The ice dragon delicately placed Matilda and the children on the snow, and stepped back a little before falling to the ground.

"I think it's better to send them back to camp. Ed said without giving up. It would definitely be an even more shocking picture, and he hoped that Narya and Nutka were still in the camp and could see this with their own eyes, and that was a stronger explanation than any words.

This was the idea he had when he persuaded Iss to send his captives back to the camp, but the ice dragon, though he agreed without hesitation, had no intention of letting anyone see its shadow again. In this way, the effect that Ed wants is definitely greatly reduced.

"Say one more word and I'll throw you down too. The ice dragon said coldly, it didn't want to go near the camp at all, if it wasn't for Ed saying that the father of the two girls was in the camp, it wouldn't have bothered to fly so far to send people back. There is another camp to the northwest of Deer Lake that is closer to the Giant's Ridge.

Ed, who had finally sat on the dragon's back, kept his mouth shut tightly, he was trying to learn not to talk too much when he saw it, otherwise he would usually only have the opposite effect - Is's temper was neither like the quiet and talkative boy he had before, nor like a powerful and intelligent dragon, but more like a wayward child, who could only be persuaded to make it barely listen a little.

"That's it!" Matilda said quickly. She looked back, and the light of the fire that had lit from the Blackmane tribe's camp in the night was the best guide.

"Maybe there's a beast nearby...... They were only women and children......" Ed muttered under his breath.

"There is no danger in the vicinity. The ice dragon said impatiently, and took another step back, "Hurry up." ”

It thought that the men would run away and run back to the camp as soon as they were let go, but they were still standing where they were—Matilda, to be precise, hesitantly holding the baby in her arms, and the two girls clinging to her.

Matilda finally looked up at it, as if she had mustered up the courage to speak:

"Is...... Can I call you that, too? Thank you for not eating us...... Oh, that sounds a little weird. She laughed to herself, but quickly stopped awkwardly and cleared her throat nervously: "I mean to say...... You don't look like the evil dragons of legend at all, you're ...... Particularly. At the very least, I'll tell my kids, I mean, if one day I have kids of my own...... I'll tell them I've met a special dragon that isn't bad at all, though maybe a little fierce...... Oh, don't be angry......" she began to panic.

“...... I'm not angry. The ice dragon said sullenly. It's not just a little bit fierce to her.

"That's right, tell your kids, tell everyone you know!" Ed excitedly encouraged, "Everybody will love this story!"

After they had walked some distance, Ed patted the ice dragon on the neck, "Look! I said nothing is impossible!"

He's been trying to convince Is, if he can change people's perception of dragons, that he can live more freely, and that they can even go on adventures together, like Scott and Allen, like Norvi, to travel around, find legendary treasures, see a lot of different landscapes, and meet more friends, without worrying about being followed by a bunch of would-be dragon slaying heroes, or coveting treasures that don't even exist.

But Iss scoffed at it.

"That's impossible. It said. With a little more seriousness, the Ice Dragon's deep voice sounded imposing, a talent that Ed both envied and resented, and would make its words seem extraordinarily convincing - but Ed didn't give up so easily, and Matilda's words made his confidence start to swell faster.

"Is, you will be a great dragon, a legend, a miracle!" he said elatedly, smiling heavily, reveling in the beautiful imagination

Without saying a word, the ice dragon flapped its wings and flew up.

It was tempted to tell Ed that in all its long history, no one or dragon had ever attempted the same, but all of them had failed, and that those sad or tragic endings had left it with no hope of it.

But it didn't want to hit its friend—though it was annoying at times, it preferred Ed's triumphant excess of energy to the way his shoulders slumped in frustration, which didn't suit him at all.

It was a really nice feeling to have company. The turmoil that never ceases in my heart, the anger, confusion and anxiety that always swells like a tide, gradually turns into the sea when there is no wind, quiet and wide.

It's been a long time since it's been such a calm feeling. Or rather, it had never felt this way since it had been locked up in the underground of the Collins Temple. So it couldn't make up its mind to get Ed back where he belonged.

It should find Narya, get Ed back to his companions, get them out of here, and if necessary, it could even grab them and fly over the icefields and Anktann and throw them back into Visa, which would probably make it a target for the paladins again, but they never gave up anyway, so what difference would it make?

It still couldn't help but want to see Scott again—preferably just from a distance, without worrying about what Scott would do when he actually met each other, and not being afraid of the shadow he had imprinted in those eyes.

"Is...... Are you looking for something to eat?" Ed's voice was a little shivering, and even though he was wrapped in animal skins and blankets, it was still quite cold to sit on the dragon's back, and the ice dragon, though not flying fast or high, had been walking in circles absentmindedly, and he couldn't go around with it all night - it was better to choose a sunny day for a ride!

The ice dragon changed direction and flew towards the Giant's Spine. If this guy freezes half to death on his back, there will be no one to take care of him.

As a few small black dots skimmed over the snow, Ed cried out:

"Someone!"

The vision when flying in the air was really good, even at night he could make out the small, moving figures, and he didn't know if those people could see them too.

The ice dragon had already seen the figures.

"Dead people. "They sometimes come out at night to catch prey?"

“...... How do you know?" Ed turned his head, the little black dots were too far away.

"There are no barbarian camps in this vicinity at all. There are some necromancers hiding in caves. "It's almost forgotten that after getting Ed away, it's going to have to "visit" the mages again.

"Necromancer......" Ed muttered to himself. The experience at Miaz Weiss made him no longer want to deal with those who lived in the dark, but now ......

Looking down at the ice dragon's razor-sharp horns, he had a new idea.

"Are you frozen out of your brain again?!" the ice dragon roared lowly.

"Not at all. As Ed scrambled to make himself dinner, he replied lightly, "I'm just curious what those mages are doing...... Don't you want to know at all?"

"I don't want to. Ice Dragon said. It doesn't care what they're doing, anyway, it rushes in and bumps into that place a few times and it collapses, it's neat, it's a hundred, just be careful not to bury yourself in it...... The last time it went in, it had noticed that the mages clearly didn't know how to dig holes, and that many places had collapsed, and they were not at all comparable to the sturdiness of the dwarven pits.

"But I really want to know, Is, that wouldn't be a good thing, did you know they attacked the barbarians? and then the homeless barbarians went and robbed the human villages, though I don't know if Scott had solved that problem......

The ice dragon didn't say a word, and it suddenly remembered - yes, hell, there were living people in there, and it probably had to think of something else...... But there is no idea of "take Ed Singer with you", and its brain will not be frozen!

"If no one stops them, something worse will happen. Ed said. He couldn't understand the necromancers, that was what really scared him, he couldn't understand why anyone would treat life and soul like that.

"Even then, that's none of your business. Or have you really become some kind of paladin?" the ice dragon couldn't help but sneer.

"Of course not!" cried Ed, "it's just ...... We encountered something along the way. I've seen necromancers, Is, I've dealt with them. He couldn't help but touch his chest. There was a scar left there, which was very strange, because there was only this one scar left on his body, and even the traces of the fall and bruise when he was a child had disappeared, only the one on his heart remained, as if it was reminding him of something at all times.

"I was stabbed and almost died. He said, "If it's not ......"

His finger touched the small box.

"Don't let anyone know about this. —Philip Zeri and Eric had warned him.

He pulled the box out. Isis is his friend, and there should be no secrets between friends.

"If it weren't for this, I would probably be dead. ”

He opened the box, revealing the small crystal ball.

The ice dragon stared at the small, inconspicuous thing. It was it that stopped it—when it nearly killed Ed. It can feel the power that lies within, soft and firm, with a sense of familiarity that is difficult to explain.

"Where did you get this?" it asked.

"It's a long story. Remember the first time you were to Christus...... No, remember the first time we met at the castle? the magically sealed iron door in the secret passage, which was discovered when we were rebuilding the castle......"

Ed told Iss everything. The ghost stories that circulated in the castle, how they opened the door and found the statues and sarcophagi, the old and sad story that Eren told, and how his dream journey led him to the crystal ball.

"I think it saved me more than once. Ed stared at the crystal ball, which now looked ordinary, like a glass marble for children to play with, "Celebryan must have known what it was, but he wouldn't tell me, all I know is that it must have something to do with Nior, the god of water." ”

It's not just "what's the matter" - the ice dragon wanted to tell him, but it was silent for a long time, and finally just said, "It has great power...... You'd better stop letting anyone else know that you have this, it protects you, but it can also cause you unexpected trouble. ”

Ed shoved the box back into his arms, "Norway said so, Fili said so, you said so, everybody said so - why didn't I think it was that useful?"

"Anyway, it chose you, though I don't quite understand why. The ice dragon lazily rested its head on its paws.

"So, I can't die anyway, and you're not afraid of those necromancers, so why don't we go and see?" Ed went back to the previous topic.

"You're just not going to die, aren't you?" the ice dragon growled in frustration and sat up, thinking Ed would forget about it.

"One of my many strengths. Ed patted his chest triumphantly, "Now you understand why Ni'o chose me, right?"

"No, I won't take you with me. The ice dragon flatly refused.

"'You won't take me with you,'......" Ed repeated thoughtfully, then jumped up unhappily, "So you're going to go alone?

"Then you have to have the ability!"

"I still have you!" Ed pounced in front of it, his large, deep blue eyes full of anticipation, "Good friends should be on an adventure together! Do you know how long I've been looking forward to this?"

"No way!"

"Is, Is, listen to me......"