— — — — — —
After Romeo finally calmed down, he asked, "Kazuma-nii, isn't there any way to help my dad?"
Kazuma nodded and said, "Well, technically I can find your dad if you—"
"Okay, Kazuma! Go, go, find my dad!" Romeo interrupted excitedly, cutting him off.
"Ahem… kid," Kazuma said, crouching down to meet Romeo's eyes. "Let me teach you something about life. In this world, there's no such thing as a free meal."
"No free lunch, no free dinner, no snacks, no juice—nothing's free. Everything has to be earned."
"I can help you find your dad, sure—but what are you gonna pay me with?"
"Huh?" Romeo blinked. "But I…. I don't have any money left."
"No money? What about the ten thousand I gave you yesterday?"
"It's… all gone."
"You little—ugh, forget it." Kazuma sighed and shook his head. Then he said, "If you're broke, you can work it off. Starting today, for one year, you'll clean for me, pour tea, do laundry, and cook—well, forget cooking."
"I wouldn't dare eat anything you make anyway. That'll be your payment. Agree to that, and I'll find your dad."
"How about it?"
"I'll do it! Not just for a year—even ten years if it means bringing my dad back!" Romeo blurted it out without hesitation.
"Good. Mira, register this as a mission for me."
Kazuma grinned. The kid might be small and reckless, but he had guts.
He turned to Mirajane. "This isn't me cleaning up Macao's mess—it's a formal request. That's fine, right?"
Mira hesitated and looked at Makarov.
"It can count as a request," she said slowly, "but only a personal one. It won't go through the Magic Council, so you'll handle everything yourself. If that's okay, I'll file it."
Makarov nodded. The old man's bark was always worse than his bite. In the end, he was too softhearted to say no.
"I've never messed up a mission before," Kazuma said, smiling. "I'll be back by tonight—with Macao."
He patted Romeo's head, then turned and left. Only after the guild door closed behind him did Mira finish logging the request.
"Don't worry, Romeo," she said gently. "If Kazuma took the mission, it'll get done. No matter how tough it is, he's never failed before."
She came around from behind the counter, offering the boy a handful of fruit candies.
"Thanks, Mira-nee." Romeo clenched his fists and tried hard not to cry again. "I know Brother Kazuma will bring my dad back. He has to."
Mira didn't press him. She'd lost loved ones before and knew that no words could ease that kind of pain.
She watched the doors where Kazuma had just walked out and silently prayed he'd return safe with Macao beside him.
...
"That kid's still too young," one of the guild members murmured.
"Yeah," another replied, "he means well, but this could really hurt Macao's pride as a mage."
The others nodded. They were all worried, too—but this was the life of a Fairy Tail mage.
"This has nothing to do with Macao's pride," Makarov muttered, lighting his pipe. He rarely smoked, but whenever he was anxious, he needed a few puffs. "This one is Kazuma's personal mission."
Lucy watched the guild members talk, confusion stirring in her heart.
At first, she'd thought they were heartless. But now she realized—they all cared deeply. They were just showing it in their own way.
She glanced at the door, where Kazuma had vanished into the distance. Then she stood up.
She wanted to see for herself—what kind of people Fairy Tail's mages really were.
— — —
Mt Hakobe was the kind of place where even in summer, the snowstorms never stopped. The whole mountain was buried under thick layers of snow, the air so cold it could freeze your breath mid-sentence.
"So cold! So cold, I'm freezing!"
Lucy clung tightly to Kazuma, shivering all over. Just a few minutes ago, down at the base, it was warm and sunny—classic summer weather. But up here? Instant blizzard.
"I can't tell if you came to help or just to make my life harder. Hold on tight—I'm speeding up."
Kazuma was astride a sleek, magic-powered motorcycle—something he'd dug out from his personal "Treasury." It ran on pure magic energy, could hit ridiculous speeds, and handled snow, mountains, and even water like it was nothing.
Basically, a do-it-all vehicle. It was a reward from his system, a really good one.
Still, Kazuma hoped the system would eventually grant him some of Gilgamesh's truly amazing treasures. His own Treasury of the King hardly lived up to its name right now—filled with guns and magic weapons that were nowhere near as impressive as Gil's. On top of that, he couldn't even pull off those incredible aura-farming feats like the man himself.
"I didn't think it'd be this cold up here! Also, why do you even have a motorcycle with you?! I heard your magic only had weapons."
Lucy was clinging to him for warmth, half terrified, half incredulous.
"Nah~ My Gate of Babylon—the Treasury of the King—has all kinds of amazing stuff. And even if we're just talking weapons, transportation counts as weaponry too, y'know? Now shut up and hang on—I'm accelerating!"
He pulled out a small, glowing compass-like device. A magic tracker—it could locate anyone based on their magical signature. Before leaving, he'd taken something from Romeo that carried Macao's energy.
He poured a bit of magic into the bike. Its engine roared, and the speed spiked again.
"Ahhhhhh!"
Lucy squeezed tighter, feeling like they'd left the ground entirely. Was this even driving anymore? More like flying—at death speed—on an icy mountain road!
She was seriously regretting tagging along.
...
The needle on the compass pointed straight ahead, and soon, a white-furred creature appeared through the snowstorm.
"There's something up ahead! Watch out!" Lucy's voice cracked with panic.
"Watch out? Why? Just ram it!"
"WHAT?! Nooo, I don't want to die. STOP!"
Kazuma glanced at the creature, then at the compass. His eyes narrowed. The magic signature matched—this "white creature" was Macao.
He'd been taken over by this creature called Vulcan.
"Don't—don't ram it! Are you insane?!" Lucy's scream vanished into the roar of the engine.
"Grahhh?!"
The Vulcan had been preparing to attack, but the sight of a magic bike hurtling straight at him with no intention of slowing down made him hesitate.
Vulcan decided to run, but too late.
BAM!
The impact sent all of them flying. Kazuma kicked off the bike midair, using the momentum to launch himself forward. His fists blurred—strike after strike hammering into Vulcan like a storm of punches. He then hugged Lucy and landed safely.
By the time the motorcycle and the monster hit the ground, the fight was already over.
"...."
"So—so fast! That was incredible!"
Lucy's jaw dropped. Her brain had gone blank during the collision, but now that she'd seen what happened—she couldn't believe her eyes.
Kazuma had reacted instantly and taken the creature down in a single move.
So this is the real power of a fairy tail mage…
...
Next, the Vulcan's body twitched, then began to change—shrinking and morphing until Macao lay there, battered and human again.
"Lucy! Medical kit!"
Kazuma rushed over and started treating him—stopping the bleeding first, then forcing a potion down his throat.
"Wait, this guy—is he Macao?" Lucy asked, fumbling for bandages and handing him the kit.
"That white ape was a monster called Vulcan. It can possess people's bodies. Looks like Macao got caught mid-fight."
Kazuma wrapped Macao's wounds with practiced hands as he explained.
"I see…"
Lucy's voice softened as she looked at Macao's battered body. "He must've fought hard before it got him."
She finally grasped what being a guild mage really meant. It wasn't adventure and excitement—it was danger, blood, and the constant risk of dying alone on a mountainside.
And Kazuma… he'd just taken down a monster in seconds that had nearly killed a veteran mage. That was absurd.
Suddenly Macao's body jerked, and he let out a strangled yell. The potion was kicking in, searing through his veins like fire—but it was working.
"Kazuma… it's you," Macao panted, forcing a smile. "You saved me."
He clenched his fists in frustration. "Damn it. I'd already beaten nineteen of them, but I let my guard down on the last one. How can I face Romeo like this?"
Lucy froze. Nineteen? He'd fought twenty monsters—alone?
The guild's earlier words echoed in her mind. Now, she finally understood.
But before she could say anything, the snow around them began to bulge and shift.
Dozens—no, hundreds—of white shapes started rising from beneath the snow.
"Th-they're coming! There's at least a hundred of them!"
Lucy's voice trembled as she pointed at the swarm of Vulcans closing in.
"Relax," Kazuma said, finishing the last of Macao's bandages. "This whole mountain's their nest. Running into them's just part of the job."
He stood up, stepping between Lucy and the horde.
"Lucy, this is what a mage's life really is. Every mission means putting your neck on the line. Every step could be your last. If you want to call yourself a mage, you'd better be ready to die on the job."
He grinned. "But today's not one of those days."
"Why, you ask? Hahaha—because I'm here!" Kazuma said, spreading his arms wide. His aura flared as the snow and air around him rippled like water, golden portals shimmering into existence.
Just one word to describe this scene: AURA
"Oooh!" Lucy's eyes were in the shape of stars; she had never seen such a cool scene before.
SWISH—
Behind Kazuma, the air shimmered. Ripples of magic spread outward, and in the next instant—the sky filled with weapons.
Countless guns materialized, floating in the air, all aimed at the charging monsters.
.
.
.