Wizard World Irregular

“Instead of a color, can I ask for an element instead?” Nicole inquired.

“An Element?” Lyle pondered for a while, then nodded his head. “That works too. But take note—if the element you desire is not available, we will return with you choosing colors, okay?”

Nicole nodded. “Then, Lyle, I want the element of Ice.”

Lyle rubbed his chin. “Ice, huh? Those folks are quite stubborn, and I don’t know if they will honor their promise. But since a deal is a deal—here, take this.”

Lyle placed something on top of the table, making Ethan arched an eyebrow.

It was a golden token, but it wasn’t made from gold.

No.

It was actually a golden scale with ancient symbols written on it.

It had one big symbol at the center and smaller ones below it, which resembled written text.

Now that Ethan could decipher any kind of language in the world, he immediately recognized the message written on the golden scale, which made him look at Lyle in disbelief.

“Oh, you can read it?” Lyle looked at Ethan with genuine interest. “But then again, you wouldn’t be here in the Forbidden Section of the Library if you couldn’t do at least this much.”

Nicole, who had no idea what Lyle was talking about, took the Golden token and gave it a closer look.

“What does it say?” Nicole asked Ethan after looking at the golden scale in her hands for nearly half a minute.

“That is an Ancient Draconic Language that only dragons understand,” Ethan replied. “This big runic symbol at the center means Dragon King. The text written below goes something along the lines of…

“I, the Dragon King, Tezcacoatl, hereby give my decree to all Dragonkind to have their bravest warrior form a contract with the holder of this token.

“The world needs our strength once again, and the chosen one has come to choose one of our bravest to fight alongside them in the battle. I pray that even if I am long gone, the Dragons will still honor this oath, for it is this oath that will keep the world from the brink of destruction.”

Nicole looked at the token and then at Lyle, who had started clapping after Ethan deciphered the message correctly.

“This token is an oath the Old Dragon King had given to me hundreds of years ago,” Lyle stated. “Because he knew that a day would come when the peace of the world would once again be threatened, he hoped that his race would rise once more to defend the world one last time.

“But, know this, even when you have this token, it doesn’t guarantee that the Dragons you’re going to visit will honor it. You will have to convince them and prove yourself worthy. Since you chose Ice, then you should go to Northshire, where the Ice Dragons live alongside the Dwarves.

“Good luck in convincing them. Not only do they treat strangers coldly, but they are also an arrogant bunch. You might have a hard time convincing them to honor the Dragon King’s decree.”

After saying those words, Lyle did a few stretches from on top of the table before jumping off it.

“Well, then. I’ll go and visit Alice,” Lyle declared. “It would be unfair if I only gave Nicole a chance to get one of my treasures. Oh yeah, before I forget, come back to me after you’ve succeeded in convincing a Dragon to become your partner.

“It doesn’t necessarily have to be an Ice Dragon. That token works for the entire Dragonkind, so if the Ice Dragons don’t want to honor it, you can look elsewhere for them. See you all later!”

The chubby boy then ran toward the bookshelf and disappeared from everyone’s view.

If not for the fact that Nicole was still holding the Golden Dragon Scale in her hand, all of them would have thought that they had just experienced what was commonly known as mass hallucination.

“Well, are you going?” Ethan asked the young lady seated beside him, who was busy looking at the Dragon Scale in her hand.

“I am,” Nicole replied firmly. “But I won’t go there alone. I want you and Samantha to come with me.”

“Okay.” Ethan rubbed his chin for a few seconds before giving the young lady some advice.

“Just remember that we will be going on a mission with Lord Edmond in a few weeks. We don’t know where we’ll be going, plus we might need permission from the Dwarves to enter Northshire.

“Maybe you should discuss this with the Headmaster or Professor Barret. Maybe they can talk to some people to allow us to enter the Dwarven Kingdom. If not, I’m sure that Lord Edmond can find a way. After all, he is the right-hand man of the King of Eastshire.”

Nicole nodded. “This is a good plan. I’ll go find them later.”

After carefully storing the Golden Scale in her storage ring, Nicole leaned on Ethan’s body once more, allowing him to absorb the rest of the coldness that had taken hold of her body.

———————————

Meanwhile, in the Eques Manor…

“… Who are you?” Alice asked, pointing the ice sword in her hand in the direction of the chubby boy, who suddenly jumped out of the bookshelf in her room.

“I mean you no harm, Alice,” Lyle replied with a helpless smile as he raised both of his hands in the air as a way to tell the girl that he didn’t come to fight her. “I just want to give you an opportunity to receive my treasure.

“But, let me introduce myself first. My name is Eileifr Eques. Since my name is a mouthful, feel free to call me by my nickname, Lyle.”

Alice frowned after hearing the boy’s words. She then eyed him from head to foot, trying to understand if he should believe the boy’s words or not.

“What do you want?” Alice inquired, her blade still pointed at the chubby boy, ready to strike the moment he did anything funny.

“As I said earlier, I want to give you an opportunity to receive my treasure meant for my chosen candidate for the Eques Manor. Nicole already got one of them from me, and I’m here to give you a chance to receive the last treasure in my possession.”

“… You said that you gave one of your treasures to Nicole,” Alice stated. “Does this mean that she is your chosen candidate?”

Lyle pondered a bit before shaking his head.

“The answer is Yes and No,” Lyle replied. “While I did give her one of my treasures, that doesn’t mean that she is the candidate that I have chosen as my Champion. If you manage to guess my final treasure, then that will put the two of you on equal footing.

“Of course, that would mean that you also have the right to become my chosen one. So, how about it? Would you like to take a guess and get the chance to get the treasure that I have kept since the Era of the Great Demon Lord Balthazar?”

Alice didn’t even need to think and lowered the sword in her hand.

“Speak,” Alice said. “What is this opportunity that you are talking about?”

Lyle smirked because he finally got the young lady’s attention.

“I will give you two chances,” Lyle declared as he raised two of his fingers. “My treasures aren’t magical weapons, shields, or armor. It’s something else. I’ll give you two opportunities. If you can guess the treasure that I possess, then you will have it. So, think carefully and think hard!”

The chubby boy crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Alice with a smirk on his face.

While getting a Dragon as a mount was indeed a treasure, the last treasure in his possession was priceless.

It was worth more than a Dragon Mount, and if Alice could guess it, her power would increase by several folds, making her the closest to becoming the chosen champion of Eques Manor.