Cutting Green Wyvern's Tail

The distance between Crocus and Sakuramori is quite considerable. Even with Blue's maximum speed, it would take approximately three hours to reach there.

Therefore, despite the pressing situation in Sakuramori, Zen had no other option but to take his time and enjoy the scenery along the way.

Zen faced Randel and initiated the conversation, "Randel, did the Western Army send any other messengers to the capital or was it just you?"

Although Zen trusted Randel, he was curious about the whereabouts of his personal spy.

Despite his public stance of non-interference in Sakuramori's affairs, Zen had secretly sent one of his most trusted aides to act as his spy. This spy was highly skilled and had managed to infiltrate both the Western Army and the leader of Sakuramori, Kōen Clan,

Within the Western Army, the spy had become a messenger, while within the Kōen Clan, he had risen to become a servant.

Therefore, Zen was surprised to find out that the messenger who came to the capital was not his own spy, but someone else's.

Furthermore, Randel had a badge that identified him as the messenger of the Western Army, which raised some questions.

Zen wondered what had happened to his spy, who had not informed him of any change in plans and job after his last visit to the capital exactly a week ago.

Randel shook his head and answered, "There was another messenger with me, but we got separated on our way to the capital."

Zen frowned and asked, "Is there something that separated you two?"

"Yes, Your Highness," Randel confirmed. He went on to explain, "While we were en route to the capital, a powerful wizard suddenly appeared and attacked us. In order to ensure that our information reached the capital safely, my partner decided to act as bait and distract our pursuer while I went ahead. Unfortunately, I am unaware of what happened to my partner. Though, I hope he is alright."

Randel's face reflected sadness as he talked about his missing partner. That person had sacrificed himself for the mission, earning Randel's respect.

Zen raised his eyebrows, understanding the gravity of his spy situation.

'Well, I'm sure he will be alright knowing it's him...' Zen thought silently.

Zen had complete faith in his aides. They were not only as strong as an S-Class wizard but also highly competent in completing tasks. Even if they failed to complete a dangerous task, he knew they would return safely. 

This was why he wasn't too worried about his missing spy.

As Zen was pondering over the situation, a question came to his mind: 'Who could be targeting the Western Army's messengers? I was sure that it couldn't be just a random wizard.'

If it was just an ordinary wizard, Zen's spy would have already reported back to him by now. The fact that he hadn't heard anything yet made him suspect that the wizard he was up against was not an easy opponent to defeat. 

Zen wondered if the guild he was about to face might have had several wizards of the same caliber as his aides. This thought made him feel a little uneasy as his face turned serious.

Genie sat cross-legged beside Zen and suddenly poked his cheek. He asked, "What are you thinking, Zen? You have a very rare expression on your face." 

"Nothing. I just remembered that I haven't had lunch today. My stomach is starting to complain," Zen replied while flopping his shoulders.

"You missed breakfast too, Zen," Kiki clarified Zen's words.

"Is that so?" Zen widened his eyes in surprise, "No wonder I feel so hungry..."

"How could you not notice this?" Mitsuhide asked speeclessly.

"Hmmm... I thought Raffaela had prepared meals for me, but I was in a hurry to meet my father and forgot about it," Zen said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

Genie touched his cheek and sighed, "Poor Raffaela, her efforts are wasted on you!"

"I told you I was in a hurry and forgot about it!" Zen said, his face turning red with embarrassment.

"Very well, since it comes to this..." Genie clapped his hands and magically changed into a white chef's outfit. He held a ladle in one hand and a frying pan in the other.

He gracefully raised his hand and brought the ladle to his lips, as if it were a microphone, saying: "Ladies and gentlemen, this is Chef Genie, and I am ready to serve you the best dishes~"

"Hoo~"

Everyone clapped simultaneously, including Randel, who had been blankly staring at Genie like he was watching a strange creature perform.

Randel was still unsure what kind of creature "Spirit" really was, but he didn't dare to ask Zen this question. He was afraid that his ignorance would offend both Zen and Genie.

"I like your enthusiasm for cooking, but Genie, we don't have any ingredients to cook with," Zen said as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Worry not, young man. The ingredients are on their way," Genie replied with an ambiguous smile.

"What are you talking ab- huh, what is that?" Before Zen could finish his words, he suddenly saw something from afar.

Others also saw a dot from a distance which gradually enlarged until it appeared in its true form.

"It's a Green Wyvern!" Randel exclaimed with a frightened face.

"I see. It's a self-delivery ingredient, right, Genie?" Zen asked as he gazed at the Green Wyvern.

"It's premium-grade meat," Genie bragged.

The Green Wyvern finally arrived in front of Zen and the others. It flapped its wings and looked at them with a menacing gaze.

The wyvern that stood before Randel, Zen, and the others was massive and green in color. Its entire body was covered in scales, with a milky white skin underside of its neck that continued through its stomach and the underside of its tail. Attached to its muscular arms and sharp-clawed hands were webbed wings that were rippled and torn, making it highly reminiscent of a bat.

Despite its imposing presence, Zen and the others, except Randel, showed no signs of fear. Zen even smiled and calmly addressed the creature, "Hi, Big Guy~"

In response, the Green Wyvern let out a deafening roar, indicating that it had no interest in making small talk with the five tiny creatures it had planned to devour.

"That's so loud. You shouldn't do that in front of the prince because it's very discourteous. Well, it's not like I can expect something like courtesy from a mere lizard." Zen made a snide remark, implying that he did not hold it in high regard.

Although the Green Wyvern didn't understand the meaning of Zen's words, it sensed his disdain and was about to roar again when Zen suddenly spoke up.

"You know what? It somehow irks me when you hover above me. Now, lower yourself, lizard!"

Suddenly, a blue glow covered Zen's body. He raised his hand motionlessly and simply dropped his index finger.

The Green Wyvern suddenly felt an irresistible force pulling it down from below. Before it could even react, it plummeted from the sky like a meteor, crashing loudly onto the ground.

BOOM!

The impact created a dense cloud of dust, making it hard for Zen and the others to see what had happened.

"I think you overkilled it, Zen," Mitsuhide commented as he looked down at the fallen Green Wyvern.

Zen waved off his hand dismissively and replied, "It can't be. Green Wyverns aren't that weak."

He looked down at the creature. After sensing no further movement, his heart began to doubt. 

"It's dead?"

Kiki remained silent for a moment before finally responding, "I think it's just unconscious."

"That's enough. We can cut off the tip of the tail without any resistance." Genie said. For some reason, his clothes had changed again into butcher's clothes, with two large knives in his hands.

Randel looked surprised and asked, "Aren't you going to eat it whole?" 

Zen and the others looked at Randel incredulously, as if looking at a savage monster.

"... sorry, never mind," Randel muttered, sweatdrops forming on his forehead.

The Green Wyvern woke up later, only to realize that its precious tail had been cut off. The realization shocked and panicked it, as it had no idea what had happened to it.

As it looked around, it saw a group of people cooking soup using pieces of its tail brazenly. This sight made the Green Wyvern furious, and it wanted to attack these people and gobble them raw. However, it suddenly remembered what had happened before it lost consciousness.

In the end, the Green Wyvern could only watch these people resentfully while they cooked its tail and then flew away silently.