150 Part 2
Ian spoke calmly and wrote the letters down surely. While he seemed to be scribbling, his handwriting was pleasant to read.
[Wouldn’t I need to be tied to this stuffy human house? Stop, since I’ll leave immediately when I get the chance.]
<Say what you need to say. I’ll give you my honest answer if I can meet them.>
The Fairy Queen also wrote fast, and she looked excited at the chance of meeting a dragon.
“While you’re saying such things, aren’t you staying here longer than your abode?”
<Then, I’ll also be honest. The First Mage and the dragons are enemies.>
“There are many people in the manor, statues that can fight with invaders, and a portal I opened for you to travel freely.”
<The reason the dragons suddenly disappeared had to do with the First Mage. The problem is that I’m in the middle of their antagonistic relationship.>
Ian’s quill pen did not stop moving, and it was more difficult to move his mouth and hands separately than he had expected.
[Stop saying nonsense.]
<Explain in more detail.>
The two became silent for a moment since it would feel artificial for a conversation to go on endlessly. However, they did not stop writing.
<I do not have enough time to give you a detailed explanation, and the situation is too urgent. However, I gained power that can put me on the same level with them in the past few days. Therefore, both the First Mage and the dragons are keeping me in check, and I would be thrown away like a hunting dog who has served his purpose whichever side I take if things proceed like this.>
<Like a hunting dog who has served his purpose? That’s not true. While I do not know how the First Mage would act, the dragons will not betray a trust. I’ll confirm this, and if you had gained power that matched them as you said, they would have asked for help.>
The Fairy Queen took the dragon’s side, but Ian had a crucial problem at hand, which was the reason he was wary of the dragons and worried about them throwing him away.
<I’m his son.>
<What?>
<I was told that the First Mage’s blood flows in me. Thus, the dragons would have to treat me as a potential threat that should be removed.>
[……]
The Fairy Queen’s mouth shut at this sudden revelation, and her hand stopped writing.
<The reason I’m telling you this is simple. I’m asking you to be the proxy for the negotiations between the dragon and me->
<I’ll do it.>
The Fairy Queen gave her an answer before Ian finished writing, but he wanted to emphasize certain aspects.
If the negotiations between the dragons proved to be difficult, Ian would have no choice but to side with the First Mage, and that meant the Fairy Queen would become an enemy. However, it might not be necessary since the Fairy Queen looked like she finished preparing to become Ian’s stand-in.
<I do not know for certain since your explanation lacks some details and the information had been too sudden. I would have to hear more from them, but if you want to have a conversation with the dragons, I’ll gladly act as your messenger. That means I’ll help you to convince them.>
The Fairy Queen’s reaction was more favorable, then Ian had expected. While Ian knew that she held affection for Ian and those around Ian, especially his mother, Ian had not thought she would be this passionate in her response.
<You, Ian Page, had been a wily and small-minded human being who just wanted happiness for those around you without any clear and deep goals.>
While she seemed to be grabbing the chance to criticize him, Ian focused on what the Queen was writing.
<You are a person who will be fully satisfied if that condition is met. In other words, your limits are evident, and I know that you will use your powers only for those around you. Therefore, I’ll help and tell them that you are not someone they have to be cautious about.>
Ian could be trusted because he was small-minded. While it seemed like wordplay, the Fairy Queen was not saying anything wrong. Fran Page was such an example. He had dreamed of something no human beings could achieve, and in the end, became everyone’s enemy.
However, Ian knew his limits and how much he could hold.
<It’s the first time me being small-minded amounted to something. You gave me a rare experience.>
Ian laughed while he scribbled and continued writing.
<And, thank you.>
Ian could only give her sincere thanks at the moment.
***
Ian found a stable way to communicate with the dragons while avoiding Fran’s surveillance. She was the ‘Fairy Queen,’ despite the fact Fran might also be watching her. Therefore, the fairies at her abode would be in charge of meeting the dragons face to face. The fairies could communicate by telepathy from far away, and it would be like the Fairy Queen meeting them directly.
‘The next is…’
However, things had not ended, and there was much to do. Communicating often with the dragons was only the beginning, and there were nine days left and so many things to do.
‘I need to find a way to endure the Immortal Troops.’
Ian decided after much contemplation that he would leave the ‘Immortal Troops’ that Fran had made as a safety device to the ‘present humanity.’ However, Ian would have to provide a way they could fight against immortals.
Fran had mentioned that there were different kinds of immortality. If what Fran said was right, the Immortal Troops did not revive using the souls they had stacked. Since they were undead who lost their identities and only possessed immortality, the cause and limits would be clear-cut.
While Ian could not know what the limit was, he could only think of ‘black magic’ as the cause. Another factor would be ‘alchemy.’
The dragons had estimated that immortality would be closely related to alchemy. Ian also had experienced the past thousands of years ago through alchemy and had entered the deepest places in the inner world.
‘The key is there.’
Tis I again, the proofreader that uses green text.