A Grave Mistake, Too Late for Regret (Part 1)

After successfully rescuing the captured members of the 1st Division, Sordil's reinforcements and the troops from the North Camp smoothly joined forces. The two armies then merged and returned to the North Camp. The 300 men borrowed from the North Camp were returned, and Sodir assisted the North Camp soldiers in setting up defenses. Then, Sordil led the special forces, the 1st Division, and the 2nd Division back to the Central Camp to prevent the enemy from taking advantage of any weakened defenses to launch an attack.

With the archmage Sordil present, they were able to quickly return to the Central Camp using the Teleportation Array and assist Sage Dragon in redeploying the defenses and holding the camp in the shortest possible time.

After dealing with matters at the Central Camp, Sordil returned the borrowed soldiers and then led his special forces squad back to Dragunov. This wasn't because the young master was indulging in women, but because the special forces genuinely needed a good rest. Besides, the Third Food War had seemingly ended, and as commander, Sordil had an obligation to provide a post-war summary to the kings. (Hehe! I won't tell you, the young master only needed to report to Queen Irene!)

Actually, all of the above are just excuses. The real reason is that Igneel's nagging is so terrible that even Tang Sanzang from A Chinese Odyssey might not be as terrifying as him.

Dragunov, the courtyard of the royal palace

On the courtyard floor, where various colorful flowers bloomed, a giant, silvery-white flower suddenly burst into bloom. Like the epiphyllum, it bloomed with breathtaking beauty, but withered just as quickly, disappearing before the maids and guards in the courtyard could even react. However, unlike the epiphyllum, this flower left behind many seeds after it withered.

"Haha! The victory celebration is here! (Igneel)"

"Igneel, you idiot, keep your voice down, don't scare people!" (Metalicana)

"Ha ha! Metalicana, you're wrong! Igneel, he can't scare anyone, he'll just make people laugh until their stomachs hurt! (Yesveta)"

"Haha! I never expected that the person who understands Igneel best isn't my brother Sordil, but Yesveta (Vyseria)!"

"Laughing so hard your stomach hurts? Haha! That's such a brilliant description, Yesveta. I have to admit, I'm no match for you in terms of word choice and sentence structure! (Metalicana)"

"You guys... (Igneel)"

The teasing from his brothers, coupled with the laughter of the female audience members like Grandiere, caused the shameless Fire Dragon King to blush crimson and become unable to utter a complete sentence. Faced with this helpless situation, the 'poor' Igneel had no choice but to turn to his last remaining good brother— Sordil —for help!

"Brother Sordil, look at these annoying guys, they've teamed up to make fun of me!"

Looking at his brothers on his left and then at the aggrieved Fire Dragon King in front of him, Sordil was puzzled and didn't know how to handle the situation.

Fortunately, the young master not only has brothers, but also many reliable female confidantes. Therefore, just when he was in trouble, a lovely and kind young lady appeared in time to help him get through this difficult time.

"Brother Sordil, weren't you in a hurry to report the news of the great battle to Irene and the others? Why are you still wasting time here?"

After saying that, Yelibell pulled Sordil away from the courtyard and disappeared into the corridor leading to the council hall.

"Um... was that pretty girl just now Grandiere (Igneel)?"

"Excuse me, this beautiful lady is right behind you!"

Hearing the cold voice behind him, Igneel swallowed hard and silently prayed.

"Brother Sordil, you must hold on! Don't let Grandiere catch you before the victory celebration!"

Leaving aside the beings in the royal palace courtyard, let's talk about Sordil. After being dragged away by Yelibell, he ran wildly until he stopped at the entrance of the council hall. Due to poor visibility and a malfunction in the braking system, the rogue Sodir irresponsibly crashed into Yelibell (almost like conjoined twins).

"Sister Yelibell, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!"

Once the vehicle came to a stop, Big Pig Trotter Sordil hurriedly got out, using both his hands and feet, and explained anxiously.

However, the person involved (the dragon) acted as if nothing had happened and calmly said, "Brother Sordil, the reason I hurriedly pulled you away from the central courtyard was not only to help you get out of trouble, but also because there is something important I have to tell you."

Looking at Yelibell's calm expression, and recalling her usual behavior, Sordil's relaxed expression gradually disappeared, replaced by solemnity.

"Brother Sordil, have you noticed that something is off about Xizhalansa and his soldiers?"

After pondering for a while, Sordil said in a deep voice, "There is indeed something wrong with Xizhalansa, but that's normal, after all, they just went through something like that."

"Perhaps you are right, but I think we should still be careful, after all, we can't afford to make any mistakes now."

"Hmm... Sister is right, we should be careful. Here's what we'll do: after we see Irene, I'll immediately return to the Central Camp and tell Belserion and the others about these things, so they can take good care of Xizhalansa and the others."

Hearing Sordil's words, Yelibell nodded and said, "Yes, that's for the best!"

After they finished speaking, the two of them held hands (well... it seems they had been in this state the whole time, and nothing had changed) and stepped onto the steps in front of them, heading towards the entrance of the council hall.

Chigengster Plains, Western Continent Camp

Just as Sordil led his special operations team back to Dragunov, the three highest-ranking military officers from the Western Continent Ishgar gathered there.

"Kelsu, how's the situation? Have you made contact with them? (Goodpes)"

"Yes! We've already made contact with them! (Kelsu)"

"How did it go? Did the plan go smoothly? (Delsd)"

"They said things have returned to normal over there, and we can act at any time, but they want us to act quickly to avoid any unforeseen complications. (Kelsu)"

Upon hearing his old friend's words, Delsd jumped to his feet and said urgently, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's get started!"

"Kelsu, Delsd is right. We must act immediately, or I fear our Old Friend will discover our plan. (Goodpes)"

The moment the words "Old Friend" came from Goodpes's lips, Kelsu's body trembled violently, for he recalled 'their' description of their Old Friend. Those faces, filled with admiration and fear, flashed through Kelsu's mind again, strengthening his resolve to act.

After taking a deep breath, Kelsu opened his eyes and said with unwavering determination, "Goodpes, you two get to the designated location immediately. I will contact 'them' right away, and we will move out in fifteen minutes."

"Okay! Let's get ready right away!" (Goodpes)

Watching his two old friends leave the camp and disappear into the night, Kelsu reached out and lowered the tent curtain, then turned and walked into the main tent.

Chigengster Plains, Ishgar Camp

The battle finally came to an end, and his side achieved a complete victory, instantly easing the tension that had gripped Sage Dragon. After Sordil and the others returned, he summoned his close friend Acunologiya, and the two enjoyed a hearty drink before drifting off to sleep. However, his blissful state was short-lived, interrupted by a gruff voice.

"Sage Dragon!"

"Sage Dragon, please wake up!"

"Sage Dragon, something terrible has happened! Wake up!"

A violent, earth-shattering tremor dragged Belserion from his sleep. Opening his eyes, he saw a face smeared with blood and a look of extreme anxiety on the other person's face.