Chapter 43: May I become your disciple?
The luxurious carriage rumbled along the dirt road, leaving the ruined, but cheering, Kingdom of Sobelia behind them. The roar of the crowd had faded an hour ago, replaced by the rhythmic clop of the horses' hooves and the gentle creaking of the carriage. The tension of the battle had finally, truly dissipated, leaving a comfortable, shared silence between the two mages.
Ren, unable to wait any longer, excitedly opened the heavy box on his lap.
The lid creaked open, and the sight of the neatly stacked bundles of Jewel was so dazzling that he could barely open his eyes. The scent of old paper and ink filled the small cabin.
"Alright, time for the best part," Ren said, rubbing his hands together.
He immediately counted out a large stack. "This is 20,000,000 Jewel. My prize money from the Swordsman Tournament. I'll take that first."
He set it aside, then turned his attention to the remaining 30,000,000 J—the SS-Class quest reward. He neatly divided it into two equal piles.
"And this," he said, pushing one of the 15,000,000 J piles toward Erza, "is the reward for the quest. You get half, and I get half!"
Erza looked at the pile, then at Ren, then at the piles. "Uh... why didn't you just count out 15,000,000 J for me directly?"
"Well! Dividing money!" Ren said with a grin. "The process of dividing it is also a kind of joy, isn't it?"
Erza hesitated for a moment, her brow furrowed. She didn't reach for the money. "Ren... the main credit for this time is yours. All of it, really. You should take more. I... I didn't do much of anything in the end."
Ren sighed, his grin fading slightly. "Look? Here we go again? Last time on the S-Class Quest, Elfman was the same. What credit or no credit? Since we teamed up to do a quest, it's naturally divided by headcount. That's the rule. That backward system of 'distribution by labor' is not suitable for teamwork!"
"..."
Erza looked at his firm expression, then at the pile of money, and finally, a small, genuine smile touched her lips. "Thank you."
"What are you thanking me for?" Ren laughed, pulling his own stacks closer. "If anyone should be thanking, it should be me thanking you. Thanks to you, I've gained a full 35,000,000 J this time! That's 35,000,000!"
Ren said it with a cheerful, booming laugh, his happy expression completely genuine. He wasn't faking his enthusiasm. Erza felt the last of her guilt fade, and she, too, began to gather her share, her mind trying to process that she was now 15,000,000 J richer.
Ren began to calculate rapidly in his mind, his eyes glazing over in blissful avarice. 35,000,000 Jewel. What did that even mean? He could pay his rent at Fairy Hills for... well, for the rest of his life, probably. He could buy a house. He could buy high-end magic items. He was, by any normal person's standards, rich.
If this were his previous life... he could just lie flat for the rest of his days.
Fortunately, this world also has banks. Although the interest is not high, it's still about 3%. After he goes back, he'll deposit this money in the bank. When he's old and retired, the interest alone will be enough for him to live on. A perfect plan.
Just as Ren was happily planning his retirement, the atmosphere in the carriage shifted. The excited, money-fueled energy vanished.
Erza had finished packing her money and was now sitting perfectly still, staring at him. Not just looking at him. Staring.
"Ren," she said, her voice suddenly serious, "I have something I want to ask you."
"Gulp!"
Ren couldn't help but swallow. He looked up from his box of money. Erza had leaned closer to him, her face only a foot or so away. The carriage, which had felt spacious moments ago, now felt incredibly small. He could see the flecks of gold in her brown eyes and even catch her scent—something like steel, and faintly, strawberries.
'This is it!' his mind screamed in panic. 'The confession! She saw me save the kingdom, saw me be the hero, saw me act all cool and mysterious! It's the classic setup! She's going to confess! I'm not mentally prepared for this!'
'What do I do? What do I say?! Should I say yes, say yes, or say yes? It's really hard to choose! But what about Mira? Oh, this is complicated!'
"Ren..." Erza said again, her eyes gleaming with a fierce, burning intensity. "Can I become your disciple?"
"Pfft—!"
Ren nearly choked on his own spit. "A... a what-ciple?"
What the hell? Erza... Titania Erza... wants to become his disciple?
Ren's mouth twitched as he stared at her, his mind completely rebooting. "W-why?"
"Of course, to learn swordsmanship!" Erza said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Ren, you are the strongest swordsman I have ever seen. Not just me. Arthur, the actual Sword Saint of Sobelia, said you showed him 'the peak.' You were capable of slaying a Giant Dragon with swordsmanship. A Giant Dragon that legend says can destroy a country."
Her hands clenched into fists on her lap. "None of our attacks had any effect on it. My swords, Arthur's holy magic... they were useless. But you... you injured it. You severely wounded it and forced it to reveal its true form. You can harm a dragon with a sword."
Her eyes were practically sparkling now, filled with a warrior's pure, unadulterated admiration.
"Just as you said in the arena! 'Those who don't wield a sword see you as a frog in a well peering at the moon in the sky, while those who do wield a sword see you as a tiny mayfly seeing the vast blue sky!'"
Erza's eyes gleamed as she spoke, repeating his words verbatim.
If anyone else had said this, she wouldn't have believed it, even scoffing at it. But having personally witnessed Ren's swordsmanship, she knew that what he said was not an exaggeration; it was a fact.
Ren, however, felt a pang of emptiness inside. 'Ah, crap...' he thought. 'Why did I have to act so cool in the arena back then?'
"This..." Ren stammered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Erza, my swordsmanship is... actually very weak..."
"Weak?!" Erza almost shouted. "If your swordsmanship is considered weak, then where in the world are there any people who can wield a sword?"
"Uh... to be honest, I am actually very weak," Ren clarified, trying to find the right words. "Right now, on my own, I might barely be at the guild's second-tier level. My swordsmanship... it's not mine. It belongs to the character I Take Over, Yoriichi Tsugikuni."
"But isn't that just your magic?" Erza countered, confused. "How can it not be yours?" Erza and Mira had fought since they were young, so she was extremely familiar with Take Over Magic. She naturally knew that the swordsmanship belonged to Yoriichi Tsugikuni, but using that Take Over was Ren's magic to begin with.
"Yes, that's true," Ren admitted, "but the consciousness is still mine. I can use his skills, but I don't know the philosophy behind them. I don't know how to teach others. I just... do it. It's like an instinct."
He leaned forward, his expression now serious as well. "Moreover, the swordsmanship that suits me... or suits him... may not suit you. You are a swordsman, yes, but not purely a swordsman. Your magic is Requip. Your strength is your versatility, your armor, your ability to adapt to any foe. That is what's best for you."
He didn't want Erza chasing him around daily, calling him 'Master' (Shishō). That feeling was too terrifying. But he also wasn't lying. In the anime, Erza's strongest form wasn't just a sword technique; it was her magic, her heart, and her will combined.
Erza's face fell, her disappointment clear.
Seeing her crestfallen look, Ren quickly added, "But... if you want to learn swordsmanship... I can Take Over the Yoriichi form and spar with you. Sometime when I have time. So you can see it and feel it for yourself."
Erza's head snapped up, her eyes wide. "Really?! That's great!!"
She was beaming, a bright, purely joyful smile that was a thousand times more radiant than her earlier seriousness.
This made Ren suspect that Erza's original goal was just to spar with him all along.
The long carriage ride eventually brought them from the borders of Sobelia back to the familiar, bustling streets of Magnolia. They walked from the train station, Ren carrying his heavy box of money, and Erza carrying her own share. The familiar sight of the Fairy Tail guild hall, with its chaotic and joyful energy, was a welcome sight.
They pushed open the doors.
Bang!
The guild hall, which had been in the middle of its usual midday brawl, went completely, utterly silent.
Natsu, who had been in mid-air about to kick Gray, froze and fell to the floor. Gray, who had been bracing for the hit, just stared.
Every eye in the guild—Laxus on the balcony, Cana at the bar, Macao and Wakaba, Lucy, Levy—all of them were locked on the two mages standing in the doorway.
Then, a terrifyingly calm, deep voice echoed from the second floor.
"MY. OFFICE. NOW."
Bang!
Makarov Dreyar, in his Giant form, slammed a fist on the upstairs railing, making the entire guild hall shake and dust fall from the rafters.
A few minutes later, Ren and Erza sat kneeling obediently in seiza on the floor before Makarov's desk.
Bang!
Makarov, now back to his normal size but fuming with a terrifying, red aura, threw a thick stack of newspapers onto the desk in front of them.
The headlines, from the Sorcerer Weekly and a dozen other papers, were massive:
"FAIRY TAIL SAVES A KINGDOM! REN AND ERZA SLAY GIANT DRAGON!"
"HEROES OF SOBELIA! WHO IS THE DEMON-WINGED MAGE?"
"THE MYSTERY OF SWORD SAINT YORIICHI TSUGIKUNI: IS HE FAIRY TAIL'S REN?"
"MAGIC DRAGON ALAZAM, 400-YEAR TERROR, IS DEAD!"
The two only learned that the news had spread throughout the entire Ishgar continent in the past three days after returning to the Guild. After all, a legendary Giant Dragon had appeared, and Ren had even become a Dragon Slaying hero. This level of buzz would be hard to die down for at least ten days to half a month.
"Explain yourselves," Makarov said, his voice dangerously low. "What exactly happened?"
Ren and Erza sat kneeling, the pressure in the room so thick it was hard to breathe.
"Well... Master," Ren began, trying for a casual tone and failing miserably, "we just went to do a quest. Who would have thought we'd be so unlucky as to encounter something like this?"
His words immediately reeked of an excuse.
"It's like this, Master..." Erza immediately took over, reporting everything from the beginning: the monster tide, the King's original intention to slay the weakened dragon, and how the two of them had even accepted an SS-Class Quest to do it.
"NONSENSE—!!" Makarov roared, his body flashing with magical power.
"YOU TWO ARE BEING TOO RECKLESS!"
"An S-Class Quest is one thing, but you dare to tackle an SS-Class Quest? That's a Giant Dragon! A Giant Dragon that a single one can destroy a country!! Do you have any idea what you've done?!"
Makarov was truly, truly angry this time. From the newspaper reports, it was clear how dangerous this quest had been, and these two audacious brats actually dared to take on such a quest on their own.
Ren cried out in protest, "Master, you can't blame us for this! We hadn't even started the quest yet! Who knew the quest target would come attacking on its own? We couldn't just stand by and watch so many innocent lives in the city be killed, could we?"
"Still trying to argue! Is that what I'm talking about?!" Makarov slammed the table in anger, cracking the wood. "You were nearly killed!"
"Master, calm down," a gentle voice said. Mira came over, placing a cup of tea on Makarov's desk. "Your blood pressure. Haven't they returned safely? Although their taking on an SS-Class Quest was... very inappropriate, the outcome was still good. They saved an entire kingdom."
Mira secretly winked at Ren and Erza.
The two immediately understood, bowing their heads low to the floor. "Master! We promise! There will definitely not be a next time!"
Hearing Mira's words and seeing his two children bowing, Makarov's anger finally, slightly, subsided. He took a long, shaky breath and grabbed the tea.
"Hmph! If there's a next time, I'll personally break both your legs. Now get out! My head hurts."
"Understood!" Ren and Erza scrambled to their feet and fled the office.
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