Taking a Disciple

Anna picked up the fish basket she had left behind and checked it, only to find nothing inside but some seaweed. The nearby beach had also been picked clean by the fishermen, leaving behind nothing useful. Anna knew that if this continued, she would surely starve to death, so she decided to try her luck at the nearby cliffs and see whether she could catch some fish to fill her stomach.

Picking up the fish basket, Anna first returned to her shelter and took out the fishing rod she had made before heading toward the nearby cliffs. She looked up at the setting sun and the fishermen returning from the sea in the distance, knowing she had to hurry. Once night fell completely, going to the cliffs would become even more dangerous. Even if she caught fish then, she might not be able to return safely.

The young girl hurried toward the cliffs, unaware that a miraculous encounter awaited her there—and that this encounter would turn her life upside down.

"Brother Sordil, look! It's land! We finally crossed the sea and returned to Ishgar!" Staring at the cliffs in the distance, Diphiya excitedly flew around Sordil and shouted.

Seeing Diphiya act so wildly, Sordil shook his head with a smile.

"Brother Sordil, now that we've reached Ishgar and Uncle Kaldiz is out of danger, there's no need for us to rush back to Fostadu. We hurried all this way to avoid those Koreita people, and Uncle Lindel and the others are exhausted. They need to rest now, don't you think?"

"I don't know whether Uncle Lindel and the others need rest, but this little gluttonous dragon of ours needs some human food to comfort her, doesn't she?"

"That's not true! I'm worried about Uncle Lindel and the others!"

"Miss Diphiya, none of us feel tired. We don't need to rest. Let's keep going!"

Seeing Diphiya use them as an excuse to rest, Lindel and the other two tactlessly said so. The Little Girl stomped her feet in frustration, then flew ahead in a huff without any intention of waiting for them, making everyone laugh behind her. But laughter aside, Sordil and the others still sped up to catch up with her, lest something happen to Diphiya.

Sordil and his group continued onward amid laughter and banter, drawing closer and closer to the cliffs. The scenery atop the cliffs gradually came into view. Diphiya, who was flying at the front, suddenly noticed a tiny black dot by the cliff's edge. As they approached, that little black dot was slowly moving down the cliff.

"Brother Sordil, look! There's a moving little black dot on that cliff. It's moving so slowly—is it a snail?"

"Hm? Silly girl, that's a person! We're still far away, so of course all you can see is a little black dot. If it were a snail, you probably wouldn't be able to see it at all!"

Listening to Diphiya, Sordil felt that after returning to Ishgar, this girl had returned all her intelligence to Old man Hadessta. Sigh... He was really worried for her. Hopefully, that would change someday!

Just as Diphiya spotted the little black dot on the cliff, the "little black dot" spotted them as well. Anna looked at the enormous black shadows steadily approaching and was terrified. She swore this was the largest creature she had seen in all her years. From several hundred meters away, they still appeared so huge—Anna could only think of one kind of being: the strongest beings on this continent, the dragon race. But judging from the direction they had come from, they should be dragons from the Western Continent. At that thought, Anna's heart instantly tightened. She had heard from caravan traders that dragons from the Western Continent were not as friendly toward humans as Ishgar's dragons. On the contrary, they liked to prey on humans. Anna no longer dared to stay there. In a panic, she gathered her belongings and rushed down the cliff.

"Uncle Lindel, go invite that human over. I have something to ask her!"

"Yes, Young Master Sordil! I'll definitely bring her here!"

"Brother Sordil, why are you having Uncle Lindel invite that human over?"

"The master probably wants to ask about our current location?"

"Not entirely. Our food, water, and the herbs for treating Uncle Kaldiz's injuries are nearly gone. We have to find a city to replenish our supplies. This human can point us in the right direction, which is why I asked Uncle Lindel to bring her over!"

"Oh!"

After hearing Sordil's explanation, Diphiya and the others all wore looks of sudden realization. Even without the person on the cliff, Sordil had intended to find a city near the cliffs to resupply. Now that heaven had delivered a pillow right to him, how could he waste the opportunity? Lindel did not know what his young master intended, but after the incidents at Moens Canyon and Zobol Forest, he had developed a special trust in Sordil. After the events in the Spirit World, that trust had been elevated even further. Even if Sordil ordered him to kill himself now, Lindel would carry it out without batting an eye.

Lindel reached the cliffs at top speed. By then, seeing the "evil dragon" chasing after her, Anna ran even faster. But no matter how fast she was, she only had two legs. How could she outrun a flying dragon? Thus, Anna was unfortunately caught. The "evil dragon" descended from the sky with a thunderous boom right in front of her, completely cutting off her escape route. Seeing that escape was impossible, Anna hurriedly dropped to her knees and repeatedly kowtowed to the dragon before her, begging nonstop.

"Great Dragon, look at me—I'm filthy all over and I stink, and I'm skinny and dried-up with barely any meat on me. I definitely won't taste good, so please spare me!"

"Great Dragon, if you're hungry, I can catch fish for you! Fish tastes really good. Please don't eat me!"

"Please, spare me!"

Lindel stared at the kneeling, pleading Anna with sweat pouring down his face, repeatedly asking himself, Do I really look that fierce? But he quickly came up with the answer. This dragon is absolutely not fierce! Doesn't Seraf make fun of me all day? How could I possibly look fierce? This girl's sense of beauty must be the problem! Suppressing his displeasure, Lindel patiently said to Anna, "Girl, have you misunderstood something? I'm only taking you to meet my young master. When did I ever say I was going to eat you?"

"Great Dragon, please spare me! I'm not even enough to fill the gaps between your teeth, much less enough for you to take me back and share with another Great Dragon. Just pretend you never saw me and let me go!"

Hearing Anna's words, Lindel was furious! It was one thing for her to misunderstand him, but now she had misunderstood Young Master Sordil too. Lindel no longer had the patience to waste words with her. He grabbed Anna and flew directly toward Sordil and the others. Carried through the air by Lindel, Anna felt that her life was over. She was only fifteen or sixteen, yet she was about to become food for these "evil dragons." Overcome with grief, she could no longer bear it and burst into loud sobs.

They had not been far apart to begin with, and Lindel was afraid of delaying Sordil's business, so he flew extremely fast. In less than a minute, he had rejoined Sordil and the others. Seeing Anna crying her heart out, Sordil and the others looked at Lindel as though he were some creepy old man who trafficked girls. Seeing their expressions, Lindel hurriedly explained, "It's not what you think! This girl thought I was going to eat her, so she's crying this badly. I didn't bully her!"

"Oh!"

After hearing his explanation, everyone looked at him with eyes that clearly said, "No need to explain. We understand!"

"Hello, miss. My name is Sordil. What's your name?"

Sordil stopped teasing Lindel and turned his attention to Anna.

"My name is Anna. Great Dragon, please spare me. Don't eat me!"

Upon hearing Anna's answer, Sordil turned and stared at her intently. After looking Anna up and down, Sordil found that the girl before him really did resemble Lucy from the anime. He then walked over to Anna and carefully sensed the state of the magic power within her. Then Sordil said something that left everyone utterly dumbfounded.

"I can spare you, but in exchange, from now on, you must follow me and learn magic!"