

Adam and Clayton were led to a private room where all the proceedings would take place. A female accountant was inside. She gave a friendly business smile as she greeted him and went through all the procedures to sign him up. After she got all the pertinent information from him she opened a drawer from a cabinet behind her and pulled out a badge. Adam already knew what it was since he first walked through the door. His elemental sight had covered the entire room and had discovered them at that point. The accountant politely explained the badge to him, even though he already knew what it was. “Heider Trade Financial has the extreme pleasure of employing a few spiritualists to make these badges for us! They may look ordinary but they have a special function that will allow them to recognize you as their owner and allow you fast access to your account at any of our branches! Without this badge you may still access your account but it will take a long time of going through a verification process before you finally gain access so keep this badge safe! Most other banks in the kingdom do not get to enjoy this luxury and you would always have to go through that long verification process to access your account.”

Adam also added Vivienne and Helen as co-registrants who could access his account. He would have to bring them here to add their imprint to the badge but they could still go through the long verification process to access the account.

Clayton nudged Adam: “Moving quite fast with Helen aren't you.”

Adam's face turned a small shade of red as he looked the other way, not bothering to explain. The accountant gave a small smile as she understood the situation from what they said. Clayton then turned to her and provided his own badge as he said: “Then if you please, transfer five gold to Adam's account!”

Adam's eyes shot up in surprise. “Clayton weren't we only receiving one gold each?”

“I told you before Adam; you would be both rewarded and punished for not following my orders and helping me fight the dragon! Your reward is this bonus of four gold!”

Adam's mind went blank as he thought: “A good house. A truly good house. The best house with a large yard away from the crowded streets! I can't wait to go to the real estate office!”

[Proofread by Ayumu]