"Demon Beast Great Forest?!!!" Levy exclaimed upon hearing the name.
Salsuk turned to Levy and asked, "What? Levy, do you know about it?"
Levy nodded, "The Magical Record mentions that the Demon Beast Great Forest is one of the legendary human forbidden zones, said to be home to millions of Demon Beasts."
"Millions?! How many is a million? I can't count that high! Happy, lend me your fingers!!!" Natsu jumped in fright, frantically counting on his fingers.
Happy retorted, "Forget fingers, even if I lent you all the fur on my body, it wouldn't be enough!"
Gray asked, puzzled, "If that forest has so many Demon Beasts, isn't this country afraid of being annihilated by them?"
Makarov explained, "That brings us to the Sobeya Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of Swordsmen. Everyone there reveres swordsmanship. Compared to our Mage Guilds, they have more Swordsman Guilds."
"Swordsman Guilds venture into the Demon Beast Great Forest to hunt, defeat Demon Beasts, and bring back materials to sell. Their ranks, from One-Star Swordsman to Nine-Star Swordsman, are determined by the number of monsters they hunt."
"Among them, a Nine-Star Swordsman is roughly equivalent to an S-Class Mage in our Mage Guilds."
"Under the hunting efforts of numerous Swordsmen, the Sobeya Kingdom has managed to resist the Demon Beasts' attacks, and by utilizing the materials from the Demon Beasts' bodies, its national power ranks among the top on the Ishgar continent."
"That's roughly all I know. I heard about the legendary sword a long time ago but thought it was just a rumor."
"I'm telling you this to make you aware of the mission's danger. Initially, the mission was posted in those Swordsman Guilds, but countless Seven-Star, Eight-Star, and even Nine-Star Swordsmen failed within the Demon Beast Great Forest."
"When the mission couldn't be completed, it was distributed to various Mage Guilds, and some Mages who went to challenge it also failed."
"This mission appears to be only S-Class, but all our Guild Masters believe its difficulty is nearing SS-Class, which is why I stopped you from going."
"SS-Class?!!!" Everyone in the guild was greatly surprised. SS-Class is a job above S-Class, with twice the danger of S-Class.
"My advice to you is to retreat immediately if the mission's difficulty is too high. Staying alive is more important than anything else."
"Yes, Master!" Kevin and Erza both nodded in agreement, their expressions serious.
Kevin also felt the challenge. The Demon Beast Great Forest, with its countless Demon Beasts, was daunting; it was the most troublesome he had encountered.
However, this didn't deter him; instead, he felt a surge of excited anticipation.
It was the same when he fought the Phantom Bandit Gang; he felt an unprecedented sense of exhilaration.
Could it be that he was warlike at heart? No, that's not right. Before arriving in this world, he wouldn't even get into a fight, let alone curse, except for a few choice words when his teammates were too bad while playing Honor of Kings.
Erza said to Kevin, "Kevin, let's go back separately to pack our luggage. We'll meet at Magnolia train station in an hour."
"Okay!"
The two finished speaking and left the guild.
"Oh oh oh oh! I really want to do an S-Class mission too!!!" Natsu watched them leave, his face full of envy.
Gray commented, "It's precisely because our abilities are insufficient that we can't take on S-Class missions!"
"Isn't Elfman also doing an S-Class mission?"
Elfman replied helplessly, "I was just playing a supporting role. Kevin did everything by himself. If it were me, I probably would have been wiped out long ago."
Even though he had participated in an S-Class mission, he still had lingering fears. This S-Class mission was even more dangerous than the one he and his sister did a year ago. Every Mage in the Phantom Bandit Gang was formidable, especially their leader; his Full Reflection magic was tricky.
After Kevin returned home, he packed his luggage and headed to the train station.
After a while.
"Sorry… Have you been waiting long?"
"I just arrived… So much luggage!!!" Kevin couldn't help but complain when he saw Erza with a cart full of large and small bags of luggage. Was she going on a mission or moving? Even if Kevin were moving, he wouldn't have that much luggage.
"Is it a lot? It's fine."
Soon, the two boarded the train, found seats, and sat down as the train slowly departed.
"Kevin, I'm sorry for troubling you this time." Even though it was their first meeting, she was asking him to risk his life on an S-Class mission with her, which made Erza feel somewhat guilty.
Kevin waved his hand, "It's no trouble at all. Normally, I would be working anyway. I should thank you for letting me challenge an S-Class mission."
Hearing this, Erza felt much better.
The two chatted casually. Kevin found Erza to be a very talkative girl, and conversing with her was relaxed and comfortable. When they got tired, they rested.
It took approximately three days to reach the capital of the Sobeya Kingdom, Sword City—Noah.
"How spectacular!" Kevin exclaimed as he looked at the majestic city walls, towering a hundred meters high.
Unlike open cities like Magnolia Town, this capital was completely surrounded by hundred-meter-high city walls, appearing grand and imposing.
There were also some damages and dried bloodstains on the city walls, indicating real battles of iron and blood.
Even having seen countless skyscrapers and magnificent buildings, these structures from a true battlefield still gave a completely different kind of shock.
"Yes! How spectacular!" Erza echoed Kevin's sentiment, equally stunned. She had never seen such tall city walls either.
There was a large gate at the foot of the city wall, where all tourists and merchants lined up for inspection before entering.
"What are you two here for?" A guard approached Kevin and Erza.
Erza replied, "We are Mages from Fairy Tail. We received a request and are here to complete a mission."
The guard nodded. Many Mages came here, drawn by the Demon Beasts in the Demon Beast Great Forest.
"What's in the boxes?"
"Luggage."
"Luggage?! So much?!" The guard was startled. Were they here for a mission or moving?
Suddenly, a scream rang out.
"There's a Demon Beast!!"
Extra Chapter Visit My Patreon
patreon.com/Feastables
patreon.com/Feastables