Resolution (Part 2)

"What?"

Mevajena stared at Sordil in shock. She had already prepared herself to perish together with Sordil, but his words gave her new hope. As for killing someone, it could not have been easier. Back in Koreita, she had no idea how many times she had done it for fun. Sometimes, surprises really did come one after another, and what Sordil said next made Mevajena deeply understand that truth.

"Not only that. If you can help me kill one more person tomorrow, I can spare your brother's life!"

"Is that true?"

"Of course it's true! But there's one condition: you can't tell anyone about this, including your brother!"

"That won't be a problem!"

"Excellent! I'll take you to deal with the first target now. Once you're done, you can go back and reunite with your brother!"

After reaching an agreement, Sordil released Mevajena from the cage. However, he did not restore her original size, leaving her at the size of an adult instead. Still, the magic power stored in that body was more than enough to kill a human, so Mevajena did not dwell on it. She followed Sordil out of Fostadu through the air and arrived outside a military camp.

"Do you see that tent in the middle? The person inside is your target. Keep it clean and don't let anyone discover you! If you're discovered, our agreement is void. Understand?"

"Don't worry. He's as good as dead!"

Mevajena quietly crept toward the target Sordil had indicated. Sordil, hovering in the sky, used Quality Magic to shrink himself to an almost imperceptible size, then silently watched the situation unfold.

Inside the tent, Tedd was writing a report on the personnel situation in Fostadu. The report stated that their soldiers had recently been repeatedly falling into collective comas. Tedd suspected that Fostadu's dragons were behind it, and hoped His Majesty would dispatch skilled mages to counter this magic. He also proposed a strategy of dividing and winning over Fostadu's dragons, striving to turn that force into a weapon of the kingdom as soon as possible.

"Whoosh."

"Bang!"

A whistling sound rang out, followed by a green beam slicing through the entrance of the tent. With lightning speed, it shattered Tedd's head, splattering red and white matter all over the table. The unfinished report on the tabletop was soaked in Tedd's blood, blurring its writing beyond recognition.

"Someone, come quickly! Commander Tedd has been killed!"

"Someone, come quickly!"

"I couldn't tell before, but you're pretty skilled!"

After Sordil and Mevajena met up, Sordil, the sole spectator of the entire operation, sincerely praised Mevajena.

"Nothing special! The task is done now, so it's time for you to make good on your promise, isn't it?"

"Of course! Come on, let's go back to my place first. Before we left, I had someone prepare food in my room. We should properly reward such a great contributor. Otherwise, if hunger delays your mission tomorrow, that would be quite a loss. Hahaha!"

Sordil excitedly patted Mevajena on the shoulder, then withdrew his hand under her disgusted gaze. The two returned to Fostadu amid an awkward atmosphere. Sure enough, when they reached Sordil's room, a table piled high with food was already waiting for them. Mevajena had no intention of minding her manners as she devoured the food like a whirlwind. When she was finished, she let out a loud belch and looked at Sordil expectantly.

"Don't worry. I'll have my subordinates prepare food for your brother and the others right away! But I still can't restore your freedom, so you'll have to return to the dark prison afterward!"

Mevajena showed no resistance to Sordil's decision and merely waited quietly for the food to be prepared. By the time she returned to the dark prison, it was already broad daylight. Fordisg looked at the radiant Mevajena, as well as the food and water she had brought, and was overcome with shame. Although Mevajena repeatedly explained that she had not married Sordil and had obtained these things by helping Sordil eliminate his opponents, Fordisg and the other two still looked at her strangely. Holop even kept begging Mevajena to plead with Sordil on his behalf and save his life.

The following night, Sordil once again had Mevajena taken away. The two went to the military camp again, and Mevajena once more exchanged her actions for food, water, and her brother's life. In the days that followed, Mevajena continued living this way, while someone in the camp died without reason every day. The officers of the knight order no longer dared remain there and had the camp moved away from Fostadu, but the deaths did not improve in the slightest. Left with no choice, they reported the situation to His Majesty the King.

Kingdom of Tsuyioru Xiu, Royal Palace

"Hmph! What do you mean, dying without reason? This is clearly a show of force against me, trying to make me withdraw my troops!"

Belmod furiously threw the intelligence scroll to the floor and roared. The chancellor picked up the scroll and placed it back on the table, then said earnestly, "Your Majesty, even if we know they did this, what can we do? First, our strength is inferior to theirs. Second, what if we push them too hard and they turn to the Kingdom of Donagunov?"

"Reporting to His Majesty the King, General Langu has submitted an urgent military report!"

Just as the two were troubled by the matter of Fostadu, an attendant's report came from outside the palace doors. The chancellor hurried to the door and took the letter from the attendant. After dismissing him, the chancellor quickly read through the letter, and his expression turned extremely grim. Seeing this, Belmod suddenly had a bad feeling and hurriedly asked about the contents of the letter.

"Your Majesty, General Langu reports that a Black Great Dragon is leading Donagunov's dragons toward the Cuyis Tree Sea."

"Good! Very good! They've done very well indeed! It seems I've lost this round. I never expected the proud and arrogant dragon race to have someone so sinister and cunning among them. Send orders for the Bell Dragon Rider Regiment to withdraw to their original station! Also, ask the Cuyis Tree Sea about the reason for this incident and Donagunov's purpose in going there!"

"Your Majesty, will the Cuyis Tree Sea reply? What if they simply relocate to the Kingdom of Donagunov?"

"Don't worry about that. He will definitely reply. Otherwise, why did he bypass the Kingdom of Donagunov to seek us out in the first place? This action is nothing more than a warning not to push him too far. I am not his only option. Though he comes from the Western Continent, he is still a dragon and can join the Kingdom of Donagunov!"

"This minister understands. I will carry it out at once!"

The chancellor carefully withdrew from the room, afraid of disturbing the king's thoughts. The old minister knew that the king was already on the verge of rage, and if he displeased His Majesty the King now, all his years of effort would be wasted. Belmod paid little attention to his chancellor. Instead, he fixed a profound gaze on the eastern part of the kingdom, where a force known as the Cuyis Tree Sea was now rising.