Chapter 5: The S-Class Mission
Ren walked up to Makarov. "Master, I can go do that job now, right?"
Makarov waved his hand dismissively. "Fine, fine. Go, go!"
This kid... his strength is impressive, but he's a stubborn little mule. He's definitely going to be another troublesome brat.
Just then, Mira spoke up. "Wait a minute! Ren, you're a new member and don't know the mission procedures. I'll have Elfman go with you."
"Elfman!" Mira called, waving him over.
"What's up, Sis?" Elfman walked over as soon as his sister called.
"Elfman, Ren is still new and doesn't know the process for missions. Why don't you show him the ropes?"
"No problem! Leave it to a real man like Elfman!" Elfman pounded his chest.
Having a veteran member show a rookie around was common in the guild.
"The name's Elfman! A real man, Elfman! I'll be leading you on this job."
"I'm Ren. Please to meet you."
Even though he had seen the anime, he still wasn't familiar with this world. There were many places he'd never even heard of. Having a veteran guide him was a good thing.
"No time to waste. Let's get ready. We'll head out in half an hour."
Elfman didn't waste any time, which suited Ren perfectly. "Sounds good!"
Elfman went home to grab his bags. Ren waited at the guild. Having been suddenly transported to this world, he had no luggage and, naturally, nothing to pack.
Just then, Mira brought a large plate of fried rice and set it in front of Ren.
"Uh... I didn't order anything."
Ren was actually starving, but his wallet was empty. He just didn't have the money to eat.
Mira gave him a playful wink and a smile. "Go on, eat! It's on the house. You can't go on a job on an empty stomach. And anyway, I'm not the one treating you—you earned this by beating Natsu."
At that moment, Ren looked at Mira as if he were seeing an angel.
Beautiful! Kind! Considerate! What a waste it would be not to take her home and make her his wife!
Macao, watching Ren's expression from the sidelines, sighed. "Aaaand another one's fallen for her."
Wakaba nodded. "It's only natural. Who can blame him when our little Mira is just so cute?"
A short while later, Elfman returned to the guild. Ren had eaten his fill. It was the most satisfying meal he'd had in the half-month since he crossed over.
Ren set off with Elfman. On the road, Ren discovered that despite his huge frame, Elfman was actually a massive chatterbox. He told Ren all sorts of stories about the members of Fairy Tail.
How Gray was a pervert with a stripping habit, taking off all his clothes without even noticing.
How Natsu was a walking disaster who caused trouble on every single job.
How Cana was a huge boozer who started drinking at thirteen. Her record was ten barrels in one sitting, and she was responsible for thirty percent of Fairy Tail's total yearly alcohol consumption.
How Loke was a total playboy who had dated an unknown number of girlfriends.
Not even the Master escaped Elfman's gossip. He said the old man was a total lecher who was always caught staring at the young girls' butts.
Ren listened with great interest. It made all the members feel much more real and lively. The two of them became familiar quickly.
After a long day of travel, the two arrived at the mission's location.
"Huh? What's going on here?"
"This is a huge setup!"
The area around the mission site was completely surrounded by the Magic Council's Rune Knights. The Rune Knights were the division responsible for arresting criminal mages, composed entirely of mages themselves—basically, the Council's official army.
The Rune Knights had the mansion surrounded so tightly not even water could leak through, preventing anyone from approaching.
The two of them started to walk over but were intercepted by the Rune Knights before they even got close.
"Halt! Who are you and what's your business here?!"
"We're mages from Fairy Tail. We're here for a request."
"Fairy Tail..." The Rune Knight squad leader saw the guild marks on Elfman's neck and the back of Ren's right hand, and decided to let them pass. "Go on in."
The two followed one of the Rune Knights inside.
They were soon brought before the mission's client.
"Hello. I am the mayor of this city and the client for this request. My name is Kos. Let's get straight to the point."
As he spoke, Kos placed a letter on the table.
Ren picked it up. Written on the envelope was a single line:
"In three days, we will come for your life! —The Phantom Marauders"
"A threatening letter?"
Kos nodded. "Yes. For some time now, the Phantom Marauders have been terrorizing this city. Many wealthy merchants have already been murdered. The entire city is in a panic, and many citizens, fearing for their lives, have chosen to flee."
Elfman's eyes went wide. "What about the Rune Knights? Haven't they been able to catch them?"
Kos shook his head, his face full of worry. "No. They come like shadows and vanish without a trace. Their movements are incredibly fast. By the time the Rune Knights arrive, they're long gone."
"This letter was delivered three days ago. That is why I posted a request to the mage guilds."
Ren frowned. "With so many Rune Knights outside, they wouldn't be stupid enough to just walk into a trap, would they?"
Kos sighed. "Ai... I would have thought so, too. But that was before I learned the identity of their leader."
"The leader's identity? Who is he?" Elfman asked curiously.
"A Space Mage. The King of Assassins, Camille."
"What?!" Elfman exclaimed, completely shocked.
"Who?" Ren had never heard the name, but the title sounded intimidating.
"Camille, the King of Assassins, is an infamous Space Mage," Elfman explained, his face grim. "He was the top ace of the assassin guild, 'Gods of Slaughter.' Because his magic lets him move without a trace and he never once failed an assassination, he earned his title. Later, the Magic Council sent a huge force to destroy the Gods of Slaughter guild, and he vanished. I can't believe he's resurfaced as the leader of the Phantom Marauders!"
"A guy like that is way too dangerous. This isn't a 700,000 J job."
"700,000 J? Oh! That must have been the old posting. I've since raised the request's level to S-Class. The reward is 7,000,000 J!"
"S-Class?!"
"Seven million J?!"
Elfman was stunned that this was an S-Class mission. Ren, on the other hand, only heard "seven million J."
His mind instantly started calculating.
One million J... that was like 50,000 in his old currency... Seven million J would be 350,000!
350,000!!
Ren's eyes practically had $$$ shining in them.
"I'm sorry, but a mission like this..."
Elfman was about to refuse on the spot. S-Class missions were far too dangerous; only S-Class mages were allowed to take them. He had lost his little sister on an S-Class mission, a pain that still haunted him.
"We'll take it!"
Ren cut in before Elfman could finish his sentence.
"WHAAAAT---?!"
Elfman looked so shocked his eyes were about to pop out of his head.