The King's Mission

At the sound, the crowd immediately fell into chaos.

Looking toward where it had come from, they saw a gigantic boar-like monster, four or five meters tall, appear at the edge of the forest. Flames burned on its hooves and across its back.

The guards' expressions changed at once when they saw the monster.

"Not good! It's a Five-Star Monster, a Flame Boar!!"

"Prepare to attack!"

The guards sprang into action.

"Roar—!!"

The Flame Boar let out an angry roar, then charged straight at them.

"Boom!!!"

"Aaaahhh!!"

"Waaahhh!!"...

With a savage charge, the Flame Boar sent every guard flying.

Just as it was about to rush into the crowd—

A figure swiftly charged forward.

Squelch—!!

The figure crossed paths with the Flame Boar, leaving a massive wound across its body as blood sprayed from it.

Thud!

The Five-Star Monster, the Flame Boar, collapsed to the ground.

Erza sheathed her sword. It had been Erza who had just acted. Seeing that the crowd was about to be attacked and suffer heavy casualties, she had stepped in.

"So amazing!!"

"That was a Five-Star Monster, a Flame Boar! She took it down in one strike—who is she?!"

"Could she be a Six-Star, or even a Seven-Star Swordsman?"

Seeing Erza defeat the monster, the crowd broke into applause and marveled at the strength she had displayed.

The guards soon came over, their eyes now filled with respect. "Honored swordswoman, thank you very much for acting just now. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

"I only acted because I saw people about to get hurt. I'm glad I didn't interfere with your work."

The guard hurriedly waved his hands. "No! Not at all."

"If possible, please finish the inspection quickly. We're still preparing to enter the city."

"No need, no need! Welcome to Sword City. Please enter! We hope you enjoy your stay in Sword City!"

Without even inspecting them, the guards immediately allowed Erza and Qi Yan through.

"Thank you!"

"It looks like the people here really respect swordsmen."

Qi Yan could clearly sense the change in the guards' attitude toward Erza.

Erza explained, "This is Sword City. Everyone here reveres swordsmen. The higher a swordsman's star rating, the higher their status. I'd wanted to come here and take a look before, but I never had the chance."

The two of them entered through the gate in the city wall.

The first thing they saw was an exceptionally tall statue standing in the center of the city, a colossal monument around two hundred meters high.

It depicted an armored man standing with both hands resting on a greatsword, his deep eyes gazing toward the sky.

"What a tall statue!"

Qi Yan was deeply shaken by the sight of it. Today was the first time he truly felt that he had entered a fantasy world.

"Who is he?"

"Sword Saint Noah!"

Looking at the statue, Erza said, "I heard his swordsmanship was so extraordinary that he was honored as the Sword Saint."

Erza's eyes held longing and admiration. Although she was not a pure swordswoman, she used a sword most of the time, so she still had great respect for those with superb swordsmanship.

"A Sword Saint..."

Qi Yan did not know how skilled the man known as the Sword Saint truly was, but when it came to swordsmanship, he did not believe anyone could surpass Yoriichi Tsugikuni.

"Let's go."

The two continued forward along the main street.

The streets were bustling with people, and nearly everyone wore a sword at their waist. Even children were no exception.

Weapon shops lined the streets everywhere. The two also passed a school called the Swordsman Academy.

The entire city could be said to be steeped in the spirit of the sword. It truly deserved the name Sword City.

Continuing along the main street, they arrived at the royal palace of the Sobeia Kingdom, where their client was located.

"Halt!"

The palace guards stopped Qi Yan and Erza.

Erza stepped forward and said, "We are mages from Fairy Tail. We accepted a commission and came here for it."

"Mages? Please wait!"

The guard immediately went to inquire about them.

After a while, a minister in his fifties came out.

"Are you two mages from Fairy Tail?"

"Yes."

"I am Lamen, a minister of the Sobeia Kingdom. Please, this way."

Qi Yan and Erza followed the minister into the palace.

This royal palace was not particularly extravagant. Compared with most palaces, it seemed somewhat overly plain instead.

Soon, Qi Yan and Erza followed the minister into the palace's great hall.

"Your Majesty! The mages from Fairy Tail have arrived."

The minister bowed to the king on the throne.

Qi Yan and Erza also looked toward the king. He appeared to be in his forties or fifties, with a sharp and imposing air and heavily muscled body. Rather than a king, he looked more like a general.

King Reno smiled and said, "Welcome, mages of Fairy Tail."

"Your Majesty, we came after accepting the commission."

King Reno nodded. "Mm, I have already received word."

"Then could you explain the mission in detail? The commission only contained limited information. The more we know, the more likely we are to complete it."

"Of course. That is precisely what I was about to discuss. Let me first tell you a story. You both know who founded this city, don't you?"

Erza nodded. "Sword Saint Noah."

"That's right! Sword Saint Noah was also my ancestor. Four hundred years ago, my ancestor slew Demon Dragon Alazam here and founded Sword City. People also honored him as Hero Noah."

"Yes, that is how the legend goes."

Erza seemed to have heard the story before as well.

"But not all of the legend is true. My ancestor did not kill Demon Dragon Alazam. He sealed it instead, then founded Sword City so that his descendants could guard this place for generations."

"Now, four hundred years have passed, and the seal's power is gradually weakening. No one knows when the Demon Dragon will break free. When that happens, the entire Sobeia Kingdom may be devastated."

"So, I intend to retrieve my ancestor's sword and use it to suppress it. But that monster seems to know of this plan. It has controlled a large number of monsters to guard the area outside the temple. If anyone approaches, it controls the monsters to kill them."

"By now, no one knows how many people have perished in the jaws of those monsters."

Qi Yan said, "So you intend for us to break through those monsters, enter the temple, and bring back the sword?"

The king shook his head, his expression turning solemn.

"No. That is not it. I intend to kill the Demon Dragon completely."