A Client Who Seemed to Have Hearing Problems

Happy times always passed quickly. Through chatting along the way, Mira and her siblings got to know Ed better, and both sides reached an understanding on how they would cooperate for this mission.

Simply put, Mira would prepare to fight, while Ed would prepare to run. Once Mira started fighting, Ed would take the client, Lisanna, and Elfman and run. They would return after Mira finished the fight. Although Ed himself was not very satisfied with this arrangement and felt like dead weight, he agreed for the sake of one-third of the reward.

"Oh, right. Come to think of it, I heard this client has quite a violent temper." Mira suddenly remembered something. "Apparently, he angered a duke from a neighboring country at a banquet because of that temper."

"What rank is the client, anyway? He actually dared to confront a duke head-on?" Ed asked curiously.

"I think he was a viscount." Mira tapped her lips with a finger as she recalled.

"Three ranks apart. He really does sound pretty hot-tempered. Seems like he'll be a difficult client to get along with..." Ed felt somewhat irritated.

"We should be fine as long as we aren't too disrespectful, right?" Lisanna thought for a moment. "After all, he hired us to protect him. He shouldn't go too far, should he?"

"Who knows?" Ed shrugged. "We'll play it by ear when we get there."

Before long, the train arrived at its destination. The four of them left the station and headed straight for the client's manor.

"Hello, we're mages from Fairy Tail. We accepted the job to protect the viscount," Ed reported to the gatekeeper.

"You're the mages from Fairy Tail? Hurry, come with me. The viscount has been waiting for you for days." The gatekeeper hurriedly led the four of them into the manor.

Soon, the four met the client for this mission. He was a gentle-looking young man, without the arrogance they had expected. Instead, he seemed rather approachable.

"Oh, so you're the mages from Fairy Tail. You're all quite impressive-looking. Then for the next week, I'll be relying on you for my safety." At that, the viscount bowed directly to them, his attitude extremely sincere.

"He's completely different from what we heard... He seems like a really nice person." Lisanna and Elfman whispered to each other.

Ed sized up the viscount. His features were ordinary, but he gave off a sense of peace from within. He did not seem like the hot-tempered sort, aside from the unfortunate fact that he was probably barely one and a half meters tall.

"You're too polite, Lord Viscount. It's simply our duty." Mira spoke on behalf of the group. Although the viscount seemed mild-tempered, it was safer to remain courteous. After all, one could never go wrong with being polite.

"Ah, don't call me Lord Viscount. My real name is Edward, Edward Elric. Just call me Edward." The viscount—no, Edward—waved his hand at them.

"How could we do that? You are a noble, after all." Mira began exchanging pleasantries with Edward. Seeing that he insisted, she finally relented. "Then we'll call you Mr. Edward. We really cannot be too disrespectful." Mira made a concession.

"This... all right, then it's settled." Edward stopped insisting that they change how they addressed him and instead instructed a servant nearby, "Go prepare a banquet. I'll be hosting these mages tonight."

After the servant left to carry out the order, Edward turned to Ed and the others. "Please do not refuse. After all, my life is in your hands. According to the agreement between His Majesty the King and that duke from the neighboring country, the official countdown begins the day after your arrival and lasts for one week. If the assassination fails, the matter ends there. If it succeeds, then I suppose my life was simply meant to end that way. By the way, what are your names?"

"You're too kind. Just call me Mirajane. This is Ed, this is my younger sister Lisanna, and this is my younger brother Elfman." It was Ed's first time seeing Mira behave so politely, and he was so unused to it that he actually shivered.

"This must be young Ed. What's wrong? Are you feeling cold?" Edward asked when he saw Ed's reaction.

"Ah... sorry. Maybe the temperature here really is a little low..." Ed scratched his head. To avoid being made to answer to Mira if he told the truth, he awkwardly went along with Edward's words.

Before Ed could finish, Edward suddenly looked suspicious and snapped irritably, "What did you just say was low?"

Seeing Edward suddenly become agitated, Ed was a little dumbfounded. "Ah... I meant the temperature. This town really is a bit colder..."

"Ah... sorry, perhaps I misheard you. Come this way. The banquet hall is over here." Edward looked somewhat embarrassed and immediately led them toward the banquet hall.

After the meal, their relationship had grown much closer. It had to be said that Edward possessed considerable personal charm and had none of the airs of a noble. Throughout the evening, Mira and the others did not feel uncomfortable at all. They could even trade little jokes, and under the influence of alcohol, he and Ed had started calling each other brothers.

"Brother Ed, Miss Mirajane, I'm placing my life in your hands. If you need anything, tell me directly. If I can handle it, I'll handle it. If I can't, I'll find a way to handle it!" Edward said solemnly, gripping Ed with one hand and Mira with the other.

"Don't worry, Brother Edward. Mira is an S-Class mage of Fairy Tail. She's really strong, so just rest easy!" Ed said cheerfully.

On the other side, Lisanna was whispering to Mira. "Sister Mira, Viscount Edward is actually quite a nice person. He has no airs at all and is nothing like what we heard. It's just that he's a little short..."

Before Lisanna could finish, Edward, who had been chatting with Ed, suddenly twitched an ear. Like a cat with its fur standing on end, he leaped up and shouted at the two of them, "Who the hell are you calling short?! You little runt! Bean sprout! You'll never grow taller in this life! I'll kill you!!"

"..." Ed and the others fell silent. They seemed to understand how this viscount had managed to anger that duke.

After a series of chaotic commotion, everyone dispersed and returned to their rooms to rest. Ed stopped Mira and said, "We should probably start arranging night watch tonight. The agreement says the second day after we arrive, but who knows whether he counts it as starting after midnight?"

"Mm, I was thinking the same thing. I'll take the first half of the night, and you can take the second half. How does that sound?" Mira suggested.

"How about I take it instead?" Ed thought for a moment and offered a different opinion. "I happen to know how to make some little warning devices."