Chapter 18: The King's Mission
Hearing the scream from the wall, the entire queue of people at the gate immediately became agitated and fell into a panic.
"Demon beasts? Here?"
"The wall is under attack!"
Looking in the direction of the sound, they saw a huge monster, like a wild boar but easily four or five meters tall, appear at the edge of the forest. Its body was covered in thick, black bristles, and unnatural flames burned on its hooves and along its back.
The guards' expressions changed instantly when they saw the monster.
"Oh no! It's a 5-Star monster! The Blazing Boar!!"
"That's a High-Class beast! Why is it so close to the gate?!"
"Quickly, prepare to attack! Form a phalanx!"
The guards immediately sprang into action, their polished spear-tips leveling at the beast.
"Roar----!!"
The Blazing Boar let out a furious, steaming roar, then lowered its head. Its flaming hooves tore up the ground as it charged directly towards the line of guards.
"Brace yourselves!"
"Bang!!!"
"Ugh ah ah ah ah!!"
"Wah ah ah ah ah!!"
The Blazing Boar's savage charge was unstoppable. It smashed into the guards' shields like a runaway train, sending all the armored men flying as if they were made of paper. Their formation was shattered in an instant.
The beast, undeterred, continued its charge, its red eyes locked on the screaming, defenseless crowd in the queue.
Just as it was about to rush into the crowd, a blur of motion shot past.
It was Erza.
"Requip!"
In a flash of golden light, her heavy Heart Kreuz armor vanished, replaced by her Flight Armor. This lightweight, cheetah-patterned armor with its distinctive "wings" maximized her speed.
Swoosh----!!
Erza, now moving with incredible velocity, drew her sword and became a silver streak. She and the Blazing Boar passed each other in less than a second.
A moment of stillness hung in the air.
Erza stood ten feet past the beast, her back to it. With a clean, metallic shing, she sheathed her sword.
The instant the blade clicked into its scabbard, a huge wound appeared on the Blazing Boar's body, and blood gushed from it.
Thud!
The 5-Star monster, the Blazing Boar, collapsed to the ground, dead before it even knew what hit it.
"So powerful!!"
"That was a 5-Star monster! She actually defeated it with one strike. Who is she?!"
"Look at that speed! Could she be a 6-Star, or even a 7-Star Swordswoman?"
When the crowd saw the monster defeated by Erza, they couldn't help but applaud, marveling at the strength she had displayed. Ren watched with an analytical gaze. Her speed was impressive, and her power was clean and precise. It was a different kind of strength from his own—less overwhelming than Ulquiorra, but more refined and disciplined.
The guards quickly approached, their eyes now filled with respect and awe. "Respected Swordswoman, thank you very much for your intervention just now. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable."
Erza's armor shimmered, returning to her standard Heart Kreuz. "I merely acted because I saw people were about to get hurt. It's fine as long as I didn't get in your way."
The guard quickly waved his hand: "No! Not at all."
"If possible, please check quickly," Erza said, gesturing to her mountain of luggage. "We are still preparing to enter the city."
"No need, no need!" The guard, who had been so suspicious just moments before, was now bowing. "Welcome to Sword City, please enter! I wish you a pleasant stay in Sword City!"
The guards didn't even check her luggage, immediately letting Erza and Ren pass.
"Thank you!"
As they walked through the massive, hundred-meter-tall gate, Ren observed the people around them. "It seems the people here greatly respect swordsmanship." He could clearly feel the change in the guards' attitude.
Erza nodded, her eyes taking in the new city. "This is Sword City. Everyone here reveres swordsmanship. The higher a Swordsman's star rating, the higher their status. I've always wanted to visit here, but I never had the chance."
[Akarin's Note: The Kingdom of Sobelia and its customs are original to this fanfiction. The "Star" ranking system for Swordsmen is not part of the Fairy Tail canon.]
The two walked through the city gate in the wall.
Upon entering, the first thing they saw was an extremely tall statue located in the city center. It was a giant statue, at least two hundred meters tall, carved from a single piece of white stone.
The sculpture depicted a man in ancient armor, standing there with his hands resting on a massive greatsword that was plunged into the ground. His profound gaze was directed towards the sky, his expression one of eternal vigilance.
"What a tall statue!" Ren was deeply shaken when he saw it; only today did he truly feel like he had entered a high-fantasy world.
"Who is he?"
"Sword Saint Noah!" Erza looked at the statue and said, "The founder of this city. I heard his swordsmanship was so extraordinary that he was honored as a Sword Saint."
Erza's eyes held longing and admiration. Although she wasn't a pure Swordswoman, her Requip magic heavily utilized swords, and she held great respect for those with superb swordsmanship.
"A Sword Saint, huh..." Ren mused, his hand unconsciously touching his side. He wasn't sure about the swordsmanship of this "Noah," but in terms of pure, ultimate swordsmanship, he absolutely didn't believe anyone could surpass the man whose memories were now locked in his soul: Tsugikuni Yoriichi.
"Let's go. The palace is this way," Erza said.
The two walked along the main street. The streets were bustling with people, and almost everyone carried a sword. Even children playing in the alleys were having mock duels with wooden sticks. Weapon shops were everywhere, their windows filled with katanas, greatswords, and rapiers. The two also passed by a huge, fortress-like school called the "Royal Swordsman Academy."
It could be said that the entire city was filled with the scent of swords and whetstones; it truly lived up to its name, Sword City.
Continuing along the main street, they arrived at the Royal Palace of the Sobelia Kingdom, which was also where their client resided. It was less of a palace and more of a fortress, built from the same heavy, battle-scarred stone as the outer walls.
"Halt!"
The palace guards, wearing far more ornate armor than the city guards, stopped Ren and Erza.
Erza stepped forward and said: "We are Mages from Fairy Tail. We are here for a quest commissioned by His Majesty."
"Mages? From Fairy Tail?" The guard looked them over, his gaze lingering on Erza's armor. "Please wait a moment!"
The guard immediately went to inquire.
After a while, a minister in his fifties, wearing fine robes but with the calloused hands of a warrior, walked out.
"Are you the Mages from Fairy Tail?"
"Yes."
"I am Ramen, a minister of the Sobelia Kingdom. Please, come this way."
[Akarin's Note: Minister "Ramen" and "King Reno" are original to this fanfiction.]
Ren and Erza followed the minister into the palace. The interior, like the exterior, was not particularly lavish. It was modest, built for function over form, with stone walls covered in battle standards and weapon racks rather than golden tapestries.
Soon, Ren and Erza followed the minister into the main hall of the palace.
"Your Majesty! The Mages from Fairy Tail have been brought."
The minister bowed to the King on the throne.
Ren and Erza also looked at the King. He was a man in his forties, with a sharp, weathered face and a muscular build that his royal robes couldn't hide. He looked more like a general than a king. This was King Reno.
King Reno smiled. "Welcome, Mages of Fairy Tail. Your guild's reputation precedes you."
"Your Majesty, we have come for the quest," Erza said, stepping forward.
King Reno nodded. "Yes, I have already been informed."
"Then could you please explain the mission in detail?" Erza asked. "The content of the commission is limited, and the more we know, the greater our chances of completing the mission."
"Of course," the King said, his smile fading. "That is exactly what I was going to say. Let me first tell you a story. You both saw the statue in the center of our city, yes? You know who founded this city, don't you?"
Erza nodded: "It was Sword Saint Noah."
"Yes! Sword Saint Noah, my ancestor. Four hundred years ago, my ancestor came to this land. The legends say he slew the Magic Dragon Alazam here and founded Sword City. People also honored him as Hero Noah."
"Yes, that's what the legend says," Erza replied.
"Actually, legends are not always true," the King said, his voice dropping. "My ancestor did not kill the Magic Dragon Alazam. He sealed it. He founded Sword City to stand guard, to ensure that the seal on that monster was never broken."
Ren and Erza's expressions tensed. This was new information.
"Now, four hundred years have passed. The power of the seal is gradually weakening. We're seeing more and more powerful demon beasts, like the Blazing Boar you just encountered. Those are just the beginning. Who knows when the Magic Dragon itself will break through the seal? At that time, the entire Sobelia Kingdom... perhaps all of Ishgar... may suffer immense devastation."
"So," the King continued, "I plan to bring out my ancestor's treasured sword, which he left in the temple, to suppress the dragon."
"But that monster seems to know of this plan. It has controlled a large number of demon beasts to guard the temple. As soon as anyone approaches, it controls the monsters to kill them. We have lost... so many. The seven or eight mages mentioned in the quest report? They were nothing. We have lost hundreds of our own Swordsmen, including Nine-Star Swordsmen, trying to retrieve that sword."
Ren spoke up, summarizing the mission. "So, you want us to break through that group of monsters, enter the temple, and bring back the treasured sword, right?"
The King shook his head, his expression becoming deadly serious.
"No, not that. The time for suppression is over. The seal is too weak."
He stood from his throne, his eyes burning with a desperate fire.
"I intend to kill the Magic Dragon completely."
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