Chapter 21
Elior POV
The peaceful moment with Luna didn't last very long.
The old man from earlier approached us with slow steps.
"Thank you, Elior."
He tried to bow deeply, but I quickly stepped forward and stopped him.
"You don't need to do that."
He looked at me in surprise.
"I was just doing my job."
I smiled before adding, "Besides, I never got your name."
"My name is Grish."
He paused for a moment.
"I am… or at least, I used to be this village's chief."
His voice became sad as he looked around.
I followed his gaze.
Little Dale didn't look like much of a village anymore.
There were damaged houses, empty streets, and far too many people missing.
The men who had once protected this place were gone.
But there were still people here.
Children were hugging their mothers.
Families were being reunited.
There was still life.
"It isn't the end, Grish-san."
He looked back at me.
"You can start a new life somewhere else. Somewhere safer."
I pointed toward the villagers.
"You still have people who need you."
Then I added, "If you want, I can help you."
For a moment, Grish simply stared at me.
Then he chuckled.
"Hahaha…"
His laughter wasn't particularly happy, but there was something different in his eyes now.
"You are right."
He looked toward the children who were clinging to their mothers.
"The children are still alive."
His expression softened.
"We still have a future."
I smiled.
"Exactly."
For the first time since I had arrived in Little Dale, Grish looked like a little of the weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
I was glad.
Everyone deserved the chance to start again.
Unfortunately, the peaceful atmosphere didn't last long.
I suddenly felt something.
My expression changed.
'…They're coming.'
There were many magical presences approaching from the distance.
A lot of them.
My instincts immediately went on alert.
I gently placed Luna on the ground.
"Stay here."
"Kyuu?"
"I'll be right back."
She looked at me uncertainly, but she obeyed.
I stepped forward and formed a sword from Light Magic in my hand.
The villagers noticed the sudden change and became nervous.
"Don't worry."
I kept my eyes toward the forest.
"I'm just being cautious."
A few moments later, movement appeared between the trees.
People.
Lots of them.
They were wearing armor over blue jackets and white trousers, with a distinctive cross-like symbol displayed on their uniforms.
I recognized the symbol immediately.
The Magic Council.
'Rune Knights.'
They entered the village in organized groups, weapons ready but not raised.
The woman leading them stepped forward.
She was an attractive orange-haired woman who looked to be in her mid-twenties.
Unlike the other knights, the magical pressure coming from her was noticeably stronger.
She was the strongest person among them by far.
She stopped several meters away from me and raised her hands slightly to show that she wasn't here to fight.
"I am Misty Waters, commander of the Alpha Unit of the Rune Knights."
Her eyes briefly moved toward the destroyed village before returning to me.
"We are here because of a call we received regarding a bandit attack."
I studied her carefully.
Her magical presence didn't feel hostile.
More importantly, she didn't appear to be lying.
I lowered my sword.
The Light dissolved from my hand.
"I'm Elior, a mage from Fairy Tail."
I pointed toward Grish.
"I was the one who asked him to contact you."
Misty nodded.
"I see."
I then explained everything that had happened.
The bandits.
The village massacre.
The women being taken.
The demon.
Rashkel.
The battle.
And finally, his connection to the Book of Zeref.
When I finished, I reached into my spatial ring and pulled out the black book.
Misty's expression immediately became serious.
She approached carefully and looked at it without touching it.
"I see…"
Her eyes narrowed.
Then she took a deep breath.
"I owe you an apology, Elior."
She bowed deeply.
The Rune Knights behind her followed suit.
"We have been pursuing Rashkel for a long time."
She continued while keeping her head lowered.
"Our last encounter resulted in us injuring him, but unfortunately, he managed to escape."
Her voice became heavier.
"We should have continued searching until we were certain that he was no longer a threat."
I stared at her.
So…
They had already encountered Rashkel.
They had actually injured him.
And then they lost him.
That explained how he had ended up recovering in Little Dale.
I understood that accidents happened.
I understood that enemies escaped.
But hearing that their failure had directly contributed to what happened here still irritated me.
A vein practically popped on my forehead.
"So…"
My voice was calm.
Far too calm.
"You're telling me that all of this happened because you guys weren't competent enough to finish the job?"
The atmosphere immediately changed.
My magical pressure began leaking out.
At the same time, that strange overwhelming force inside me reacted to my emotions.
I realized what was happening almost immediately.
'Oh, crap.'
I quickly pulled both forces back under control.
But it was already too late.
The release had lasted only a moment.
That moment was enough.
The Rune Knights around Misty suddenly dropped to their knees.
Some struggled to breathe.
Others looked at me in fear.
Even Misty had been forced down onto one knee.
My expression changed.
'Thank God.'
I had managed to keep the pressure focused entirely on them.
The villagers hadn't been affected.
If I had lost control for even a few more seconds, innocent people could have been caught in it.
I took a slow breath.
"Sorry."
The Rune Knights slowly recovered.
Misty was the first to regain enough composure to stand properly.
She looked at me with a complicated expression.
Surprise.
Embarrassment.
And perhaps a little fear.
But she didn't make excuses.
"I apologize."
She bowed again.
"This failure was ours."
I pointed behind me.
"I'm not the person you should be apologizing to."
Misty followed my finger.
The villagers were watching them.
Some had tears in their eyes.
Others had anger written all over their faces.
Misty walked toward them and bowed deeply.
"I sincerely apologize on behalf of the Rune Knights."
Her voice was firm.
"We failed to stop Rashkel after our previous encounter, and because of that failure, your village suffered terribly."
The villagers didn't immediately respond.
Some looked away.
Others clenched their fists.
They were angry.
And they had every right to be.
But eventually, Grish stepped forward.
"We cannot change what happened."
He looked toward the surviving women and children.
"But we can make sure it never happens again."
Misty nodded.
"We will."
She remained with the villagers for several moments, speaking with them and answering their questions.
Once things had settled down somewhat, she returned to me.
"Thank you, Elior."
She gave me a sincere smile.
"The Magic Council will reward you for your services."
I shook my head.
"I don't need a reward."
She looked surprised.
"Instead, I want you to help these villagers."
I gestured toward Little Dale.
"Find them somewhere safer to live. Somewhere where they won't have to worry about another group like this attacking them."
Misty's expression softened.
"You are a kind one, aren't you?"
I blinked.
"Huh?"
She smiled slightly.
"But I can't accept that as a substitute for your reward."
"What?"
"What you asked us to do is something the Rune Knights would be responsible for regardless of whether you requested it."
She placed a hand against her chest.
"We will help the villagers relocate somewhere safer. You don't need to give up your reward for that."
"I see."
I thought about it for a few seconds.
Honestly, I didn't really need money.
I already had plenty of gold in my spatial ring thanks to Irene.
And there wasn't anything specific I wanted from the Magic Council.
"I don't need anything from the Council right now."
Misty raised an eyebrow.
"Are you sure?"
I nodded.
"Just tell those guys that they owe me a favor."
I pointed toward the Rune Knights.
Misty stared at me for a second.
Then she laughed softly.
"That's quite the request."
I shrugged.
"You never know when I might need something."
She nodded.
"Fair enough."
She extended her hand.
"I'll make sure they remember."
I shook her hand.
"Good."
As I turned toward the villagers, I glanced at the destroyed remains of the bandit camp in the distance.
The day had started as a simple B-rank mission.
Gather some materials.
Subjugate some bandits.
Return home.
Instead, I had fought a demon created by Zeref, discovered just how dangerous the world really was, and attracted the attention of the Rune Knights.
And somehow…
I had a feeling this was only the beginning.
I looked down at Luna, who was sitting beside Grish.
She immediately looked up at me.
"Kyuu~!"
I smiled.
"Yeah."
I walked over and picked her up.
"Let's go home."