In Bluebell Town, finding an inn was quite difficult.
This place clearly didn't seem to have any tourism resources, making the existence of inns somewhat redundant.
Although this place was somewhat isolated and inconspicuous, it wasn't too far from Magnolia, so it wasn't completely unaware of Fairy Tail or unfamiliar with Marco's name.
When it came to fame, Marco had it firmly secured within the Fiore Kingdom.
While not everyone might recognize him personally, he still received a warm welcome in Bluebell Town.
Upon hearing of his arrival, the town mayor personally came to arrange accommodation for the two.
"Your Grace, the inns in our small town are quite basic. Please allow me to offer you both my old family residence instead. Though it hasn't been occupied for some time, it has been regularly cleaned and maintained, so it remains clean and tidy."
The mayor was a small, elderly man in his sixties.
He led Marco and Mirajane to a simple courtyard containing a two-story house that indeed appeared very clean and orderly.
"Thank you."
Marco didn't stand on ceremony and accepted the mayor's kindness.
"It's my honor to serve you, Your Grace."
The old mayor repeatedly waved his hands in modest dismissal.
Although Bluebell Town wasn't within Marco's territory, the mayor clearly didn't want to leave a bad impression.
Or perhaps the old mayor sincerely hoped Marco would remember Bluebell Town.
Just having their town name remembered could potentially bring earth-shaking changes to Bluebell Town - this represented a precious opportunity for them.
After all, Marco's influence was tremendous.
Even without directly arranging for railway access, merely mentioning Bluebell Town in his writings or songs could bring significant benefits to this otherwise obscure town.
"Famous celebrity, high nobility - you really are different~"
After the old mayor left, Mira teased him playfully.
When they traveled elsewhere, they never received such treatment.
Pure fame alone meant little - you needed genuine ability to bring actual benefits to others.
Marco received preferential treatment, even outright currying of favor, because his "substance" far outweighed his "reputation."
This thoughtful service wasn't based on fame alone but on real capability - empty fame alone was useless.
Marco smiled without responding, carrying their luggage into the courtyard.
He could only reflect that wasn't this exactly what he'd worked so hard for all these years? Certainly better than being treated like insignificant nobody wherever he went.
Fame, power, and status could eliminate many unnecessary troubles.
"Choose a room first."
The two-story house naturally had several bedrooms.
Marco let Mira choose one first, then carried her luggage inside.
The cottage was indeed quite simple, with ordinary wooden furniture and plain decorations.
If even the mayor's residence was like this, the town's economic conditions became quite apparent.
"This is their old family home. Their new residence might be quite nice."
Mirajane felt it might be too early to make judgments.
After settling their belongings, the two went out to investigate the situation.
"The old mayor's clothing, appearance, speech, and behavior don't suggest someone living in privileged wealth. Of course, we can't rule out the possibility of disguise."
"But we arrived unexpectedly - he couldn't have been maintaining a disguise all along, could he? What would be the purpose? This town is so small where everyone constantly crosses paths - everyone knows each other's true circumstances."Marco shook his head, convinced there was no deeper story here. The old town chief seemed straightforward and easy to understand—hardly the type to be a significant figure with hidden depths.
After all, Marco had already translated four volumes of Sherlock Holmes, and he'd picked up on all these subtle details.
"Alright, alright, whatever you say, great detective."
Mira stuck out her tongue and didn't argue with Marco any further.
Right now, she was just waiting for a fight.
She genuinely hoped there was a demon here so that absorbing it would boost her power.
As for the possibility of failure—that she and Marco might not be able to defeat the demon—Mira didn't even consider it.
With Marco by her side, she felt completely at ease.
Even if she couldn't handle it, was there any chance Marco couldn't?
The two walked through the town on foot and soon covered the entire area, gathering quite a bit of information along the way.
"First, the old town chief is a good person—at least, that's what everyone in town says." Marco spoke up, prompting Mira to roll her eyes.
He just had to confirm this point to prove his deduction was correct.
"Second, the demon is only a rumor in this town. No one has actually seen it, but strange things have indeed been happening in the mountains outside—for instance, quite a few people have gone in and never returned."
After joking around, Marco got down to business.
"Including that spy from the Magic Council. Clearly, there's something wrong in the mountains. Should we go check it out tonight?"
Mirajane took over, looking at Marco as she waited for his response.
"Of course. Let's make it quick."
Marco nodded immediately.
Logically, they should be more cautious, but he didn't think it was a big deal. With him around, there shouldn't be any real danger.
Besides, the system hadn't issued any tasks for a while, which probably meant this commission really wasn't very difficult—maybe not even worth the system's attention.
[Ding!]
Just as Marco had convinced himself, the system popped up a task window.
It wasn't a new task but an old one that had been left incomplete and temporarily "pending."
[Task Name: "Seal the Cursed Killing Demon"]
Task Description:
"LULLABY" appears to be a magic flute with a three-eyed skull at its tip, but its true form is a massive withered-tree demon called "Lullaby." Created by Zeref, the "Founder of Black Mages," Lullaby is an extremely vicious demon that must be eliminated as a potential threat!
Task Progress: Defeat the demon "Lullaby" (Incomplete)
[Task Reward: Random Silver Cloth.]
Looking at the task panel that had just appeared, Marco understood what the system was implying.
'So, this demon is LULLABY? Lullaby?'
Marco was a bit surprised.
He hadn't expected such a coincidence.
No wonder—even if it was just a demon, it should have triggered a task.
Turns out it already had, just earlier, and he hadn't made the connection right away.
"Let's go, let's check out the mountains."
With the target confirmed, Marco felt even more relaxed.
It was only a Silver-level task—the difficulty wouldn't be too high.
Now they could confidently head straight for the demon's lair.
Although Mira didn't know Marco was already confident, she still trusted him completely and followed him out of the town.
The two headed straight for the mountain forest outside the town.
Others might fear demons, but Mira was not afraid at all.
When she was very young, even before she understood magic, she had successfully contracted a demon.
Now, Mira only worried that this demon might be too weak.
If contracting it didn't bring much improvement, she would be very disappointed, after all, demons weren't easy to come by.