Chapter 1296: Under a Clear Blue Sky ( 1296 )

Meanwhile.

Elven Northern Border.

"Cuquawked!"

Javier, who was lying back on the stone floor near the fountain with both hands behind his head as a pillow, glanced up at Buddy. The massive orange pekko was seated beside him on the stone floor, his head tilted, watching him expectantly.

"What now, Buddy? Don’t tell me you’re hungry again?" Javier grinned.

"Cuquawked!"

Javier narrowed his eyes and chuckled. "You just ate a full portion of a huge slab of meat when we went to the forest nearby earlier."

"Cuquawked!" Buddy narrowed his eyes right back, a smug, beaky smirk forming on his face.

"Yeah, yeah. As usual, we’ll wait until night, and I’ll feed you more. You’re lucky to have such a good friend as me, you know, you glutton~"

"Cuquawked!"

"But man..." Javier exhaled, staring up at the sky. "I’m bored. I really want to invent something, but I can’t risk anyone seeing me do it, especially during a mission. And damn, those assholes still haven’t arrived yet. They’re really being careful now. I’m sure that other guy, Vane, must have arrived and warned them to be more cautious."

Javier glanced up at the clear blue sky, the weather perfect, neither too hot nor too cold, with a gentle breeze carrying the scent of flowers and fresh grass.

"Heh~ I’m sure if Liana and Gloria find out, I’ll be in huge trouble~"

"Cuquawked?" Buddy tilted his head, glancing down at Javier with a curious look.

Javier grinned, a hint of mischief in his eyes. "Well... how do I put it... I told Lyzia, Liana’s youngest sister, and Gloria’s brothers to make sure they stay at the palace. I asked them to find ways to keep both Liana and Gloria occupied, enjoying their time with family, while I handle this mission alone."

"Cuquawked~" Buddy let out a low, knowing squawk.

"Heh... I know, Buddy. I know. Once they both find out, they’ll be furious. But well... I don’t mind getting punched in the eye by them if it keeps them away from any danger. This mission is risky enough. I’d rather face their anger than risk their safety."

Buddy smirked with his beak, his eyes fixed on Javier with a mix of amusement and understanding.

"I really didn’t want to bring them on this mission, but they insisted. And I agreed because I knew this was their hometown, and my future in-laws would make sure they stayed busy and distracted. Family reunions, catching up with siblings, all of that. It’s the perfect excuse to keep them safe while I do what I need to do."

"Cuquawked!?" Buddy let out a questioning squawk, tilting his head.

"Oh? If they ask? Heh~ It’ll be easy to make up an excuse. I could just say something to ensure they won’t be able to leave the palace, like..."

Just as Javier was about to continue, his mana talkie crackled, and a beautiful, soft voice came through.

"Young Master?"

"Hmm?" Javier channeled his mana and replied. "Yes, Liana?"

"What are you doing right now?"

"Nothing~" Javier grinned, keeping his voice light. "Just enjoying the sight of this town and hanging out with Buddy. If you don’t trust me, you can check the mana glasses I gave you and Gloria before."

"Mm... I know..."

Javier smiled when he heard excited voices in the background, Liana’s siblings calling her name. "You’re with your siblings?"

"Mm... yes. But I will come to you this evening."

Javier shook his head, his tone gentle but firm. "No, you don’t need to. You should hang out with your family and stay with them. It’s been a long time since you’ve seen them."

"But..."

"No buts. Besides, I’m sure those assholes won’t be arriving for a week or maybe two. I don’t know for sure, but based on what I’ve been monitoring through my mana glasses, there’s been no movement toward the Elven border, and the roads leading here are clear. So there’s no need to rush."

"You’re sure, Young Master?"

"Yes, I’m sure. I’ll contact you the moment there’s any movement or when I see them, okay? For now, enjoy your time with your family."

There was a moment of silence before Liana’s voice came through again, a hint of playful suspicion in her tone.

"You’re not saying that because there’s a girl beside you, right?"

Javier let out a soft laugh. "Oh, there is. Her name is Buddy~"

"Cuquawked!!!" Buddy narrowed his eyes and glanced down at Javier before nudging him sharply with his wing, forcing Javier’s body to roll slightly to the side.

Javier let out a soft laugh, nudging Buddy back with his arm. "See? She’s very affectionate."

Liana’s voice softened, a smile evident in her tone. "Maybe I should come and see this ’girl’ you call ’Buddy~’"

Javier laughed again. "No... just hang out with your family, okay? Think about them. You haven’t seen them in years. Enjoy this time with them. I’ll be fine here."

"Mm... okay, Young Master."

"Don’t worry about me, okay? If you’re really worried, just check on me through the mana glasses. You know you can see everything from there, since it’s linked to the mana satellite view and the Sky Eyes view, especially with the new function I installed."

"Mm... okay, Young Master." Liana’s voice softened, carrying a tender, loving tone. "I’ll contact you again, Young Master. Don’t forget to eat, okay?"

Javier smiled warmly. "I will. You too, Liana. Enjoy your time with your family."

After the call ended, Javier smiled and glanced up at the sky again.

"Cuquawked?" Buddy tilted his head down, looking at Javier with a curious squawk.

"No..." Javier shook his head, his smile turning sly. "I won’t tell them when those bastards arrive. I’ll make sure to contact the Armand personnel to bring the mana helicopter to take them back to Armand once I leave this nation and lure those bastards into Armand territory."

He glanced at Buddy with a cheeky grin. "We don’t need everyone. We just need to capture one or two. But those bastards who tried to kill the silver armor guy before?"

Javier’s smirk widened. "He won’t even make it to Armand."

He turned and glanced up at the sky again, his expression thoughtful.

"Since I know Father will use the knights I gave him to lure that bastard named Gorak and his party. I’m sure he already knows the type of person Gorak is. He’s just like those summoned heroes from the Human Nation before, Kenjirou and his team, who I already killed. Arrogant, reckless, and driven by pride. Father knows how to exploit that. He’ll use the silver knight to bait them, and once they take the bait... they’ll walk right into our trap."

( End Of Chapter )