Chapter 120: Hide-and-Seek Protocol

"Silvy... can you hide for a while? Papa has to deal with a lot of Wyverns. Those ugly fucking lizards—"

"Don’t curse in front of a child." Elinox had already landed beside them.

Zishan turned toward her. "You heard the situation. I think I’m allowed to curse this time."

"No."

"Why?"

Rather than answer him, Elinox crouched slightly in front of Silvy. "Little Silvy, you need to listen to Papa this time."

Silvy’s eyes brightened the moment she saw her. "Mama!"

"We’re going to play hide-and-seek. You need to hide somewhere for a while, and Papa and Mama will stay outside."

Silvy stared between the two of them as though making sure she understood correctly. "Mama? Papa? Gwame?"

"Yes. A game."

That was enough to make the little dragon excited. She clapped her paws together and started nodding enthusiastically. "Gwame! Gwame!"

Zishan had to place one hand behind her head when she almost hit it against his chest. "Easy, baby. You’ll hurt yourself."

"Gwame!"

"Yes, yes. Game."

Zishan looked toward Elinox for a moment. ’Why does that work so well?’

Elinox looked at Zishan, and her voice entered his mind through Mana. "Do you have somewhere to hide her? If you don’t have something secure—"

"No need. I can hide her on my own."

Elinox kept her eyes on him for a moment, though she did not ask what he meant. Zishan appreciated that, since the System was still one of the few things he had no intention of explaining to anyone.

He opened the Beast Nurturing Space, and the moment Silvy noticed the spatial opening, her eyes brightened even more. "Gwame!"

"You’re taking this way too seriously..."

Silvy completely ignored him.

Zishan lowered his face and kissed the top of her head. "Papa will get you after the game, okay?"

"Papa!" Her little paw touched his cheek, and for a moment, Zishan hesitated. He did not really want to let her go, even if he knew she would be safer inside.

Another roar echoed from the sky.

Zishan finally sent her into the Beast Nurturing Space, and Silvy disappeared from his arms. The connection with the Beast Nurturing Space remained open, allowing him to sense her moving around inside.

’System.’

[Yes, Host.]

’Make sure the environment there stays compatible with Silvy.’

[Confirmed.]

Zishan thought about Silvy for a moment. She probably believed she was actually playing hide-and-seek, and if she stayed inside for too long without seeing anyone, there was a good chance she would start looking for them.

’Can you make something for her to play with?’

[The Beast Nurturing Space may generate simple environmental projections.]

’Can you make one of me and Elinox?’

[Yes.]

’Do that. Maybe make Ollie too. Let them play with her or something, and don’t make her cry.’

[Confirmed.]

Zishan nodded before another thought came to him. ’And don’t make the fake me weird.’

[Define weird.]

’Never mind.’

He closed the interface before the System could annoy him any further and finally turned his attention toward the approaching Wyverns. "Now, let’s do this."

They were already close enough for Zishan to see them properly, and there were far more than the group they encountered on the way back to the capital. Several smaller Wyverns flew ahead while much larger ones remained farther behind, so Zishan immediately activated Appraisal and started checking the ones closest to him.

[Wyvern – Level 224]

[Wyvern – Level 273]

His eyes shifted toward another.

[Wyvern – Level 318]

’Nope.’

He kept looking through the group and found a Level 487 Wyvern farther back, followed by another at Level 621. Then, his gaze stopped on an enormous one flying above the others, whose Mana already felt different even from where Zishan was standing.

[Wyvern Lord – Level 698]

Zishan stared at it for a moment.

’Almost seven hundred...’ He then glanced toward Ernest. ’That’s yours.’

Ernest seemed to understand exactly what that look meant. "Don’t even think about it."

Zishan shifted his gaze toward the weaker Wyverns instead. "I wasn’t planning to. That one’s yours. I can handle those below Level 300, so you two deal with the ones I can’t."

Ernest gave him a look. "Stay within that limit."

"I know." Zishan pointed toward the strongest Wyvern. "And you can take that ugly one."

Ernest’s eyes narrowed slightly. "You’re getting very comfortable giving orders to the Crown Marshal."

"I’m assigning enemies."

Before Ernest could respond, Elinox stepped in. "Both of you can argue later."

Zishan looked toward her. "I’m not arguing."

"You are."

"He’s the one—"

"Zishan."

The change in her voice made him stop. Elinox had already turned serious, and from the way she looked at him, Zishan immediately understood what she was worried about.

"Don’t force yourself because Silvy is involved."

Zishan looked toward the approaching Wyverns. "I’ll try."

Elinox did not look completely satisfied with that answer, though she still nodded before turning toward Ollie. Only then did Zishan notice that the boy had not reacted once since they landed and was already asleep in her arms.

She carried Ollie farther from them and placed him down on the grass. A barrier appeared around the sleeping boy. Then, another layer formed over the first.

Zishan watched the Mana around it for several seconds.

Even without understanding everything Elinox had done, he could tell it would take a serious attack to break through.

"Will he be okay there?" Zishan asked while looking toward Ollie inside the barrier.

"He’ll be safe unless one of the stronger Wyverns reaches him."

Zishan glanced toward the sky, where the largest Wyverns were already beginning to descend. "I won’t let that happen."

Elinox looked at him for a moment before taking off, while Ernest followed soon after and headed straight toward the strongest Wyverns. The Level 698 Wyvern released a roar the moment it noticed him and changed direction, while Elinox moved toward another part of the group where several Wyverns above Level 400 were beginning to descend.

Mana started gathering around her, and even from the ground, Zishan could feel the change in the air.