Third Food War (18)

Sordil strode into the library and headed straight for the spot he remembered.

"The way and speed of magic flow have changed. It seems that Zeref has replied!"

Upon discovering the expert's reply, Sordil's motivation instantly skyrocketed, and he hurriedly checked the information left behind by the expert according to the method he had previously designed.

"Splash!"

As Sordil made his move, the building, entirely composed of magic, instantly transformed into golden Magic Particles and dissipated into the air. Without the building's cover, the yellowish-brown earth was exposed, upon which flowed streams of grayish-black magic energy, forming something resembling a Magic Array.

"Holy crap! It's a message encrypted with Ancient Leysen Script. Luckily, I paid attention in that class, otherwise it would have been embarrassing!"

After admiring the top student's caution, Sordil also gave himself a thumbs up for his efforts. What he didn't know was that the top student, Zeref, had chosen to use Rasen script encryption precisely because he saw this lazy guy paying attention in Rasen literature class. (Sigh! The best teammates are always someone else's!)

After about fifteen minutes, Sordil finally deciphered the code and saw the message Zeref had left for him. But instead of the expected bright smile, a bitter, dark smile appeared on his face.

"Boss, by the time your research succeeds, the grass on my grave will be three feet tall. Where will you find me then?"

Sordil shook his head with a wry smile, then erased the information and left his reply in the same way. He then restored the place to its original state, as if nothing had ever happened. Having done this, Sordil spread his wings and left, preparing to reunite with Kaldiz and the others.

But when he returned to the meeting point, he found that Diphiya and the others were not there. Just as he was wondering what had happened, several voices suddenly came from ahead.

"Has it been found?"

"Boss, this place is so big, they can hide anywhere. Where are we supposed to look?"

"Yeah, boss, this is like finding a needle in a haystack!"

"Do you even need to tell me? But Olibuk gave a direct order that we must find these guys at any cost."

"Boss, even if we find those guys, do you think we can get this message out alive with just a few of us fighting?"

"Hiss! Old Three is right. There are only a few of us. We're not even enough to fill their teeth!"

"Even so, we still have to look! Okay, enough talk, let's get started!"

"Yes!"

After everyone answered, a rustling sound arose all around.

"These guys are really troublesome, finding us so quickly! Looks like Uncle and the others discovered them beforehand and moved their location. But that's no problem for me, mode switch, Poison Dragon Mode!"

Sordil was about to switch to Poison Dragon Mode, suddenly stopped and muttered to himself, "No way! If I switch modes now, what's the difference between that and turning myself in?"

After glancing left and right, Sordil fixed his gaze on the left front, where there was a very wide cave, enough to conceal his figure and the light emitted when switching modes.

After identifying the target, Sordil immediately maneuvered his miniature body toward the cave.

"Huh? Why does this cave look so familiar?"

Upon entering the cave, an indescribable sense of familiarity washed over him, casting a strange shadow over Sordil's comfortable soul. As he continued onward, more and more familiar things appeared, until finally, a graffiti on the cave wall awakened memories deep within Sordil's heart.

"Holy crap! Isn't this the cave that old man Gilkunis dug when I first came to Mildian?"

"So, I guess I'm home now! Hehe! Never mind, let's get this transformation done first!"

"Waaah!"

Sordil had just switched to combat mode when a wicked little hand reached out from behind him, covered his mouth, and dragged him deep into the cave.

"Damn it, could I have run into a robber?"

Thinking of this, the young master decided to show the thief through his actions that he had chosen the wrong target.

"Um!"

Sordil gathered his strength in a deep voice, then raised his right hand and delivered a lightning elbow strike to his opponent.

"Smack!"

Unexpectedly, the opponent reacted incredibly quickly, managing to block the elbow strike with their other hand before it could reach them.

Just as the young master was still reeling from this, a powerful Hand Knife to the back of Sordil's neck struck him, instantly knocking him unconscious. Once the young master had completely calmed down, the murderer hoisted Sordil onto his shoulder and headed towards the bottom of the cave.

"Uncle Kaldiz, you've been out scouting for so long, why haven't you returned yet? (Diphiya)"

"Perhaps they discovered something that delayed their return. Let's wait a little longer!" (Murellia)

"I wonder if the young master has been discovered by the enemy. It's truly worrying!" (Lindel)

"Alright, stop worrying about it! One of them is cautious and highly skilled, the other is experienced and mature; those rookies outside can't possibly hurt them!" (Mevajena)

"Mevajena. With those two's abilities, they'll be absolutely fine!" (Yesveta)

Just as Yesveta's confident assurance was uttered, a series of rapid breathing sounds suddenly came from the passage leading out of the cave, as if someone was carrying a heavy load.

After glancing around to confirm that all the team members handling the debris had returned safely, Yesveta gave everyone a warning signal. In an instant, everyone in the cave assumed a fighting stance, holding their breath and staring intently at the entrance. The sound grew closer and louder. Just as everyone was preparing to swarm in and finish off the unfortunate fellow, a deep, resonant voice echoed from the passage.

"Diphiya, I've caught a spy! Come quick and help!"

"It's Uncle Kaldiz! Everyone, hurry and help!"

After confirming the visitor's identity, everyone in the cave instantly relaxed. Immediately afterward, Diphiya, Yesveta, and the others left their positions to assist Kaldiz in moving the spy. With everyone's combined efforts, the heavy, captured spy was finally carried into the cave.

"Whoosh"

"Whoosh"

After sitting on the ground and panting heavily for a while to release the fatigue accumulated during the carrying process, Kaldiz led the group to block the entrance of the cave. Then he said to a fire dragon, "Ail, make a fireball and create some light so we can interrogate this spy!"

"Clear!"

"Call"

A fireball appeared in the cave, illuminating the scene inside.

"Why does this spy look so much like Yelibell (Diphiya)?"

After Diphiya finished speaking, everyone in the cave widened their eyes, took a deep breath, and looked at Kaldiz with suspicion.

Facing the gazes of everyone, and with that possibility also on his mind, black lines and a waterfall of sweat unceremoniously covered his forehead.

"Gulp! (Kaldiz swallowed hard)"

"Well... it was too dark at the time, and he had his back to me, so... it might, probably, maybe, almost certainly was an accident... an accidental injury!"

"Thump!"

Upon hearing Kaldiz's official explanation, everyone was utterly dumbfounded! Seeing everyone's reaction, Kaldiz decided to make one last effort to prove his brilliance.

"Well... maybe this guy just happens to look like Yelibell, and isn't actually that guy!"

Although the crowd didn't buy it at Kaldiz, they didn't say anything and just quietly watched the one-man show in the center of the cave.

To escape the awkward atmosphere, Kaldiz braced himself and stepped forward, turning the unfortunate fellow who had fainted on the ground over. And then things really got awkward!