Condolence Delegation, Zeref, Guerrilla Warfare

Sordil had assumed that even if Belmod didn't start a civil war, she would at least go to Fostadu or Dragunov to demand justice for him. However, instead of doing so, Vermouth sent a relief force to the front lines to comfort the troops.

If the current king of Cuiyi'aorshu were Irene, Sordil would naturally believe it was her heartfelt decision, because Irene was a person with a great sense of the big picture, and she knew how to do the right thing. But the current king is Belmod, that cunning old fox, so Sordil not only doesn't feel at ease, but also smells a conspiracy.

However, the reasons chosen by the other party were simply too impeccable, so perfect that even with his current status as the battlefield commander and the leader of the alliance, he still couldn't stop their actions. Now, all Sordil could do was keep a close eye on Belmod, hoping to glean some useful intelligence from him and uncover the other party's schemes as soon as possible.

"My two sisters, please keep a close eye on the Black Robe and Belmod for me, and see if you can find out the true mission of this delegation."

"Alright, we'll keep an eye on them for you! By the way, are you really not going to take the two of us in?"

Upon hearing Mevajena throw out this tempting yet dangerous topic again, Sordil immediately fled, otherwise he feared he would be in big trouble today! Watching Sordil run away in a panic, Mevajena laughed heartily, though her smile seemed to flicker with a hint of regret and a few words of reproach.

Kingdom of Tsuyioru Xiu, Western Border

Along the narrow official road, a large caravan laden with goods moved slowly forward. Unlike ordinary merchant caravans, this one was flanked by elite soldiers in gleaming armor, while seven or eight well-equipped cavalry squads patrolled the perimeter. Most notably, the vehicles all bore the banners of the royal family. (Yes, you guessed it right, it's Belmod's delegation.)

After getting off the carriage, Arthur looked around and then waved to the captain of the guard who was walking at the front of the procession, signaling him to come over.

"Sigh"

He reined in his horse, slowing it down gradually, and once it came to a complete stop, the captain of the guard immediately dismounted and rushed to Arthur's side.

"Mr. Arthur, what are your orders?"

"Captain of the Guard, where are we now, and how long until we reach the capital of Dragunov?"

"Mr. Arthur, we are now at the border between the two countries. If we want to get to the capital of Dragunov, it will take at least another month!"

"What, it'll take that long to walk?"

"Mr. Arthur, this is only if the weather is good and nothing unexpected happens. If there are any unforeseen circumstances, it would be normal to have to travel for another month or two!"

Hearing the captain of the guard's words, Arthur felt both anxious and relieved. Thinking about what he was about to do, Arthur suddenly felt annoyed. He waved his hand at the captain and said impatiently, "I know, you can go now!"

Seeing Arthur's displeasure, the captain of the guard immediately bowed and took his leave, not daring to linger for even a moment longer.

(The following is Arthur's inner voice)

"Your Majesty, is your decision truly correct? Can those man-eating Evil Dragon of the Western Continent really coexist with us?"

"Arthur, Arthur, can't you really distinguish right from wrong? Do you really want to help the wicked?"

"No! I only wanted to repay the king for saving my life, I had no intention of harming anyone else on Ishgar!"

"But if you do that, you'll be harming everyone, you'll be betraying your own hometown!"

"I cannot betray my homeland, but I also cannot forget His Majesty the King's life-saving grace. What should I do? What should I do?"

Arthur, his mind in utter chaos, closed his eyes and looked up, silently 'gazing' at the sky. After taking a few deep breaths of the cold air, Arthur reopened his eyes, his gaze now firm and clear. Then, Arthur turned and got into the carriage, urging the driver to hurry on their way.

A forest in northwestern Ishgar

Looking at the few yellow leaves drifting in the sky, a mocking smile appeared on Zeref's face.

"Sigh! Before I knew it, I had been wandering in this forest for a month or two. I don't know when I will be able to find a way out of here and go to the Kingdom of Cuiyiorxiu to find that Bandit."

After making a self-deprecating remark, Zeref shook his head and continued walking towards the sun, which he couldn't tell was rising or setting. Gradually, the trees thinned out, and his view became more open and brighter. After a while, Zeref finally escaped the shade that had enveloped him for over a month and arrived at a wide avenue.

Just as Zeref was about to leave the forest, a huge fireball streaked past him and crashed into the road not far away, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Pooh"

After spitting out the dust, Zeref looked in the direction from which the fireball had come and saw two dark figures fighting in the sky not far away.

"Huh? These dragons have been fighting for over a month, why haven't they stopped yet?"

"No, these dragons aren't the same ones we fought before! Didn't those merchants say that the dragons of Ishgar are very peace-loving? Why am I only seeing dragon conflicts here?"

"Oh well, never mind, I'd better get out of this mess and meet up with that Bandit!"

But before Zeref could retreat, he was met with a second wave of magical bombardment, and from all directions! Only then did Zeref realize that he hadn't stumbled upon a battle between two dragons, but had instead found himself caught in the middle of a dragon war. Scanning the surrounding battlefield, Zeref realized that remaining still was safe; any movement would immediately attract the attention of everyone around him. However, if he stayed put, he would eventually be caught in the crossfire and discovered anyway.

As the battlefield closed in on him, Zeref's mind raced, trying to find a way to escape safely. After a quarter of an hour of brainstorming, Zeref finally came up with two spells that could help him escape the battlefield, but after looking around at his surroundings, he automatically discarded one of them.

Having made his decision, Zeref began to gather the magical elements within his body, preparing to cast the chosen spell.

"Earth Magic: Iwai - Quicksand Passage"

"Buzz!"

A flash of earthy yellow light appeared, and then the ground beneath Zeref's feet gradually softened, eventually forming a quicksand area about sixty centimeters in diameter. At the same time, Zeref's body underwent a similar transformation. When the yellow light disappeared, Zeref's body completely dissolved into quicksand and merged into the ground.

Soon after, the quicksand on the ground disappeared, and the land returned to its original state.

Battlefield in the Sky

"Bah! You cowards of Ishgar only know how to ambush! If you're so capable, fight me fair and square!"

"Hmph! Do I need to be particular about methods when dealing with bandits like you?"

"Coward!"

"Swear all you want, I won't let you go today!"

Seeing that the other party didn't seem to care about his insults, Hit became genuinely anxious. After all, he had never imagined that working behind enemy lines would be so dangerous and difficult! He now regretted not heeding his leader's advice and rashly joining the work behind enemy lines. However, the most pressing issue now was finding a way to escape, not staying put and wallowing in regret.