Rescue (Part 2)

"Sordil, what exactly is this guy? Why is everyone's magic ineffective against him?" Diphiya stared at the Black Dragon before her and asked indignantly.

"I don't know either. It may be due to some special constitution. He's so badly injured that he was most likely being pursued. We also need to find medicine to treat him, so we can't stay here any longer." Unlike the others' curiosity and ease, the countless classic tropes he had absorbed during more than twenty years as a shut-in in his previous life told him that they absolutely could not linger here, or trouble would surely follow.

"But Sordil, your Quality Magic doesn't work on him, and he's such a huge lump. How are we supposed to take him with us?" Diphiya questioned Sordil's proposal as she looked at the Black Dragon's enormous body.

"How about this? We'll work in pairs to carry him into the air and travel at top speed. Once one pair is exhausted, the next pair will take over. Also, keep an eye on our surroundings as we move and see whether there are any towns where we can treat his injuries." After some thought, young master Sordil quickly came up with a solution and began urging everyone to prepare to leave.

A quarter of an hour later, everyone had packed up. Lindel and Sordil, serving as the first pair of "medics," carried the Black Dragon into the sky and headed into the distance.

Sordil's unflappable decision successfully helped them avoid a danger, while also earning him a hatred that ran deep into someone's bones.

Not long after Sordil and the others left, six black figures arrived at the site. Their leader was Glaide, the Leader of Koreita and a half-acquaintance of Sordil's. Glaide stared at the broken trees in the forest below and the freshly churned earth around the large pit, immediately determining that they had been caused by the badly injured Kaldiz. Yet Kaldiz himself was nowhere to be seen, which struck him as extremely strange.

"Leader, look over there!" one of Glaide's subordinates suddenly shouted, pointing toward a spot not far from the pit.

Following the direction indicated by his subordinate, Glaide saw sparse trees surrounding an open patch of ground. At its center lay a pile of ashes still veiled in wisps of smoke. Clearly, whoever had lit the campfire had only just left. The person he was pursuing had most likely been rescued by them. At that thought, Glaide felt as though he had been possessed by the god of misfortune lately—nothing he did went right. Now this was even more outrageous: Kaldiz, that fat duck already eight-tenths cooked, had been snatched away. In his heart, Glaide had already begun greeting the ancestors and every female relative of the person who had ruined his plans.

"Search the area and see whether they left behind any traces." With a dark expression, Glaide ordered his subordinates to investigate the surroundings. He himself circled the campfire ashes, hoping to find a clue that might prove useful.

Glaide continued searching the area for nearly a quarter of an hour. The subordinates he had sent out soon returned as well, but they had found no useful clues. They had not even discovered any trace of the others' departure. Listening to their reports, Glaide knew that his new mission was likely doomed, but he was unwilling to give up just yet.

"Kaldiz is badly injured and cannot move on his own. Moreover, his constitution is special—everyone's magic is ineffective against him. They must have carried him away by hand or on their shoulders. Not much time has passed, so if we split up and pursue them now, we can definitely catch up. Once you find them, do not act rashly. Raise your magical power to summon the others before surrounding and eliminating them. Move out!"

At Glaide's command, the six dragons began pursuing Kaldiz in different directions.

"Hmph, it seems the people who rescued Kaldiz really did leave this place." Half an hour after Glaide and the other six dragons departed from Sordil's campsite, Glaide, who had supposedly left, suddenly reappeared there. Staring down at the pitch-black, deathly silent forest, he muttered softly.

"Hmph!"

A pained grunt came from Kaldiz, and his consciousness gradually returned to his body. Feeling a knife-like pain across his back, Kaldiz knew he was still alive and had not died while fleeing. Instinctively, he tried to get to his feet, but the moment his hands touched the ground, a wave of weakness swept through his body, and he collapsed heavily once more.

Thud

The sound of wood striking wood woke Diphiya at the entrance of the cave. She hurried inside and saw Kaldiz doing his utmost to stand, but his severe injuries made it impossible. He kept running into a wall. Diphiya quickly rushed to his side, helped him up, and let him lean against the wall, barely managing to stand upright.

"Your injuries are too serious. You can't stand yet. Sordil said you should rest and recover for now." Diphiya looked at the panting Kaldiz and advised him.

"Little girl, did you save me? Where is this?" Kaldiz asked, staring at the blue dragon before him.

"My name is Diphiya. Sordil and I saved you together. As for where this is, I don't know either! I came to the Western Continent with Sordil to visit a friend, but something happened to that friend, and we couldn't find him. We found you on our way back to Ishgar, so Sordil found a nearby cave to treat your injuries. So I really don't know where we are!" Flying Dagger Di had been holding it in for several days and had finally found someone to talk to, so she told Kaldiz everything she knew.

"Then where is this Sordil of yours? Why are you the only one here?" Looking at the innocent Diphiya before him, Kaldiz knew that he could only obtain useful information after meeting this so-called Sordil, so he promptly pressed on.

"Isn't it all because of you! Everyone's Healing Magic fails on you, so we can only use herbs to treat your wounds. The others are out searching all over the mountain for medicinal herbs right now!" Kaldiz would have been better off not bringing it up. The moment he mentioned it, Diphiya's anger flared. Not only was magic useless on this pitch-black fellow, but he was heavy as lead. The five of them had been utterly exhausted just carrying him here. Fortunately, Seraf knew about medicinal herbs, allowing them to gather supplies nearby. Otherwise, who knew how long it would have taken to treat his injuries? At this rate, he might be fine in the end, while the five of them dropped dead first.

Hearing Diphiya's words and recalling his special constitution, Kaldiz could imagine how troublesome it must have been for them to save him. Thus, Kaldiz, who had never even frowned when facing powerful enemies, now felt somewhat awkward under Diphiya's scrutiny. Fortunately, the stalemate between them did not last long. It was broken by Sordil and the others' return.

"Diphiya, we've gathered enough herbs. We can continue on now." Just as Diphiya was glaring at Kaldiz with the "light of judgment," Sordil entered the cave with Lindel and the others, telling Diphiya the good news as he walked.