Defusing a Bomb

"Huh? How did I get here?"

After realizing his surroundings, Sordil immediately turned his head back, then feigned a sudden awakening. Before Grandiere could react, he reached out and touched Grandiere's cheek, even pinching it.

"Huh, it's warm? Is this a dream? Then someone must have heard what I was saying in my sleep."

Hearing Sordil's mutterings, Kaldiz and the Igneel three all collapsed to the ground with a thud, silently submitting their utter admiration to Sordil. Grandiere, having had his cheek pinched by Sordil, no longer had the courage to stay and instantly vanished into a white blur, returning to his cave.

"Oh? Diphiya, you're here too? Did you bring me here?"

After Grandiere got up and left, Sordil turned around and, upon seeing Diphiya, Sordil in 'surprise'.

"How could I, with my ugly appearance, dare to approach Young Master Sordil, let alone bring you here!"

Hearing Diphiya's sarcastic words, Sordil knew that whether he would return alive depended on how he answered this question. Taking a deep breath, Sordil offered a sincere apology to Kaldiz in his heart, then said loudly and righteously, "Which guy said you were ugly? I just want to ask the person who said that, doesn't your conscience hurt?"

Kaldiz and the others stared dumbfounded at Sordil, who had just spoken. They also wanted to ask him, "Brother, does your conscience hurt right now?"

Seeing that Diphiya's expression remained as cold as ice, Sordil had no choice but to resort to his trump card—the blame-shifting tactic. Sordil suddenly pointed to Kaldiz and Igneel, who were not far away, and said to Diphiya, "Diphiya, don't be misled by Uncle Kaldiz and the others. You know, their aesthetic sense is questionable. How could they possibly appreciate a beautiful woman like you? So, don't get angry because they say you're not pretty. Getting angry will cause wrinkles to your beautiful skin. It's not worth hurting yourself over something like that!"

After Sordil finished speaking, Kaldiz and the others realized they were wrong. How could Sordil have a guilty conscience? This guy didn't even know what conscience was! After all, what person with a conscience would be so shameless and unscrupulous in shifting blame? Kaldiz and the others never expected that these days, even being a 'spectator' requires buying personal insurance in advance, otherwise, who would they complain to if they were injured by a huge black pot falling from the sky? Kaldiz and the others forcibly suppressed the urge to rush up and beat Sordil up, and silently took their 'little stools' and moved away from the scene, lest Sordil's 'mishap' affect them later.

"Oh? So you're saying I'm very pretty!"

"Of course!"

Seeing that Diphiya's tone had finally softened, Sordil immediately fawned over her, trying to increase his chances of escaping the 'crematorium'. Thus, a long-standing problem that had plagued many males for years was now before him.

"Then tell me, am I prettier or Grandiere prettier?"

"This..."

Is this question difficult to answer?

Faced with Diphiya's once again cold and sharp gaze and tone, Sordil knew he was standing at the crossroads of heaven and hell. If he chose the wrong answer this time, his death would be even more gruesome than before! Just as Sordil was worrying about how to answer this question, he suddenly saw two trees growing halfway up the opposite mountain. He quickly pointed to the two trees in the distance and said:

"Diphiya, do you see that ginkgo tree not far away and the Red Maple next to it?"

"I saw it! But what does that have to do with my question?"

"Of course they're related! Now can you tell me which is prettier, the golden ginkgo leaves or the Red Scarlet leaves?"

Looking at the two ancient trees not far away, Diphiya was momentarily at a loss for words, for both types of leaves possessed their own unique beauty, making it impossible to compare which was superior. Seeing Diphiya's hesitant expression, Sordil knew he had achieved his goal, so he pressed his advantage, saying, "To me, you are like a fiery red maple leaf, vibrant and dazzling, while Grandiere is like a golden ginkgo leaf, soft and elegant. How can I possibly judge which is more beautiful?"

Is that really the case?

"Of course it's true!"

Although Diphiya was intelligent, how could she withstand the perfect routine that Sordil brought from Earth? The little girl was instantly defeated, her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment, and she had completely forgotten what she had originally come here for. Sordil inwardly felt fortunate and offered sincere thanks to all the predecessors and sages who had invented these various routines.

"The delicate and graceful ginkgo leaves?"

Thinking about what he had just overheard, Grandiere felt his heart pounding, his face burning as if on fire. His gaze towards Sordil softened, as if a clear spring flowed within his eyes. Sordil probably hadn't expected that dragons possessed such keen hearing that Grandiere could hear every single word he uttered. He had also underestimated the power of these romantic tactics; they had silently helped him woo a stunning beauty.

Sordil narrowly escaped a 'death crisis,' but the next storm was already brewing before him.

"Kid, now that your problem is solved, shouldn't we also resolve our own?"

Seeing Igneel's bitter and resentful eyes, Sordil instantly cowered—but he had no choice! This was Igneel, the second strongest fighter in Fairy Tail. If he had his eye on him, he was sure to suffer a terrible fate. So, Sordil cautiously asked, "Big brother, we don't seem to have any problems to resolve, right?"

"No problem? We're almost done with our problems! First of all, why did you lie to me and say you were human? And why did you suddenly crash into me while you were flying through the air, and then cause me to be misunderstood by others?"

If Igneel still can't recognize who Sordil is at this point, then he's not Igneel!

Seeing that his deception had been exposed, Sordil dared not hide it any longer, so he said weakly, "Brother, when I came here last time, I don't think I mentioned that I was human, right? Besides, Grandiere has always known my identity. I thought she had already told you everything! As for why I crashed into you from the air, that was because there were uncontrollable factors at the time!"

"What? Grandiere has always known you're a dragon!"

As soon as Sordil finished explaining, Igneel and the other three shouted in unison, then stared incredulously at the cave in Grandiere.