The City of a Hundred Flowers

Crocus, the capital of the Kingdom of Fiore, was covered in blossoms all year round, its flowers of every color competing in beauty. That had earned it another name: the City of a Hundred Flowers.

Riyao stepped off the train and took a deep breath of the floral fragrance that greeted him, feeling his whole body relax.

He had come with a commission from the Fiore royal family. It said only that an important member of the family was ill; the details of the illness were vague, and he would have to visit the palace and examine the patient himself to determine what was wrong.

He clicked his tongue inwardly and couldn't help grumbling to himself.

I'm not going to end up murdered to keep me quiet, am I? Didn't that happen in all those dramas I used to watch? The imperial physician would cure the emperor's embarrassing secret ailment, only to be killed to keep him quiet afterward.

"Boss, two squid skewers, extra spicy!"

Riyao accepted the fragrant, char-grilled squid skewers and took a bite. The heat was satisfyingly intense, and he ate with a look of bliss.

He wasn't in a hurry to head straight to the palace. He planned to look around the City of a Hundred Flowers first and hunt down some good food while he was at it.

As he walked, a strangely dressed figure suddenly sprang out from the roadside, muttering incessantly, "Man~ man~"

Riyao's eye twitched, and he nearly spat out his squid.

Damn, it's Ichiya from Blue Pegasus.

That face was... a magnificent feat of craftsmanship, with quite an impact.

He sauntered over, took another bite of squid, and only then spoke lazily. "Hey, Ichiya. What are you doing here?"

At his voice, Ichiya immediately flowed through several dashing poses before turning around. His eyes lit up the moment he saw who it was.

"Man~ Riyao, the fragrance of life about you is as enchanting as ever."

"I'm leaving!" Riyao turned and walked away without another word.

"Man~ I've had a little problem with a perfume I've been mixing, and I was hoping to ask your advice!" Ichiya hurried forward and wrapped both arms tightly around Riyao's thigh.

"Let go! Get off my leg!" Riyao shook his leg hard, trying to throw him off.

"Man~ this is the fated bond between you and me!" Ichiya held on even tighter.

Riyao lifted his leg and slammed it down hard, intending to knock him unconscious, but the strange-looking fellow was surprisingly tough. He was only dazed for a moment before letting go.

"Tch, you pervert, Ichiya. That nasty habit of yours is seriously disgusting."

Riyao promptly planted a foot on him, giving him no chance to strike back or cling to him again.

Just then, Ichiya's three disciples came hurrying over.

Hibiki, who was in the lead, rushed forward and bowed repeatedly. "Lord Riyao! We're terribly sorry! Master has caused you trouble again!"

Ivan put his hands on his hips and called helplessly to Ichiya on the ground, "Master! Let go of Lord Riyao's leg! How can you behave like this in the middle of the street?"

Ren pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed. "We've been looking everywhere for you. We didn't expect you to be behaving rudely toward a Fairy Tail mage again..."

Even with a foot on him, Ichiya didn't forget to keep up his act. He called out in a muffled voice, "Man~ this isn't rudeness! It's a resonance of souls! An embrace of our bond!"

Riyao pressed down a little harder and frowned. "Resonance, my ass. Keep it up and I'll force a bottle of nullifying potion down your throat, so you'll never be able to mix perfume again."

Ichiya went rigid, and his voice grew noticeably weaker.

"Man~ please, no! Lord Riyao, I only wanted to ask you the secret of blending Life Magic with fragrance..."

Ivan hurried over and pulled at Ichiya's arm.

"Lord Ichiya! We're here to handle a commission, not harass people!"

Only then did Riyao ease up on his foot, curling his lip in disgust.

"If you've got something to say, say it. Keep your hands to yourself. Grab my leg again and I won't be so nice."

His disciples pulled Ichiya to his feet, but he still found time to cast Riyao what he apparently thought was an elegant look.

"Man~ then I'll be sure to visit you another day and seek your guidance on the supreme mystery of blending the breath of life with perfume!"

"No thanks."

Riyao picked up his remaining squid skewer, took a bite, and turned to leave.

"Keep bothering me, and I'll let you smell a stinkweed odor that won't go away for three days."

The three disciples hurriedly apologized to Riyao again and again, then dragged Ichiya, who was still calling "Man~ our bond," away in the other direction.

After shaking off Ichiya and his disciples, Riyao brushed the dust off his trouser leg, stuck the rest of the squid skewer in his mouth, and continued strolling through the streets of Crocus.

The scents of flowers and street food mingled throughout the streets, and he bought food as he walked.

He soon had a skewer of grilled vegetables, a bag of sugar-roasted chestnuts, and a steaming cup of cocoa in his hands. He sampled them every few steps, eating with delight and already having put the annoyance of Ichiya's clinging behind him.

As he turned into an alley lined with food stalls, Riyao was looking down and biting into some bread. He didn't notice the person coming toward him and accidentally bumped shoulders with him.

"Mmph, sorry, sorry!" He hurriedly looked up, his words muffled by the food still in his mouth.

The young man before him was nearly half a head taller than he was. He wore a plain but neat dark outfit suited to a mage, and his black hair was tied neatly behind his head. His features were composed. He was none other than Jura Neekis of Lamia Scale.

He did not yet have the imposing presence he would possess later as one of the Ten Wizard Saints. His face still held some of a young mage's sharpness, but he already carried himself with a composure far beyond his years.

Jura recognized him too and paused in surprise. His usually placid eyes filled with genuine familiarity, and he gently shook his head. His voice was deep and polite.

"It's all right. You're Riyao of Fairy Tail, aren't you? Thank you for treating our injured guildmates last time."

Riyao swallowed the bread in his mouth and grinned, showing two rows of neat white teeth. He was still holding an unfinished piece of sugar art.

"I didn't expect to run into you here! Speaking of which, how did those people recover? None of them had a reaction to the ointment I made, did they?"

Jura waved a hand. His gaze fell on Riyao's hands, covered in sugar and breadcrumbs, and a faint smile flickered in his eyes. His voice was still steady, but a little warmer.

"They've recovered very well. Your ointment worked even better than we expected. Our guild took a commission in Crocus, so we're here to deal with some monster disturbances. What about you? You don't look like you're here on business."

"Hehe, I'm not in a hurry~"

Riyao took a big bite of the sugar art.

"I took a medical commission from the royal family, but no one's rushing me, so I figured I'd look around and eat first!"

He waved the snacks in his hand, his voice cheerful.

"This City of a Hundred Flowers is amazing! There's even more good food than in Magnolia! When I visited Lamia Scale last time, I thought your berry pies were great. Too bad I didn't get my fill~"

Jura raised an eyebrow slightly. He didn't press for details, but offered a sincere word of caution.

"Then I wish you luck. Crocus is fairly safe, but try to stay out of the alleys in the west of the city after dark. There's a strong lingering monster presence there, so be careful when you're out on your own."

"Got it, got it!"

Riyao nodded vigorously, taking Jura's warning to heart. He took another bite of the sugar art and mumbled, "You and your guildmates be careful too, Jura~ Once I'm done with the royal family's job, I'll look for more good food and bring you some! To make up for the berry pies I didn't get to eat last time!"

Jura chuckled and nodded, the warmth in his eyes deepening.

"All right. I'd better get going. Let's talk again when we have time."

"Yeah, see you, Jura!"

Riyao waved and watched Jura turn and leave. He immediately turned his attention back to a roadside food stall, his eyes shining as he stared at the freshly baked honey pies.

"Boss, two of those, please! And do you sell berry pies here?"

The boy's figure soon disappeared among the bustling stalls, leaving only a string of light footsteps and a lingering sweetness in the air.