A dragging sound came from behind as Kagura hauled a half-person-sized burlap sack into the room. Her little face was flushed red, and she panted heavily with each step.
"So… heavy!" She dropped the sack with a loud thud and collapsed onto the floor like a deflated balloon. "It's just paper… how's it this heavy?!"
Catching her breath, she looked at Erza with wide-eyed admiration. "Erza, you're amazing! You carried that huge bag of jewels and ran so fast! That's incredible!"
After recovering a bit, Kagura glanced at the sack beside her, a flicker of hesitation crossing her face. "Are we… really allowed to take this stuff?"
"My brother said taking someone else's things without permission is…" She fidgeted with the hem of her dress, looking uneasy. "…stealing."
Erza strode over, pulling Kagura into a warm hug and patting her chest confidently, her voice clear and firm.
"Don't worry, Kagura! Taking stuff from bad guys isn't stealing."
"Roger told me it's like claiming loot after beating the bad guys—kinda like eating a rabbit after hunting it."
"If we leave this stuff here, other bad guys will just grab it and do worse things! But if we take it, we can use the money to help people."
"Like when we bought bread at the bakery. The shopkeeper got money, didn't have to keep his shop open in fear, and sold out his stock. He was happy, right? And we helped him, didn't we?"
"But if we didn't have money to buy the bread, his stock might've gone bad. Or worse, bad guys could've targeted him for keeping the shop open, and in a bad situation, he could've been in real danger!"
"So, doesn't that mean we helped him out big time with the money?"
Kagura tilted her head, mulling it over. It sounded reasonable, but something felt a little off. Unable to pin it down, she gave up and nodded eagerly. "Got it!"
Then, as if remembering something, she bounced up, waving her arms excitedly at Roger. "Oh, Roger! Erza was so awesome just now!"
"She found edible herbs in a huge pile of tall grass, then lit them in the kitchen!"
"The smoke went through the vents, and the people outside just went thud, thud and collapsed! Like they got hit with a sleep spell!"
Erza blushed at Kagura's loud praise, scratching her cheek shyly.
"It wasn't that big a deal. The herbs only came up to my thighs."
"And I only knew which ones to pick because the village chief taught me about them. Those herbs have a calming effect—back in the village, if someone couldn't sleep, they'd burn a tiny pinch of the leaves."
"You'd be out in less than a minute."
"But if you eat the flower, the smoke won't affect you."
Kagura stuck out her tongue, grimacing. "Ugh, that flower was so bitter! Bitter and sour—gross!"
Her expression, like she'd just bitten into something awful, made Roger and Erza burst out laughing.
Erza wiped a tear from her eye and looked at Roger. "And thanks to you making a big scene fighting, you drew all their attention. That let me sneak to the vents and light the herbs. Without that, it would've taken way more effort to take them down without leaving a trace."
"You both did great. Nice work," Roger said, pulling some wild fruit from his inventory and handing it to the girls. With a wave of his hand, most of the treasure on the floor vanished, leaving only some paper bills and scattered jewels.
He bent down, picking them up and handing them to Erza and Kagura. "Hold onto these."
"We're heading to a town soon. It's not like the village—everything there costs money, like when I bought the bread."
"The village trades goods, but towns don't work that way."
"Got it!" the two girls chirped in unison, carefully tucking away the bills and jewels, their faces lit up with excitement for the new world they were about to explore.
"Well, well, well," a rough, cheerful voice suddenly boomed from the doorway. "I thought some guild beat me to the punch… but it's just three kids?"
At the sound, Erza and Roger instantly snapped into defensive stances, a flash of white light summoning silver swords to their hands.
Erza quickly stepped in front of Kagura, shielding her, while Roger moved forward, pointing his sword at the approaching figure. "Who's there?!"
"Oh? Two wizards, huh?"
A burly man with a striking orange pompadour stepped closer, his tattered dark green cloak swaying with each step.
He eyed the swords in Roger and Erza's hands with interest. "That's Requip Magic, right?"
Stopping in front of them, Gildarts rubbed the stubble on his chin, his gaze curious. "One B-rank, one C-rank… So, kids, which guild are you with?"
Erza's eyes were sharp as ice, and she tilted her head up, meeting his gaze fearlessly. "Shouldn't you introduce yourself first? That's basic manners!"
The man blinked, then slapped his forehead, letting out a hearty laugh. "My bad, my bad! I got ahead of myself."
He raised his left hand in a friendly gesture. "Hey there, I'm Gildarts, a wizard from Fairy Tail."
"Fairy Tail wizard!?" Erza and Kagura gasped in unison, their eyes wide with shock.
They rushed to Roger's side, speaking over each other.
"Roger, isn't Fairy Tail our final destination?! He can take us there!"
"But he says he's from Fairy Tail, and he shows up now? That's too convenient! What if he's lying and he's actually part of this group?"
They froze, realizing what they'd said. Erza's expression turned stern as she leaned in to whisper to Kagura.
"Kagura, you've gotta think for yourself. You can't just believe everything someone says, or you'll get tricked before you know it."
Kagura's face paled as she realized the risk, nodding quickly. "Okay, I got it! I'll be more careful next time!"
Roger, meanwhile, had recognized Gildarts the moment he saw him. After all, Gildarts was Fairy Tail's powerhouse, the guy who used ultimate moves like they were basic attacks.
After a moment's thought, Roger looked up at Gildarts. "I've heard every guild member has a guild mark. If you're really from Fairy Tail, you'd have their mark, right?"
Gildarts raised an eyebrow. He'd assumed they were young members of some guild, but this question… Were they not part of any guild?
He smoothly lifted the edge of his cloak, revealing a clear black Fairy Tail emblem on his left chest. "Here it is—the Fairy Tail mark. Only official guild members get to wear it."
"And if the guild master kicks you out, the mark disappears."
He paused, a guess forming in his mind, and asked, "So… which guild are you with?"
Roger shook his head. "We're not with any guild."
"Oh?" Gildarts' eyes lit up with excitement.
At their age—maybe seven or eight?—a B-rank wizard was unheard of, even in top-tier guilds! Usually, only kids with powerful wizard parents could reach that level through inherited talent.
But these kids, with no guild backing, had gotten this far on their own? "Genius" didn't even begin to cover it!
"So…" Gildarts' grin widened, brimming with unmasked appreciation and enthusiasm. "How about joining my guild?"
"Our guild master at Fairy Tail is one of the Ten Wizard Saints, recognized by the Magic Council! There are only ten in the whole continent!"
"Plus, our guild library's packed with magic books, free for members to read."
"And with your Requip Magic, if the guild master mentors you, you'll see a huge leap in no time!"
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