Investigation Complete: Not a Natural Disaster, but a Man-Made Calamity!

After leaving the mayor's office, Ed headed straight out of town to begin his investigation.

"Hmm... These footprints are definitely from Wind Wolves, but isn't the number a little off?" Ed compared the tracks on the ground with the information provided by the mayor and found that there were far more footprints than the records showed for previous beast tides.

After thinking it over, Ed followed the direction the tracks led, eventually arriving at a forest. Most of the footprints headed deeper into the woods.

Ed did not enter to investigate immediately. Instead, he left a Flying Thunder God mark on a tree at the forest's edge, then returned directly to town and began speaking with the townspeople to gather information.

Before long, Ed had learned a few things and decided to confirm them with the mayor. He went straight to the mayor's office and knocked on the door.

"Mr. Mayor, I have a few questions I'd like to ask. Do you have time now?" Ed asked politely.

"Of course, Mage. Ask whatever you wish. I promise I'll tell you everything I know, and Zero will be no exception." After welcoming Ed inside, the mayor slumped into his chair. His exhaustion was visible to the naked eye, and he looked as though he might collapse at any moment.

"First question. I asked several young people in town, and they said beast tides occur roughly every other year. Why is this the first time a request has been posted in the records?" Ed casually picked up paper and a pen from the desk, jotting things down as he spoke.

"I'm not sure about that. I remember the beast tides only started appearing in the past ten-odd years. When I was young, I'd never even heard of such a thing." The mayor thought for a moment before answering Ed.

"Then how did you deal with them before, if you never hired a mage guild?" Ed grew even more curious.

"To be honest, calling the previous incidents beast tides would be exaggerating it. Frankly, they were just small groups of wolves wandering around nearby. They hardly ever attacked anyone. A few able-bodied men from town would take up weapons and drive them off, and they'd return to the forest. But this time is different. They've started actively attacking the trade road. At this rate, forget driving them away—even our town's survival will become a problem!"

The mayor shouted agitatedly, "And because of our location, it's difficult for our town to produce agricultural goods. The crops we grow yield very poorly, so the trade road is extremely important to us!"

"If that's the case, what do you live on? Why stay here instead of moving somewhere else? You even have money to post a request." Ed had spotted a blind spot.

"It's a mixed blessing, really. I said we can't develop agriculture because of the terrain, but the reason is that there's a magic crystal ore vein beneath this land. We rely entirely on selling those magic crystals to obtain food and funds. If the trade road is cut off, the whole town will be in serious trouble!" The mayor's entire body seemed to deflate.

The number of Wind Wolves gathered this time far exceeded anything seen in the past decade or so, and they had suddenly become extremely aggressive. Because of this, the middle-aged man had not slept properly for days. He was even starting to lose his hair.

"Hmm... All right, I understand. Don't worry, Mr. Mayor. In Fairy Tail's name, I'll complete this request." Ed patted his chest and gave his assurance.

"I'm counting on you... If you need anything, please let me know..." The mayor waved weakly, his strength at Zero.

After leaving the mayor's office, Ed found a quiet spot and began to think. The Wind Wolf pack appeared more than ten years ago. It wasn't serious when it first appeared—no, it wasn't serious until last year. And aside from this year, they were hardly aggressive at all. Both sides had lived peacefully for so long, and then something suddenly changed. There are only two possibilities.

First, the Wind Wolves' lack of aggression was an act. They've been gathering strength all along, preparing to breach the town in one strike. But that doesn't make sense. Wind Wolves aren't intelligent enough for that, and there hasn't been any major conflict between them and the town. The town mainly earns money through mining, has no agricultural needs, and hasn't damaged the forest the Wind Wolves depend on for survival. Ed identified the crux of the matter.

Then there's only the second possibility. Something capable of driving the Wind Wolf pack has appeared, and it bears hostility toward the town. Either a high-level magical beast like a Wind Wolf King has emerged, or... this is a man-made calamity! Thinking this, Ed decided to investigate the forest again.

"Whoosh~" Ed appeared at the forest's edge. Looking at the vast forest before him and the warning sign that had appeared at its border at some point—"Wind Wolves Sighted, Beware!"—Ed became even more certain that the second possibility was correct.

As Ed ventured deeper into the forest, the leaves gradually blocked out the light, and the surroundings grew darker.

Ed followed the footprints onward and vaguely heard the sound of people talking.

"Boss, we've already gathered so many wolf packs. We've practically turned the whole forest upside down. How much longer do we have to stay in these woods?"

"Don't rush. There are still several wolf packs on the west side of the forest. Once we drive them over too, it'll be enough. We should be ready by tomorrow night."

"Come to think of it, the Wolf King is on the west side too, right? Can Fosa handle it? Isn't his magic only able to control ordinary wolves?"

"Shouldn't be a problem. The guild master is over there too. They plan to gather everyone tonight, kill the Wolf King directly, then use Fosa's magic to control the wolf packs and slaughter this entire town. Once everyone here is dead, we'll pretend to be townspeople and ask the Magic Council and the mage guilds for help. Then not only the ore vein, but this town itself will become Smile Coffin's base. Hahahaha! And those damned Magic Council and light guilds will even help us repair the place!"

"Hahaha, just thinking about it is hilarious. But seriously, a Wind Wolf King like this is really rare. It actually restrains its wolf pack from attacking the town."

"Exactly. What a peace-loving wolf. Thanks to it, we could only have them attack the trade road first. Otherwise, the guild master's plan would have been completed long ago."

Ed hid nearby and peeked over. A fat man and a skinny man, both bizarrely dressed with flashy delinquent hairstyles, sat on a tree stump as if resting. These two practically had the words "I'm a bad guy" tattooed on their faces: card-shark hairstyles and exaggerated expressions, unbearably heavy smoky eye makeup, metal decorations serving Zero purpose on their cheeks, noses, lips, ears, and elsewhere, black sleeveless leather vests, and large skull tattoos covering their arms.

They really are dressed like standard villains, Ed silently complained. But the western forest... Tch. Troublesome... I can't catch them all in one go, and I can't alert them yet.

Ed activated Flying Thunder God and left the forest, returning directly to town and heading straight for the mayor's office.

"Two pieces of good news and two pieces of bad news. Which do you want to hear first?" Ed skipped the pleasantries and spoke directly to the mayor.

"Hmm... How about the bad news first?" At Ed's words, the mayor immediately clutched his chest.

"Hmm... The bad news is that a Wolf King has appeared in the forest."

"Gah!" The mayor nearly fainted.

"Don't get worked up. The good news is that the Wolf King loves peace. It has no intention of attacking the town, and it has restrained the wolf pack from attacking as well." Seeing that the mayor looked as if he might keel over at any moment, Ed hurriedly delivered the good news.

"Then what's with the beast tide?! And the attacks on the trade road!" The mayor jolted upright as though rising from a deathbed and urgently asked.

"That's the second piece of bad news. A dark guild has appeared." Ed's expression turned solemn. "They have a mage capable of controlling wolf packs. He drove all the nearby wolf packs here this time. Since the Wolf King has forbidden the pack from attacking the town, they can only attack the trade road before dealing with the Wolf King."

It was as if the sky had fallen for the mayor. He paced in frantic circles. "What do we do? What do we do... Ah, right! I'll contact the Magic Council now and have them send people to eliminate this Dark Guild!"

"It's too late. From what I've learned, if nothing changes, they'll have the wolf pack launch a full assault tomorrow night. The Magic Council can't arrive in such a short time." Ed looked at the map on the wall.

"Then it's all over!" The mayor's sky had truly fallen.

"Don't worry. I said that was if nothing changed. Aren't I the biggest variable?" Ed narrowed his eyes, and his gaze gradually turned sharp.