Ed sat on the neck of the ice dragon and looked into the distance, his expression solemn, his waist straight, and his sitting posture was more upright than ever.

“...... Are you going to keep this position until the night?" the ice dragon asked angrily, and fell down with a thud, "I don't want to accompany you!

Ed almost rolled down, but quickly got down and hugged his friend's neck.

"How's that expression just now?" he asked, anxiously and expectantly, desperately hoping for some affirmation.

“...... Where do you think my eyes are?!" the ice dragon asked through gritted teeth.

――That's right.

Ed let out a long sigh. As soon as I relaxed, I felt a dull pain in my stomach again, and the gurgling sound was clearly audible. He hadn't eaten anything since morning......

He gritted his teeth and tried to hold on a little longer, but the ice dragon roared angrily: "Get down! Dare to pull on me, I will make you dead! I swear! Even Alan and Vala ...... Not even Scott can save you!"

Ed quickly jumped to the ground, threw the Staff of Eternity at its feet, and ran behind a rock in a panic.

The ice dragon turned its head speechlessly, almost wanting to look up to the sky and roar.

It had been out of Collins since early yesterday morning. Some kind of magical protection had been erected in the temple, presumably to protect the arriving distinguished guests, which made the ice dragon feel itchy and painful like pins and needles.

"You can leave for a while, the square will have to be cleared anyway...... I'll let you know when I need you back. Sean responded so calmly to his angry rant.

...... What the hell is he? Dog on the go?

In a fit of rage, the ice dragon flapped its wings and flew away, almost wanting to never return. It was going to go to Naria...... Halfway through the flight, he still flew back with a sigh of relief. Fell on the peak closest to Collins.

It can't throw Ed at a time like this.

Early this morning, Ed appeared at the top of the hill with a haggard face that was clearly sleepless, and pounced on it with ecstasy.

"I've learned teleportation!"

-- That was his first sentence.

“...... My stomach hurts!"

-- That was his second sentence.

The ice dragon lay down and looked disheartenedly at the crowd on the plains of Collins in the distance - if anyone knew the protagonist of tonight, the great sage was crouching behind a bare stone at the moment, struggling and his face was blue, even if a hundred dragons appeared at the same time for him to drive...... I'm afraid it won't save his dignity.

Dragging his limp legs back, Ed sat down next to the ice dragon's front paws. I have given up thinking about how much I have lost face.

Iskin's yellow pupils turned half a circle towards him, then turned back again, and flicked him away with his fingertips with a look of disgust: "Stay away from me!"

Ed get out of the way. He persevered and crawled back to sit back in his place, complaining sadly: "You said you were going to help me! Now you want to abandon me because I have diarrhea?!"

The ice dragon snorted coldly, "I don't know how Vala and Narya will feel when they see your current virtue." ”

"They won't know......" Ed looked up and confirmed weakly, "they won't know, will they?"

“...... I'm not interested in spreading this-smelling 'secret!'" The ice dragon twisted in annoyance. "What about your spells? I thought you were somewhat useful!"

"It's not a disease!" Ed rubbed his stomach aggrievedly. "I'm just a little nervous......"

The ice dragon spewed out a cloud of white gas sarcastically: "You call this 'a little bit'?"

"You can't blame me for this!" Ed straightened up and rightly shirked his responsibility, "Sean didn't tell me there would be so many people!"

He had attended Collins' May Festival many times - not since Iss had turned into a dragon and flown away years earlier. In previous years, the May Festival was indeed lively, but it was not so lively. From here, the plains of Collins were covered with tents of various colors, like blooming flowers, and Ed felt a pang of cramps in his stomach every time he counted them, completely uncontrollable.

"What's the difference between a large number of people and a small number of people, and what you have to do will not make any difference!" the ice dragon waved his paw impatiently in the direction of the Collins Plains, "I'm the one who needs to go around in a bigger circle! I'm the one who needs to hold back from eating one or two or freezing them into statues!"

"You wouldn't do that. Ed said firmly.

"If only they would run around screaming or dare to throw stones at me. That's not sure!" The ice dragon replied coldly.

Ed narrowed his eyes—he seemed to hear something from the words.

These days when Ed was wandering around, there were indeed daring farmers who threw pitchforks at him...... Ed was terrified trying to appease his furious friend whom he didn't recognize. The ice dragon silently raised the distance, flew upward, and left far away.

As soon as the guilty Ed returned to the temple, he dragged a fat sheep that was roasted on the outside and tender on the inside, and the ice dragon unceremoniously swallowed it.

Ed had been worried that Iss was just putting up with it all for him...... But now he suddenly realized that maybe that wasn't the whole story.

He tilted towards the ice dragon's huge head and snickered a little maliciously, "Is...... Are you nervous?"

The ice dragon glanced at him disdainfully, and replied categorically, "How is it possible!"

But Ed peeked a hint of panic out of its gaze, which was moving too quickly, and finally couldn't help but laugh: "You're just nervous!"

The ice dragon glared at him fiercely, as if it wanted to swallow him in one gulp, but in the end it only snorted heavily and twisted its head to the side.

Knowing that a dragon, the world's most powerful and proud creature, was no different from himself, Ed suddenly felt much more relaxed.

He leaned back against the ice dragon's front paws and stared blankly at Collins in the distance. From this vantage point, there was no white temple to be seen, only a corner of Starnestle. The blue water is sparkling and reflects the same blue sky.

“...... Is," he said softly. "I remember telling you that I wanted to go on an adventure with you, with Naria...... Travel across the continent like Scott and Allen, like Norway and Tess, in search of those legendary ruins and treasures. Enjoy a lot of different scenery and meet more friends without worrying about someone following us. What do you want to be a hero of dragon slaying......"

“...... Well. The ice dragon snorted reluctantly.

Ed turned his head to look at it, his dark blue eyes in the sunlight like the gem known as the Heart of the Deep, only a little less deep and mysterious, a little more pure.

"Maybe tonight will be a start. His voice was full of hope. "A good start...... Isn't it?".

"When exactly does it start?" asked Borena with her head tilted.

He looked half-drunk. And the little squire he brought, though always looking around in boredom, remained by his side faithfully, and even boldly snatched his glass and muttered, "You can't drink any more, Master Crooffler will be angry!"

"Come on, he'll be angry about anything I do. Borena waved his hand impatiently, but did not take the glass back.

Ante smiled faintly, he barely finished a glass of wine. He also wondered how drunk Borena was.

Moira yawned slightly, only to realize that she should cover her mouth. I was a little nervous and looked left and right, but I was relieved to find that no one had noticed.

It was indeed a little late—the golden afterglow was gone, and the soft glow of magic lit up the hall. Ante walked to the window, and in the night, the lights on the Collins Plains were lit up, and it almost looked like a city more prosperous and lively than Ston Butch. If he remembers correctly, Mayday begins the moment the sun disappears...... Shouldn't they, the guests who have been invited to "the May Festival," perform some kind of ritual, or at least start the dinner?

He didn't see the anger and impatience on the faces of many people—most of the people here were good at concealing it. But he was probably not the only one who noticed that Sean Fletcher never appeared, and Browder began to come and go more and more often......

Ante took a sip of his wine and watched Browder walk out in a hurry again, suddenly looking forward to the "good show" of the night.

"Did you find him?" Browder asked in a low voice as he walked away from the hall - there were a few High Elves in the hall, and he had to be more careful.

"Nope. There was a slight uneasiness in the young paladin's tone, "Even the priest of Icabold can't find Master Fletche, he says he knows about Ed...... Knowing where the Sage and the dragon were, he could call them back at any time if needed. ”

Browder hesitated for a moment, but shook his head.

"Wait. He said.

He didn't know all of Sean's plans...... This is usually the case. All along, he accepted this with peace of mind, believing that Sean was like all the priests and paladins here, and Sean never disappointed them. They just need to do their job and do their own thing. Even though Felicity was gone, and they had to accept a sage who was too young and naïve, as long as tonight passed, everything would not be much different from what it had been - as long as Sean was there.

In his opinion, Sean is the real protagonist of tonight. But Sean never disappeared for no reason, and even Icabold had no clue......

"Where's Sean?" the other voice asked anxiously.

Alan Cavo limped over, his face as gloomy as the stormy sky.

"Should be back soon. Browder replied vaguely, "What's the matter?"

Alan looked at him and was silent for a while before he spoke in a heavy tone:

"Lydia...... Lydia Bell is here. ”.

(To be continued......)

PS: Friends, the Year of the Goat~~ The author will work hard this year to complete the pit......! TAT