Setting Up a Fight (Part 1)

Upon hearing Sordil's screams, Igneel and Yesveta were both ready to rush to his rescue, but when they learned that it was their father disciplining his son, they silently withdrew their steps. Thus, with everyone's indulgence, the chase between Sordil and his companion shifted from the ground to the sky, and from near to far.

"Ouch! Dad, we've already disappeared from everyone's sight, why are you still hitting me?"

"I didn't want to either! But this is what Wattster ordered. She also said that if you're going to put on a show, you have to go all the way, or it will all be for nothing. So I can only ask you to do this!"

"Sigh! Fine! For Grandiere's sake, I'll take the beating!"

"Yes, that's right! If you can't bear to sacrifice yourself, you won't find a wife!"

Hearing the distant cries of agony, Grandiere a complex mix of emotions. Logically, she should have been happy that her annoying friend had been beaten up, but for some reason, she felt a tightness in her chest. The moment the old incident was brought up, she felt inexplicably angry at Sordil, but now, a hint of shyness had inexplicably arisen. Moreover, the dislike she had felt for him recently had completely vanished, and watching him dart about in the sky gave her a strange sense of amusement.

In this state of utter confusion, Grandiere forgot to stop Radel and instead silently watched Sordil get beaten up.

About fifteen minutes later, Grandiere's resentment and anger had mostly dissipated, and only then did she ask Radel's assistant for help.

"Uncle Radel, please stop! Don't hurt Sordil!"

But without the marshal's order, how could the central army dare to stop? Sordil had no choice but to continue being beaten. After another quarter of an hour, Grandiere was filled with worry and concern, so she once again begged Radel to stop.

"Uncle Radel, please stop! I beg you, spare Sordil!"

No sooner had she finished speaking than the Grand Marshal issued an order, but not an order to stop; rather, an order to intensify the attack.

"Radel, don't protect this little bastard! Go even harder!"

Therefore, the screams in the sky became even more shrill and louder. At this moment, Grandiere finally realized that the Grand Marshal was the central authority. So she hurriedly pleaded with the Grand Marshal, "Aunt Wattster, we can't continue fighting, or Sordil will be in trouble!"

"No way! I'd rather this little rascal get into trouble now than have him make a terrible mistake later on that he can't make amends for!"

"Aunt Wattster, I forgive him. Please make Uncle Radel stop!"

"You forgave him? But I haven't! He didn't appreciate a girl as good as you; he deserves to be beaten to death!"

Seeing the Grand Marshal's firm stance, Grandiere had no choice but to place his hopes on the vanguard officer.

"Uncle Hadessta, please persuade Aunt Wattster! This fighting can't go on, or Sordil will really be in trouble."

"Grandiere, you have no idea what kind of temper my boss has. She hates men who bully women more than anything. Every time she sees one, she has to beat him up. But this time, the one who did this was none other than Sordil, whom she raised herself. Now you can imagine how angry she is, right?"

Hearing Hadessta's words, Grandiere finally realized the difficulty of rescuing Sordil, and at the same time, she felt some regret for admitting Sordil's crimes. However, no matter how difficult it was, Sordil had to be saved, or she would regret it for the rest of her life.

"Uncle Hadessta, we have to do it no matter how difficult it is, otherwise what will happen to Sordil?"

Faced with Grandiere's insistence, Hadessta had no choice but to reluctantly agree to her request. As the vanguard set off, the cannon fodder, sensing the opportune moment, hurriedly moved closer to the Grand Marshal, preparing to end this siege.

"Wattster, I think we should just let this go. Let's not really hurt Sordil."

"Yes, Wattster, Grandiere has already forgiven Sordil, so don't hold it against him."

"You... Humph!"

Despite the three men's desperate pleas, the Grand Marshal ignored them, as if they didn't exist. The three had no choice but to turn to Grandiere, indicating that they had done their utmost. Left with no other option, Grandiere personally pleaded with the Grand Marshal, and of course, she didn't spare the three vanguard soldiers either.

After repeated persuasion from the four men, the Grand Marshal finally relented and agreed to let Sordil go, but Sordil had to personally apologize to Grandiere and obtain their forgiveness. Upon receiving the Grand Marshal's order, Hadessta immediately shouted to the sky, "Radel, Wattster said you want to bring that brat down and make him apologize to Grandiere."

Not long after the shouts subsided, the screams in the sky stopped. But it wasn't until five or six minutes later that the two returned... well, actually, Radel dragged a dragon-like creature back to the mountaintop. At this time, Sordil had two pink fleshy horns growing on his head, his face was two or three times rounder than before, most of his scales were Crush, and blood flowed down his body onto the ground.

Seeing Sordil's miserable state, Grandiere's boastful words caught in her throat, and tears involuntarily streamed down her face. She then threw herself into Sordil's arms, sobbing as she cast Healing Magic. For the next few minutes, Sordil truly experienced the meaning of 'pain and pleasure intertwined'.

"Sister Grandiere, have you forgiven me?"

"Pfft"

Seeing the 'Pig-Headed Dragon' earnestly begging for forgiveness, Grandiere instantly burst into laughter through his tears. The three members of Metalicana, witnessing this scene, felt their boyish hearts shatter instantly, while the girlish hearts of Diphiya and the others were also broken beyond repair. Only Igneel and Yesveta were completely absorbed in their food, oblivious to everything around them.

The banquet drew to a close in this bittersweet atmosphere. Before the banquet ended, Sordil gave Yesveta a red jewel the size of a baby's fist, thus fulfilling his earlier promise.

Over the next few days, Sordil consulted with Metalicana and others about how to use his powers. Only after Sordil had a basic grasp of his various powers did he begin his next move.

Mount Fostadu

"Dear gentlemen, you don't need to see me off, I'll be back soon!"

"You brat, you always say that, and you always end up taking forever to walk!"

Sordil stepped forward and gave Radel a dragon hug, then whispered in his ear, "Dad, I'm not lying to you this time, I really will be back soon!"

"You'd better keep your word, or I'll beat you up again!"

Sordil waved to his five fathers and mothers, then flew straight west towards the Cuyis Tree Sea.

After leaving Fostadu, Igneel sidled up to Sordil and whispered, "Brother Sordil, where are we going this time? Why aren't we using the Teleportation Array?"

"Brother Igneel, the place we're going to this time can't be reached directly by Teleportation Array, so we'll have to fly."

"So where are we going? And what are we going to do?"

Sordil glanced at the western sky, then smiled and said, "The place we're going to is called Dragunov, and as for the purpose of going there..."

At this point, Sordil suddenly stopped, and after a long pause, he finally managed to utter two words through gritted teeth, answering Igneel's question.

"Fight!"