Does the Butterfly Effect Really Exist? (4)

"Uncle Sacred Dragon, I cannot accompany you this time, which means the army cannot quickly return to Ishgar via the Teleportation Array. This implies that the army may be intercepted by the enemy at sea, or even surrounded and annihilated. Are you really determined to accept this mission?"

Looking at Sordil's solemn face, Acnologia nodded vigorously.

"You little rascal, I'll take this task. Consider it my way of making up for my mistake."

After Sacred Dragon finished speaking, Diphiya and the others suddenly turned their gazes to Sage Dragon, their meaning self-evident. (Look at his attitude of admitting his mistake, and then look at yourself, aren't you ashamed?)

"Oh my god! I just got tricked by Yelibell and haven't even recovered yet, and now Aku has dug another huge pit for me. Are you guys trying to kill me?!"

After internally complaining for a while, Sage Dragon was just about to speak and request to carry out the mission with the Sacred Dragon when Sordil put the final decision and settled the matter.

"Alright! Since Uncle Sacred Dragon is so kind, I'll entrust this task to you. However, I'm a little worried about you going alone. How about this, I'll have Sister Yelibell accompany you. Firstly, the two of you can look after each other, and secondly, with Sister Yelibell there, the probability of a successful ambush and the chance of the army's safe retreat will be higher."

"I will follow the arrangements, but I don't know if Yelibell is willing to come with me on this trip?"

Before Sordil could speak, Yelibell stood up from her seat and said in a clear voice, "Since even Uncle Sacred Dragon isn't afraid, why should I be? I'll take this mission!"

Sordil nodded in satisfaction. Then, gesturing for the two to sit down, he said, "Uncle Sacred Dragon, although your operation this time is to lure out our Old Friend, it's not a performance. We're really going to intercept the reinforcements from the Western Continent. This time, we must not only dig out our Old Friend, but also eliminate the enemy's reinforcements!"

"Don't worry, brat. As long as those Evil Dragon from the Western Continent dare to come, I'll send them all back to their homeland!"

"Hey... hey... Uncle Sacred Dragon, you misunderstood me. I don't want you to kill the Evil Dragon of the Western Continent, but to capture them alive and bring them back intact."

Hearing Sordil's words, Sacred Dragon was completely baffled, not understanding what Old Suo was up to.

"Pfft"

The sudden soft laughter drew everyone's attention. Looking at Yelibell clutching her stomach and Irene covering her mouth, Diphiya and the others felt both curious and puzzled.

"Sister- Irene, Sister Yelibell, what are you laughing at?" (Diphiya)

"What can we laugh at? We're laughing at your brother, of course!" (Irene)

Irene's explanation only made things worse, leaving Diphiya and the others even more confused.

Seeing the bewildered looks on Diphiya and the others' faces, Yelibell had already stopped laughing, took a few deep breaths and then, controlling her remaining rationality, explained, "We're laughing because your brother's plan is just... hahaha!"

"Oh dear! Sister Yelibell, stop keeping us in suspense. What exactly is my brother planning? Why are you all laughing so much?"

"Your brother's plan is... haha!... I can't go on! Irene, you tell them!"

After laughing for a while, Irene, who was getting tired, took the microphone and continued, "Your brother plans to capture the enemy's reinforcements and then use them to train new Dragon Slayer Magic."

After hearing the explanation, Diphiya scratched her head and said speechlessly, "This isn't funny at all?"

As she spoke, she turned to Sage Dragon, Sacred Dragon, and the others, preparing to confirm with them whether her viewpoint was correct. Before Diphiya could finish confirming the information, Yelibell had finished laughing again, added, "Of course these aren't funny. What's funny is what your brother said: 'I'll rob you, use you, and then turn around and beat you up.'"

Upon hearing Sordil's roguish inner monologue, and considering Sordil recent performance, Diphiya and the others couldn't hold back any longer and burst into laughter.

"Ha ha!"

"Ha ha!"

entrance to Fostadu

After five or six days of hard work, Zeref finally succeeded in navigating Cuiyisi Maze and arrived at the gates of the Bandit ' lair. The great black magician was still trying to calm his erratic breathing when a loud shout suddenly came from behind him.

"Who are you? Why are you blocking the exit of our Fostadu?"

"Um?"

Zeref turned his head in confusion, only to see a thin, dark-skinned man with brown hair standing behind him, holding an iron spear and staring at him warily.

"Hello, my name is Zeref. I'm here to see a friend, and I mean no harm."

Although Zeref sincerely explained his purpose, the thin, dark-skinned man did not let his guard down.

"Looking for a friend? What's your friend's name?"

"His name is Bandit ... uh, no, his name is Sordil Ornn."

Upon hearing Zeref's reply, the thin, dark-skinned man raised his head and gazed at the sky, processing all the information in his mind. After a moment, the thin, dark-skinned man suddenly raised his spear and thrust it at Zeref.

"Hmph! You liar, there's no one named Sordil Ornn in Fostadu!"

Zeref instinctively tried to use magic to defend against the attack, but just as he was about to complete the spell, he suddenly realized his current state, so he quickly stopped the spell and dodged the attack to the side.

"Young friend, I am not looking for a human, but a dragon, a giant dragon named Sordil!"

Zeref's explanation only made things worse; after he did, the skinny, dark-skinned man's attacks became even more ferocious.

"You liar! Not only did you deceive me, but you also dared to offend Young Master Sordil! Take this!"

Fortunately, Zeref had trained in martial arts beforehand; otherwise, he would have had no chance of escaping with his life from such a relentless barrage of attacks.

"Young man, I'm telling the truth, I really am Sordil's friend."

"Hmph! You might fool others with those words, but as the deputy director of Fostadu, I, Carl, often accompany Young Master Sordil on his travels. Which of Young Master's friends haven't I met?"

"Young man, I really didn't lie to you. If you don't believe me, you can ask Uncle Gilkunis or Aunt Wattster."

"Tch! Everyone on Ishgar knows that King Gilkunis and King Wattster have gone to the front lines with young master Sordil to fight the Evil Dragon of the Western Continent. Where am I supposed to ask them?"

"What did you say? The Bandit went to fight the Evil Dragon of the Western Continent?"

"Hmph! If it weren't for this, do you think you'd still be standing here safely?"

Carl's answer reminded Zeref of something that happened a year ago, and in an instant, the two figures in his memory perfectly overlapped.

"Damn it! I actually missed the chance to reunite with the Bandit!"

He spat in regret, then Zeref dodged the attack with a leap and plunged headfirst into the bushes to the side.

Seeing that Zeref had managed to escape, Carl chased after him with great speed, but when he parted the bushes, the other man had already disappeared, leaving only an irregular roll mark on the ground.

"Hmph! You're lucky you ran fast, otherwise I would have made you pay the price for your words and actions!"

After coldly rebuking Zeref in the direction he fled, Carl slung the iron spear over his shoulder and walked triumphantly toward Fostadu.