Chapter 5: The S-Class Mission
Ren came before Makarov: "Guild Master, can I go do that job now?"
Makarov, who was sitting at the bar, looked up from his beer. He studied the guild's newest member, the boy who had calmly and decisively defeated Natsu.
"Hmph." Makarov waved his hand, his expression unreadable. "Yes, yes, go on, go on!"
He watched Ren turn away, taking a deep swig from his mug. 'This kid, he's very strong,' he thought to himself, 'but he's also a stubborn little brat. Definitely another troublesome one... but an interesting one.'
Just as Ren was about to head for the door, Mirajane spoke up from behind the bar, her smile as warm as ever but her eyes tinged with professional concern. "Wait a minute! Ren-kun, you're a newcomer and don't understand the quest procedures. That's a very difficult request you've chosen, and I'd be worried about you going alone. I'll have Elfman accompany you."
She turned, her gaze scanning the main hall. "Elfman!"
"What is it, Sister?" Elfman, who had been loudly proclaiming something about "manliness" to Natsu and Gray, immediately trotted over when he heard his sister calling him.
"Elfman, Ren-kun is a newcomer and doesn't understand the quest procedures. Can you show him the ropes?"
"No problem!" Elfman slammed his massive fist into his palm. "Leave it to the man, Elfman!" He grinned, his voice booming. It was common for veterans to guide newcomers in the Guild.
He turned to Ren, who was only a little over half his height, and puffed out his chest. "I'm Elfman, the man Elfman! I'll be leading you on this quest!"
Ren smiled politely and bowed slightly. "I'm Ren. Please guide me."
Internally, Ren was quite satisfied. He had, of course, watched the anime, but he was still fundamentally unfamiliar with this world. He knew the major plot points, the big villains, and the main characters, but he knew nothing about the geography of Fiore, the customs of remote towns, or non-canon threats like this "Phantom Bandit Gang." Having a veteran show him around was good.
"A true man wastes no time! Let's get ready and depart in half an hour!" Elfman declared.
Elfman was efficient and didn't procrastinate, which suited Ren's taste. "Alright!"
Elfman lumbered off to go home and get his luggage. Ren, on the other hand, just waited at the Guild. Having suddenly transmigrated to this world, he had no luggage to pack. He was, in every sense of the word, starting from nothing.
His stomach rumbled quietly, reminding him that his victory over Natsu had burned through the last of his meager energy. He hadn't eaten a real meal in days.
As if reading his mind, Mira then brought a large, steaming plate of fried rice and set it in front of him. "This... I didn't order anything!" Ren said, startled.
Mira winked playfully, her smile brightening. "Eat up! It's free! You can't work on an empty stomach, and this meal isn't even on me. You earned it by beating Natsu just now. Consider it a prize."
Ren looked at the mountain of food, then at Mira, as if he had seen an angel. Beautiful! Kind! Thoughtful! 'What a pity not to marry her and take her home as a wife!' he thought, his heart skipping a beat. He immediately dug in, the flavor exploding in his mouth. It was the most delicious meal he had had since transmigrating.
Macao, seeing Ren's ecstatic expression from the side, nudged his friend. "Ah~! Another young man has fallen!"
Wakaba nodded, taking a puff from his pipe. "That's normal. Who can resist how cute Mira is."
Soon, Elfman returned, and Ren had eaten his fill. The two set off together.
Their first stop was the Magnolia train station. As they sat in the carriage, the steady clack-clack-clack of the wheels on the track provided a rhythmic backdrop. Ren discovered that although Elfman was large, he was actually a talkative chatterbox.
"So, Ren! You're a 'man' for taking on a big job right after joining!" Elfman boomed, causing a few other passengers to look over. "And that fight with Natsu! That was a real 'man's' battle! But that Take Over you used... I've never seen anything like it. It's not like my Beast Soul!"
Ren kept his expression neutral, looking out the window at the passing countryside. "It's just a form I'm familiar with. Your Beast Soul is impressive, Elfman-san. True 'manly' power."
"Hah! Of course! Being a 'man' means being strong!" Elfman beamed, taking the compliment. "But you gotta be careful in this guild, Ren. It's full of weirdos. A real 'man' needs to know his surroundings!"
"Oh?" Ren asked, genuinely curious. "What should I look out for?"
Elfman leaned in, his voice dropping to a (still very loud) conspiratorial whisper. "Take Gray, for example! He's a 'man' in a fight, but he's got this... habit. He's a stripping pervert! Don't be surprised if you're in the middle of a serious conversation and he's suddenly just in his underwear. It's not manly at all!"
Ren chuckled, picturing it. "I'll keep that in mind."
"And Natsu... you fought him, so you know. That guy's a disaster! He's strong, but he breaks everything. The Master's complaint pile from the Magic Council is 90% Natsu's fault. He doesn't know the meaning of holding back. A real 'man' knows when to use restraint!"
"And then there's Cana!" Elfman continued, warming to his topic. "She's a 'man's' drinker! I'm pretty sure she drinks more than everyone else in the guild combined. She once drank ten whole barrels! Ten! She says 30% of the guild's entire booze budget goes straight to her. It's... manly, in a scary way."
"Don't forget Loki," Elfman said, shaking his head. "He's a playboy. He's got a list of girlfriends a mile long. He's smooth, but he's not a 'man' who settles down. Stay away from him if you value your peace!"
"Even the Master!" Elfman finally whispered, "He's a great 'man,' a true 'man' among men... but he's an old lecher! He's always staring at the young girls' bottoms. Not very 'manly' behavior for an old-timer!"
Ren laughed. "Thanks for the warning, Elfman-san. It sounds like a very... lively place."
"It is!" Elfman agreed. "It's a guild of 'men'!"
Ren found it all very interesting, and everyone's image became much more vivid and lively. The two quickly became familiar with each other, and the long train ride passed quickly.
After a full day of travel by train and then a short carriage ride, the two arrived at the quest location, a large, wealthy-looking town. The atmosphere, however, was wrong. It was tense. The streets were nearly empty, and many shops were boarded up.
"Hmm? What's going on?" Ren muttered.
"What a grand display!" Elfman exclaimed, pointing ahead.
At this moment, the area around their destination, the mayor's mansion, was completely surrounded by the Rune Knights. Their blue and white uniforms were a stark, disciplined contrast to the chaotic energy of a guild hall. They stood in rigid formations, blocking all access.
"This is way more than simple bandits," Elfman said, his voice losing its usual boisterousness. "This is a real 'man's' problem."
The two Mages approached the checkpoint, but before they could even get close, they were intercepted by a squad of Knights.
"Stop! This area is under the jurisdiction of the Magic Council! State your business!"
"We are Mages from Fairy Tail, here for a quest," Elfman announced, pointing to the guild emblem on his neck.
"Fairy Tail..." The Rune Knight squad leader looked them over. He saw Elfman's emblem and the red one on the back of Ren's right hand. With a sigh, he allowed them to pass. "Go in. But don't cause any trouble."
The two followed the Rune Knight members inside the fortified perimeter. They soon met the client for this quest, a portly, sweating man in fine clothes who was pacing frantically.
"Hello, I am the mayor of this city and the client for this quest, Cost. Let's get straight to the point." Cost said, his voice trembling as he placed a letter on the coffee table.
Ren picked it up and glanced at it. The envelope had words written on it in what looked like dried blood:
"Three days later, your life will be taken! — Phantom Bandit Gang!"
"A threat letter?" Ren asked.
Cost nodded, wringing his hands. "Yes! For some time now, the Phantom Bandit Gang has been wreaking havoc in this city. They're not just thieves; they're murderers! Many wealthy merchants have already been killed. The entire city is in a state of panic, and many citizens are choosing to leave."
Elfman's eyes widened. "What about the Rune Knights? Haven't they caught them?"
Cost shook his head, his face full of worry. "No, they come and go without a trace, moving very swiftly. By the time the Rune Knights arrive, the gang has already left. They're ghosts!"
"This letter was delivered here three days ago," the mayor said, his voice cracking. "Today is the third day. That's why I posted a request to the Mage Guild."
Ren frowned and said, "With so many Rune Knights outside, they shouldn't be foolish enough to walk right into a trap."
Cost sighed, slumping into his chair. "Alas! If it were before, I would think the same. But recently... I learned the identity of their leader, and I no longer think that way."
"The leader's identity? What identity?" Elfman was somewhat curious.
"The Spatial Mage, King of Assassins, Camille."
[Akarin's Note: "Camille," the "King of Assassins," and the "God Slayer Guild" are original to this fanfiction and do not appear in the official Fairy Tail canon.]
"What?!" Elfman was greatly astonished.
"Who's that?" Ren had never heard of this name, but the title sounded rather imposing.
"The King of Assassins, Camille, is a notorious Spatial Mage!" Elfman explained, his expression grim. "He was the ace of the dark assassination guild, the God Slayer Guild. Because his magic allows him to come and go without a trace, and he has never failed an assassination, he was dubbed the King of Assassins. Later, the Magic Council dispatched a large army to destroy the God Slayer Guild, and he disappeared. I never expected him to become the leader of the Phantom Bandit Gang!"
Elfman said with a serious expression, "Camille is a seasoned Mage who has been famous for a long time and is extremely dangerous. Such a guy is too dangerous... this is not a 700,000 Jewel quest at all."
"700,000 J?!" Mayor Cost looked confused. "Oh! That was the previous request, wasn't it! Now I have upgraded the quest to S-Class, and the reward is 7,000,000 J!"
"S-Class?!"
"7,000,000 J?!"
Elfman was shocked that it was an S-Class Quest. Ren's eyes, however, widened for a completely different reason.
'7,000,000 Jewel!' he thought, his heart hammering. 'The system classified that 1,000,000 J job as A-Rank for one pull. This is seven times that! This has to be...'
He quickly checked his mental interface.
[New S-Class Quest Detected: Eliminate the Phantom Bandit Gang.]
[Quest Reward: 7,000,000 Jewel]
[System Bonus for Completion: 1x Ten-Pull Gacha Ticket!]
'A full ten-pull!' Ren's mind was racing. 'This is it! This is how I get stronger. I have to do this quest!'
"I'm sorry," Elfman said, stepping forward, his voice heavy with regret. "A quest like this..."
Elfman immediately wanted to refuse. S-Class Quests were too dangerous and could only be taken by S-Class Mages. He wasn't S-Class. He couldn't. He wouldn't. Not another S-Class quest. He had permanently lost his sister, Lisanna, during an S-Class Quest. The memory was an eternal pain in his heart, a failure of his 'manliness' that he could never overcome.
"We'll take it!"
Before Elfman could finish speaking, Ren interjected, his voice calm and decisive.
"Eh——?!"
Elfman was so startled his eyes almost popped out.
[Akarin Note:
Your Support Keeps This Story Alive!
If you're enjoying this novel, your support means the world to me. Simple actions like leaving a review, power stone, comment, or sharing the story let me know you're out there. It's the greatest motivation for me to keep updating until the very end and ensures this project continues.
For those who wish to support me more directly, you can join my Patreon at [patreon.com/AkarinTL]. As a thank-you, you'll receive access to 50 advanced chapters.
As a special offer, I've opened a few limited-time tiers at a discounted price! You will get all the benefits of "The Founding Pillars" (normally $20), but at a much cheaper rate.
These slots are extremely limited:
"The Plot Uncoverer": $4.99 (Save 75% / $15.01) - Only 3 slots
"The Dedicated Fan": $9.99 (Save 50% / $10.01) - Only 7 slots
"The Lore Diver": $14.99 (Save 25% / $5.01) - Only 15 slots
I hope I am still worthy of your support. My life truly depends on this... haha, I know I'm so shameless.]