Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Rosemary Village.
April, x785.
A few days have passed since Fairy Tail's trial against the Magic Council concluded. In that time, thanks to the many media outlets around the continent, the outcome of the trial has been circulated to nearly every person on Ishgar. In fact, the news had even made it to people on other continents as well. Though, the interest in news on other continents was quite low.
Meanwhile, as the details of the new Magic Council system were being ironed out, Gran Doma and the available Wizard Saints, which included Makarov, were taking care of the Magic Council's duties for the time being.
As for Fairy Tail, they were back to business as usual. Even Alfonzo, who had not taken a quest in months due to his research on Fairy Sphere, preparing for the trial against the Magic Council, and designing the training rooms and their control mechanisms for Mermaid Heel, was finally back to proper wizarding work.
And today, along with Erza, he was standing outside of a small, rural village.
"It looks just like I remember." Erza said in a nostalgic tone.
"So, this is the village where you lived before... that happened, huh?" Alfonzo asked while spreading his [Magic Power Detection] and radar waves.
'There's a large tunnel passing underneath this village.' Alfonzo thought as he examined the feedback from his detection skills. 'I guess this is part of the big ass transmutation circle the homunculus are making.'
["It makes sense."] bedlam replied. ["There was a massacre here in the past, after all."]
'Yeah, it makes me wonder if those mother fuckers had something to do with it being attacked in the first place.' Alfonzo wondered.
["I still say you should just storm their hideout and kill them all."] Riot grumbled.
"Still, I wonder who rebuilt it." Erza said, pulling Alfonzo's attention away from his internal conversation.
"Well, since we have to meet the village chief anyway, I'm sure we'll find out soon." Alfonzo said with a gentle smile while wrapping his right arm around Erza's waist and letting his hand rest on her hip.
"You're right." Erza replied with a smile as she snuggled a little closer to Alfonzo.
"Then, shall we?" Alfonzo asked with a smile.
"Yes, let's." Erza replied with a smile of her own.
With that, the couple made their way into the village. As they did, they caught a lot of attention from the villagers. Though, no one seemed keen on coming to talk to them.
Eventually, Alfonzo and Erza arrived outside the largest house in the village. Thinking the size of the house indicated the homeowner's status in the village, they assumed that it was the village chief's home.
*Knock!* *Knock!* *Knock!*
Once at the front door, Alfonzo knocked with his free hand. Then, after a few moments, he and Erza could hear footsteps on the other side of the door.
"Just a minute." Came the sound of a deep, yet vaguely familiar, male voice from the other side of the door.
Then, after another moment, the door was opened, and the person behind it surprised both Alfonzo and Erza.
"Can I… help… you…?" A large, muscular, black-haired man with a metal plate on his jaw and an eye patch over his eye asked. Though, he trailed off at the end.
Just like Alfonzo and Erza, he was also surprised when he recognized the people knocking on his door.
"Simon, is that you?" Erza asked in a tone mixed with equal parts happiness and surprise. "You're the chief of this village?"
"Erza?" Simon replied in a dumbfounded tone as he stared at Erza blankly. Then, he absent-mindedly answered her question. "Uh, yeah, I rebuilt our old village and became its chief."
"I'm here too, you know." Alfonzo said playfully while grinning at Simon.
Alfonzo's playful question was enough to pull Simon out of his stupor. Then, he glanced at Alfonzo out of the corner of his eye. And when he saw the grin on his face, his brows furrowed.
"I really wish you weren't." Simon replied coldly.
"Aww, come on, man." Alfonzo said with a smile. "Don't be like that, we're here to help with your magical beast problem."
"Indeed." Erza replied with a nod, her surprised expression morphing into a solemn one. "The request said you were being attacked by Crow Tengu, correct?"
Hearing that, Simon exhaled a sigh. Then, he stepped aside and gestured for Alfonzo and Erza to enter the house.
A few minutes later, Alfonzo and Erza were seated side by side on a couch in Simon's living room. Meanwhile, Simon had just entered the room, carrying a tray with a teapot and three tea cups. Then, after setting the tray on the coffee table, pouring a cup of tea for the three of them, and taking a seat himself, Simon finally got to the details about the quest.
"*Sigh* This village has only been operational for three months and we're already being attacked like this." Simon said in a tired tone.
"But that doesn't make sense." Alfonzo replied with a frown. "Usually, Crow Tengu live in mountainous regions away from contact with other living beings. I mean, sure there is a mountain not too far away, but why would they be living so close to humans? Unless…"
"They made the mountain their home during the years when no one lived here." Erza said, finishing Alfonzo's sentence. "And now, they're attacking because you invaded their perceived territory."
"As far as I can tell, that's correct." Simon replied with a nod. "And considering how long this area was just a village ruin, it's also the most reasonable conclusion."
In response, both Alfonzo and Erza nodded.
"But I don't get it." Alfonzo said with a slight frown. "You're actually pretty strong, Simon. And Crow Tengu are usually only A-Class magic beasts. So, what's going on? Are there just too many for you to handle? Or is there some kind of anomaly in that murder of crows?"
"*Sigh* Both, unfortunately." Simon replied. "On top of their flock having an abnormally high number, they also have two leaders that are stronger than me. I'm just lucky they haven't both attacked at the same time. Otherwise, I'm afraid this village would have been destroyed again."
"Does that mean they are just killing people randomly?" Erza asked. "Your quest sheet only asked us to deal with a group of Crow Tengu. But there wasn't much more information than that."
"Yeah, in fact, if it weren't for the location being Rosemary Village, we probably would not have taken this quest due to the lack of information." Alfonzo added.
"Is that why it took so long for a guild to respond to my request?" Simon asked with an eye brow raised.
"Exactly." Erza replied with a nod. "You didn't even mention if the victims of the attacks were being killed or taken away. For all anyone who read it would know is that the Crow Tengu were just harassing the village without causing any major damage."
"I see..." Simon said while nodding in understanding. "This is the first time I've ever put in a request from the Legal Guilds. So, that will be helpful for the future. Though, I pray I never need to use that information."
"Actually, I'm surprised your sister didn't respond to your request." Alfonzo said. "I mean, even though you didn't put your name on the request as the village chief, she should recognize the name too, right?"
Hearing Alfonzo mention his sister, Simon tensed while he glared at Alfonzo warily. However, after a moment, he realized that now was not the time for that. So, he relaxed slightly before responding to the question.
"*Sigh* I made sure that the request did not make it to Mermaid Heel." Simon replied. "I didn't want Kagura to see the village in this state. As far as she knows, everything in the village is fine."
"Simon, you really shouldn't keep things from her like that." Erza said sternly. "She's your sister. And I'm sure she would want to help you through this."
After reaching this point, Erza turned towards Alfonzo, and her gaze softened into something gentle and loving as she gripped his hand in hers.
"That's what family does, after all." Erza continued with a smile.
At the same time, Alfonzo thought he heard the sound of one of Simon's molars cracking. But he decided it was just his imagination a moment later while ignoring the pain-filled glare he was receiving.
"*Cough* Anyway, what have the Crow Tengu been doing when they attack?" Alfonzo asked, bringing the conversation back on track.
In response, Simon took a deep breath to push down his agitation. Meanwhile, Erza's expression changed back to a solemn one as she waited for Simon's answer.
"For the most part, they only cause confusion and mayhem." Simon replied. "Luckily, they don't just slaughter the people randomly. However, when the leaders of the flock make their appearance, they usually target a person, an adult at their peak, and try to abduct them."
Hearing that, Alfonzo and Erza's gazes sharpened.
"While I can get between them and their target, most of the time, that usually doesn't matter." Simon continued. "Because one of their subordinates will just take the person away while I'm distracted."
At that point, Simon lowered his head in shame.
"Lucky for me, as soon as they secure their target, the whole group leaves, including the leader." Simon said in a tone of self-loathing. "No matter how close to killing me it is."
With that, the room lapsed into silence for the next few minutes.
"Simon, I know you must feel guilty for surviving despite the fact that your villagers are being taken away." Erza said. "But without you, it's likely that this village would have been destroyed much sooner."
"I know, but…" Simon replied while clenching his fists.
"Anyway, that's why we're here. Alfonzo replied with a reassuring smile. "We'll handle those crows, just give us as much information as you can about them."
"*Sigh* Right." Simon replied with a nod.
Then, Simon went on to tell Alfonzo and Erza everything he knew about the Murder of Crow Tengu living on the nearby mountain.
As it turned out, like most bird species, they don't have much activity at night. So, all the attacks have come during the day. However, like most magical beasts, they have the ability to navigate through darkness, making Simon's [Dark Moment] spell useless. It even makes catching their prey easier as they can't see where to run to.
"One more thing..." Simon said. "They usually only attack twice per week. And since they just attacked the day before yesterday, there should be a few more days until they attack again."
Hearing that, Erza's eyes lit up.
"That means I'll have some time to explore the village, right?" Erza asked excitedly.
"That's right." Simon replied with a smile.
Hearing that, Erza smiled as well. Then, she wrapped her arms around Alfonzo's.
"Then, I'll be able to show you around the village." Erza said while looking into Alfonzo's eyes.
At the same time, Alfonzo saw Simon's smile cramp in real time. He also thought he saw the number "9999" pop up over Simon's head for a second. But he once again wrote it off as a figment of his imagination.
"Sure." Alfonzo replied with a smile. "And while we're at it, I'll make some upgrades to the houses. That way, while we're dealing with the Crow Tengu, the people in their houses should be safer."
"Yeah, and as long as we have our [Magic Power Detection] active, we'll be able to give an early warning, giving the people time to retreat to their houses." Erza added.
Meanwhile, Simon wore an uncertain expression after hearing the unfamiliar term.
"[Magic Power Detection]?" Simon inquired.
"Ah!" Erza exclaimed, realizing that she let that slip in her excitement.
"*Sigh* It's fine, Erza." Alfonzo said as he began combing his fingers through Erza's hair. "Because he's the chief of your old village, I don't mind."
As he finished speaking, Alfonzo shifted his gaze to Simon.
"We'll teach you the spell so that you can keep the village safe, Simon." Alfonzo said with a solemn expression on his face. "But [Magic Power Detection] is an exclusive spell of our guild. So, I need your word that you won't teach it to anyone else. Not even your sister."
'Damn, I really need to learn [Contract Magic] for situations like this.' Alfonzo thought to himself.
["Yeah, but the kind of magic you're thinking of would be a kind of [Dark Art]."] Bedlam replied, pouring cold water on Alfonzo's thoughts.
["So what?"] Riot exclaimed with a sneer. ["People who can't keep promises deserve harsh punishments. And losing their ability to use magic seems fitting."]
Meanwhile, Erza was also having a conversation with her [Soul Armament Spirit], as well.
'I can't believe I let that slip out.' Erza said mentally while beating herself up on the inside.
["You need not worry."] Said a female voice in a chivalrous tone. ["It is clear that Alfonzo understood it happened because of your care for our friend and former village."]
'I know, but like he said, it's a secret of Fairy Tail.' Erza replied.
["Indeed."] The [Soul Armament Spirit] replied. ["And should we ever find evidence that Simon betrayed our trust and the trust Alfonzo put in us, we shall return and make him pay with our own hands."]
'Um… Just out of curiosity, what kind of punishment are you thinking?' Erza said, thinking her [Soul Armament Spirit's] words sounded a bit too ominous.
["What other punishment is there for treachery?"] The [Spirit] asked. ["Though, because he has been a good friend for many years, we will not let him suffer and grant him a quick death."]
'Yeah, that's what I thought.' Erza muttered internally.'*Sigh* Alfonzo mentioned that our [soul Armament Spirits] manifest as amplified versions of certain emotions within us. And it's clear to see that mine manifested my sense of justice. Then, as Alfonzo likes to say, "cranked it up to eleven".'
Meanwhile, Simon actually considered giving his word and still telling his sister how to use the spell, just to spite Alfonzo. But several things stopped him from doing that in the end. The first being that Kagura would look down on him, as she had a very strong sense of justice. The second was that he did not want to break Erza's trust. And the third was the spike of killing intent he felt just when that thought crossed his mind, whose source he could not identify.