Chapter 256

Chapter 256 - An Unofficial Meeting

The ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍Black Ship would become an invisible dagger from this moment on. It would become a dagger and stab into the enemy’s vitals.

However, ‍​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍for it to be reborn as such a dagger, the three people here were necessary.

“They ‍​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍modified the barrier’s magic circle to create a barrier capable of swallowing the Black Ship, supplied power to it, and confused the enemy.”

Starting ‍​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍with Akiell, he placed a hand on Josephine’s and Tolan’s shoulders in turn as he explained their roles.

The ‍​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍blood relatives’ faces still looked doubtful, but their hostility had lessened somewhat from before.

“Moreover, ‍​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍Josephine here has been my ally since early on. Every magitech facility and large building in Eclipse is her work.”

“Hmm.”

A sound of curiosity replacing hostility filled the room.

At this rate, it was a very good start for the meeting. Everyone was alive, was he not? No one was injured, and no one had shed blood.

“Now, then.”

The Youngest Son began with a smile.

“I will explain the plan to occupy the Sky Castle.”

.

.

.

The explanation of the occupation plan was not long. It did not go much over an hour, and the Youngest Son brought his words to a close.

“That is what I think. If there is anything you are curious about, please feel free to ask.”

No one raised a hand.

“……”

“……”

All of the blood relatives chewed over what they had heard so far and repeatedly scanned only the summarized materials.

Since they had to stake their lives on these materials, it would not have been strange no matter how often they read and reread them.

The Forest Witch merely drank her tea without interest, and the dragon, who stood in a different position from humans to begin with, asked a different sort of question.

“Master. It seems the humans of the West intend to put forward the Wind Dragon in order to oppose me.”

“You will have to deal with him. There is a high chance I will not be by your side at that moment, so you will have to fight alone.”

“Was that not why I trained? I am prepared for it.”

The Fire Dragon’s scarlet eyes blazed as if this was precisely what he had wanted.

[Why does that fellow treat a dragon he has never even seen as though it were his mortal enemy?]

The reason lay in what he had been born with. Dragons were beings born with extraordinary mana and one particular element.

—Wind and fire kill each other. Wind can make fire grow, but it can also extinguish it. Wind can be swallowed by fire, but it can also put fire out.

[So it is an instinctive aversion.]

—Yes. And Kairos is young, and it has not been long since he came to his senses, so he feels the emotions of those instincts even more strongly.

There was nothing to be gained by deliberately suppressing something like that. Even if one tried to control instinct, the only thing that would result was a backlash.

Rather, by encouraging it, supporting it, and helping it along, one could make use of even the animalistic senses those instincts provided.

While the Fire Dragon ground his teeth in one corner of the conference hall, the First Son, who had not yet sheathed his sword and was still rubbing the flat of the blade, opened his mouth.

“You left out the supply problem.”

It was a single remark from the conqueror who had once made every kingdom in the East tremble before he shut himself away in the snowy mountains.

Everyone’s gaze focused on him, and the Youngest Son also nodded.

“As expected of you, Older Brother. You noticed it immediately.”

“There is no way you left it blank because you failed to prepare for it, Youngest. I also did not think you would have failed to consider the situation after success.”

“Yes. Even if we occupy Sky Island, if supplies do not move smoothly as you said, it will be all too easy for it to be retaken.”

The Second Daughter added her words.

“Besides, Sky Island is the western front line. From the East, it is more than two weeks away no matter how quickly one travels.”

“That is right, that is right~. Even if supplies depart right now, I think the enemy’s follow-up forces will be faster.”

“That would be true if we simply flew there. However, does the West not have a means of transmission and transport faster than flight?”

“Teleportation…”

A blue-haired woman murmured from the seats opposite the blood relatives.

“I-I am sorry…!”

She must truly have muttered without thinking, for when everyone’s gazes suddenly gathered on her, she flinched in surprise and lowered her head again.

The Youngest Son nodded with a smile.

“As Josephine said, there is a teleportation magic circle on Sky Island, and we will use it as our supply route.”

“Ahem… I beg your pardon…”

Tolan, the old man seated at the very end among the mages, raised his hand with great caution.

“Speak.”

“I did not mean to interrupt. It is just… teleportation magic circles require two points. To put it simply, they require an entrance and an exit…”

“Yes. Even if the one on Sky Island serves as one point, it will be useless if there is no other one in the East.”

“Then how would you…?”

Tolan let his words trail off. That brief ending contained a tangle of questions.

How would they connect it when there was no way the East had specialist mages trained in teleportation?

They could not immediately send someone, nor could they abduct someone from the West.

However, the Youngest Son was still smiling. His index finger was also still tapping Sky Island on the map.

“The teleportation magic circle on Sky Island. As long as I can confirm it with my own eyes, that is enough. Then my Butler in the East can handle the rest.”

“Is that so?”

“Then there is no problem~.”

Nod.

The mages still did not understand, but at the mention of the Butler, the eastern blood relatives nodded instead.

That was because they had each witnessed the true identity of the Butler in the Youngest Son’s camp, and those horns, at least once.

The First Son and the daughters had even experienced the demon’s power.

At the unpleasant memories that suddenly surfaced, the three of them, excluding the Fourth Son, tasted bitterness in their mouths.

In any case.

“The supply route will be handled in that manner, and before that, the occupation of Sky Island must be carried out first.”

The Fourth Son stretched his body toward the ceiling.

“Haa~. It will be a while before I can sit face-to-face with Youngest like this again~.”

“Yes. We will have to be apart for some time. But I will attach a clone to you, so you need not worry.”

“I am not worried. Who here would worry about you, Youngest~? Rather than worry—”

“We trust you. That cunning mind that deceived me again and again.”

SHING—

The First Son completed the Fourth Son’s sentence as he sheathed his sword.

“Hey, hey! Do not steal my line!”

“Thank you, Eldest Brother. You as well, Second-oldest brother. Together with my elder sisters, I have wagered the East on the four of you.”

That absurd level of betting, and the boldness that made such a wager possible, were displayed without reserve even in the conference hall.

“The East’s territory needs to at least double in size. Only then will there be any grandeur to it, whether we kill one another or keep one another alive, would there not?”

For a moment, the blood relatives looked surprised, but then deep smiles spread across their faces.

To the western mages, those smiles were cold and cynical enough to haunt their dreams.

However, in the East, this was called heat. In that sense, the blood relatives burned hotter than ever.

***

After the meeting ended, the Youngest Son changed clothes.

Instead of formal attire, he dressed in sturdy, rough clothing that would hold up even in the harsh wilderness. This time, he also had a companion.

“Kairos. There is somewhere you and I need to go for a while.”

“…Is it the place the First Daughter of Wisdom told you to come to?”

“Yes. It is earlier than the deadline, but we were never the sort of people who needed to wait for an appointment before meeting in the first place. I intend to go there first and call her out.”

The Fire Dragon Kairos nodded firmly.

“Of course I intended to follow you. I am your guard, after all.”

The real guard was somewhere aboard the Black Ship, enjoying alcohol he would not be able to drink for a long time, so for the time being, the Fire Dragon was his temporary guard.

The Youngest Son took out the Red-blooded Griffin for the first time in a while. He had given it to the Clone Son for a time, but even after so long, it was still sturdy when he mounted it.

Before part of the deck opened, the Head Maid approached.

“Young Master.”

“There is no need to worry.”

The Head Maid shook her head lightly.

“If that place is a trap prepared by the First Daughter, and if you die there, I will summon your soul by means of a demonic rite if I must, and I will rage at you.”

“…I will take that to heart.”

“Please go and return safely. And Lord Kairos. I leave the Young Master in your care.”

“Of course.”

RUUUUMBLE—

WHOOOOSH—!!

The Griffin slipped through the gap in the deck and soared into the open sky.

It rose into the sky beyond the sky, and when he looked down, the Black Ship was nowhere to be seen.

The Skeleton Giant Horse running below could be seen, and so could the Black Giant Castle following behind it. Only the Black Ship did not reveal its form.

“Master. The barrier is working well.”

“Yes. It looks that way to my eyes as well.”

The Black Ship could no longer be seen with the naked eye, nor could it be detected by mana. The problem was that it had become rather slow.

‘Whether it is slow or fast, an attack that comes from somewhere unseen always hurts the most.’

Before leaving, he had set the Black Ship’s course away from the formation. Then he smiled and flew toward the promised meeting place.

***

“Already…”

Cos swallowed a low groan as she looked at the sun moving past its zenith.

After giving Millesdusk the cube, she had fallen asleep in a good mood, but once she woke up, that was no longer the case. Furthermore, even after noon had passed, her mood did not improve.

It was because of a certain fact she had learned as soon as she woke.

“…To think he had solved the cube already.”

In the cube, she had planted not only a message, but also one additional device.

That device activated the moment the cube was completed and sent a signal to the examiner. It was a signal informing her that the examinee had solved the problem.

It was a problem she thought would take at least three or four days. Yet the examinee had solved it in half a day.

“He solved in less than a day a cube I spent days twisting into complexity. Truly, he is beyond anything I imagined.”

Cos’s body trembled faintly. The reason for that trembling was not fear, but excitement.

The Wind Dragon, who noticed that, clicked his tongue while floating lightly in midair.

“That, that right there needs treatment somewhere. Honestly, the Family Head of Wisdom. He loses his senses over magical talent and completely forgets his own children’s mental health.”

“Lord Ventus.”

Cos turned to look at the Wind Dragon, who had settled in the air as if lying down. She knew the reason.

“Yes. The Fire Dragon may have noticed my true identity, but what of it? I went in with you because I was worried about you.”

“But you were reckless.”

“Even so, I am surprised. I did not know you would concern yourself with even such details.”

“This is war. We must be fully prepared.”

“Hmm. Fully prepared…”

The Wind Dragon looked around while still lying back.

This place, complete with a cozy cabin and a fence to keep beasts away, was all the Wind Dragon’s work.

Unlike a scouting unit, there was no way the First Daughter of Wisdom knew how to live in the wild.

Had it not been for the Wind Dragon, she might have slept on the bare dirt with a book for a pillow.

“Yes. Your ‘full preparation’ is as flimsy as a house gnawed through by rats.”

“…Lord Ventus.”

Unlike before, Cos’s voice had sunk very low.

The Wind Dragon, who had been picking his nose, blinked and glanced at the First Daughter.

“Ahem. Was that a little too harsh?”

“That is not it. Look over there.”

Smoke was rising not far away. It was gray smoke caused by fire.

The problem was that the fire that had created the smoke was not ordinary.

Even though there was no visible flame, and not even any heat could be felt, its presence was unmistakable.

There was only one fire like that in this world.

“The Fire Dragon’s flame?”

“It seems so.”

“We should go. The guest you invited seems to be rather impatient.”

“Come with me.”

The Wind Dragon nodded.

“They brought the Fire Dragon with them too, did they not? Of course I am going with you.”

The Wind Dragon and Cos flew through the sky as they had when they boarded the Black Ship, and arrived at the location planted inside the cube.

At the meeting place where the examiner was supposed to arrive first, the examinee had arrived before her.

The examinee had dark violet hair, and the Fire Dragon was with him behind him. The Youngest Son stood calmly with his hands in his pockets.

He simply stood still, showing no mana activity whatsoever.

That left Cos, who was not especially eloquent, to open her mouth first. As the one who had extended the invitation, she felt she ought to.

But… what should I say first?

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