On a small snow-capped mountain near "Ice Lake Village."
Though it was called a mountain, it was really just a pile of rocks about thirty meters tall...
All the surrounding larger mountains had been flattened, so this one had earned the title of "mountain" by default.
"Ice Lake Village" didn't always go by that name, nor did it originally have an ice lake. It used to be a snowy mountain range.
According to legend, about four years ago...
A powerful mage, said to be on par with the "Ten Wizard Saints," passed through this area and encountered the demon Deliora, who had ravaged the continent for four hundred years. The two clashed in a battle of epic proportions.
For three days and three nights, they fought, their struggle turning the world upside down!
The village was destroyed, the entire mountain range shattered!
The earth was torn open, creating a massive rift...
The snow from the mountains melted under the force of their magic, filling the rift and forming a massive artificial lake. This lake gave the village its new name, Ice Lake Village.
There were also rumors...
That the mage, using the last of his strength, sealed the demon away.
Deliora: "Stop spreading lies! I wasn't that impressive..."
At the top of the mountain...
Shadows resembling large birds or eagles circled in the sky.
Below, a group of bandits had gathered, their faces filled with wicked glee and arrogance.
Several of these bandits, clearly lackeys destined to meet a bad end, crowded around a scar-faced man, flattering him with fawning smiles.
"Boss, your plan's genius! Buying that magic device from the neighboring country to control the Wyverns, disguising them as wild beasts to attack nearby villages, and then pretending to be guild mages to drive them off—that's brilliant! This way, we can legally collect protection fees."
"Heh, well, the villagers are just too naive."
"They don't trust the kingdom's army or the Magic Council, but they believe in those damn Fairy Tail mages!"
"Let me tell you something—the local lord has long been fed up with these villagers! Since the lake is on his land, it should belong to him!"
"But these fools had the nerve to reject the lord's offer to jointly develop the area and insisted on managing it themselves. Just think about how valuable that lake is! How could a small village handle it? They'll choke on it!"
"But this works in our favor. Now we can keep raking in money, and no one will bother us—not the Magic Council, and not the lord."
The scar-faced man, who the others called their boss, yawned lazily, clearly unconcerned.
"Boss, I'm still worried."
Standing next to him was a bespectacled man, whose furrowed brow and anxious eyes reflected deep concern.
"Worried about what?"
The scarred boss asked, turning to face him.
"Isn't it risky to impersonate Fairy Tail mages like this? They're not the type to mess around, and their guild master, Makarov, is one of the most powerful wizards in Ishgar…"
The bespectacled man bit his lip, clearly nervous.
The reputation of Makarov, one of the Ten Wizard Saints, was well-known.
Even before he was born, Makarov had been a dominant figure across the continent, a true living legend.
"Hahaha!"
"I thought you were worried about something serious!"
"Fairy Tail? Just ignore them."
"Their guild's all the way on the western coast of Fiore, and we're here in the eastern interior. Do you really think they'll travel thousands of miles from one end of the kingdom to the other just to deal with us?"
The scar-faced boss laughed, his voice filled with derision.
"Besides, this kingdom is huge. Ordinary people can spend their entire lives and never see all of it!"
(For context, Fiore is roughly the size of Australia. It's on the far edge of the continent, so yeah, it's pretty vast.)
"I still don't feel right..."
The bespectacled man muttered.
"Four years ago, the person who fought and defeated Deliora—what if they were from Fairy Tail? That would explain why the villagers hold the guild in such high regard and reject all other forces."
"Because in their darkest hour, Fairy Tail mages were the ones who saved them..."
The bespectacled man's anxiety grew as he continued to voice his concerns.
"Pfft…"
"You're saying this mountain was destroyed by a battle between a human and a demon?"
"That's ridiculous. Humans aren't that much stronger than each other."
"And we've seen the Magic Council's enforcement division—they're just a bunch of weaklings who can't do anything without their staffs!"
The scar-faced boss laughed off his concerns.
"But..."
The bespectacled man tried to protest.
"No buts..."
"Didn't we already investigate it? Deliora was punished by the heavens for all his evil deeds. He got hit by a meteor and died!"
The scarred boss said confidently.
"R-Right..."
The bespectacled man nodded, though he still frowned, feeling a nagging sense of unease, like disaster was looming.
"Hey!"
"So you do know that Deliora was struck down by divine punishment, huh?"
"Then aren't you worried that impersonating Fairy Tail mages to scam people will get you struck down too?"
A voice, ethereal and mysterious, suddenly echoed around them.
"Who's there?!"
"Show yourself!"
"Come out now!"
The bandits immediately tensed, drawing their weapons as they scanned their surroundings, fear creeping into their eyes.
"Haha..."
"If there's divine punishment, let it come! I can handle it!"
"As for you..."
"If you've got the guts, why don't you come out and face me like a man?"
The scarred boss gripped his weapon tightly, his voice low and cold as he scanned the area.
"Who am I?"
"I am your divine punishment!"
"Look up. I've brought you a gift."
"I hope you'll like it!"
The mysterious voice echoed again, sending chills down the spines of the bandits.
At that moment, they instinctively looked up.
Three dark figures were hurtling toward them from the sky.
But what truly terrified them wasn't those three figures…
It was the massive snowball, nearly a hundred meters in diameter, plummeting from the heavens like a meteor, following closely behind them.
"Wha…"
The scar-faced boss's jaw dropped in disbelief as he stared at the descending snowball.
His words had come true—divine punishment had arrived.
Unfortunately for him, it seemed he wouldn't be able to handle it after all.
---
Thank you everyone for the stones! Here is the bonus chap for reaching 300 stones!
For The Next Milestone Lets Aim For 400 Power Stones.
Also if you notice any issues or errors, you can always point them in the comments and I will fix them as soon as possible :)