Loke dragged Astro toward the nearest train station and asked,
"So, where are we going?"
Astro stared at him speechlessly. This love-brained idiot didn't even read the mission poster… With a sigh, he handed Loke the request and gave a quick briefing.
"Sonicrest Village. The villagers have been mysteriously falling ill and not waking up from their sleep at all.. The villagers couldn't find any cause from the physicians, so they asked for wizards."
"Hm." Loke looked impressed. "Most people go for monster hunts or flashy jobs, but this actually suits you better. That Sky Magic you showed yesterday should come in handy." He guided Astro to the platform as they waited for the train.
"That's the plan," Astro replied. "Figure out what's causing this problem, Heal the villagers and make sure it doesn't happen again, and complete the job."
Loke nodded before changing the subject.
"By the way…" he leaned closer, curious. "How did you learn Sky Devil Slayer Magic? Like Natsu—did a demon teach you?"
Astro hesitated. "You could say that. I met one. He… did something. And now I can use it."
Loke stroked his chin, clearly deep in thought. Astro didn't interrupt. His mind raced in his own thoughts. He felt something different yet familiar about Loke, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was.
But the fact that Mira, guild's receptionist recommended him to guide a rookie, means the fairy tail guild trusts him enough, so he did not bother thinking about it too much. Everybody has their own secrets after all.
The rest of the journey was painfully uneventful. Astro spent most of it half-asleep against the rattling train window, while Loke dedicated himself to his true calling: flirting with every woman who so much as stepped into the carriage.
Astro's dreams were a strange mix of snoring and pick-up lines drifting into his ears.
"My lady, your smile could outshine even the sun—ah, no, perhaps the moon, for the sun pales beside you!"
"Miss, did you know fate arranged for us to share this ride? oh, don't mind the sleeping guy on the glass. He might be handsome but he is not interested in women at all. How about I show you some great time instead"
By the time they reached Sonicrest Village, Astro tried to get rid of all of the cheesy lines out of brains that his ears picked up against his will.
The two were immediately stopped at the village gates. A thin looking guard,, stepped forward with his spear.
"Hold it. Who are you, and what business do you have here?"
"We're Fairy Tail mages," Loke replied smoothly. He flashed the request poster with an elegant pose, or a pose that he thought was elegant,, then—stripped his jacket to reveal the guild mark stamped at his back. .
Astro squinted. He definitely had that mark put there just so he'd have an excuse to strip and flash his abs every chance he gets.
Astro also quickly rolled up his sleeve to reveal his own guild mark. "Can we meet the village head fast, before he strips any further?"
The guard frowned, clearly still unconvinced, then muttered, "Wait here. I'll fetch the village head."
"No need," came a voice, firm but aged.
An elderly man shuffled forward, his sharp gaze sweeping over the two. Despite his hunched posture, there was authority in his presence. "I am sure that the mark is the real deal. It's an honor to meet you, fairy tail mages. I am the head of this village and also the one who requested the job. You can call me Issac"
"But excuse my bluntness, You guys do look too young, Are you sure you can do it?"
Loke gave the tiniest scoff at being called young, but masked it with his perfect smile.
"Don't worry about it," Loke said, striding forward with the confidence of a man who believed women swooned at his footsteps. "Astro here wields remarkable healing magic. He will be able to figure out the cause of the disease and heal the sick people, and if he fails, we won't ask for any reward, so you will not lose anything.
The headman's eyes slid to Astro, who simply gave a silent nod. He looked at Astro a bit suspiciously, but still the old man motioned for the guards to let them through.
Inside the village, the mood was unmistakable. It wasn't just quiet—it was heavy. Windows were shut tight.. The air carried a faint mix of herbs and something bitter, like the whole place had been marinated in failed medicine.
"It started about a month ago,". Issac started explaining as he walked ahead, his voice tired but straightforward. "Twelve men in the village just… collapsed for no reason.. If they weren't still breathing, we'd have thought they were dead. Nothing wakes them up."
His frown deepened. "We brought in physicians from the next town and even the town next to it, paid them more than we could afford, and they still had no answers. All they did was give us some supplements to keep the men alive. But that's not fixing anything—just dragging it out. And every day, they're looking worse."
Astro glanced around. He noticed villagers peeking out from their windows, faces tired and wary. A few muttered under their breath as they spotted the newcomers.
"About time the guilds showed up…"
"The last physician just took our money and ran. If these ones can't help, then what?"
"They look like kids. Are you sure they even know what they're doing?"
The frustration in the air was palpable, not just fear but irritation. This wasn't a village mourning quietly—it was a village also fed up with waiting.
Issac let out a long sigh, rubbing at his forehead. "So yeah… no choice but to turn to Fairy Tail, the nearest wizard guild with the last bit of savings we had. If you can't help us, then we're out of options."
The weight of his words lingered, and Astro gave a small nod, expression unreadable.
They stopped in front of a modest wooden house. The village head knocked, and after a moment, a girl around their age stepped outside. Her hair was messy, and her eyes carried that same weary, suspicious look the rest of the village had.
"Eva," the old man said gently, "These are the Fairy Tail mages I told you about. They're here to check on your father."
Eva's eyes darted between Astro and Loke. She crossed her arms and frowned. "Them? Seriously? They look younger than me. Are you sure they're even real mages?"
Astro opened his mouth, ready to give a calm, professional response.
And then Loke struck.
He shot Astro the quickest flick of his wrist—a subtle signal.
I'll handle the talking. You go.
Loke launched into his performance. His eyes practically sparkled with cartoon hearts as he stepped forward, posture elegant, every movement smooth as silk. He lowered himself slightly so he was on Eva's level, then gave her a graceful bow holding her right hand.
"Miss Eva, What a beautiful name, as beautiful as your looks." he said smoothly, voice dripping with charm. "You can relax. We'll make sure your father's safe. But first—perhaps you could tell me the best date spot in this village? I heard the stars here are beautiful at night."
Eva froze. Her cheeks turned bright red as she stumbled over her words, completely thrown off by the sudden forwardness of a handsome man.
Astro, meanwhile, did not miss the opening Loke gave him and had already slipped past them like a shadow.
Inside, the house was modest but clean; someone had clearly been working hard to keep things tidy despite the circumstances. A bitter herbal smell hung in the room, proof of failed remedies.
Astro stepped softly, his boots making almost no sound against the wooden floor. He entered a small bedroom where a man lay sprawled on a simple bed. Pale skin. Shallow breathing. Muscles visibly weaker from disuse.
Astro's eyes narrowed. Looks like he hasn't moved in weeks. Muscles are wasting already. They weren't kidding about the "day by day weaker" part.
Pulling a chair closer, Astro sat down beside the bed. His hand hovered over the man's chest, then glowed faintly purple as he activated his magic. The soft hum of energy spread across the patient, threads of light mapping out the body like a scan.
"Pulse steady. Heart fine. Lungs normal." His voice was barely above a murmur. "Not poison. Not a curse either… it feels like his body is sleeping because the defensive mechanism inside his body awakened, but why?"
He leaned in closer, tracing his glowing hand over the man's arms, shoulders, then neck. The magical aura pulsed strangely near the man's head, and Astro's brows furrowed.
"There it is…" he muttered.
A faint, jagged scar sat hidden beneath the hairline, almost invisible to the naked eye.. It pulsed faintly, like something foreign was embedded deep inside.
After about a minute, Astro's hand stopped glowing. He looked behind and could still hear Loke's performance continuing outside with the over-the-top compliments.
He looked back at the man on the bed. His expression sharpened. Carefully, he rolled the man onto his side, exposing the back shoulder. Just as he suspected, a jagged scar marred the skin, faint but unmistakable.
Astro pulled out a small knife, precise and controlled, and made a careful incision around the scar. He reached in with a pair of pincers and extracted a small, shiny object embedded inside. A gem-like shard glimmered faintly in his hand.
With his other hand, he applied healing magic and he started sealing the cut. His hand glowed once more, and within seconds, the man let out a groan, stirring from his unnatural sleep.
Eva, hearing the familiar sound, looked behind and rushed inside and stopped dead at the sight: Astro with a small, blood-stained knife in hand near her father.
"What… what are you doing?!" she blurted, stepping forward, panic rising in her voice. She instinctively reached out, but then saw her father's eyelids flutter and open slowly.
She rushed to her father's side.
Astro stood watching the patient and Eva for a bit, holding the gem carefully in one hand, and then walked back toward Loke.
Loke's eyes went wide. "Wait… is that a lacrima?" he asked, leaning closer, trying to get a better look without actually touching it.
Astro didn't answer immediately. He just stared at it in his hand for a moment, the faint glow reflecting off his serious expression. Finally, he spoke, voice quiet but firm. "Yeah. Someone shoved it inside him. Whoever did this didn't care how unsuitable he was for this type of experiment. It's… sloppy work, I would say. And unsurprisingly, his body could not handle it.."
Loke frowned, running a hand through his hair. "Wow… that's messed up. So it's man-made. Looks like we're going to have to be extra careful."
Astro gave a small nod. "Exactly. But first, I need to remove the lacrima from everyone who's in a coma."
He turned toward the village head. "Mr. Issac, can you gather all the villagers in one place? I'll check everyone's body to make sure no one else has been targeted."
The village head glanced back at the man inside who was finally waking up, hope flickering in his tired eyes. He nodded without hesitation and hurried off to round everyone up.
Astro gave a look at loke signaling him to follow Isaac as he rounded up every villager.
Loke gave a reassuring smile and followed Issac without any protest.