Early the next morning, Ed was inevitably a little listless. As he yawned and staggered down the hall, Naria was energetically setting breakfast on the long table, and Vala stood aside smiling, looking at Ed with a meaningful look in her eyes.

Ed shuddered and snapped to his senses.

"Where's Alan?" he asked, uncomfortably, "have you heard from Norvi? Is? He hasn't woken up yet, do you want me to call him?......

“...... Which question do you want me to answer?" Naria couldn't help but glare at him. Mrs. Singal was beside her, and she was embarrassed to be sarcastic about Ed as usual, and she couldn't do it casually, but this guy really made people want to slap him in the head early in the morning.

Ed scratched his face and smiled.

"Isis got up earlier than you. Vala walked over and straightened through her son's messy clothes, glancing at him reproachfully, "Alan called him away, go see if you can find them, and call them for breakfast." ”

"I bet they're trying to hide something from us. Naria crossed her waist in dissatisfaction, "Someone brought a box and named it to give to Alan, it was definitely not a welcome gift, Eren just glanced at it and immediately closed the box, his face was not quite right, and he still refused to show it to me......"

"Everybody has secrets, kid. Vala smiled, "I'm sure if your father is hiding anything from you, it's just to protect you." ”

Naria's face flushed slightly, "I know...... I'm just worried that someone will come to Is's trouble. ”

That's what worries her most right now. It took so much effort for them to get back Is......

"Don't worry, I've already sent someone to hire more guards. Including mages...... I'm not going to let the Criess get hurt here. Vala said firmly.

"The dragon of House Crissus. Ed corrected absent-mindedly. If he really became the priest of the water god, maybe the people who came to find trouble would have more concerns......

Realizing that he was looking for reasons for his choice to "be a pastor," he couldn't help but wonder if that meant he didn't really want to be a pastor. Or don't have that qualifications?

Besides, he really had no desire to save sentient beings or lead others to believe in the god of water......

Alan's footsteps interrupted his thoughts, and looking up at the old man, Ed immediately realized that Naria's concern was not unfounded. Allen's expression was indeed a little heavy, but Is, who was beside him, kept his head down, as if he didn't want to make contact with anyone's gaze.

"Ah, it looks like we're here at the right time. Alan pretended to speak easily.

“...... I'm guessing you don't mean 'just in time for breakfast'?" asked Naria. If Eren wasn't going to tell them what was going on—oh. Hell, this is in Kriessburg, as a guest. She couldn't just grab her breakfast and throw it out into the yard......

Ise finally glanced up at Alan. Ed had never seen such an expression on his face, sad, confused, and pleading......

"It's up to you, Is. Allen's tone was calm.

Is's gaze slowly swept over his friend. Finally nodded in silence.

When Isse was called over by Allen. I thought someone had come to the door. He knew early on that he had to leave as soon as possible, and although there was a hint of surprise, he was not surprised.

Everyone here who is willing to accept him is an irreplaceable treasure to him, but he bitterly realizes that the best way for him to protect them is to stay away.

But Alan just handed him a wooden box.

It was a delicate wooden box, not very valuable. But it's not something you can buy on the street.

"Someone brought this this morning. Alan's voice was a little astringent.

Iss looked at him suspiciously, and casually opened the box.

- His gaze froze on the whiteness.

It was as if he had been hit head-on by a giant hammer. Is's mind buzzed, and he involuntarily stepped back, and the blood on his face faded in an instant.

Then he closed the wooden box with a white face and glared at Allen.

"What is this?!" he growled, "if you want to remind me of something...... I'm sure I remember every detail of it, I just didn't know you guys left such 'souvenirs'!"

The wooden box cracked with a soft snap in his spasmodic clenched hands, cracking a crack. The contents of the box don't glow, but the white that peeks out of the cracked crack is so glaringly white.

He couldn't control the anger in his tone - he couldn't understand why Alan had to tear open that wound.

"Is......" Alan reminded helplessly, "I just said that someone sent it this morning, right?"

Isis was stunned for a moment, and his face gradually flushed with embarrassment and guilt. He thought he could forgive, he thought he had forgiven...... But perhaps in the bottom of his heart, the person in front of him is not only his "father", but also his enemy.

"So I guessed right......" Alan sighed, "I don't know what the person who got it was trying to do - threaten, mock or tentative...... But I know you'll want to face this alone, just like your brother did. When I was younger, I thought it would be brave......"

He shook his head self-deprecatingly: "Maybe I just lost the courage I had when I was young." But I want you to know, Is, that you have friends and family, and you don't have to fight the world alone. You can choose to fight alone, and let the people who care about you worry about you all the time, or even blindly fall into a more dangerous situation, or you can choose to face everything side by side with them. ”

Iss lowered his head, he vaguely felt that these words, Alan was not just to say to him.

It is true that he does not want anyone to get into any more trouble for him, but he also understands the anxiety and powerlessness of knowing that the person he loves is in danger, but because he knows nothing about it, he can't help anything...... Even anger.

-- There should be no secrets between friends.

That's what Ed always said...... And Ed always seems right.

"How am I going to ...... Tell them ......" he said softly, his tone hesitant.

"So...... What the hell is this?" said Ed, staring suspiciously at the thing lying in the wooden box. It looked like a polished white stone, with a smooth surface with a lustrous sheen, shaped like a chisel, the length of his forearm......

It seems a little familiar.

Something flashed through his mind, and he suddenly knew what it was.

"It's a dragon's tooth!" he blurted out, "...... Ish, you lost a tooth?"

Even if he was full of thoughts, Iss couldn't help but glare at him with tears and laughter.

"I guess it's not his teeth. Naria said. She wanted to reach out and touch it, but something in Is's gaze stopped her.

"It's a dragon's tooth indeed. "It belongs to an ancient ice dragon...... It is called Icemang, Ankramarats, Icemang, the mother of Is. ”

Ed's eyes widened - of course, Iss undoubtedly had a mother, a dragon, he just rarely thought of it......

"So, you really used to be an ......," he barely realized he was stunned.

Vala coughed softly, annoyed and helpless. Her precious son always seems to lack tension and is forever out of the situation...... She really didn't know how he was lucky enough to complete his dragon hunt.

Naria bit her lip to keep from laughing. It's clearly not the right time to laugh out loud.

Even the solemn expression on Alan's face cracked for a moment, but he finally controlled himself, and Ed's words continued: "When we find him...... He's still a giant dragon egg. ”

Memories came flooding back. After all these years, the old warrior was surprised to find that every picture was still so clear, as if it had happened yesterday......

He remembered that when they climbed to the top of Esteros, they didn't expect to find a dragon there. The map in Scott's hand was obviously not old, and the location of the dragon on it was probably fake. But they didn't have to rush anyway, and they would just accompany Scott on a trip and just fulfill one of his wishes.

They spent days searching. There weren't any caves on Esterro that were suitable for dragons to live in, and if it weren't for Nia finding dragon's scratches among the black rocks, they would have been ready to leave.

Those few marks looked like they had been going on. They speculated that there might have been a dragon here, but it might not have been there, as no one had seen or heard of a dragon in years. Scott, however, was thrilled by the scratches and stubbornly refused to leave.

They had to continue to wander on the bare mountaintop, until one day they saw the frozen surface of the round nameless lake on the top of the mountain, suddenly cracking open and setting off huge waves......

The entrance to the cave in Ankramaras, hidden beneath a glacial lake.

When they prepared everything with excitement and cautiously dived to the bottom of the lake, they were so struck by the beauty that no one had ever seen that they almost forgot about the danger. The world beneath the glacial lake is tranquil and mysterious, with a translucent ice layer with a gentle light blue, and the ice wall built by Ankramaras at the bottom of the lake is even more transparent as if it were made of crystal, and the faint waves shimmer in it, like a dream.

And the huge ice dragon lying in the midst of the ice, with its white body with awesome strength and grace, is like a queen who lives in the ice crystal palace fortress.

When he spotted the adventurers who had intruded into it, Ankramaaras Bingmang simply raised his head and looked at them silently, without angry rants or contemptuous mockery.

There seemed to be only endless boredom in its huge golden eyes.

“...... We should leave. ”

Alan remembered the half-elves whispering so far behind him. For a moment he felt as if he shouldn't disturb the dragon's peace, at least, they hadn't heard of anything evil it had done......

But the dwarf had already roared out with a thunderous roar, and Scott was close behind.

When Lydia's spell sounded, Eren knew that there was no way back for them.

(To be continued......)