Although it was just some trivial information, Kabe still politely thanked the two of them.
"Thanks, you two. I still have a job to finish, so I won't bother you any longer. If fate allows, let's meet again in Hargeon."
Once he finished speaking, he did not give them any chance to ask him to stay. Kabe suddenly burst forward, accelerating past their carriage. A few light leaps later, he had already left the entire convoy far behind.
Old Sandy and Koma leaned out of the carriage, bodies tilted, staring blankly as Kabe's figure shot off into the distance.
At this point, they really did start to believe that the boy had actually rushed all the way here from Magnolia.
Koma smacked his lips, sat back down with an emotional sigh.
"That is exactly why I don't want to join a guild. Even little kids like that are as terrifying as monsters. A guy like me, who only knows a few tricks that look more like circus stunts than magic, should honestly just keep doing guard work."
"Don't lose heart. That kid is a member of a big guild like Fairy Tail. Ordinary guilds can't be compared to that."
Old Sandy gave a bitter smile as he tried to comfort his partner.
"Fairy Tail, huh... What an incredible guild. If I ever get the chance, I definitely want to go see it with my own eyes."
...
After parting from the two kind strangers he had met by chance, Kabe spent another half hour on the road before he finally reached Hargeon.
Unlike Magnolia, he was forced to stop his training the moment he drew near the city gate.
"Name, place of residence, and purpose of coming to Hargeon?"
A city guard with a stony expression stepped in front of Kabe and blocked his path, questioning him in an official tone.
"Kabe. Currently residing in Magnolia. I am here to carry out a request."
He once again rolled up his sleeve and revealed the Fairy Tail emblem on his left shoulder.
The moment the guard clearly saw the emblem on the boy's shoulder, his expression changed from indifferent to tense. He gripped his spear in a panic and raised his shield defensively in front of his chest.
"F, Fairy Tail! What are you terrorists doing in Hargeon?!"
His shout triggered an immediate chain reaction. The squad of guards on duty nearby rushed over to support him, spears lowered as they surrounded Kabe in a tight ring.
The merchants and civilians who had been waiting to enter the city hurriedly backed away from the scene, as if afraid that they would be caught up in some disaster.
Looking at the soldiers hemming him in on all sides, then at the people in the distance pointing and whispering about him, Kabe's forehead instantly filled with dark lines.
Right. This was exactly the kind of reputation Fairy Tail members had out in the wider world.
In the eyes of ordinary people, they were Fiore's strongest guild, the very definition of power and brilliance.
But in the eyes of local guards and the Magic Council, they were nothing but a dangerous group of wrecking balls.
Wherever they went, they caused damage of one scale or another.
Even though they always exercised restraint, never caused casualties among civilians, and never shorted anyone on compensation afterward, their style of doing things was naturally disliked by local law enforcers and the people in charge.
Counting one by one in his heart, silently cursing every single person in the guild for dragging his reputation down, Kabe took out the written request with a blank face and showed it to the guards.
"Fairy Tail is a legal guild officially recognized by the royal family and the Magic Council. I also accepted this request through completely formal channels. If you do not have a reasonable justification, then just for pointing your weapons at me like this, I am fully within my rights to appeal to the royal family and the Council, and accuse Hargeon of interfering with the duties of a legal guild mage."
When he finished speaking, Kabe gave a shameless little grin and added provocatively:
"And based on previous experience, these things, once investigated, are basically guaranteed wins. You don't want to get punished for no reason, do you?"
The guard who had first stopped Kabe clenched his spear so hard it creaked as he glared at that punchable smiling face.
Yet what Kabe said was perfectly reasonable. Before the other party had violated any laws of the kingdom, the guard really had no grounds to detain or drive him away.
Their gazes clashed for a few seconds, neither of them backing down. In the end, the city guards were the ones who had to concede.
"Apologies. We were being rash. However, I hope you understand that your every action is under strict supervision by the laws of the kingdom. If you dare break even a single law, I will throw you into a cell without hesitation."
With that, he put away his hostile stance and stepped to the side, leaving a path open for Kabe.
"Thanks for the warning. I will be careful."
Kabe smiled and tucked away the request sheet. Under the hostile stares of the assembled guards, he left them with that one line, then strode calmly into the city, disappearing from their sight a moment later.
...
The little incident at the city gate did not bother Kabe in the slightest.
In the two years since he had come to this world, he had already spent time in jail twice. By now, he was an old hand at dealing with officials.
Walking through the streets of Hargeon, he did not rush to meet up with Mira right away. Instead, he first chose a restaurant by the roadside and had himself a grand meal, spending freely.
Only after that, timing it carefully, did he head over to the station entrance to wait.
A whole day on the train had not in the least dampened Mira's enthusiasm for her first mission.
The moment the train pulled in and stopped at the platform, Mira was already jumping down from the carriage, carrying one big and one small bag of luggage.
"Wow, as expected of one of the kingdom's famous cities. Even the station is several times bigger than Magnolia's."
Looking at the station entrance, which was wider, brighter, and far more crowded than Magnolia's, Mira could not help sighing in admiration.
Just then, a hand suddenly rested on her soft, fair shoulder.
Almost as a reflex, Mira swung her elbow back with all her strength.
"Man!"
With a familiar scream, Mira turned around in anger.
What she saw was Kabe, bent over and clutching his nose, glaring at her with murderous eyes.
Mira's anger vanished in an instant. She hurried forward to help the teammate she had just mercilessly smashed, sticking out her pink tongue as she apologized.
"Sorry, sorry, I didn't realize it was you. I was a little jumpy."
Only after speaking did Mira suddenly realize something and exclaim in surprise.
"Wait, you actually got here before me. Is your body made of metal or something? You were faster than the train!"
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