Chapter 157

“Well, I don’t particularly have anything to give you, but.”

“Give me what you consider to be and most confident in.”

“The most confidant in…..”

Oliver fell in to a deep thought for a minute.

That he is most confident in.

Swordsmanship?  Of course, he was confident in swordsmanship.

However, the emphasis was on ‘the most confident’ in.

Then the answer has already been determined.

That was, the strong ‘loyalty’ that never withers.

Oliver’s determined voice was heard.

“That is one thing that can only be directed to the crowned prince, so.”

“Of course, I’m not asking for it in its entirety.  Only to the level at which the crowned prince would not feel neglected.  To say it, 2nd priority would work.

“The emperor is the 2nd priority.”

“Then 3rd priority…..”

“The 3rd priority is the empire.

“…..I feel quite insistent.  Then let’s go to the 4th priority.”

“Hmmm.”

Oliver was making a sound of someone who was ill.

The determination that he has shown was no longer visible as the 4th priority was being requested.

It was certainly a fitting and difficult consideration.

“That may be acceptable.”

“Phew!”

Ian let out a sigh of relief.

Wasn’t he lucky to have become the 4th priority?

He has avoided the humiliation of being pushed down to the 5th priority.

“The 4th priority, I’ll take that.”

“Do you think you would even need it?”

“Even dog poop can be useful, sometimes.”

“Comparing me to dog poop sounds somewhat…..”

“I’m kidding.  As you know, since I’m a cunning person without even a childhood friend.  I often make light jokes as if they were sincere comments.  Please understand me.”

It was Ian’s small revenge.

But, Oliver did not lose either.

“I will understand as an elder person.”

“Thank you.”

Their conversation came across as if they were kidding however way one could analyze it.

Oliver was also taking the whole encounter as a joke.

However, that did not appear to be so from this moment on.

Light gathered in both of Ian’s eyes.

“Gently.”

Ian was massaging the spatial pouch.

Then he slowly opened his dry mouth.

“May I go in to the earnest topic?”

“I have been waiting.”

The conversation took place from this point on by the two men.

It has lasted overnight into the morning.

Conversation and silence were repeated tens of times.

The conversation that they shared seemed to have been rather satisfactory.

***

Named ‘Evantus rescue mission’ was put in to action two days later.  The team that has been formed with Ian Paige as the main man was certainly powerful.  Even without Ian, their vigor was such that they could easily conquer a feudal territory.

“I’m thinking to approach it similar to Evantus’ way.”

At the not too distant forest, from the Soffits Mountain Range.

To begin with, the Fairy Queen and her clan, which wielded lightning magic, have joined forces.  Hellanelia, who was the 5th class sorcerer and the daughter of Evantus, concentrated while combing her red hair.  Each of the five out of the six golem dra-dragons was being ridden by the masters.  They were simply what others would call the ‘invincible warriors’?  Only that Schram, the engineer, belatedly declaring to join the force, has freed up one of the dra-dragons.   And Oliver couldn’t be seen either.

‘What is it that he needs to prepare at the last minute?’

Schram, the engineer, said that he still needed to prepare something, so advised the team to go ahead and start the mission.  There were all the nuances of possibly brining the ‘dragon heart’, but what he would bring wasn’t exactly known.  That was, whether the item to be brought would be in one piece or not was even unknown.

‘Only time will tell.’

Certainly, he wasn’t about to wait endlessly until Schram would return with the item.  Wasn’t Evanus’ well being on the line?  Every minute counted.  There wasn’t any more time to waste.

‘Well the portal has been left open.’

He would find us by transporting himself using the portal.

Having it all organized in his head, Ian looked at everyone.

“As experienced before by Maliotus and Evantus, that entire mountain range is known as the land of the gargoyles.  Petrified gargoyles were hiding in many places.  In the brushes, between the rocks, every small caves, bottom of the wells, even in the soils, everywhere.”

The mountain range that was called one of the five grand mountain ranges of the Northern Region of the Coldwood Territory was naturally given the name, due to its unusually many wells.  That ‘Soffit Mountain Range’ was the territory of the gargoyles.  Although they could not be located with the detection spell since they have been all petrified, but according to Maliotus, countless number of gargoyles were hiding there.

“He said that you will find a very deep cave that appeared to penetrate through the entire mountain range, if you were to observe from the highest peak of the mountain.  Just below there, there is the cave where the king of the gargoyles resides, as it has been verified by Maliotus himself.”

The highest point of the Soffit Mountain Range.

The deep cave that was located there.

That cave was the king’s turf.

The king of the gargoyles, the ancient predator, that is.