The central thoroughfare leading to Mercurius Palace stretched beneath the midday sun, paved in pale granite polished smooth enough to catch the light without becoming unbearable beneath the afternoon heat. Tiered fountains lined both sides of the boulevard, their mountain-fed aqueducts spilling over carved stone basins in constant silver cascades. The sound of running water softened the rumble of passing carriages and the distant roar of Crocus, creating an almost peaceful approach to the heart of Fiore's government.
At the far end of the avenue stood Mercurius Palace.
The enormous ivory fortress rose against the dark incline of Mount Zonia, its sweeping spires, polished brass domes, and towering arcades catching the sunlight from nearly every direction. The architecture was beautiful in the way only something built with an almost unreasonable amount of money could be. Every tower, fountain, and carved statue seemed designed to communicate to anyone approaching its gates that Fiore was ancient, powerful, and expected you to remember it.
Kai apparently hadn't received the memo.
He walked toward the grand staircase with both hands buried deep inside his leather coat, his boots clicking steadily against the granite. His golden eyes remained fixed ahead, looking at the seventy-foot, gold-leafed marble columns less with awe and more with the tired cynicism of a man calculating how many tax Jewels were wasted on decorative gargoyles.
Behind him, the rest of the group had slowed considerably.
Cana tilted her head back until her dark hair brushed her shoulders, taking in the expanse of white marble. "Well, this certainly puts the guild hall's bar tab into perspective. I'm beginning to understand where all the kingdom's taxes disappear."
Mira glanced sideways at her with an amused, gentle smile. "I'm fairly certain that's not how government finances work, Cana."
"It is if you're honest about it," Cana muttered, taking a quick swig from her flask.
Juvia barely seemed to hear them. Her boots tapped carefully against the polished stone as she looked across the enormous entrance rotunda, taking in the vaulted ceiling and sweeping frescoes of Fiore's founding monarchs. "There's so much magic here," she said quietly, her blue eyes wide. "It feels... organized. Almost like the entire building is breathing."
"It is," Kai replied without slowing his stride. When Juvia hurried to catch up, her eyes bright with curiosity, he lazily raised one hand toward the enormous arches overhead, pointing with two fingers. "The palace was built over one of Crocus' oldest magical foundations. That runic array distributes weight across the eastern wing, and the foundation wards stabilize the building against fluctuations in the surrounding ethernano. Someone just spent several centuries making sure nobody notices the building would collapse without the magic underneath it. It's essentially a multi-million Jewel drywall patch."
Cana stared at the back of his head, her eyebrows flat. "You know, most normal people would simply say it's pretty."
"Most people aren't paid to know why pretty things don't fall down," Kai shot back over his shoulder. "If I wanted pretty, I'd stare at a mirror."
Cana opened her mouth to launch an insult, paused, and frowned in genuine annoyance. "That was actually a good answer. But you sounded unbearable saying it."
"I am unbearable. It's part of my natural charm."
Mira laughed softly as sunlight poured through the stained-glass windows, painting the floor in crimson and sapphire. "It really is beautiful, though Kai looks like he's being escorted to his own execution."
Without turning around, Kai raised his right hand, making a lazy pinching motion in the air. "I can hear both of you, and I deeply regret letting you tag along. I should have left you at the train station."
________
They reached the grand entrance, where six Royal Knights clad in pristine white-and-gold armor immediately snapped to attention, their greaves striking the floor in a sharp, metallic unison.
Kai lifted two fingers toward his temple in a half-hearted salute without breaking stride. "Morning, boys. Keep the perimeter tight. If anyone tries selling fake lacrima in the plaza again, don't start another three-hour interrogation. Throw them into the fountain before they annoy my engineering team."
The six knights exchanged brief, bewildered glances before shouting a synchronized, booming, "Sir, yes, sir!"
The heavy ironwood doors swung shut behind them, cutting off the bright openness of the boulevard and plunging them into the controlled efficiency of the palace interior. Courtiers moved briskly between offices, and messengers hurried through corridors with stacks of parchment tucked beneath their arms, looking thoroughly stressed.
Cana caught up beside Kai and looked down the branching corridors. "Ministry wing?"
"Unfortunately."
"That bad?"
Kai let out a long, theatrical sigh that sounded like a dying balloon. "Have you ever had to sign a document that was forty pages long because three different departments couldn't agree on which shade of blue belongs on an official government seal? Because that's my afternoon. I am genuinely considering burning the seal department."
Cana grinned. "Still sounds better than listening to you complain about it."
"That's because you haven't been forced to listen to yourself," Kai replied smoothly.
Before Cana could launch a counter-attack, a blur of blue silk and silver embroidery burst from an adjoining reception room at dangerous speeds.
"Kai!"
He barely had time to turn his head before Princess Hisui collided with him at full speed. The sheer momentum knocked him completely off balance, his boots slipping against the polished floor as they both tumbled onto the rich carpeting with a heavy, ungraceful thud.
"Oof!" Kai winced, bracing himself on one elbow and rubbing his ribs with a grimace. "Damn it, Hisui! What are you, a wild boar? You almost cracked my sternum! Is this how you treat your head engineer?"
Hisui sat back on her knees, her royal tiara hanging hilariously crooked in her light green hair. She didn't look annoyed at his insult; her cheeks were flushed, but her eyes held profound relief. "Siris told me you were coming back today, but I didn't think you'd arrive this early! You disappeared for a week, and then reports arrive saying you've been in a battle with a Wizard Saint! Father was actively discussing mobilizing the Royal Guard!"
Kai sat in the middle of the corridor, dusting off his coat with unhurried precision. "I was working. Fighting a Wizard Saint was also work."
"You can't expect me to hear something like that and just sit around calmly!" Hisui pressed, her tone softening as the initial burst of frustration ebbed away. "Those reports said the fortress was devastated, Kai. We didn't know if you were hurt."
Kai caught the genuine anxiety in her eyes and paused. The sarcasm left his face, replaced by a soft, reassuring grin. "I'm fine, Radish Head. Really. No limbs missing, no permanent trauma. Though I guess I could be slightly better at keeping people informed."
"That would be a revolutionary start," she huffed, her shoulders finally dropping.
"Although tackling people in palace corridors is still excessive physical violence for a princess," Kai added, reaching out to lightly flick her forehead.
"You deserved it," Hisui muttered, rubbing her brow.
Before they could push themselves up, the thunderous sound of armored footsteps echoed down the hall. Captain Arcadios rounded the corner, his hand resting firmly against the hilt of his broadsword, his posture stiff as a board. His stern gaze swept across the scene: the princess sitting unceremoniously on the carpet, Kai cross-legged beside her, and three Fairy Tail mages trying very hard not to burst into laughter.
Arcadios closed his eyes for three agonizing seconds—the picture of a veteran commander trying to save his own sanity. "Your Highness," he said evenly, "please remember your position. We are in a public corridor."
Hisui scrambled up, her cheeks flushing red as she hurriedly straightened her dress and adjusted her tiara. "Forgive me, Captain. I merely wished to welcome the Director."
"Great recovery," Kai muttered, pushing himself up with lazy grace and dusting off his knees. "Nobody saw a thing, Princess Bark-a-Lot. Flawless royal decorum."
Arcadios slowly turned his attention to Kai, checking him for visible injuries with a trained eye. "It is good to see you in one piece, Director Sunveil. Though your manners appear to have survived your recent battle considerably less successfully."
Kai placed a hand over his heart with dramatic offense. "Captain Hook, I am wounded. Deeply. Emotionally."
"That was not a medical assessment," Arcadios replied flatly. "Your position carries certain expectations, Director. Manners prevent administrative headaches."
"Good thing I'm a shadow monk engineer and not a diplomat," Kai grinned, throwing his arms behind his head. "If I were a diplomat, someone would have declared war on us three months ago."
Hisui, meanwhile, had noticed the three women standing behind Kai. Her attention first landed on Cana's flask, then on Mirajane's pleasant expression, and finally on Juvia, who immediately straightened her posture under the royal gaze.
"Kai," Hisui said, "you haven't introduced me to your companions."
Kai glanced back over his shoulder. "Oh, them?"
Cana's eyes narrowed dangerously.
Kai pointed toward Cana. "Drunkard."
"Don't."
He pointed toward Mira. "Clouds."
Mira smiled patiently.
"And Raincloud."
Juvia brightened instantly. "Juvia likes Raincloud."
Cana stared at her in utter disbelief. "You do?"
Juvia nodded enthusiastically. "It sounds affectionate."
Kai shrugged, looking pleased with himself. "See? Finally, someone understands me."
Cana muttered, "That's not what she meant."
Hisui laughed softly, her royal composure completely restored. "I see you've brought an interesting group."
"Interesting is one word for it," Kai said.
Mira stepped forward before Kai could ruin the moment further. "I'm Mirajane Strauss. It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness. These are Cana Alberona and Juvia Lockser. We're members of Fairy Tail, accompanying Kai on a short trip to Crocus."
Juvia immediately bowed deeply. "It is an absolute honor to meet Your Royal Highness. Juvia has never spoken directly with a member of Fiore's royal family before."
Hisui returned the bow with a warm, welcoming smile. "Then I hope your first experience isn't too intimidating."
Juvia looked toward Kai. "It's less intimidating when Kai-sama is here."
Kai's eyebrow rose. Hisui's eyes flicked between them, while Cana, Mira, and even Arcadios picked up on the sudden shift. Juvia realized what she had said about three seconds too late; her face flushed bright red as she hurriedly added, "I-I mean because Kai-sama is familiar with the palace! That is all!"
Kai smirked. "I didn't say anything."
Arcadios quietly exhaled, resting a hand on his belt. "At least his companions possess an understanding of royal decorum."
Kai looked at him. "I heard that, Hook."
Arcadios didn't turn. "I was merely appreciating their manners."
"Sure you were."
Shaking his head, Kai led the group through the heavy brass doors of the Research Division.
The moment they stepped inside, the polished silence of the palace vanished, instantly replaced by the low, ambient hum of lacrima generators and the rhythmic clinking of delicate glassware. The enormous hall stretched several stories upward beneath a sweeping glass ceiling, with navy-coated engineers moving between workbenches, analyzing floating runic diagrams and suspended crystal arrays.
The change in the room was palpable as Kai walked down the center aisle. Several researchers looked up from their stations, straightening instantly.
"Director!" "Welcome back, Director Sunveil!"
A young researcher clutching a thick wooden clipboard hurried directly into Kai's path, looking panicked. "Director! The energy output logs for the communication network—"
"Later, Mucus."
The researcher froze mid-step. "It's... Marcus, sir."
Kai raised one hand lazily. "Right. Marcus. Do me a favor. Show the ladies to the visitor lounge and get them tea or whatever they want."
Marcus immediately straightened his shoulders. "Yes, sir!"
Kai turned toward Hisui. "Go do whatever it is princesses do in lounges. I have actual work before Siris decides my desk is an acceptable location for administrative arson." He pointed a finger at Cana. "And don't let the alcoholic corrupt you."
"Hey!" Cana barked, while Hisui merely laughed and gestured for the women to follow Marcus toward the comfortable seating area near the glass balconies.
Kai opened his office door, but before stepping inside, he paused.
Juvia was watching him.
It wasn't because of his title or the grand scope of the research hall. She was watching the way he moved. His boots were heavy, yet his footsteps made almost no sound against the floorboards. But even more striking was what happened the exact microsecond that heavy oak door clicked shut behind him.
Kai's magical presence vanished entirely.
Not lowered. Not suppressed. Gone. Like a ghost stepping into the shadows, leaving behind absolute nothingness.
A slow, highly intrigued smile crept onto Juvia's face. "Kai-sama really is strange..."
Cana glanced at her. "You just figured that out?"
"No," Juvia replied quietly. "Juvia is simply discovering there are more kinds of strange."
_______
Inside the private office, heavy velvet curtains filtered the afternoon sunlight into a warm amber glow across a broad mahogany desk buried beneath a massive landslide of blueprints, technical reports, and dismantled lacrima equipment.
Behind the desk stood Administrator Siris. Tall, lean, and sharply dressed in an immaculate black-and-gold uniform, his spectacles glinted as he slowly looked up from a thick ledger. "Welcome back, sir."
Kai dropped into the high-backed leather chair and let his head fall back against the cushion with a miserable groan. "You sound disappointed that I survived, Siris."
"I'm not disappointed. I am merely preparing myself," Siris replied calmly, turning a page. "For whatever creative method of avoiding your responsibilities you have developed since I last saw you. I prepared three separate filing systems this morning, and you have already rendered two of them completely unnecessary."
"See? I'm efficient," Kai smirked, propping his boots directly onto the edge of the mahogany desk.
"That word has suffered enough in your presence." Siris picked up a terrifying four-inch-thick stack of documents and dropped it onto the desk right next to Kai's boots with a heavy, dust-raising thud. "Your delayed trade reports, safety certifications, staff evaluations, procurement requests, and budget revisions."
Kai stared at the massive stack of paper with pure hostility. "I'll do it later."
Without waiting for an argument, Kai snapped his fingers. A pale-gold magic circle flared above the desk, its runes igniting as a localized temporal seal locked the entire four-inch stack of paperwork into absolute stasis. The papers glinted with a frozen, translucent sheen.
Siris slowly removed his spectacles and pinched the bridge of his nose in silence. "Sir... you have only delayed the physical state of the paperwork. Nothing has actually been processed."
"Not yet," Kai agreed cheerfully, leaning back. "But now it's a historical artifact. You can't rush history, Stiffy."
Siris placed his glasses back on with a long-suffering sigh. "Now, shall we discuss the individual named Rei?"
The lazy slouch vanished from Kai's posture in an instant. His boots dropped off the desk, his slouch disappearing so completely that the atmospheric pressure in the room seemed to spike. The playful banter evaporated, replaced by a cold, dangerous focus.
"Rei," Kai said flatly.
"The target arrived in Crocus two days ago," Siris reported, consulting a secure file. "He registered under the name 'Rei' at an establishment called The Golden Wheel in the lower artisan district. Minimal movement. No known contacts or faction ties. Two intelligence operatives have been monitoring the inn since yesterday."
"Problems?" Kai asked, his golden eyes narrowing as his index finger tapped once against the leather armrest.
"The target knows," Siris said. "Yesterday morning, he looked directly at one of our operatives through the second-story window. He didn't confront them, threaten them, or try to run. He simply continued drinking his tea."
Kai leaned back slowly, a faint, razor-sharp smile touching his lips. "He's not hiding. He's waiting. Pull the observers back immediately. The moment he realized we were watching him, surveillance ceased to be intelligence and became an announcement."
Kai grabbed his leather coat from the rack and slung it over his shoulders, walking straight toward the large bay window instead of the door. "I came to Crocus because I wanted to know what a master swordsman is doing in the capital. I'm not going to spend three days watching him buy bread."
Siris watched him push the heavy glass window open, letting the cool mountain wind rush into the office. "You intend to meet him yourself. Shall I inform Princess Hisui? Your guildmates?"
"No," Kai said, stepping onto the stone sill. "Tell the paperwork. It already knows where I am."
Before Siris could voice a single protest, Kai leaned backward into the open air and fell out of the building. Several floors down, before hitting the pavement, his body dissolved into a streak of shadowy haze, shooting silently between the palace architecture and vanishing into the crowded city streets below.
Siris stood at the window, watching the shadows disperse, before pulling it shut with a quiet click. "One day," he muttered to the empty room, "I am installing steel bars on these windows."
_______
The lower artisan district was a sharp contrast to the grand marble avenues surrounding the palace grounds. Buildings here were crafted from dark timber and weathered red brick, while narrow cobblestone streets carried the smells of woodsmoke, roasted chestnuts, and rain.
The Golden Wheel sat tucked between a cobbler's shop and a small textile warehouse—a quiet, dim establishment with an old wooden sign hanging above the entrance.
Kai pushed the iron-bound door open, the brass bell above it chiming softly.
Near the back window, bathed in the dim light, sat Rei. He wore his dark travel cloak, his long, silver-hilted sword leaning against the wooden bench within arm's reach. A delicate porcelain teacup sat beside an unfolded newspaper. Rei didn't look up as the bell chimed; his crimson eyes remained fixed on a printed photograph of Kai from his official palace inauguration ceremony months ago—a photo where Kai looked as though he would rather be literally anywhere else on Earth.
Kai walked straight across the creaking floorboards, making zero effort to muffle his approach or posture for a fight. Pulling out the heavy wooden chair directly across from the swordsman, he scraped its legs loudly against the floor and dropped into it with a tired sigh.
"Man, local politics are complete garbage," Kai said, slumping forward and leaning his elbows on the rough table. "You wouldn't believe how much paperwork people expect me to sign just because I have an official title. It's an absolute nightmare."
Rei slowly, deliberately lowered the newspaper. His crimson eyes met Kai's golden ones across the small table. There was no sudden surge of magic, no flash of drawn steel—only a quiet, heavy stillness that settled over their corner of the tavern. Rei looked at the young man sitting lazily across from him, glanced down at the stiff, dignified inauguration photograph in the paper, and then looked back up.
"You look tired, Director," Rei said softly, his voice calm, steady, and entirely devoid of hostility.
"I am tired," Kai muttered, raising a lazy hand to wave toward the innkeeper behind the bar. "Hey! Bring me a cup of whatever tea he's having, and put it on my tab! The palace pays for it anyway!"
Rei set the newspaper flat on the table between them. "I expected a squad of Royal Guards. Or at least observers hiding on the neighboring rooftops with heavy crossbows."
"Those guys are boring," Kai smirked, crossing one leg over his knee. Despite sitting inches from a man who could likely slice the table in half in a microsecond, there was no visible tension in Kai's posture. "Besides, if you wanted to talk, sitting down with a cup of tea is a lot faster than playing hide-and-seek through the city."
Rei held Kai's unbothered gaze for a long moment, quietly assessing the complete lack of pretense or fear in the young minister sitting across from him. Then, slowly, the corner of the swordsman's mouth twitched into a faint, dry smile.
"Fair enough, Director."
Kai raised a single eyebrow, glancing at the newspaper and then back at Rei's face. "Was that sarcasm? Because if you're going to be sarcastic, I'm making you pay for the tea."