Anphel City, located in the western part of the continent, sits atop a vast mountain range at the border between the Kingdom of Dylan and the Kingdom of Denas.
Due to its unique geographical location, both kingdoms have tacitly accepted its semi-independent status.
One reason is that it serves as a buffer zone between the two kingdoms' conflicts, and the other is because the city itself has always been extremely mysterious and dangerous.
Both kingdoms have attempted to deploy armies to take control several times, but each time they were ultimately devoured by magical beasts.
Over time, Anphel City became a no-man's land.
On the towering city walls, more than fifty meters high, deep and variously-shaped vicious cracks are engraved into the stone.
The largest crack stretches over twenty meters in length, and its shape suggests it might have been caused by a giant beast striking the wall.
The towering buildings, along with the unique magical energy radiating from the ground, create a pressure that seems to stir the soul.
Everything about this place tells the story of the city's extraordinary nature.
"Is this Anphel City?" Noel looked at the massive city before him, his expression showing a hint of awe.
To Noel, Anphel City seemed more like a fortress than a city.
Even with his extensive knowledge, he had never imagined a city with defensive works to rival this one.
"Indeed, it's impressive," Laxus said, putting aside his casual demeanor and speaking seriously.
"Standing here won't help. Let's move forward first," Noel suggested.
After their discussion, the two of them tried to maintain a pace that wouldn't be perceived as hostile as they headed towards the city wall.
As expected, when they got within a hundred meters of the wall, soldiers holding weapons and wearing heavy armor appeared on top of the wall.
The leader, a well-built black-haired man with a slightly darker complexion and a handsome face, held a magical amplification device and shouted down at the two below.
"Who are you? Please halt your actions immediately, or we will consider you enemies and take action against you."
Upon hearing the shout from the wall, Noel and Laxus exchanged a glance and stopped in their tracks.
Noel slowly raised the task order in his hand, signaling to the people above.
Since the wall was extremely high, Noel didn't bother shouting—after all, it would clearly be a futile effort.
There was a brief stir on the wall, and soon a basket began to descend slowly.
When it reached the ground, a soldier stepped out and quickly approached Noel and Laxus.
After taking the task order and carefully verifying its authenticity, the soldier turned and waved his arm toward the top of the wall.
Boom.
The twenty-meter-high city gate, entirely made of fine iron, slowly opened.
A squad of soldiers emerged in an orderly fashion, with the well-built black-haired man who had been leading from the wall at the forefront.
The black-haired man looked Noel and Laxus over, and a barely noticeable flash of disdain and disappointment passed through his eyes.
Although it was well hidden, Noel caught it.
After clearing his throat twice, the black-haired man asked, "May I ask, are you S-rank mages from the Kingdom of Fiore?"
Noel smiled and nodded.
"Yes, my name is Noel Rutherford, and this is Laxus. We are both mages from the Fiore Kingdom's Mage Guild, Fairy Tail."
Laxus gave a slight nod, acknowledging the greeting.
The black-haired man didn't pay much attention to Laxus's slightly rude gesture and instead spoke politely.
"I am Epna Anphel, captain of the Anphel City Guard. We have already received the message sent by Fairy Tail and the Mage Council. Please, come into the city. The elder has been waiting for a long time."
"Understood," Noel replied.
After a few exchanges, Noel and Laxus followed Aepna and his group into Anphel City.
The architecture within the city was extremely ancient, and although the streets, which were a grayish-white, didn't have the bustle of a more prosperous city, there were still a fair number of pedestrians.
The most striking feature of the entire city was the massive statue of a male warrior, over thirty meters tall, visible from afar.
"That is our hero, Alva," Aepna explained, noticing the curiosity in Laxus and Noel's eyes.
His voice carried an unmistakable pride.
"Hundreds of years ago, he fought against a horde of magical beasts and protected Anphel City, creating the ancient protective magic—Sanctum Barrier. A great hero."
Noel nodded but didn't ask further questions.
Aepna led Noel and Laxus to the front of a temple.
It was a very simple structure, built entirely from large grayish-white stones with no decorations.
The only ornamentation was a lightning-shaped mark carved above the main hall.
Aepna took them to the entrance, then bowed respectfully toward the temple.
Turning to Noel and Laxus, he said, "This is as far as I go. Please enter the temple; Elder Anqiro is waiting inside."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and left.
"Uh." Noel scratched his head, taken aback by Aepna's abrupt departure.
He had expected Aepna to take them inside.
After a moment of hesitation, Noel and Laxus entered the temple.
Noel and Laxus walked inside, and the temple was surprisingly quiet.
As they proceeded, they didn't see anyone—there were no guards or anyone else in sight.
The only things inside the hall were a few statues, with the central one being identical to the one outside, depicting Alva, the hero of Anphel.
"Is there no one here?" Laxus scanned the surroundings and muttered softly to himself.
"That person named Aepna clearly said the elder of the city is here. It should be true," Noel said, shaking his head slightly.
"Excuse me, are you the mages from the Fairy Tail Guild?" Suddenly, an elderly voice interrupted their thoughts.
Both Noel and Laxus were slightly startled and turned toward the source of the voice.
An elderly man, with hair and beard as white as snow and a kind expression, stood not far from them.
His eyes were closed, but it was as if he could see exactly where Noel and Laxus were standing.
"Honored mages, greetings. I am Anqiro, the elder of Anphel City," the elderly man introduced himself.
"Hello, Elder Anqiro. My name is Noel," Noel said.
Laxus furrowed his brow slightly and spoke in a cold tone, introducing himself, "Laxus."
Anqiro seemed to notice Laxus's scrutinizing gaze and smiled faintly before calmly saying, "I do not use magic, and I have lost my sight."
With that one sentence, both Noel and Laxus understood why Anqiro kept his eyes closed and why they hadn't noticed his presence earlier.
Anqiro nodded and, in a faint tone, said something that made Noel's pupils suddenly contract.
"Noel, you are a descendant of the gods, aren't you?"
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