Shadow's Thorn was something they didn't have time to investigate thoroughly.
They simply informed the Council about the covert leads and such, leaving it for the Council to look into, as they still had quests to complete.
On the train to the next town, both Ultear and Erza were quite surprised by how much Kagura could endure.
Erza even remarked, "If I were the one following him, I would have chopped him down myself long ago."
Kagura shook her head. "Actually, I couldn't stand it either, so I closed my eyes and pretended not to see him."
'Damn, out of sight, out of mind, huh?' Raizel inwardly complained.
"That's a good method," Ultear nodded in approval.
Raizel, offering rare praise, smiled at Kagura.
"Kagura did well this time. The primary objective of a protection mission is to protect the client; nothing else is more important. You didn't act rashly and stayed by his side the whole time, which was exactly right."
Kagura felt a bit shy from the praise, her cheeks slightly flushed.
She lowered her head slightly, gripping the Archenemy tightly, and speaking softly.
"I didn't think that much about it. I was just waiting to see if anyone else would attack."
"Well, regardless of the reasoning, what you did was correct, right, Erza?" Raizel looked teasingly at Erza, who had once abandoned her client during a protection mission, leading to another assassination attempt.
Fortunately, Raizel had been lurking in the shadows and managed to protect the client.
"I know, I'll remember that properly," Erza replied, recalling the incident with some chagrin, though it had happened two years ago.
"Alright, let's not dwell on that. Our next mission is an Extermination Quest, and it'll be handled by the three of us and Kagura," Ultear said, noticing the blush on Erza's cheeks and changing the subject.
"Is it the one at Casablanca Mountain?" Erza still remembered the second mission, as the order had been decided through discussion among the three of them.
Ultear continued, "Yes. About two months ago, a group of Mages defected from legitimate Guilds and have been holed up in Casablanca Mountain. They extort tolls from passing merchants and plunder nearby villages. It's said there are quite a few Mages; they're a gathering of defectors from several Guilds. The Council dispatched troops, but the army was quickly defeated, so the quest was issued to Magnolia, the nearest town to Casablanca, which is our Guild."
"Judging by the terrain of Casablanca Mountain, it's easy to defend but hard to attack. Their rear is a steep cliff, and they have earth Mages or earth magic tools among them, allowing them to construct walls that seem to be repaired very quickly. I heard the Council's army was defeated because they could only attack from the front."
"What about the left and right flanks?" Erza asked.
Ultear shook her head. "There's no information on the left and right sides. According to the quest description, those sides don't seem easy to attack either."
"We need to consider our formation. They definitely have long-range attack Mages among them. If we launch a direct assault, the three of us will likely face concentrated fire."
"Only Erza among the three of us has the ability to sustain flight. Erza needs to fly up to intercept the aerial attacks."
Erza nodded and said, "Leave it to me."
Ultear continued, "The walls pose a serious problem for the Council's army, but for us it's manageable since there are only three of us. We'll assess the wall height when we get there—if we can jump over it, it won't be an issue."
"The walls—I can affect them. A gravity field should be able to collapse the walls," Kagura said while holding Archenemy.
Ultear clenched her right fist and struck her palm.
"Now that Kagura mentions it, I just remembered I can also neutralize the walls using Arc of Time."
Erza added, "Then the walls won't hinder us at all."
"With only three of us, splitting up for the attack isn't feasible. If both flanks are unfavorable, Kagura will break through the front, Erza will handle aerial defenses, and I'll support from behind Kagura using Ice Make and Arc of Time."
Erza shook her head. "With my Heaven's Wheel Armor, my defense is quite solid, and I can manifest multiple magic swords. Don't worry about me—focus more on Kagura. She only has her sword."
Ultear trusted Erza's capability—they had collaborated many times before.
This time, with Kagura joining, she just needed to ensure extra caution for Kagura's safety.
"Alright, then the skies are your responsibility. I'll keep my attention on Kagura."
Kagura tightened her grip on Unfearing Heavens and looked at both of them.
"I'll attack with full force."
Raizel leaned back in his chair listening to their analysis.
Unless danger arose, he had no intention of intervening—and Raizel felt these three didn't need his involvement anyway...
...
Casablanca Mountain—
The mountain fortress loomed in the darkness.
Erza took to the skies, requipping into her Black Wing Armor to blend into the night.
She circled the mountain silently, gathering intel.
When she returned to the inn where the others were waiting, she shook her head.
"The flanks are a no-go," Erza reported, sitting down. "They have walls and watchtowers on both sides, and the ground between the trees is covered in magical thorns."
"How many towers?" Ultear asked.
"Five watchtowers on each flank, two guards per tower," Erza replied. "Given the spacing, I can't take them out silently. If I attack two, the others will see."
"The front has four watchtowers," Ultear mused, studying the map she had drawn. "It seems they've spread their resources evenly."
"There's one more thing," Erza added. "The rear cliff... they have two watchtowers there as well. They're paranoid about flying mages flanking them."
Ultear tapped the table. "Distances?"
"Between the front towers? It's awkward spacing," Erza said, pinching her chin. "If you attack the first, the third might not see, but the second definitely will. It's hard to say."
Ultear sighed. "Stealth is unlikely. We have two options. One: we proceed with the original plan—a frontal brute-force assault. Two: We split the focus."
She looked at the map. "Erza attacks the rear watchtowers first. It causes chaos and draws their attention to the cliff. While they are distracted, Kagura and I blow the front gate."
Kagura raised Archenemy.
"I prefer the second option. I'm not worried about frontal attacks—I trust my blade. Ultear, just shield me from arrows."
Erza nodded. "I agree. If I attack from the rear, I can draw their heavy fire away from you."
"Then it's settled," Ultear decided, closing the map. "Tomorrow night, we strike. Erza hits the rear cliff. Kagura and I take the front door."
"Understood." Erza and Kagura nodded in unison.