After dealing with these thugs, Marco returned to the village carrying several boxes—valuable loot seized during the operation, which counted as part of the mission's rewards.
Of course, he also brought back the heads of the bandit leaders.
Marco believed in thoroughness; since the villagers might not dare venture into the mountain hideout to verify the outcome, he made sure to present the evidence.
Thud.
Dropping the bandit leaders' heads unceremoniously on the ground, Marco handed the mission report to the village chief, who accepted it with trembling hands.
The old man was genuinely startled.
This cheerful, sunny-faced young man had acted with such ruthless efficiency!
While capturing the bandits alive was an option, the boy had chosen to eliminate them outright.
Not that it was unjustified—
"Bit of a contrast, huh?"
Noticing the chief's shifting expression, Marco grinned and asked.
"W-well, this works too. Saves the trouble."
Beads of sweat formed on the chief's forehead as he hesitated before nodding in agreement.
"Exactly—saves the trouble. Waiting for authorities to arrest them would've wasted time." Marco nodded seriously.
Some might not have deserved death, but once they chose banditry, such distinctions became meaningless.
"You're absolutely right, absolutely right!"
The chief signed the report immediately.
His initial shock aside, he felt no sympathy for these murderous scum—they deserved to be wiped out!
"Here's the mission payment, young Marco. Would you like it now or together with the next one?"
The chief had the reward ready without delay—a reliable man, as evidenced by how he'd handled Juvia's situation.
"Combine them." Marco declined for now, leaving the seized valuables with the chief too.
He'd avoided storing them at Juvia's place to prevent temptation—better keep them secure here.
Though nervous, the chief agreed.
They couldn't have Marco lugging supplies while hunting the monster.
"What kind of beast are we dealing with?"
Before departing, Marco casually inquired—promptly met with the chief's blank stare.
"Unknown. Only that it's humanoid, massive, with razor claws and a taste for flesh. Many died have their inside missings, their corpses... heavily gnawed."
The chief shared these horrifying details—hard-won intelligence paid for in lives.
Only desperation had driven them to hire a mage.
"Got it."
With a nod, Marco left the village to track the creature.
He'd made a point of visiting Juvia beforehand, comforting the girl with a few words.
In his two-day absence, her anxiety had clearly resurfaced—the village's rains had grown heavier again.
After meeting Marco and being briefly warmed by the sunlight radiating from him, the gloom in Juvia's heart dissipated slightly, and the rain clouds above the village thinned a little as well.
Having such immediate feedback was actually quite amusing.
Ahem, of course, it wasn't amusing for Juvia.
They still needed to find a way to resolve her issue as soon as possible.
Otherwise, once they returned to Fairy Tail, having constant rain around the guild would be a real problem—it might even flood the place.
Lost in thought, Marco stepped into the forest.
When he emerged again, he was holding a wolf's head in his hand.
"Ugh, what a waste of time."
Muttering under his breath, Marco shook his head helplessly.
As expected, missions in such remote areas often had unreliable information.
He had thought it would be some fearsome magical beast, but it turned out to be just a random beast he could kill with a single kick—no wonder it had been lurking around with those bandits like a pair of useless schemers.
In frustration, Marco took out a few more magical beasts along the way.
In such isolated places, these creatures were genuinely dangerous.
Even a single one could make life miserable for the villagers.
Still, magical beasts usually didn't bother leaving the forest unless provoked.
Hunting animals in the woods was far less risky than attacking humans outside.
They only became aggressive when humans trespassed into their territory, treating them as an occasional snack.
"All done. Next time, just hire a small local guild for this kind of job—no need to go all the way to Fairy Tail."
After completing the mission, Marco kindly advised the village chief.
Logically, as a member of Fairy Tail, he shouldn't have said those things—after all, it meant less business for his guild.
But he still felt compelled to remind them.
Fairy Tail was too far away; if trouble arose, a nearby smaller guild could respond faster and handle minor issues with ease.
"Oh! I see now!"
The village chief blinked in surprise.
This was the first time their village had ever hired a mage, and they hadn't considered the logistics—they'd just gone for the most famous names, like Fairy Tail or Phantom Lord.
But the truth was, major guilds weren't keen on distant, low-paying jobs, making it hard to get immediate help.
"You don't need to travel so far next time, just check in with the nearest guild." Marco nodded.
Before coming, he'd checked—there was a mage guild in a nearby town, though it wasn't well-known.
"Got it, got it." The chief nodded repeatedly, recognizing Marco's goodwill.
His impression of this young mage from Fairy Tail was excellent—a capable and kind-hearted lad, though admittedly ruthless toward bandits.
"If there's nothing else, I'll take Juvia and go."
Taking the signed mission slip, Marco prepared to leave.
...
Juvia stood in the room, clutching her small bag of belongings with both hands, looking timid and well-behaved.
She hadn't packed much—just a few clothes, it seemed.
"Wait! Marco, here's the payment for both missions."
Seeing Marco about to leave with Juvia, the chief quickly stopped him.
The reward hadn't been handed over yet—he thought Marco had forgotten it.
"Keep the payment. Use it to tend to Juvia's parents' graves when you can." Marco waved his hand, indicating that no reward was necessary, and his words visibly stunned both the village chief and Juvia.
"This is what I should do!"
The village chief spoke with righteous conviction.
If it were just for this reason, he wouldn't accept it.
Marco had helped them, and there was no way they wouldn't offer any compensation.
"Then consider it as compensation for the losses Juvia has caused the village over the years." Marco smiled and continued.
Truthfully, he really didn't care for such a small reward—it only amounted to around 300,000 J.
For the village, that might be a significant sum, given how hard their lives were, but for him, it was negligible.
Leaving the money behind would be a way to foster goodwill.
After all, Juvia's parents' graves were still here, and he needed the chief to help look after them.
"..."
The chief fell silent, then sighed.
"Young Marco, others might not understand, but I refuse to believe you don't. What debt does Juvia owe this village? If anything, it's us who owe her..."
After a moment of silence and another sigh, the chief spoke earnestly, his words leaving Juvia even more bewildered.
She stood there in a daze, struggling to comprehend what he meant.
"So you do understand." Marco smiled.
The village chief had a good heart and was a wise man.
His protection and care for Juvia stemmed not just from morality but also from his awareness that it was Juvia's abilities that had safeguarded the village.
"That's why I'm truly happy you could help us deal with the monsters and bandits, and even take Juvia away. Now, we won't have to rely on her to protect the village anymore, and she can finally go to the world that truly belongs to her."
Looking at Juvia, the chief smiled warmly and with relief.
But his words made her eyes widen in shock.
"Protect the village? Me... me?"
Juvia pointed at herself, her face filled with disbelief.
It felt like she was dreaming—why were the chief's words so hard to grasp?
Was he really talking about her?
"That's right, Juvia. Your abilities have indeed protected the village from bandits and monsters. They should be thanking you."
Seeing Juvia's stunned expression, Marco chuckled and gave a firm answer, explaining the reason behind it.
Juvia's reaction was priceless.
"Of course, it did come with its fair share of losses. But everything has a cost, and this was the price of having you protect the village." Marco went on.
Constant rain for years had undoubtedly caused damage, but compared to being slaughtered by bandits or devoured by monsters, those losses were insignificant.
"..."
Juvia's mouth hung open, still struggling to believe it.
"Juvia, you've never owed anyone anything. Leave with peace of mind and chase the life meant for you. Become a great mage, just like Young Marco!"
The chief smiled at her as he spoke.
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