Tocchi Anderba

On the train...

Ywen, Makarov, and the others sat on the spacious sofas. Although the two rows of sofas facing each other could normally only seat four people, there were four children on Makarov's side, so it actually felt quite roomy. (Note: The four children were Ywen, Gray, Lyon, and Makarov...)

"Is this a train?!"

"Gray, look! The scenery keeps changing..."

"Why had I never noticed how beautiful these snow-white mountain peaks were before?"

Lyon and Gray leaned against the window, constantly looking outside and admiring the beautiful snowy scenery. Though they had grown up in the north and were already used to seeing white snow, watching it speed by from a train was completely different from the scenery they usually saw.

"These two children..."

Ul looked at Gray and Lyon, who were sitting opposite her and leaning against the windowsill as they stared outside. Her eyes were filled with affection, as though she were looking at her own children.

Seeing how excited Gray and Lyon were, Ul became even more certain that her decision to leave the town with the two children and head west, where magic was more active, had been absolutely right.

Only by leaving the little world where they had lived and stepping onto a larger stage could they see just how vast this world truly was!

"Not bad at all~!"

Makarov smiled cheerfully at Ul, Lyon, and Gray. His heart was full of joy. This trip had been incredibly rewarding—he had gained a top-tier fighting force and two promising youngsters in one go. Sure enough, Ywen could bring Fairy Tail good fortune!

"Ah~"

Ywen yawned to himself. As the train continued westward, his sharp and powerful senses faintly detected the magic power of some idiot.

"That guy is nearby too?"

Ywen continuously spread out his Observation Haki as he muttered to himself.

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Makarov?"

Just as Ywen and the others sat lazily on the train, enjoying this rare moment of rest, a slightly hoarse, weathered voice rang out.

A middle-aged to elderly man who looked to be in his sixties or seventies approached them with a kindly expression. He wore a black coat, carried a worn briefcase, and removed his hat in greeting to Makarov.

"You are..."

"Mr. Tocchi Anderba?!"

"Please, have a seat!"

Makarov gently turned his head at the sound of the voice. The moment he saw the man's face, surprise flashed across his expression. He immediately got out of his seat and invited the older man to sit down.

Having given up his seat, Makarov ran over to Ywen, who sat opposite him, and said softly, "Ywen, move over and make room for me!"

"Sigh..."

Ywen sighed and squeezed closer toward Ul beside him, making space for Makarov.

Fortunately, Ul was slender, and both Ywen and Makarov were small, so the three of them sitting in one row did not seem overly crowded.

"Hehe..."

"Then I shall accept your kindness!"

The middle-aged man named Tocchi Anderba smiled at everyone and sat opposite Makarov, in the seat Makarov had originally occupied.

Gray and Lyon, who had originally been sitting on the same side as Makarov, also sat properly when they saw a stranger take a seat, carefully watching the man beside them named Tocchi Anderba.

"Hehe, there's no need to be so nervous..." Tocchi Anderba merely smiled gently at Gray and Lyon before turning his gaze to Ywen. "You must be Ywen, the renowned Polar Star. You certainly live up to your reputation. I heard you enjoy summoning meteors with True Celestial Magic to smash people. Is that true?!"

"You enjoy smashing people with meteors?!"

"We can testify to that!!"

Gray and Lyon exchanged glances, then nodded repeatedly as they shouted in their hearts.

"They're only rumors! I've always been a peace-loving person. I rarely use magic of that level."

Ywen shook his head with a light smile after hearing Tocchi Anderba's words, then glared at Gray and Lyon, who had started nodding repeatedly as though trying to imply something.

"Uh..."

In an instant, Gray and Lyon became as obedient as mice that had spotted a cat.

"Haha, Mr. Makarov, the children in your guild are certainly interesting!"

Tocchi Anderba chuckled as he looked at Ywen, who was giving off a faint killing intent, and Gray and Lyon, who had turned toward the window with trembling bodies and cold sweat streaming down their faces.

"Uh, I'm glad you like them!"

Makarov smiled awkwardly at Tocchi Anderba.

"In any case, I still hope your guild can be a little more restrained. After all, sometimes even we find it difficult to deal with what your guild does..." Tocchi Anderba said as he rose from his seat and smiled, nodding to everyone. "Well then, I wish you all a pleasant journey. I should be getting off as well!"

"Take care..."

Makarov nodded lightly to Tocchi Anderba and watched him head toward another carriage. Only then did he slowly let out a breath of relief.

"Guild Master Grandpa, was that man just now a very powerful wizard?"

"Could he also be one of the Ten Wizard Saints?"

Not long after Tocchi Anderba left, Lyon and Gray grabbed Makarov and began questioning him.

"Well, how should I put this?!"

Makarov looked hesitant, as though he was unsure how to describe Tocchi Anderba.

"It's not really a matter of whether he's strong or not. In terms of strength, that old gentleman probably isn't a match for any one of us here. But when it comes to authority and reputation, that's where things get troublesome..."

"Tocchi Anderba is currently one of the Magic Council's councilors, as well as the warden of Magic Prison BLACKVOX! He's probably one of the people our Guild Master least wants to run into, right?!"

While Makarov hesitated, Ywen spoke up and explained the situation.

"A Magic Council councilor?!"

Gray's eyes widened. He had not expected that kind-looking man to be a Magic Council councilor.

Gray and Lyon had listened to Makarov complain all along the way about how vicious and inhumane the Magic Council's councilors were, but now that they had seen one...

He just looked like an ordinary old man. He was not as... terrifying as Makarov had described?!

"And the warden of Magic Prison?!"

Lyon was equally shocked by Tocchi Anderba's identity. Whether it was his position as a warden or as a Magic Council councilor, either identity alone was enough to shake the magic world. With both titles gathered in one person, one could imagine his authority and status.

However, what Lyon noticed even more was that a man with such immense power dressed so plainly, and even the briefcase in his hand looked as though it had been used for a very long time...

"That's why it's troublesome! Fortunately, Mr. Anderba belongs to the neutral faction. Otherwise, there would be no avoiding a conflict between the prison and Fairy Tail..."

Makarov rubbed his hands together repeatedly, looking indecisive. As Gray and Lyon had said, the man was not only a Magic Council councilor but also the warden of Magic Prison. Strictly speaking, he would not dare do anything to Makarov, one of the Ten Wizard Saints, but Makarov still had to give him the proper respect.

"Guild Master Grandpa, aren't we a Light Guild?!"

Gray and Lyon were stunned after hearing Makarov's words. Even they understood that the Magic Council and Magic Prison were organizations specifically aimed at criminals!

"Well..."

"There are many reasons, anyway."

Makarov did not explain. He figured that once Gray and the others arrived at Fairy Tail, they would probably understand what kind of magic guild Fairy Tail truly was—and what he meant by "many reasons."

Rumble...

Just as Makarov and the others were chatting, the train suddenly shook amid a deafening roar!

"Ice-Make Magic~"

Ul immediately activated her Ice-Make Magic, freezing the entire train carriage and fixing the carriage Ywen was in firmly in place.

"What happened?!"

Makarov frowned deeply and looked around in confusion.

Gray and Lyon became alert as well...

"Probably some enemies of that councilor coming to settle a score?"

Only Ywen remained calm. Using his Observation Haki, he watched a group of uninvited guests from Dark Guilds come to seek revenge on Tocchi Anderba before kidnapping him, then spoke with complete composure.

Please bookmark~ Please vote~ Please invest~