Kabe's nose throbbed with a sharp sting. He glared at her unhappily, speaking in a muffled voice through his pain.
"My body could be made of alloy and you would still manage to injure it. Seriously, Mirajane, we just met up and you already assaulted your teammate. If I were the examiner for this mission, I would fail you on the spot."
"Ugh, you are so petty. I did not do it on purpose."
Watching Mirajane cling to his arm, dressed like a little delinquent yet acting like the girl-next-door as she whined and wheedled, Kabe felt most of his irritation melt away.
"Alright, alright, enough idle chatter. Have you eaten? Do not forget we still have real work to do."
"Yup, let us hurry up and start. I am in top condition right now."
Having already eaten dinner on the train, Mirajane was eager to get going. She slapped her flat chest with both hands, producing a couple of hollow thumps.
Considering the future nutritional prospects of their children, Kabe very gentlemanly caught her hands and stopped her.
"A girl should not be so rough. Since you are fine, let us go straight to meet the client. I already asked around and got the location."
Mirajane's hand, held firmly in his, made the tips of her ears turn a faint pink. She nodded blankly, letting Kabe take the luggage out of her hands. With that, he led her out of the station.
"According to the details on the request, our client this time is named Babitt Primo. Supposedly a very influential noble in the southern region of the kingdom. When we see him later, you speak less. I will handle the negotiations, understood?"
"Okaaay..."
Mirajane's answer was absentminded at best, but Kabe did not make a fuss about it. As long as she understood the gist, it was fine.
After weaving left and right through the streets for quite some time, the two of them finally found the client's mansion in the upper district.
It was an elegant estate with its own garden. The lawn inside had been trimmed to a perfectly neat carpet of green, and all kinds of flowers they could not even name bloomed in brilliant clusters.
At the gate of the estate stood a squad of private soldiers in full plate armor, keeping watch. Just seeing this much was enough to guess how wealthy the owner of this place had to be.
Heh, we really hooked a big fish this time.
Thinking that to himself, Kabe shot Mirajane a "follow my lead" look, then took the initiative and walked toward the guards at the gate.
They had barely approached when the dutiful guards noticed them and immediately barked a warning.
"Who goes there? This is the Primo family manor. No loitering allowed."
Kabe had expected that sort of reaction. He calmly took out the request form and stated his purpose.
"I am a mage from Fairy Tail, here specifically to complete Lord Babitt's request."
"Fairy Tail? Two kids?"
A man who looked like a squad captain muttered under his breath. He took the request sheet, checked it carefully, then glanced at the guild emblem on Kabe's body to verify his identity before speaking again.
"Come with me. You are not the first mages to arrive. But the more people the master has, the better. I will take you to see him."
Kabe did not react much to anything else the man said, but when he heard that other guilds had also come to compete for this job, he raised an eyebrow.
"Can I ask which guilds they are from? Do not tell me it is those idiots from Phantom Lord."
The captain did not react at all to Kabe bad-mouthing another mage guild to his face. His tone stayed cool and indifferent.
"You will know soon enough."
Kabe, realizing he was only making things awkward for himself, stopped asking questions. He signaled Mirajane to follow, and the three of them entered the estate together.
Their timing was actually quite good. At that moment, the master of the manor, Babitt Primo, was holding a banquet to entertain the mages he had hired.
When the noble lord heard that Fairy Tail had sent people as well, he was delighted. He immediately ordered his butler to bring them in at once.
Soon, the mages from Fairy Tail, whom he had been so eager to see, were led into Babitt's presence.
However, the instant Babitt saw what they looked like, the smile on his face faded, his interest plunging.
"Is this how little Fairy Tail thinks of me, sending only two children?"
Just as they were brought into the dining hall, Kabe heard the displeasure in the client's tone. He stopped surveying the lavish surroundings and shifted his focus to the thin, middle-aged man seated at the head of the long table.
"You must be Lord Babitt Primo? A pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Kabe from Fairy Tail, and this is my partner, Mirajane."
Kabe did not bow and scrape just because the other man was a noble. His introduction was calm and straightforward.
Such an attitude immediately made Babitt label him as lacking in manners.
"Hmph. Forget it. Find yourselves a seat."
Babitt waved his hand carelessly and pointed to the side, indicating that the two of them should sit wherever they liked.
Kabe did not stand on ceremony. He turned and calmly led Mirajane to two empty chairs and sat down.
Only after settling in did he have the leisure to look over the other mages at the table, the "colleagues" sent by other guilds.
First, he looked to the person beside him. It was a stunning woman with green hair, an icy, aloof face, and elegant movements in everything she did.
The sensual lady wore only a black bra-like top with wing patterns on it and a deep red fur-trimmed cloak over her shoulders.
At a glance, there was an expanse of snow-white skin on display that was impossible to miss.
Kabe could not help doubting if this woman was really here for legitimate work. Was this outfit even remotely proper?
Perhaps noticing his scrutinizing gaze, the woman turned and looked straight at him.
Seeing how young and tender his face was, she could not keep the corners of her lips from curling in silent mockery.
What are you staring at? Believe it or not, I will take you down right here.
Stabbed right in his pride by that mocking smile, Kabe instantly glared back at her.
The woman snorted through her nose and turned her head away in annoyance.
Although his first impression of the woman was far from good, Kabe's sharp eyes still caught the clear guild emblem on the left side of her abdomen.
Blue Pegasus.
He knew plenty about that guild, and their master happened to be an old friend of Makarov. So Kabe graciously decided to forgive her for that little bit of provocation.
When he shifted his gaze further across the table, looking at the two figures seated opposite him, his brows instinctively tightened.
They were a pair of men with similar features, clearly twin brothers. The one sitting with arms crossed, appearing calm and steady, was the older brother, Bart.
The man beside him, constantly jiggling his leg and radiating impatience, was the younger brother, Wright.
The only reason Kabe knew them so clearly was because right before he set out, he had seen their wanted posters pinned to the guild's request board.
—--------------------------------
Author's Note: Babitt is from Author's universe