Facing Jesseâs amazing statement, he didnât even frown. âI see. Thank you, Dylan.â
Jesse raised his eyebrows in surprise. âOh, youâre much calmer than I thought. What, you donât believe me?â
âNo, of course I believe you. If I am much stronger than you, then lying about this matter will not bring you any benefit.â Nemo touched the plastered wall. âIf there is anything I have learned from being a Black Chapter these daysâ As long as I am willing to look for it, there are more choices than it seems.â
âYouâre so optimistic.â
âIf you really think that everything cannot be rewritten and weâre destined to fall into despair, then why hide the answer?â Nemo shrugged, and there was even a smile at the corner of his mouth.
âBecause Iâm bored,â Jesse replied frankly. âAnd I have also encountered something that is theoretically impossible to happen, yet it is still going on. Letting such an interesting time last longer, who knows if there will be other surprises?â
The two stood opposite of each other, neither of them really putting on airs, but the weird sense of oppression instantly stirred and scattered. The black horse shrank again, trying to hide its sturdy body behind Oliver, who was limited in size.
Oliver always felt that he should react. After all, he had just won the title of âthe strongest killer sheep on the surfaceâ. Seeing Nemoâs peaceful appearance, he couldnât give a half-hearted acceptance speech.
âDonât look.â When Oliver stopped turning his head for the third time, Nemo pushed his face back in amusement. âHow do you think I will react? Rushing to the center of the crowd, then collapse and cry?â
âIf you want, I can join you.â Oliverâs expression was serious, and his tone is sincere.
âOh, come on.â Nemo pointed to Jesse relatively politely. âThis guy just expressed one thingâ Anyway, one of us is doomed to be unhappy and wants to destroy the surface. Before we agreed that this unlucky guy is me, but now it seems that it might be you. If I want to cry, you have to cry first. Ollie, will you destroy the surface for me?â
âNo.â
âYeah, me too. After all, Dylanâs conjecture is only based on the facts he knows. Heâs not⊠Well, heâs a God for the time being, but if I read it right, he can do little to Mr. Cross.â
Jesse, who was standing aside, huff loudly.
âSo God knows what threat the surface is under. Betting on a gold coin, I think it is more likely that the destroyer is me.â
âI am willing to bet the rest of my life,â Oliver replied softly.
Nemo was stunned for a few seconds when he heard the words, he stretched out his hand and rubbed Oliverâs hair. âWell, Iâll change the chips. The same goes for me.â
Jesse made a series of even louder huffs.
âIâm very sorry to disturb you two,â he said with a smirk, âthereâs also a relatively less important piece of information.â
âThe one Mr. Cross was going to tell us just now?â Nemo aggravated the pronunciation of the phrase âMr. Crossâ.
âYes, the Pope originally planned to let the four of us escort the reconnaissance team, but now two volunteers have been temporarily added. You two need to be mentally prepared.â
âOther Black Chapters? But the word is getting out. No one would want toâŠâ
âYou all happen to know each other.â Jesse didnât hide the smugness in his tone.
Ten minutes later, Nemo knew very well the reason for Jesseâs smugness.
The people of the Central Church specially vacated a small auditorium to serve as a meeting room for the reconnaissance team and guards. At present, the reconnaissance team from the Laddism Church hadnât arrived yet, and there were only three people in the small properly decorated auditorium.
Adrian sat upright on the sofa. The gray parrot was lying on the top of the back of the sofa, a pair of bird eyes cautiously aimed at Jesse. The other person was standing in front of the sunny floor-to-ceiling window and turned his head.
The head of the Horizon Mercenary Group, Godwin Lopez, was still dressed solemnly in upscale attire, but this time he wasnât wearing the Horizon badge. Mr. Lopez nodded briefly to the three people who was pushing through the door, as if to greet them.
Oliver subconsciously shrank his neck, withdrew his attention from the shock, and turned to look at NemoâŠ
Nemo was gone.
As soon as Oliverâs scalp exploded, he quickly turned his body to look around, and then couldnât laugh or cry.
A petite figure slammed into Nemoâs arms mercilessly, directly knocking the unsuspecting great Demon King back a few steps that he almost exited the room.
âNemo!â Debby Light looked very excited. The mercenary lady gave her big brother a hug that was strong enough to break his ribs.
âDebby.â If it werenât for knowing that his physique was different from ordinary people, Nemo was pretty sure his ribs would be broken by now. âHow did youâ?â
âYouâre going to the Abyss with the Laddism team to investigate. How can I let you go to such a dangerous place alone?â Debby puffed up her chest. âWithout Old Patrick, youâre my most precious relative.â
ââŠThe inside of the Abyss may be very dangerous,â Nemo prompted cautiously.
âI know, but the commander of the team is going, so I donât think itâs a big problem.â The girl made a crisp gesture. âI will protect you! âŠAh, that seems like a bad way of putting itâ I will protect you when Mr. Ramon is powerless to.â
Debby purposefully lowered her voice in the second half of the sentence while Oliver on the side was staring at the ceiling with tears of laughter.
Excluding other factors, it seemed that Debby Light herself was the number one mage on the surface. They really didnât have many excuses to push this girl out.
âHaving said that, the commander said that youâre in a relationship with Mr. Ramon⊠Then does he know about your relationship?â
âHe knows.â Oliver rubbed his forehead.
âWell, it seems that I donât need to cover for the two of you.â
Debby looked rather regretful.
âAh, if itâs convenient, remember to be considerate of the commanderâs emotions. I think you should know⊠Before the Alban coup, Princess Delia cancelled the marriage contract. Now that the situation has stabilized, she has no intention of resuming the marriage contract at all.â
The girl covered her chest melancholically. âTerrible news, right? The whole regiment is very sadâ Our leader is so lovelorn.â
Oliver glanced at Godwin wordlessly, without feeling the slightest breath of heartbreak from the other party.
âDonât look at him. You canât see it. The commander has always controlled his emotions very well, but as his closest partner, I can detect his abnormality! He even started eating sweets to relieve his boredom recently. Praise Zenni, he has never done this before.â
Nemo and Oliver looked at Jesse subconsciously, and then quickly retracted their gaze.
âThis time too, the commander had never left Horizon before to participate in such a dangerous activity by himself. Most of the other members thought he wanted to take the opportunity to relax.â Debby lowered her voice even more. âThis behavior is so abnormal. Believe me, the commander must be heartbroken.â
Behind Debby, Godwin cast a helpless look, and the two Tumbleweed members shook their heads very firmly.
Although Nemo couldnât guess the reason for Godwinâs special participation, unlike Debby, the captain of Horizon didnât seem like the type who would venture into danger solely because of a blood relative. He would rather believe that Godwin wasnât at ease with Oliver than being âlovelornââ They had met Delia Alastair, and to be fair, the two werenât very suitable in terms of character.
Debby sniffled emotionally, and Nemo couldnât say anything to refute her at the moment so he could only nod in silence.
âIt seems that everyone has met.â Preceptor Felix stepped into the room. His gaze swept over Jesse causing his facial muscle to twitch uncontrollably a few times.
âHorizon swordsman Godwin Lopez and mage Debby Light, there are no pets or mounts that need to be registered. Tumbleweed swordsman Oliver Ramon, mage Nemo Wright, diviner Jesse Dylan, plus a pet grey parrot, a mount⊠A fuller goat.â
The Preceptor Bishop put away the parchment roll in his hand, and the muscles on his face twitched even more severely. âIs there anything you need to add?â
âWe also have a horse.â Nemo raised his hand honestly.
âThe terrain inside the Abyss is steep, so itâs not recommended to bring horses. If you are worried about supplies, we will use special magic carts to transport them, and there are also many supply points along the way. Forget the parrot, in fact, that goatâŠâ
âIt is our companion,â Jesse said emotionally. âWe are used to using it to transport luggage, and the goat can move freely on rock walls, and it can be used as emergency rations if necessary.â
When Jessie said the first few words, Debby had a face of approval. Unfortunately, that praise was instantly gone when she heard the last sentence.
âThen this is all the members of the reconnaissance team scheduled to be escorted.â The Preceptor Bishop pretended that he hadnât heard anything.
âToday the Central Church will provide you with food and accommodation. General supplies that need to be used on the road can be submitted to the clergy here if necessary. Of course, special magic props or weapons need to be purchased by yourself. We will gather at noon tomorrow and set off. You are all experienced soldiers, and you should know very well how to do escort work⊠Are there any other questions?â
âAny supplies?â Nemo raised his hand again.
âYes, Mr. Light.â
âI want to borrow an oven from the Central Church.â
ââŠâ The Preceptor took a deep breath, barely showing a stiff smile. âOf course you can, if you really need it.â
âIf you have anything you need to buy specifically, Debby and I can do it for you.â After Preceptor Felix left, Godwin Lopez finally spoke in a neutral tone.
âThere are four of us, brother.â Oliver raised his eyebrows.
âItâs best not to show your face around here easily.â Godwin instructed in a flat voice.
Nemo frowned and recalled the strange reaction of passersby when they saw them a while ago. âWhat you mean to say is the people of the Holy Land hates Black Chapters?â
âThey hate Tumbleweed,â Godwin said in a deep voice. âDonât you know anything?â
Adrian calmly turned a page of the book, and Jesse was gnawing on snacks as he teased the wilted parrot. Oliver and Nemo looked at each other and shook their heads together.
âThe saying that you âstole the precious gems from the Ruinous Fire Swordâ has spread. An ordinary student at Clementine Academy had betted on the Wheel of Calamity and became rich overnight. Subsequently, many people are now researching you.â
âThen what?â Oliver swallowed.
âNow thereâs a saying, personally, itâs closer to some kind of summaryâ In fact, no matter where Tumbleweed goes, they will bring destruction in their wake.â
âYour first clientâs family was destroyed. Your second clientâs hometown was ruined. At the end of your third mission, the headquarters of the Abyssal Church couldnât escape their doom. The fact that Mr. Ramon is a survivor of the Withered Castle has also been dug up, and they were willing to attribute this account to your âbad luckâ. Although we all know it was indeed destroyed by you.â
Oliver shrank his neck and looked at the ground guiltily.
âThen at Clementine Academy, you destroyed the Great Isamel Labyrinth before my very eyes. Although I didnât specify that you did it, many people are willing to guess so. Not long ago, you and your⊠Mr. Light had just visited the headquarters of the Mercenary Guild for a few days, and their superior demon suddenly disappeared.â
Godwinâs face looked numb. Nemo rubbed his palms nervously, grabbed pen and paper, and decided to use other things to distract himselfâ Godwinâs face was undoubtedly full of âI know you did it.â
Oliver laughed dryly and scratched his hair. âWhat an incredible coincidence.â
âYeah, itâs an incredible coincidence.â Godwin gritted his teeth and squeezed these words out of his teeth. âDear Mr. Ramon, I hope this joint expedition will go smoothly⊠Otherwise, the reputation of being a âCalamity Teamâ will definitely spread out of Alban and across the continent.â
âBelieve me, brother, we will work hard towards that.â Oliver made a gesture of swearing.
âTowards what?!â
ââŠWhere things go smoothly.â
âIn short, you need to know. After learning of these rumors, it is estimated that the reconnaissance team this time will not give you any good looks, so please be mentally prepared.â Godwin took a few deep breaths, staring coldly at the blood relative in front of him.
The atmosphere between the two became stiffer.
Nemo took a deep breath upon seeing this, and quickly exchanged glances with Debby.
âThis is what I want, Mr. Lopez.â Nemo wrote on the parchment, folded it up quickly, and handed it to Godwin Lopez with both hands. âWeâll also include the money for your help too. Thank you for your hard work. Ollie, hey, Ollieâ Do you have anything you want?â
âNo, but I have to go out to run some⊠ahem, comfort my horse.â Oliver hesitated for a while, holding on to the ring order that had been in his pocket.
âGo ahead.â Knowing the horseâs bad temper, Nemo nodded blankly. âIâll go to the Central Church hall for a couple of minutes, and think of anything else we would need to bring with us.â
âYes, commander. We have a lot of things to buy.â Debby patted Godwin on the upper arm. âTime waits for no one. Itâs always good to get things done early.â
âAs I just said, Mr. Ramon, itâs not suitable to show your face around, even in the church.â Godwin stared at Oliver persistently.
âItâs okay. Iâll change clothes. Even if they recognize me, theyâll just think Iâm you.â
ââŠâŠâ
Half an hour later, outside the Central Church.
âCommander,â Debby gently jabbed Godwin with her elbow, âYouâre really concerned about them. Perhaps a softer tone would work better.â
The leader of Horizon snorted lightly as Godwin hugged the supplies in his arms. He handed the parchment roll given by Nemo to Debby, who had relatively few things in her hands. âRamon is too lazy, and itâs irritating to watch, but he should understand. I donât need to make a special effort to coax them.â
Okay. Debby thought deeply as she took the parchment roll. After all, their commander was heartbroken, and she couldnât ask much.
âThere are a lot of things here. Letâs rent a cart later. Nemo didnât write much. We can buy it for him first,â Debby said, unfolding the parchment roll, and then fell silent.
âWhat does Light want?â
âFresh carrots, fresh apples, half a pocket of oatmeal, two large bottles of syrup. It is specially noted that the cheapest one must be selected.â
ââŠWhat does he want these things for?â
âI think he wants to make some kind of snack.â
âAt this time?â
ââŠâŠEr.â
Looking at Debby who was lost for word, Godwin titled his head and let out a long, restrained breath.
He never really let go of his vigilance against Nemo Light, but in just a few seconds, he felt like a fool for coming specifically here because of it.
The author has something to say:
The next chapter is going to the Abyssâ!!! XD
The horse Pope⊠stayed behind, and the fuller goat won a point!