“I am Sullivan Flamante. Welcome to my camp, kids.”
“Flamante…” Selena was visibly stunned. She obviously recognized that name. Not only did he have the same family name as Noelle Flamante, but his name was also famous all around the kingdom. After all, he was… “The Sword Saint?!”
Nathan’s reaction, on the other hand, was completely different. He didn’t care about his name or title. What excited him was his clothing style. He was screaming inwardly, ‘What is this old man? Why does he look so cool? He is dressed like those mafias!
Not only the Dragon King, but this old man is so cool. No wonder why badass old men tropes in novels or mangas were popular. They are so cool!’
“Hmm? A dragon familiar…” Sullivan squinted his eyes. “Ah. You must be the unique summoner that my granddaughter mentioned in the letter.”
“Did you know me?” Nathan coughed, regaining his composure.
“Of course I do. In fact, it’ll be weird if I don’t know the only unique summoner in this world, Nathan.” Sullivan smiled. However, his smile soon turned into a stern face as he asked, “But before we can continue our conversation, I need to know the reason you are bringing all those aliens to this place.” Stay tuned to m,vlemp _yr.
“That’s…” Nathan gulped down.
“If that’s the case, please allow me to explain it, sir.” David obviously had the duty of clearing up the misunderstanding as an officer.
However, Sullivan simply brushed him off with an icy gaze. “I ask you.”
Nathan could feel an indescribable pressure that made it hard to breathe. His expression turned grim as he said, “We have discovered a new alien species, which has the potential to harm not only this camp but all the camps around here.”
“With me here, do you think any alien can harm the base?”
“Yes.” Nathan nodded.
Sullivan squinted his eyes, as if pressing Nathan to admit that he was strong enough to handle the problem. “Are you sure?”
Nathan was trembling, but he forced a smile as if challenging Sullivan. “If I’m an alien, I have at least two ways to mess around this camp.”
Sullivan’s stare was killing him, but all of a sudden, that stern expression turned back into a smile as he said, “You are correct. The new species is rather annoying.”
“Eh?” Nathan blinked in disbelief.
Sullivan turned to David and pointed to the wall behind him. “You go to the wall and tell my officer called Daniel to clean up the area. He’s permitted to use everything he has. I will have a chat with these kids.”
“Y-Yes!” David’s heart skipped a beat. A mixture of panic and excitement filled his heart. This was an order from the famous Sword Saint after all.
Sullivan looked at Nathan and Selena before saying, “Follow me.”
Nathan and Selena looked at each other. Both of them stood up and hurriedly followed Sullivan deep into the camp.
Sullivan maintained his silence, but he could notice something from these two kids. Selena was feeling anxious for a different reason. It was as if she treated him as a goal that she had to beat.
On the other hand, Nathan’s expression was filled with confusion and doubt. Sullivan couldn’t help but ask, “If you have any questions, it’s better to ask them now. Once we reach the main tent, I’ll have you tell me everything you know.”
Nathan froze for a second. It didn’t seem that the old general was that scary. He looked angry because Nathan had entered his camp without permission, especially with all those aliens behind him.
While the reason was acceptable, if someone weaker was here instead of him, the situation would be much different.
Nathan hesitated for a moment before asking, “I apologize for my rude question, but I’m rather confused about why you would talk to us, two mere students, instead of leading the battle. With your strength, you are able to wipe out the aliens and solve the situation right away.”
The old general smiled. “Why would you ask a question that you already know the answer to?”
“The tough love…”
“Yes. Since you have gone on a mission with my daughter, you should have known that our Flamante Family is a Knight Family. We have served as soldiers and fought against all those aliens.
“However, knights are dying and born every single day. It’s practically impossible for all knights to pass away from old age. In fact, that is probably most people’s goal.
“But can they? On the battlefield, we are battling against the aliens every single day. We lose the comrades we hold dear but protect millions behind us.
“As you said earlier, if I personally act, I will be able to handle the aliens pretty easily. You should have seen it from that one swing.
“However, what will happen next? Should I solve yet another problem? Then, I will have to solve another problem again. It’ll create a never-ending cycle where the knights will be reliant on me.
“And that cycle will break once I pass away. What will happen next? The weak knights who haven’t experienced the life and death battles because they have been relying on me will be the first ones to die.
“They can call summoners, but there are a limited number of summoners in this world, so it’s not optimal to call them.
“That’s why I don’t plan to do anything unless it’s absolutely necessary. I want them to experience thousands of battles so that they can win again tomorrow, even without me by their sides.
“I’d rather be known as the devil who sends tens of thousands of people to their death than create a generation of weak knights. Once the front line collapses, the world will face a crisis they have never seen before.” Sullivan smiled. “Is that enough for the answer?”
Nathan nodded. “Yes. I apologize for my question once again.”
“Hahaha.” Sullivan laughed as they arrived at the tent. He sat down on the opposite side of the tent, with Nathan and Selena standing on the other side of the table. He asked, “Alright. Tell me what you know about this new enemy, kids.”