After some time had passed, Gandalf and the eagles were seen flying toward us. An exceptionally tall man accompanied them, who appeared to be Beorn (the bear man). They surveyed the area devastated by my breath and then made their way to the tent.
"What on earth happened here?"
"The Orcs were planning to attack Dale, so I dealt with them."
Gandalf looked bewildered.
"Hmph... You could have helped us a bit sooner."
"I simply kept my promise to protect Dale."
"A dragon certainly takes a promise dreadfully seriously."
"To a dragon, a promise is a matter of personal prestige; there's no way around it. That's why we don't make promises easily."
"I see..."
Gandalf went outside to speak with Beorn and the eagles before returning to the tent.
"The eagles and Beorn have agreed to take care of the fleeing Orcs."
It seemed the eagles and Beorn had decided to clean up the remnants since they were already there.
"Well then, I'll catch some sleep and then head back after tidying up. I miss my wife."
I added firewood to the stove and tried to get some sleep on a cot. I woke up about five hours later; it was still dark, appearing to be dawn. Gandalf was sleeping on the cot next to mine. He must have been very exhausted from the previous day's events.
I refilled the stove with wood and stepped outside with a cup of coffee. A pile of gold and silver treasures was stacked in front of the tent. It was likely a gesture of gratitude for protecting the town. As morning broke, I immediately called for Bard.
"Hey, take this back. I have no need for such things."
"The wizard's words were true. He said you wouldn't be very fond of these. Regardless, thank you for protecting our town."
Bard offered his thanks and took the treasures back with his people. That treasure likely belonged to the deceased Master of Lake-town. As a final gesture, I decided to cook for them. I filled a pot with water and started boiling it to make soup. Soon after, Gandalf emerged from the tent with a yawn.
"Running around yesterday certainly took its toll."
"Wait a moment. I'll brew you a cup of tea."
Gandalf was taken aback by my words.
"Hah, my... You're so particular about other things, yet you treat people so well with food and tea."
"I just find it unsightly when people are drooling around me. It ruins my appetite."
I made a cup of coffee for Gandalf.
"This tea you call 'Kopi'—it really makes the fatigue vanish. It's quite delicious too."
Gandalf had no way of knowing it was due to the caffeine in the coffee.
"It's coffee, not 'kopi.' I'll give you some before I leave."
"Oh~ thank you."
I was trimming vegetables while the water in the pot began to boil. As he sipped his coffee, Gandalf told me what had happened the previous day.
"Thorin was ousted from Erebor yesterday. They claimed he still lacks the qualities of a king. Thus, Dain, who ruled the Iron Hills, has decided to serve as regent of Erebor in his stead."
In the original story, when the Dwarves were cornered by the Orcs, Thorin came to his senses and fought alongside them, but since I had wiped out the Orcs, there was no timing for that. It seemed Thorin had been branded a king who only craved treasure, failing to earn the respect of the Dwarves.
"The Dwarves declared they would not accept him as king until he has avenged his ancestors or achieved a great feat."
"I see."
"It's all his own doing."
In a way, it might be for the better. In the original, he dies after repenting his mistakes, but here, he remains alive.
"Furthermore, Dain decided to return the 'White Gems of Lasgalen' to the Elves and provide ample compensation to the people of Dale. I believe he intended to reward Bilbo as well, though I'm not certain."
Listening to Gandalf, it seemed things were settling down fairly well.
In any case, once the soup was finished, Gandalf and Bard served it to the people, and we ate as well. Then, I packed up the tent and put it in my inventory. I gifted Gandalf a sleeping bag, some coffee, sugar, and creamer, and taught him the golden ratio for instant coffee. I decided to leave the large pot behind for the people of Dale.
"See you around, Gandalf."
"Yes, thank you for your help. Safe travels."
After saying my goodbyes to Gandalf, I stepped outside the gates of Dale, transformed into my dragon form, and flew toward the Tower of Dragon.
Upon arriving at the Tower of Dragon, Arwen greeted me with a smile.
"You're back. I've been waiting for you."
"Wife, come here for a moment."
"Yes?"
Arwen approached me as instructed. I grabbed both of her cheeks and pulled them apart.
"Ow, ow, ow! That hurts!"
"You know why I'm doing this, don't you?"
"I-I'm sorry. I was worried about my father..."
"No! You need to be disciplined!"
I scooped Arwen up and headed to the bed, where I punished her all day long with a powerful, thick club.
The next day, after making the bed, I handed the ring back to Arwen.
"Don't give this to anyone else, and use it only when it's truly dangerous. Otherwise, you'll be disciplined again."
"I understand. But may I use it when I want to be disciplined again?"
"Good grief... No!"
Seeing her speak so boldly, I wondered where the innocent Arwen from our first night together had gone.
I organized the gold and silver coins I received as rewards and put them in the vault next to our room. It was a vault about 33 square meters in size, but I couldn't even fit a tenth of the rewards even after filling it completely. And that was excluding the jewelry, gemstones, and various gold items.
"Wow~ I've never seen so many gold and silver coins."
"These were part of the reward. Use them if you need anything."
"Where would I spend them? I don't go anywhere besides Rivendell and the tower."
Arwen truly rarely left anywhere besides the tower and Rivendell.
"That's true. Well, let's go on a trip together sometime."
Arwen happily agreed at those words.
"I'd love that."
Two years passed, and then Gandalf and Bilbo visited the Tower of Dragon.
"Long time no see, Gandalf and Bilbo."
"Long time no see, Arcad-Jin."
"It's been a long time."
I prepared a meal for them and listened to Bilbo recount what had happened in the meantime. After the battle, the Thorin's company, Bilbo, and Gandalf decided to help Thorin get his revenge and continued their journey. They eventually found Azog's pack near the Grey Mountains north of Mirkwood and finally succeeded in achieving their revenge.
"After succeeding in our revenge, we returned to Erebor and witnessed Thorin's coronation."
"So that's how it happened. I thought it would take a bit longer."
"The Orcs were exhausted from fleeing Beorn and the eagles, so it wasn't that difficult. Having achieved his revenge and become king again, Thorin apologized to all of us, saying he had been foolish."
It seemed Thorin had finally come to his senses, just like in the original story. Bilbo received a chest of gold coins and a chest of silver coins as compensation from Erebor. The Dwarves wanted to give him even more, but since he wouldn't be able to carry or use that much treasure back in the Shire, they finished at that.
I made sure Gandalf and Bilbo could rest comfortably.
After their rest, as Bilbo and Gandalf were preparing to leave, Arwen and I decided to go with them. I had promised a trip last time, so I decided to go with them and see the Shire.
Thus, I prepared a carriage I had made in the MCU and brought out a coachman. I had created the coachman in advance for such an occasion; it was more like a robot than an android. Moreover, I had pre-programmed sword skills, so it was perfect as an escort. Arwen asked about the coachman, but I brushed it off by saying I had hired a trustworthy person from a nearby village.
I replaced the tower with a miniature again, put up a 'On a Trip' sign, and we all headed to the Shire in the carriage. The carriage was not only very sturdy and large but also had a restroom, so there were no inconveniences during the journey. Furthermore, the seats unfolded into beds, making it no different from a fantasy-style camper van.
"I've been to the Shire once before, but it's been so long. How is it these days?"
While traveling in the carriage, Arwen asked about the Shire, and Bilbo provided an explanation. Perhaps because it was his home, he spoke passionately. I listened to the stories while taking out roasted sweet potatoes and eggs from my inventory to share. It was certainly a different kind of fun compared to traveling alone.
Then Gandalf suddenly spoke up.
"Stop the carriage for a moment. I believe it was this forest nearby..."
Then Bilbo spoke to Gandalf as if he remembered something too.
"Ah~ you're looking for that chest."
"That's right. Would you like to come with me?"
"Sure."
Gandalf and Bilbo told Arwen and me to wait as they had something to find in the forest. They went inside and returned after three hours. They brought a dirt-covered chest from the forest and showed it to us, explaining what it was. The chest was full of gold and silver treasures.
"This chest, you see, contains the gold and silver we found in the trolls' cave while traveling with Thorin's company, which we hid in the ground because it was too difficult to carry. Seeing it again brings back memories. We nearly died because of those trolls."
Bilbo tried to share the treasures in the chest with Arwen and me, but we both refused. So, they eventually decided to split it half-and-half between Gandalf and himself.
"I'm not sure if I can use up all these treasures until I die."
Bilbo spoke while looking warmly at the treasures he had obtained, but Gandalf spoke meaningfully while looking at Bilbo.
"You'll need more money than you think. So store it well and take it home safely."
"Pardon? What do you mean by that?"
Bilbo asked Gandalf what he meant, but Gandalf didn't give him an answer.
"You'll understand when you get to the Shire. Let's move now."
Anyway, we set off again and arrived at the human town of Bree. Gandalf then offered us a farewell greeting.
"I must head north from here, so we shall part ways."
"I see. Well, until next time. And take this. It's a gift."
I gifted Gandalf coffee once again.
"Thank you. I've thought of it occasionally, so I shall enjoy it."
Bilbo seemed quite saddened to part with Gandalf.
"I will never forget the adventures I had with you, Gandalf, for the rest of my life."
"I enjoyed it too, Bilbo."
After Gandalf left, we explored Bree and then moved to the Shire. While moving, Arwen spoke up.
"It's a bit much for me to say this, but the human race doesn't seem to care much for hygiene."
"I used to think the same, but it differs from city to city. Some places are dirty, but some are clean."
"I see."
Arwen seemed surprised by the unkempt people and dirty streets in Bree.
Anyway, we continued moving and arrived at Hobbiton in the Shire. Since the roads in the Shire were narrow, the carriage couldn't go all the way in, so we moved on foot carrying our bags. I left the carriage with the coachman.
"The Shire is a beautiful place as always."
When Arwen praised the Shire, Bilbo said with a smile.
"It is, isn't it? I think it's because Hobbits always like to decorate their homes. That house is like that too. Look at the flowers planted in the yard."
Bilbo pointed at another house as well.
"But that house seems to have been poorly managed. Seeing how all the flowers in the yard are dead and the door is open, is it an abandoned house?"
I took a closer look at the house Bilbo was pointing at; it was Bilbo's own house.
"Bilbo, that house looks very familiar, don't you think?"
"It does, where have I... Uh, it's my house!"
Bilbo rushed into his house. Arwen and I followed him inside. However, there was no furniture or tableware in the house. The interior was completely empty, as if it were a newly built house.
"What on earth..."
Bilbo seemed shocked and was dazed for a moment, but he soon regained his senses and hurried off somewhere after leaving the bags with us. He returned in the evening with an angry expression and explained the situation to us.
"You see, they presumed I was dead and auctioned off all the furniture in the house to the villagers. It's truly absurd."
Listening to Bilbo's story, Arwen spoke.
"Come to think of it, Gandalf said you'd need a lot of money, so it must have been because of this."
"It seems so."
Bilbo sighed and spoke.
"Sigh... I had many cherished items, so this is a major problem. First, I'll have to find whatever I can find."
We first returned to the carriage to spend the night. From the next day, Bilbo went to the Mayor of the Shire, saying he was alive and asking for his things back. However, finding things that were already sold seemed troublesome for the Mayor, so he insisted that Bilbo first prove whether he was the person who lived there before.
So, I said I was a dragon from the Tower of Dragon and used a bit of intimidation to help with the proof. Then, the Mayor said it was difficult to find the items as it had been over half a year since they were sold, so he handed Bilbo the proceeds from the auction instead.
With the proceeds from the auction, Bilbo began wandering around the village to regain his furniture. Of course, the Hobbits weren't going to just give back furniture they had bought cheaply. So, Bilbo had no choice but to pay a bit more to get his furniture back.
Arwen and I stayed in the Hobbit village, exploring the village or helping Bilbo. Before long, a week had passed.
"Whew... I've only just found half of them."
"Instead of doing that, just buy new ones or have them made. It'll be cheaper and less of a headache. I'll gift you some tableware and dishes."
Bilbo had also struggled a lot searching the whole village for furniture and items for a week, spent a lot of money, and his reputation had dropped, so he just agreed.
"Sigh... Understood. It can't be helped."
"Cheer up. In exchange, you had a grand adventure that no one else has experienced."
"I suppose so."
I gifted a tableware set and a dish set to Bilbo.
"Wow~ What beautiful tableware and dishes. Thank you."
Bilbo's mood seemed to lighten up a bit thanks to my gift and words. From the next day, Bilbo gave up on finding the furniture and items, and after introducing Arwen and me to places worth visiting in the Shire, he went to a furniture store to order the necessary furniture. Arwen and I went to the places Bilbo recommended, eating boxed lunches and admiring the scenery. The Shire was indeed a beautiful place.
After spending another week in the Shire, we said our goodbyes to Bilbo and then traveled further west to the Grey Havens to see the sea before returning to the Tower of Dragon. This trip was very satisfying for Arwen as well since we traveled comfortably thanks to the carriage.
Sixty years passed after that.