A Strange Mission

The two walked into the house one after the other. Hughes, following behind, habitually clasped his hands behind his head. "Hey, Mira, we're going on a mission tomorrow, so Elfman and Lisanna should stay at the guild dormitory!"

Mira stopped and turned to look at Hughes, her eyes full of questions.

"This place is out in the countryside. With both of us gone, would you feel comfortable leaving them here?" Hughes thought the idea he had just come up with was absolutely foolproof.

The confusion in Mira's eyes eased somewhat, and she nodded.

"Then, when we get back, let's rent a place in town!"

Hearing that and recalling the sudden, tremendous thunderclap, Mira would have to be a fool not to know something had happened just now.

"Can you tell me what happened just now?"

Hughes shook his head. Mira had a very good impression of Fairy Tail, and he didn't want Laxus to spoil it.

Some things were better kept to himself.

Hughes was certain Laxus wouldn't tell anyone about it either.

Mira studied Hughes intently for a while, then asked no more. "All right. When we get back, we'll find a place to rent in town. That way, we'll be closer to the guild too."

"Then it's settled. Off to bed! I should have a good dream tonight!"

In the middle of the night, Hughes woke up in agony. The fragments of memory that had come with the system were playing automatically in his head again.

"Vegeta, let's become one!"

"Ah, Kakarot, your finger's in the wrong place!"

Yes, this time, what appeared in Hughes's mind was a scene of Vegeta and Kakarot fusing.

It wasn't the kind of fusion that turned them into Vegito, but the front-to-back kind. It was so painful to look at that Hughes didn't dare watch closely.

Damn it, is this some kind of sickness?! What do these messed-up memories have to do with the system anyway?

They appeared whenever he fell asleep!

Hughes felt he needed a memory mage, but he didn't think one could help him erase these fragments of memory.

The next day, a listless Hughes yawned incessantly as he slowly finished his meal under Lisanna's scornful gaze.

"We'll take them to the guild dormitory first, then go to Magnolia Station!"

Hughes nodded. Mira had already packed everything the night before. They wouldn't be coming back to this house.

As for their luggage, they would leave it at the guild dormitory for now and move it once they found a suitable house.

At Magnolia Station, Hughes made a show of displaying the guild emblem on his arm. With Fairy Tail vouching for him, he boarded the train as he had hoped.

It was his first time riding a train. Even before he transmigrated, he had never ridden one; he had only seen things like subways on television.

Hughes looked around, but the novelty soon wore off, and he fell fast asleep.

Xiluo'er Village was near the Clover Grand Canyon, so they needed to take a train to Clover Town and walk from there.

The train ran directly between Clover Town and Magnolia, with no transfers, so Hughes slept comfortably.

"Hughes, wake up! We're here!" Mira nudged Hughes. He had slept the whole way like a pig.

Mira had no idea what he had been up to last night. She hadn't seen him leave the house again.

Fully refreshed, Hughes wiped the drool from his mouth after Mira pointed it out. The girl was really devious.

She had waited until they were out of Clover Station to tell him he had drool on his mouth. If she was already like this at such a young age, what would she be like when she grew up? So Hughes used her sleeve to wipe it off.

"Hurry up, or it really will be dark by the time we reach Xiluo'er Village."

Mira glanced at the four bags in her hands, then at Hughes strolling carefree ahead of her.

Is he even human? Could a human do something like this?

"Hey! Don't look at me. I told you not to bring so much luggage, but you insisted!" Hughes refused to take the blame.

"Then I'm not walking anymore!"

"Walk or don't, suit yourself!"

"You have no sense of direction! Without me, you don't even know where Xiluo'er Village is!"

"Hey, Mira, come on. We're a team, so why be so formal?"

After some negotiation, threats, and enticements, Hughes won a resounding victory and ended up carrying three more bags.

Xiluo'er Village was near the Clover Grand Canyon, where an earthquake in ancient times had created countless fault lines. The terrain was complex, and countless people had gotten lost there, some never finding their way out before they died.

With Mira leading the way, the two wound back and forth through several twists and turns before finally reaching Xiluo'er Village.

Looking at the somewhat dilapidated village before him, Hughes couldn't help wondering what was worth staying here for.

The place was sparsely populated, the environment was poor, and wild beasts attacked. Couldn't they live somewhere else?

Someone was patrolling at the entrance to Xiluo'er Village. Mira stepped forward and showed the guild emblem on her hand to prove who she was.

"Hello, we're mages from Fairy Tail. We're here to carry out your request!"

The patrolman looked at them curiously. "Wait here a moment. I'll call the village chief over!"

The village chief came after being notified and looked at Mira hesitantly. "You're mages from Fairy Tail?"

She's still a child, isn't she?

Mira nodded to Hughes, who understood what she meant and immediately burst into flames all over.

"Don't worry. It's just driving away wild beasts. With our strength, it'll be easy.

"Don't be fooled by how small our boss is. She runs with the underworld. If she turns into a demon and fires a demon laser from her mouth, she could destroy the entire Clover Grand Canyon!"

Hughes patted the Xiluo'er Village chief on the shoulder, his tone suggesting the man had gotten a great deal.

The elderly chief of Xiluo'er Village trembled and shakily wiped the barely perceptible sweat from his forehead. "A... a demon? So this young lady is that powerful!

"And you, young warrior, next time you pat someone on the shoulder, you don't have to hit so hard!"

The Xiluo'er Village chief thought it was only because he was hale and hearty. Had it been another old man, Hughes might have been on his knees by now, begging him not to die.

Hughes: ...

Mira sighed inwardly. "Sir, please tell us about the mission..."

"Certainly, Miss Demon!"

"The Clover Grand Canyon's unique terrain means that few people venture into it, so it has become a paradise for wild beasts and magical beasts.

"But food in the canyon is limited, so every year, when there isn't enough, they come out of the canyon to attack the surrounding villages and steal food.

"We prepare ourselves every time, but this year they attacked two months earlier than usual, catching us off guard.

"So we had no choice but to send a request to the nearest mage guild for help. All you need to do is drive them away."

After hearing the Xiluo'er Village chief out, Hughes picked up the bags from the ground. He wanted to turn around and go back to the guild.

According to his analysis, informed by the countless TV dramas and anime he had watched, something abnormal was bound to have a sinister cause. There had to be a story behind the wild beasts attacking Xiluo'er Village two months early.

A demon awakening from a seal, a villain plotting to destroy the world...

Mira, standing beside him, gave Hughes a hard kick from behind. He had spoken his thoughts aloud again.