Choi Han looked at the Black Dragon before looking back at Cale and asking,
— Are we going to destroy everything?
- No. Definitely not.
"Why are his thoughts always so extreme?"
"You just went and took the Death Vow, like you were going out to buy bread. It's not for you to talk about extreme thoughts," Choi Han rolled his eyes.
And Rosalyn and Vitira chuckled when the Crown Prince flinched a little at the word 'bread'. Will he ever forget that?
Cale lay down on the bed and waved to Choi Han:
- Hurry up and come back soon. Oh, and bring your hat.
- I understand.
Cale closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep.
The door soon closed and Hans did not enter. The Black Dragon, who had remained invisible with the door open, removed his invisibility and landed on the bed. One side of the bed immediately began to sag, and the Dragon began to worry:
- You can't sleep.
Cale thought after hearing the Dragon's words:
"Do I look like a four year old boy to this Dragon?"
"Strange man! People are stupid! You need advice on everything!"
The young man sighed and got up from the bed. A few minutes later, Choi Han entered the room again through the window, wearing a robe.
- You're here. Perhaps the robe really is better than the hat.
Choi Han nodded and turned to the dragon while Cale put on his hat.
- Will you follow us like this?
- I will be invisible.
— ... I heard that dragons can have polymorphism. Can't you turn into a human? I think it would be easier that way.
Dragon magic was an expression of their will. That's why Choi Han thought that it would be easy for the Dragon to use polymorphism if he only wished it.
The Black Dragon snorted at Choi Han's words.
- Stupid Choi Han.
- Dragon-nim?
- This time I will forgive you. Because you are stupid.
- I understand. Thank you for your generosity.
- I hate people. I don't want to be like people. Besides, he said that Dragons are cool and amazing.
- Who said?
The Black Dragon glanced at Cale in response to Choi Han's question before quickly looking away. He then turned invisible and flew into the sky.
The ancient dragon saw where this was leading. He held back a sigh. With difficulty.
The crushed part of the bed returned to its normal state.
Cale slowly began to talk to Choi Han, who looked at him with a strange expression:
— Dragons are really cool.
- Yes, that's how it is.
Choi Han nodded and followed Cale as he headed towards the terrace. He then looked at the third floor terrace window and suddenly stopped.
- Hm, Cale-nim...
- What?
— ... Should I carry you again?
Choi Han continued to glance warily at the giggling princesses. They reminded him of hyenas in ambush. He didn't remember the hyenas themselves very well, but he had no doubt that this was very similar.
"What's wrong with them? How else is Cale going to get out of the room on the third floor?"
Cale snorted at Choi Han's hesitant question and raised his index finger towards the ceiling. At the same time, Cale's body slowly lifted off the floor and began to become invisible.
Cale watched as his entire body became invisible before looking up at the ceiling and speaking.
— Dragons are great and powerful.
- You are right. I am great and powerful.
"Fucking manipulator!" Eruhaben's eyebrow twitched. He couldn't believe what he was witnessing.
- Sweet prince!
- Yes, Dragon-nim? - Alberu decided not to pay attention to anything. Especially to the girls.
- Write it down on the sheet of paper with quotes! I am great and powerful! The man is completely right! - the child's energy simply knew no bounds. He was jumping up and down in his chair and would have gladly handed the prince the necessary sheet of paper himself, but he couldn't read, and therefore didn't know which one was needed.
Suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, the Crown Prince did as he was told. What else could he do? It was the request of the great and mighty, after all. And he thought he heard giggling. Definitely.
The invisible Black Dragon responded to Cale. Choi Han saw a malicious smile appear on Cale's lips before it completely disappeared. Choi Han realized how Cale was controlling the Dragon, and he began to speak as well.
- Wow, dragons are truly great and powerful.
- No one controls me! No one can control dragons! I wanted it this way myself. Man has finally realized the greatness of the mighty me!
"Well, it looks like one master has been found after all..."
When Choi Han said this, he also became invisible, and they were able to leave the residence without any worries.
Choi Han stopped in a small alley near the residence before speaking.
- Everything is fine here.
As soon as he said that, the invisibility magic on Cale and Choi Han was removed. Cale Hanitus, whose levitation magic was also cancelled, landed gently from the ten centimeters he had been hovering at all this time. The youth was shocked by this chain of events:
" The Black Dragon's magic skills were much stronger than I thought. I wonder if it's related to his special characteristics? "
The dragon child puffed up with pride. He was stronger and smarter than the man thought. And this man thought a lot and knew a lot about everyone.
Eruhaben, leaving out the fact that Choi Han had to walk while Kayla was carefully carried all this time and very delicately returned to the ground, admitted that the kid was indeed talented. He quickly grasped new knowledge and in practice demonstrated quite impressive control over mana for someone who had been learning to interact with it for about a week and a half. Dragon or not.
This level of magic was already far beyond what high-level mages could achieve. It was no wonder that it was said that a fully grown Dragon could easily destroy an entire kingdom if it wanted to do so.
"But I won't need his help once I can get the Sound of the Wind. Then I won't need the Black Dragon or Choi Han following me."
"It's too late, Human. I've already tamed you. So you'll be with me."
The Sound of the Wind was the third Ancient Power that Cale planned to obtain. However, he had to go to the Northeastern coast of the Roan Kingdom to find this power.
"I will need to go to Young Lady Amiru's territory."
Cale planned to go there to obtain the Sound of the Wind on his way back from the capital. His excuse to others was that he wanted to see the sights.
- How soon after this news will prohibition be introduced in the Ubarr territory?
- Hee-hee-hee-hee-hee...
The fact that this Ancient Power was by the sea made him a little uneasy, but Cale decided not to think about it because it was a power that he could easily obtain.
"By that time, Choi Han will no longer be with me anyway."
- Where would I go?
"According to the plan, we must return to the Kingdom of Brek and deal with the assassination attempt on me," said the Still-Princess of the said kingdom with the sweetest smile.
- Got it. Accepted, - the hint was understood instantly.
Cale was sure that the Whale Tribe and the mermaids would appear off the Northeast Coast at the end of Volume 4. The war in the ocean between the East and West Continents. All he had to do was avoid the coast at that time. More than the whales, Cale had to avoid those crazy mermaids.
- He is both right and wrong at the same time.
- Miss Vitira, what do you mean?
- Battles with mermaids happen here, there, and everywhere. We've already been to the North-East coast, so he's wrong about that.
- And in what way are you right?
— You really should stay away from mermaids. There is no cure for mermaid poisoning.
Cale covered his red hair with his hat before pulling out a map from his pocket. The young man then took the initiative:
- Follow me.
The still invisible Black Dragon and Choi Han walked on either side of Cale, following him from the southern noble residence district to the center of Huyss.
"Okay, Choi Han follows Cale around like a little puppy, Ron directly asked him to protect the Young Master, but where is the cub? Does he really take him for a puny hamster?"
The streets were full of bright lights from shops selling various things and bars, which were the busiest places at this time.
— Nightlife in the capital is really different from other places.
- That's for sure.
Cale nodded at Choi Han's words, then headed toward Glory Square in the center of Hewiss. They saw a circular square with fountains in all four directions. A group of citizens had gathered around each fountain.
Vitira, Mary, Lock and the dragon watched the evening capital of the Roan Kingdom with delight. It was a beautiful city. No matter the time of day.
Lock, Mary and the Black Dragon had never seen a major human city. One grew up in a small village in the remote mountains, and the other had never left the City of Death. And even though it was beautiful, it was still a completely different culture.
The black dragon especially liked the fountains. The spray from them sparkled beautifully in the rays of the street lamps. It was mesmerizing.
Vitira looked at the human city from a different perspective. The whales might live in isolation, but she had visited northern cities. Long ago. But that wasn't the point. Her brother could at any moment want to live in one of those. As a half-breed, he had every right to live in the human world. And perhaps it would even be easier for him there…
- Your Highness, you have a wonderful city!
- Thank you, Miss Rosaleen.
The three could see citizens relaxing with their families or friends after a long day of work. Since it was now nine o'clock in the evening, they continued to enjoy their free time in the square until the guards went on patrol at eleven o'clock in the evening.
Admittedly, the people of the capital of the Roan Kingdom were quite positive people. Which was a sign of the country's rather high standard of living.
Cale looked to his left. Choi Han was watching a few families laughing at the eastern fountain with a carefree expression.
Cale, who was slowly continuing to look at Choi Han and the scene in front of them, spoke up.
- Make sure no one hears us.
As soon as he said that, an invisible dome appeared around him. It was something that only Cale, Choi Han, and Black Dragon, who were inside the dome, could see.
Choi Han finally turned to look at Cale.
- It's called a magic bomb.
"Professor, stop! We didn't have time to open our notes!"
— A bomb?
- Yes, a bomb. Magic bombs come in many shapes and sizes. Even though the Western Continent has a long history of warfare, including the use of magic, they haven't developed much.
Choi Han listened quietly to Cale's story.
"And he tells this story in his damn hypnotic voice and at the same time has the appearance of a man who is talking about the bad weather tomorrow, and not about the horrors that are about to happen," His Highness grumbled to himself.
— However, there are many limitations. The location of the magic bomb, controlled by the mana flowing through it, and many other factors make these bombs really difficult to use. That is why they preferred the mage to use his magic during the war rather than using magic bombs. But the magic bombs this time will be different from those used before. It is these new magic bombs that will be used here in a few days, or six days to be exact.
The ancient dragon even wanted to read this very "novella". A very informative book. Cooler than most academic literature.
Cale didn't think that the five bombs that Choi Han and Rosalyn found in the novel would remain the same. History had already changed. This meant that this entire situation could also be easily changed. That's why Cale came up with a new plan.
— It was very prudent of him to play it safe and not follow the plot directly.
- He's a surprisingly smart guy.
- Especially when he doesn't say that he trusts his protection to his heart and two kittens without explaining what exactly he meant.
However, he was still not sure that the terrorist incident would develop as described in the novel.
"Or rather, since I became convinced that the crazy magician was already in this kingdom."
- Are you saying that the bomb will be detonated here?
- Yes.
Choi Han looked around, looking at the fountains and the people in the square. A cold voice reached his ear at that moment:
- It can be hidden somewhere or even attached to a person. Of course, this person will not even suspect that it is a bomb and will think that it is something else, for example, a bracelet or a wallet.
Towards the man. This phrase made Choi Han turn to look at Cale. The young man coldly responded to the protagonist of the novel:
- That's why we need to prevent this.
The Hand was indeed preparing something unprecedentedly terrible. Choi Han and Rosalyn found five bombs, stopping half of the organization's plan. The rest exploded. The destruction must have been catastrophic. No one outside of the war, at least those who knew history, could recall such a number of civilian casualties. Eruhaben, due to his long life expectancy, could only think of unexpected natural disasters, like a volcanic eruption or a flood.
Of course, Cale had no intention of doing that. Choi Han, Rosalyn, and Black Dragon would be the ones who had to take care of the bombs. Cale planned to stay out of the way. He wanted to spend his time in the capital quietly.
- How can we prevent this?
- Just.
Cale crossed his arms over his chest and continued speaking:
- Magic bombs are essentially clusters of mana. That's why all you'd have to do is have someone with high mana sensitivity scan the area and look for any spots that look like a cluster of mana.
Choi Han flinched at Cale's calm demeanor before asking cautiously,
— Will it be that easy to detect?
- No. They are much higher than average, so it would be almost impossible for the average mage to detect them. But this small ball of mana can instantly suck in the surrounding mana to create a large explosion.
"Okay, I can't turn a blind eye to this anymore," Rosalyn was clearly very excited about something.
- What's happened?
- Are you sure he didn't read the textbook? Give me a piece of paper. I need to write all of this down. Soon, we could write a whole textbook on magical devices based on the Young Master!
"Or "101 Rules of Operation of a Sword Master."
"You could also write a How to Train Your Dragon guide."
The only two blondes kept their thoughts to themselves. And they quickly handed the princess a piece of paper from the stack.
Choi Han looked worried. As a sword master and aura user, he was only slightly sensitive to mana. However, he was not as sensitive to it as a mage, so he was unable to help.
- Cale-nim, I don't think it'll be easy.
"It's very easy," Cale replied, and then asked a question: "Right?"
At that moment the answer came from above:
- It's doable. It's just annoying.
"Is the child showing a dragon character or is he just copying Cale? Even in tone, they are one to one," the ancient dragon had more and more questions for the other "I" of the black dragon.
Next to Cale was the Black Dragon. The creature that was considered the most sensitive to mana, Choi Han quickly understood and nodded. He had forgotten that the Dragon was a great and powerful creature.
- Choi Han!
- Sorry, Dragon-nim! The news about the bombs shocked my double so much that he forgot. I couldn't get it out of my head for a second!
The poor sword master even put his palms together in a prayerful gesture.
- Good. Look, don't forget either! - The dragon was apparently completely satisfied with this excuse, so he turned to the screen already completely pleased with himself. And Choi Han.
"It seems like he has character after all."
Cale handed the map over to Choi Han.
"I don't know about the people, but the bombs that are planted on site will be planted no later than two days before the incident.
The day of the incident would coincide exactly with the day of the celebration. This meant that security would be several times higher than normal, starting from the day before. That's why they had to plant the bombs at least two days before the celebration.
- I don't know about other places, but I'm sure that at least one bomb will be near this square. It's a place with a lot of people.
- That's right, I agree.
- That is why I propose to take this square as the center.
Cale pointed at Choi Han and then at the sky.
- Choi Han, you and the dragon will wander around the capital every evening to find magic bombs.
— Just the two of us?
Cale patted him on the shoulder and answered the question asked by the black-haired boy:Yes, Choi Han," if it's you, I'm sure moving so stealthily that no one will detect you won't be a problem, the methods of controlling the Black Dragon and Choi Han were quite similar. "You're very talented."
- Hey!
- Hey!
There were two loud shouts and eight quiet chuckles of varying degrees of secrecy.
Choi Han nodded calmly with a serious expression on his face. Then he asked,
- What should we do when we find them?
- Leave them where they are.
— ... Without getting rid of them?
- We will get rid of them on the day of the celebration.
- May I ask why?
Cale started to smirk:
- Don't you want to find that magician?
This was the answer to Choi Han's question, but he nodded first. Cale looked around the square. Everyone looked so happy, but the members of the secret organization might be mixed in with this crowd. Cale didn't know where that bloodthirsty mage was. He might be hiding somewhere or wandering around the city under a mask.
Albert couldn't help but wonder. Could the agents of the Hand really live like ordinary citizens of the kingdom, buy bread at the bakery, smile at their neighbors, treat children to candy in the square, sit with friends in the tavern, knowing exactly what they were going to do to all these people? He felt sick.
- A mage must be present to create a magic bomb. The mage who created the bomb must remove the limiter to activate it.
- ... Then...
Choi Han started to speak when a thought came to him, after which he stopped and looked back at Cale, who continued speaking in a dispassionate voice:
- First, find the bombs. If you're lucky and find the people planting the bomb, follow them without letting yourself be spotted.
"Once again, he limits the flow of information, preventing the swordsman from straying from his intended course. Focuses attention on the main thing."
Since the Black Dragon would be with him, Choi Han would stop before he was detected by magic. But Cale thought that it would be difficult for them to find these people while searching for the bombs.
"Good Man. Already trusts me with Stupid Choi Han. Right!"
Finding the magic bombs would require a lot of effort and time, as it would require finding places with only slightly altered mana density. It would be very difficult and tiring. That was why Cale left the task to these two. He couldn't help, but more importantly, he didn't want to.
- What a convenient excuse.
- Don't even mention it. There's nothing to find fault with.
- Then we just need to hang around two days before the event?
- No, you two must come the day before.
"The day before? Wouldn't it be too difficult because there would be many more guards?" Choi Han asked the question that interested him. It was difficult, but still possible for him. The young man just needed to spend a little more time and effort and be a little more careful.
At that moment, Choi Han saw Cale again with his evil grin on his face.
— Is he up to something?
- Why smile then?
Cale pulled out a black ball from his pocket and showed it to Choi Han.
- Ah.
The black-haired youth let out a soft sigh. He was already familiar with this sphere. It was the Mana Disruption Tool. This was the item used by Cale before. It was powerful enough to destabilize magic items within an entire mountain range.
Cale slowly stretched his lips into a smile as he began to speak:
"There will be a lot of mages that day, so he probably won't work for even ten minutes, but that will be enough," he knew what to do when the bombs were discovered. "He'll make everything related to magic useless for that time."
"Does the Mana Disruption Tool really work with magic bombs?" Vitira asked those who knew more about it.
Everyone turned to Rosalyn. She was the one who was the mage among them.
She looked at the red-haired teacher in a state of some kind of trance, going over something in her head, but soon she came to her senses and answered:
- I don't know. There were no recorded cases. But...
"That's because the magic bomb is designed for a sudden and large attack, and the tool needs to be charged. It's unlikely that anyone has ever ambushed a bomb. It's still a magic tool. The sphere should work," Eruhaben considered the options, and it turned out that this was indeed the case.
- If this really works, then it's a brilliant solution to their problem.
Ron, Alberu and Eruhaben noted the unusual train of thought. It made them think hard, surprisingly, in one direction. The young Master was so far "not so simple" that he seemed to be on a different road altogether. Such thought processes cannot be explained by a simple knowledge of the plot of the book.
And the Crown Prince reminded himself once again to buy such a ball. Immediately upon his return. And to carry it with him. Constantly. It was worth the money.
Ten minutes would have been enough.
They just needed to save the people carrying the bombs in those ten minutes. They would be very noticeable. By that time, in addition to Choi Han and Dragon, many people and beastmen who would be present could be involved in this matter.
Lock sat up straight in his chair in surprise. Young Master Cale didn't have many beastmen to help. He still had more beastmen than the average human, a whopping thirteen beastchildren from different tribes, but that wasn't the point.
"Can we help too?" he was very excited by this thought.
Choi Han looked back and forth between the black orb and Cale before swallowing and speaking.
— ... Cale-nim. You're going to do all this yourself...
"That's why..." Cale knew what Choi Han was about to say. That's why he interrupted him and gave the order to Choi Han and Dragon:
— Go to work.
"Why doesn't he go to the palace and report the danger?" Mary spoke up for the first time in a long time. She had been silent for so long that many people shuddered when they heard her mechanical voice. They had forgotten what it sounded like.
The Crown Prince was the first to express his theory:
— I think he has several reasons for this. First, no one would believe him. Security in the city is already heightened, not as much as it will be right before the holiday, but still. The news that a secret organization that no one has ever heard of is preparing to detonate a bunch of magical bombs in a crowd will be perceived as a joke at best. Especially with his reputation.
"But he couldn't explain it clearly," Rosalyn nodded thoughtfully.
"And after what happened, they would have taken him under guard and would have started asking him how he knew about it," Ron quickly picked up on the idea.
- Exactly! Secondly, he tries not to deviate from the plot. He knows under what conditions and when the crazy magician will appear. The more accurate the knowledge, the more chances Choi Han has to kill the magician, and not miss him, as it was in the book.
- With a lot of external interference, he loses the element of surprise! - Vitira was the next to join in.
Lock simply listened attentively to everyone while Choi Han and Bikros nodded their heads in time with the words spoken. All things being equal, keeping it a secret was the best idea.
Choi Han stared blankly at Cale. Cale pointed to a beer bar that was famous for its excellent beer and continued:
- I'll wait for you here. Just have a look around until about eleven before calling it a day.
Choi Han thought for a moment before letting out a quiet chuckle and nodding.
- Got it. Today, Dragon and I will simply explore the inside of the square before returning.
Choi Han initially thought of asking why Cale didn't want to go with them, but he quickly realized it himself. Cale would only be a burden to Choi Han and the Black Dragon once they started working.
Both the Sword Master and the Black Dragon were in complete agreement with the swordsman's double's conclusions. Let him sit aside, as he had intended.
"My double will look after Stupid Choi Han, Human. Don't worry and rest."
Cale was weak. There was not even a trace of mana coming from this youth's body, and it did not look like he had practiced any kind of martial arts. He was a simple, but at the same time, not a simple person.
- I'll be working hard, so please buy me a beer when I get back.
- Of course. Dragon, thank you for your help.
- NOOOOO!!!!
Everyone jumped from the child's unexpectedly loud scream.
- What happened, baby?
- You can't drink beer! It's dangerous! Stupid Choi Han, don't drink!
If Eruhaben had known what kind of moral trauma the ill-fated but harmless bread and all its derivatives had inflicted on the little dragon, and, most importantly, how much time it would take him to fix this problem, he would have intervened and stopped it right now. But he didn't know. So he was very surprised why this black child was so concerned about human health.
- They are already adults, nothing will happen to them if they don't abuse it.
"And I'm also immune to many types of poisons, Dragon-nim! I'll be fine, don't worry," the sword master said with a smile, referring to alcohol. But the child misunderstood him completely.
"Am I poison?"
The bread turned out to be much more terrible than he thought.