Stygog.
Standing before the ruins of the Party Tavern, Ur scratched his head in confusion.
Since there was no direct train to Magnolia, he had planned to stop here, switch lines, and take a short rest.
But what was this?
The tavern in front of him turned to rubble, and Ur's mind was a whirl of question marks. Just a few days ago, it had been standing fine. How on earth had it collapsed so quickly? And these traces of demolition… why did they look so strangely familiar?
"...You?!"
Just as Ur was staring at the wreckage of the tavern, lost in thought, a trembling voice came from behind him. He turned, puzzled, only to see a man he didn't recognize.
Ur opened his mouth to ask who he was, but before he could, the man's eyes reddened with rage. He suddenly charged at Ur, screaming hoarsely, "Bastard! I'll kill you!"
Ur blinked, baffled. Question marks were practically piling up in his head.
Am I dreaming right now?
The scene unfolding before his eyes was so absurd that it made him question the reality of his surroundings. After all, everything in this world follows some cause and effect.
But right now, Ur couldn't find the slightest connection.
"Ahhh!" The man roared, face twisted with hatred, and lunged straight at him.
Ur's expression didn't change. He waited until the man was practically in his face, then snapped his leg out.
Bang!
The man flew back several times the speed he had charged in, crashing into the ruins of the tavern with a loud bang before slumping into unconsciousness.
He was only an ordinary person. Even though Ur had deliberately restrained most of his strength, the force granted by the Behemoth's Power was still frighteningly great, making it difficult to hold back completely.
Ur stared at his fist, then at the man's crumpled body, and his gaze lingered between the two for a long while.
Finally, he exhaled softly. Forget it…
He had originally intended to wake the man and demand an explanation. But seeing the pitiful state he was in, Ur found he couldn't bring himself to do it.
With no interest in lingering after such an incident, Ur turned on his heel and headed for the station.
Not long after he left, two figures emerged cautiously from a nearby building. When they spotted the unconscious man among the ruins, their faces paled.
"Poor Doen… what rotten luck. Did he pick a fight with someone from Fairy Tail or something?"
"I don't know, but man, those Fairy Tail people are ruthless! First they tore down his tavern, and now they've beaten him half to death."
"Don't say that too loudly. If that mage hears us, we'll be next. Come on, let's get Doen out of here."
"Right, right…"
Ur, of course, knew nothing of what was said after he left. Had he overheard their conversation, he might have realized whose black pot he had just been forced to carry.
On the train, lulled by the gentle rocking, Ur was nearly dozing off when the voice of the conductor jolted him awake.
"Next stop: Magnolia! Magnolia Station!" The voice of the conductor jolted him wide awake.
Ur perked up immediately. He wasn't like certain Dragon Slayers who couldn't handle traveling, but long rides were tiring all the same. Otherwise, why would his past life have invented the phrase "weary from travel"?
After disembarking, Ur's first stop was Grandma Isse's house. The mission had been one disaster after another, and with communication in this world being so primitive, he had been gone far too long without word. Naturally, he needed to show his face and put her worries to rest.
Only after eating his fill at Grandma Isse's did Ur finally head back toward the guild, intending to report in.
True, the mission had failed, but he still needed to explain and have it officially removed from the task board. If he didn't cancel it quickly, who knew—one day, after a hundred years had passed, this job might end up as another so-called "hundred-year quest"!
When the carriage stopped outside Fairy Tail's guildhall, Ur froze.
Something was wrong.
It was too quiet.
Not silent, exactly, but the faint noise inside was so out of place here that it was practically the same as complete stillness.
Something's happened.
A chill ran through his heart. He jumped down from the carriage, strode up to the doors, and with one powerful kick, he blasted them wide open.