Kaien Blaze had seen his fair share of wonders over the past year. He'd witnessed the towering walls of the Kingdom of Sobea and danced with demons—literally.
But compared to what now stood before him, Sobea's walls were child's play.
The outer wall of Elbaf loomed over him, and from what Kaien could estimate, it had to be well over 300 meters tall.
Even more staggering were the guards at the gate—each one towering at least twenty or thirty meters high. Just standing there, they looked like moving mountains.
As Kaien stood in awe, a massive hand suddenly reached out and grabbed him off the ground.
"What the—?!"
The abrupt lift-off caught him off guard. He was just about to activate Take Over Magic when a childlike voice shouted:
"Mom! Look what I found! A tiny dwarf!"
Kaien looked up—and was met with the sight of a snot-nosed giant child nearly ten meters tall. The missing teeth and wide-eyed grin left no doubt: this was a kid.
"Brie! What do you think you're doing? Put him down this instant!" a voice scolded from nearby.
It came from a giant woman over twenty meters tall, clearly the boy's mother. She rushed over, concern written all over her face.
"I'm so sorry! Are you alright? Brie's a rough kid—he doesn't know his own strength. I really do apologize."
She crouched down to eye level and gave a proper bow of apology.
"Brie! Apologize. Now."
"Sorry!"
Kaien dusted off his clothes and gave a reassuring nod.
"It's fine."
"Oh, that's a relief! Nice to meet you. I'm Ella, and this is my son, Brie. You're human, right? That's rare—humans almost never come to Elbaf."
"Yeah? Why's that?"
"Well, for one, most humans are terrified of giants. And then there's the massive canyon that cuts us off—very few make it across."
Kaien nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, I noticed. When I flew over, I saw how treacherous that gorge is—steep cliffs, endless monsters… Not exactly traveler-friendly."
"So what brings you to the Giant Kingdom?"
"I'm a mage from Fairy Tail. I accepted a mission that brought me here."
"A mage?! Like, the ones who can shoot fire and lightning?!"
Brie's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Something like that," Kaien replied with a smirk.
"Whoa—! So cool! Can I see it?! Just a little?"
"Brie, don't be rude," Ella chided.
"I'll trade you a candy!" he added quickly, pulling out a piece the size of a basketball.
Kaien's mouth twitched.
'Eat that and I'd die of diabetes.'
"No need. You just want to see some magic? Sure."
Looking at the kid, Kaien couldn't help but smile. He imagined how thrilled he would've been at that age if someone had shown him real magic.
"Full Take Over: Ace."
His body shimmered and transformed, taking on Ace's fiery appearance.
"Ooooh! He transformed!!"
Both Ella and Brie gawked in awe. Ella had seen humans before, but never magic. Everything Brie knew about it had come from her stories.
"Fire Fist!"
Kaien's right arm burst into flame, shaping into a blazing giant fist. He drove it forward, hurling it at a massive nearby boulder.
BOOM—!!
The rock shattered into molten debris.
"WHOOOAAA!!"
"THAT'S AMAZING!!"
Their cheers echoed down the wall—and it wasn't long before the guards came rushing over.
"What's going on here?!"
"Don't worry! This human mage was just showing us some magic!" Ella explained.
"A human mage?" one of the guards blinked. "Well, now that's a rare sight. Welcome to the Giant Kingdom, mage. What brings you here?"
"I'm from Fairy Tail. I accepted a mission from His Majesty the King."
"The King's mission… Wait—that mission?"
The guard's expression shifted. Without another word, his tone became far more respectful.
"Please, honored mage. Come in."
They opened the gate, revealing a long tunnel nearly 800 meters in length. Kaien walked the length of it, and when he emerged from the other side—
His breath caught in his throat.
It was like stepping into an enlarged world.
Everything—the buildings, the streets, the people—was scaled up dozens of times. Kaien looked like an ant wandering through a city of titans.
Ella leaned down and asked, "Heading to the royal palace? I can take you. Otherwise, it'd take you forever to walk there. And getting lost… well, that wouldn't end well."
"That'd be a big help," Kaien replied.
He could get there on his own—but not without drawing attention. Walking would take too long, and the real danger wasn't the distance. It was the very real chance of being stepped on and flattened like a bug.
With his rising magical power, Kaien's physical abilities had far surpassed the average mage—but to a giant, even he was fragile.
Ella gently lifted him and placed him on her shoulder.
"Don't mention it. You gave me the chance to see real magic. That's something I dreamed of as a child."
From her shoulder, Kaien was overwhelmed by a single thought: everything here was massive.
Not just the giants—the buildings, the food, the objects. One glance at an apple the size of his torso made him feel full just imagining it.
"You've never seen magic before?"
"Nope! This is a remote place. Hardly any humans show up. And even when mages do, I can't exactly chase them down asking for a performance, can I? Hah."
Kaien chuckled.
"Fair point. So, what brings you to the capital? Shopping?"
Ella shook her head.
"No. We're here to take shelter."
"Take shelter? What could possibly threaten giants?"
It was a valid question. Ella and Brie, even as a woman and a child, were already walking fortresses. Their sheer size alone would deter most enemies.
"It's not about strength. Lately, someone's been kidnapping children across the kingdom. Dozens have already gone missing. To stop the situation from spiraling, His Majesty ordered all children brought to the capital for safety."
"I see."
Kaien nodded, finally understanding the true purpose of the mission—rescuing those missing children.
The rest of the way, Ella and Brie kept chatting with him, fascinated by the outside world. Kaien answered all their questions, sharing stories and impressions of distant lands.
Roughly thirty minutes later, they arrived at the gates of the royal palace.