"And that's it..."
I anticipated this. It was unavoidable, so I decided to take advantage of the situation. I took light steps away from her and headed to an open area.
"As a fellow swordmaster, are you going to challenge me?" I halted my steps and asked, my back still facing her.
"Yes," she replied firmly.
"It's good to have ambition, but you should choose your target wisely," I said.
"Are you saying I'm too weak for you?" she retorted.
I shook my head. Judging by her power, she was at least a 2.5-star prodigy. But—
"No..."
I paused deliberately, placing my hand on the sword's hilt.
"What I'm saying is that my swordsmanship—"
I drew my sword in a slow yet graceful motion, capturing everyone's attention. Kagura watched with wide eyes, absorbing every detail. Under their watchful gaze, I executed an upward slash, followed by a downward stroke, and finished with a smooth sideways cut before calmly sheathing my sword.
"My swordsmanship isn't that impressive," I remarked.
A soft thud followed. Everyone instinctively glanced at the ground, only to find three mosquitoes writhing—each one missing its wings.
Their eyes shifted between me and the fallen mosquitoes, disbelief written on their faces.
"Saying your swordsmanship isn't impressive while clearly showing off?"
Kagura opened her mouth, eagerly ready to speak, but Hanabi gently placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her. Though Kagura sought a serious fight, she wasn't oblivious—Hanabi's silent gesture made it clear that the gap between us was too vast.
Realizing this, Kagura exhaled sharply before giving me a slight bow.
"Then, I'll challenge you once I'm stronger." With those words, she turned and left, rejoining her comrades.
I watched them leave in silence until the village chief approached me.
"Kyoka Suigetsu... I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Kaien Shigure. Allow us to thank you. If there's anything you need, just tell us," he said, a gentle smile full of gratitude.
Judging by his appearance, he did look like someone well-versed in manipulation and politics. However, he had a kind heart—unlike Hanabi, who looked innocent with her seductive beauty but was rotten to the core.
I shook my head slightly, dismissing my thoughts.
"There's no need to thank me. I killed them for my own reasons. My actions don't justify righteousness."
My voice was firm and clear, leaving no room for misunderstanding.
But they dismissed my words and stuck to the facts.
"Regardless of your reason, it doesn't change the fact that you helped us and accepted my task. So at least allow us to thank you," the village chief insisted.
Slowly, the villagers gathered around, bowing their heads in unison. "Sir Wizard, thank you for helping us."
"Thank you, huh..." I was reluctant to accept that gratitude. I didn't save any hostages—I only killed members of the dark guild. Even if I somehow succeeded, it didn't feel that way at all. Rather, it felt empty.
I wasn't sure how to react. To be honest, I'd never received this kind of gratitude in my life. Everything up until now had been painful, so this was a new experience—like discovering something unknown.
"Will I continue experiencing things like this in the future? I don't know... But could such a small moment truly change anything in my life?"
Isn't this a change of pace?
*
"You've been looking at me from time to time now, Kagura. Is there something you want to ask?"
Hanabi spoke without sparing her a single glance.
"It's just..." Kagura hesitated slightly. "Why did you stop me from fighting him? I know I couldn't win, but I doubt I would've even put up a decent fight." She tightened her grip on her sword.
Hanabi remained expressionless. "It's not about whether you can hold your own against him or not. The problem is that it's a futile battle."
"Futile battle...?" Kagura murmured, feeling dumbfounded. "Lady Hanabi, are you suggesting it would be a one-sided fight?"
Hanabi simply shook her head. "No. The question is, are you even fighting?"
"...?"
Seeing that Kagura couldn't grasp what she was trying to say, Hanabi felt a little helpless.
"This girl is hopeless..."
Even so, she chose to explain. "You remember what he did, right? He cut the wings off three mosquitoes. It's unrealistic, but if you don't have any prior knowledge, you'd likely believe it's true."
"... I don't get it, sorry..."
"It's fine."
"What I'm trying to say is, he never showed his swordsmanship from the start. Instead, what he did was cast illusion magic. It's flawless. I didn't even notice it—until he intentionally left us clues."
"What clues?"
"The mosquitoes themselves—that species isn't native here. Even if you imported the same kind, they'd die instantly. The environment isn't suitable for them. So, ask yourself—could they really just appear out of nowhere?"
She stopped walking and turned her gaze to Kagura. "However, it's not that simple. He was actually sending a message. If he ever becomes our enemy, we might be taken out before we even realize it."
Kagura nodded in agreement. She wasn't especially smart, but she could pick up on certain things and had a deep understanding in specific areas.
But—
Reality was far different. In truth, Kyōka Suigetsu only did those things to show off, using the fly-shooting scene from Wanted as inspiration. As for the mosquitoes, he didn't know anything about them. All he knew was that they were Culex, or common house mosquitoes. Hanabi had just come to that conclusion on her own.
[Several Days Later]
I absentmindedly glanced at the table, tracing the rim of my empty plate, wondering what I should do next. While I was lost in thought, the air around me seemed to hum with a quiet intensity. I felt a powerful surge of magic. It was being suppressed, but it didn't escape my keen senses. Unlike the overwhelming malice I had sensed from the dark guild members, this presence was strong but didn't feel evil.
"Hmmm... Is this a commissioner? Quite unlucky..." I muttered, recalling the recent events. The Elder had just left and was on his way to Magnolia. "Well, it's none of my business. Tasks like this should be dealt with through the assistance of the council. But it's probably contaminated by a dark guild. The current year is 775X, if my memory is correct. Gray joined the Fairy Tail guild in 774X, the same year Ur died. Before that, Ultear was already under Hades' umbrella and a member of the council."
"It's not surprising they would make a move once there are casualties—and they'll use 'disaster is unpredictable' as an excuse."
In reality, it's not hard to trace dark guild activity. You just need to visit villages—specifically, those not under the kingdom's jurisdiction.
Well, if they aren't willing to pledge allegiance and loyalty to the kingdom, they won't receive support. Even if they do pledge, the kingdom's actions will vary depending on what the village can offer.
The biggest example of this is [Rosemary Village], where Erza and others reside. Rural areas are the most vulnerable—perfect targets for invasion and abduction.
However, who in their right mind would wait until the dark guild attacks? On top of that, there are so many villages. Even if predictions were accurate, are the available resources and military strength enough to defend them? They won't bother sending powerful reinforcements unless success is guaranteed—and even then, if the casualties are too high, they might not consider it worth the risk.
The solution isn't practical—but that only applies to them. Given my abilities—teleportation and hypnosis—I can minimize casualties and still succeed.
I'm neither good nor evil. But if the situation calls for it, I wouldn't mind aligning myself with the Alvarez Empire.
I'm not hunting dark guilds in the name of revenge or justice, but for a personal reason—to forge my own tale. So if the council interferes with my goals, I wouldn't mind destroying them alongside Fairy Tail and the other guilds.
"Now that I think about it, it's interesting. Should I join Fairy Tail and pull an Aizen card?"
I let my imagination run wild but quickly dismissed the thought. I doubted my Kyoka Suigetsu would work on those whose power is beyond the human realm.
"But it wouldn't hurt to fool around, right?"
I unknowingly let out an evil smirk as I looked in a certain direction.
"I don't know if it's a he or a she, but they're probably here for the commission. I can't be certain, but I need to see for myself. Whoever they are, their magic is twice that of the strongest opponent I've faced so far—and at least three stars higher than mine."
"A mage with the power of a peak 8-star… it's risky, but I'm thrilled." A strange feeling of euphoria emerged deep within me, as if the most sensitive part of my body was being stimulated.
"I'm about to have an orgasm." I licked my lips.
Without wasting a second, I stood up and left the restaurant. With a swift, calculated motion, my foot slammed into the earth, propelling my body forward and kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Would my hypnosis work on them? I don't know, but it would be interesting to try. Depending on the outcome, I might do something unpredictable..."