Natsu raised one of his hands in a reassuring manner, as if trying to calm the atmosphere before it even became heavy.
"Relax." His voice came out casual, almost lazy, contrasting with the visible tension in the room: "I didn't come to blow up the city or wreck your building. I know my reputation is bad when it comes to that, but seven years have passed. Before, I didn't have much control over my own magic, but now it's different..."
The comment elicited immediate reactions.
The woman arched her eyebrow slightly, surprised, while one of the men let out a half-sigh that seemed to contain both nervousness and relief at the same time. The other simply adjusted his posture, observing Natsu with even more attention.
It was inevitable.
The name Fairy Tail carried too much weight in Ishgar despite its decline, and Natsu Dragneel, in particular, came accompanied by stories that spread like wildfire through dry straw. Even those who had never had direct contact with the guild knew the exaggerations about its members, who had been reprimanded several times by the Magic Council for disturbances or destruction of public property... and, deep down, they knew that many of them weren't exaggerations at all...
"Our concern is not unfounded..." Said one of the men, clearing his throat before continuing. "The Fairy Tail reputation... well, it tends to precede any negotiation."
"Yeah..." Natsu agreed without getting bothered, scratching the back of his neck: "I think so. Even though in the last seven years our guild has gone into decline due to the lack of main members, it doesn't mean people have forgotten the mess we make on official missions..."
There was a brief silence.
Then the other man spoke, with a clearly more direct tone, almost incredulous.
"So... the rumors were true." He stared at Natsu as if confirming something that until then seemed impossible. "The Fairy Tail mages who disappeared seven years ago... have returned?"
Natsu smiled sideways.
"If I'm right here in front of you," he replied, simple and honest: "I think that answers the question."
The woman took a deep breath, crossing her hands on the table.
"Well, sorry for our cautious reaction. As you said, the reputation of being the strongest Guild in Fiore has spread even to these lands, and along with it came the fact that all members are troublesome, especially the famous mage who wielded a rare fire magic, known as Salamander... Who even blew up the port of Hargeon, where one of our branches was located..."
Natsu raised an eyebrow at that, what an incredible coincidence, huh... He ended up accepting a mission from a group of people who had been harmed by his past self. He sighed and apologized: "I understand, that explains your reaction... I hope this past doesn't interfere with our cooperation, and I'm sorry for that, as I said before, I didn't have very good control over my magic..."
The woman shook her head negatively: "... From our side, the cooperation will remain intact, and I didn't say that to offend you... Lately, we've been racking our brains with the problems mentioned in the mission poster published by us, if we ended up offending you, I apologize..."
"I understand..." Natsu pulled up a chair and sat down unceremoniously, resting his elbows on the table: "Now that we've discussed the past and decided to leave it aside. Let's get to the point. I want all the information about this mission. No beating around the bush."
The three exchanged quick glances, as if deciding who would speak first.
The woman took the lead.
"My name is Helena Varrow," she introduced herself: "I'm the chief representative of the Rosenfeld Commercial Association."
She indicated the two men.
"This is Darius Feldman, responsible for land routes and caravans."
"And that is Marcus Hale..." she completed, pointing to the other: "He oversees maritime traffic and oceanic routes."
Natsu memorized the names effortlessly.
Helena continued.
"A little over three months ago, we started recording very well-coordinated attacks." Her voice lost any trace of empty formality and became serious. "First, it was smaller caravans coming from the interior of Ishgar. Then, more important routes. Goods disappeared, escorts were found injured... or not found at all."
Darius clenched his fist on the table.
"At first, we thought they were common bandits..." He said with regret: "But the pattern doesn't match. They choose specific targets, avoid unnecessary direct confrontations, and disappear too quickly."
Marcus took over the speech right after, his tone heavier.
"And then the attacks at sea began." He cast a glance at the map on the wall. "Merchant ships being looted on routes that, theoretically, were safe. Crews left adrift. Cargoes taken without a trace."
Helena concluded, her expression hardening.
"I know that in the published mission, one of the reasons was to find out on your own who the responsible parties are. But in the last few days, we received new information about it. The group calls itself Black Tide."
The name hung in the air.
"They present themselves as pirates," she continued: "But they're not amateurs. They use magic, have inside information, and from what we've gathered, someone very competent is leading them."
Natsu rested his chin on his hand.
"Organized pirates, attacking land and sea, right under Rosenfeld's nose, which is neutral territory, this could turn into a ticking time bomb if Alakitasia, Guiltina, and Ishgar start blaming each other, it would increase tensions and could even be the reason for a war..." He let out a half-smile. "That explains the desperation."
Helena nodded.
"You're much smarter than the rumors say..." She stared at Natsu firmly. "Honestly, our biggest fear is that the tension between the three continents will start to increase to the point where they enter into conflict. Just because of this possibility, this mission could be classified as S-Class, the problem is that we sent the change two days ago, due to our recent discoveries... In fact, it would be a mistake to underestimate it based on classification, since Black Tide is a group of pirates that wouldn't lose even to the best Guilds in Ishgar..."
That was something he definitely didn't expect.
Fortunately, he had accepted the mission before it was upgraded to S-Class. The problem would arise the moment the Guild was officially notified; the old man would certainly send Erza or Mirajane to fetch him or, at the very least, to help him. That meant he needed to act quickly. Resolve everything he came to do and close the mission before any reinforcement arrived. If they left from Magnolia by train on the fastest route, it would take about a week to arrive, unlike him who took longer on purpose because of his training. Two days had already passed since the notification.
At most, five days remained.
Natsu let out a low laugh, almost amused, running his hand through his pink hair in a casual way.
"S-Class or not, that doesn't change much for me." He spoke with too much naturalness, as if commenting on the weather. "I'm already an S-Class Mage."
The statement came out clean, direct... and completely false.
But none of the three had any way of knowing that.
The effect was immediate.
Darius widened his eyes slightly. Marcus frowned, clearly recalculating everything he had heard up to that moment. Helena, in turn, remained silent for a few seconds, observing Natsu more carefully, as if trying to fit that information with the reports and rumors she knew.
"I see..." She said finally, in a controlled tone. "Well, since the Mission was updated, the reward was also increased to twenty million Jewels, and the objective is to destroy the Black Tide group..."
Natsu just shrugged.
"So, let's focus on the target." He leaned forward a bit, resting his forearms on the table. "Who exactly is behind Black Tide?"
Helena let out a slow sigh.
"That's the complicated part." She leaned back slightly in her chair. "Until recently, all we had were indications. But now... we have names."
She made a gesture with her hand, activating a small magical artifact on the table. A maritime map came to life, routes highlighted in blue light, with red dots marking attack locations.
"The leader of Black Tide is named Kael Vortigan..." She said, her voice lower: "Known in the seas as the Emperor of Currents."
"He's an extremely powerful water magic mage. Not the common type, all we know is that he sank entire fleets without leaving survivors."
Marcus added, with a somber expression.
"In Alakitasia, he's treated as a maritime calamity. There are records of coastal cities evacuated just on the suspicion that his ship was approaching."
Natsu listened to everything in silence, his gaze attentive but without showing any real concern. On the contrary... there was a curious gleam in his eyes. If someone so impressive existed, why hadn't he been mentioned in the original story? That simply didn't make sense.
I mean, if it weren't for him accepting this mission, someone would inevitably have dealt with this problem. But who? No Fairy Tail member was ever cited as responsible for defeating him. That absence only made the situation even stranger.
The most logical answer came almost immediately. Very probably, it had been a Spriggan. After all, if that individual had caused problems within the emperor's territory, it wouldn't be absurd to imagine that one of the Twelve had been sent to eliminate him. Among all possibilities, that was the one that made the most sense to him at that moment...
That was a problem...
"And he doesn't work alone," Helena continued. "His first mate is someone equally dangerous."
She paused briefly.
"Ragnar Volkhart."
The name seemed to weigh even more.
"He used to be an S-Class Mage..." She explained. "He belonged to a guild in Guiltina called Feral Crown. He deserted a few years ago after an internal massacre."
Darius pressed his lips together.
"His magic is Take Over from what we've discovered. He uses hybrid forms of sea beasts and rare magical monsters. Two of them have been confirmed, the one called 'Shark Demon' where he assumes the form of a gigantic shark-man who has power over the sea, and the 'Leviathan' which is his most powerful form..."
"Besides that..." Marcus added: "Ragnar is a strategist. Most of the coordinated attacks... probably came from him."
Helena deactivated the magical artifact.
"These are all the confirmed information we have." She stared at Natsu seriously. "Kael Vortigan, a catastrophic-level water mage. Ragnar Volkhart, ex-S-Class, advanced Take Over. The rest of the crew is composed of experienced mages, mercenaries, and high-level criminals."
She took a deep breath.
"We don't know where their main base is. Nor when the next attack will be..."
The silence that followed Helena's last words was different from the previous ones.
Natsu tilted his head slightly, noticing the change almost immediately.
"So..." He said calmly, his voice low and direct: "What is Black Tide's real objective?"
The three didn't respond immediately.
Darius averted his gaze for an instant, clenching his jaw. Marcus crossed his arms, his body too rigid for someone who was just listening to a briefing. Their discomfort was visible, almost palpable.
Natsu leaned back in his chair, observing the three without hurry.
"Don't make me waste time..." He added, without aggression, but with firmness. "If I'm going to handle this alone, I need to know exactly what I'm getting into."
Helena closed her eyes for a brief second.
When she opened them again, the professional posture was still there, but there was something personal underneath. A weariness that didn't come from sleepless nights, but from fear hidden for too long.
"Their objective..." She began, hesitating: "It's not just looting routes or politically pressuring the continents as we initially thought..."
She interlaced her fingers on the table, tightly.
"It's my daughter."
The phrase fell like dead weight.
Darius closed his eyes, as if confirming something that was already implicit. Marcus averted his gaze to the map on the wall, his lips compressed into a hard line.
Natsu didn't react immediately, remaining silent.
Helena continued, her voice lower, but firm.
"My full name isn't just a position..." She said calmly: "I'm Helena Varrow, from the Varrow family. My daughter, Elayne, is twenty-two years old. Intelligent, educated, raised away from commercial intrigues whenever possible."
She swallowed hard before proceeding.
"About four months ago, Kael Vortigan saw her during a port negotiation in a coastal city of Rosenfeld. He wasn't present, but I recently discovered that some intermediaries sent him photos and everything else..."
Her fingers tightened even more against each other.
"He became interested in her."
Natsu felt the air around him cool slightly.
"Interested how?" He asked, already knowing he wouldn't like the answer.
Helena didn't avert her gaze this time.
"In the worst possible way." Her voice hardened. "Kael Vortigan is an extremely lascivious man. He doesn't hide it. Everything he desires, he takes. Cities, ships... women."
Darius spoke, his voice loaded with contained anger.
"Since then, the attacks have intensified. Always close to routes linked to the Association, when we identified Black Tide as responsible for all the attacks, he started sending indirect messages, that's when we discovered everything about his objective...
Helena nodded slowly.
"He wants me to deliver my daughter to him, that's what he said in a message he sent four days ago." She said, each word chosen carefully. "In exchange, he would cease the attacks on Rosenfeld. At least for a while."
The silence settled in again.
But now it was dense.
Natsu ran his tongue over his teeth, the carefree smile from before completely absent. His eyes were focused, cold in a way that didn't match the laid-back demeanor he had been showing since the start of the meeting.
"And your daughter?" He asked. "Where is she now?"
"As I've always kept her away from my work. He hasn't found her yet, but when I discovered he wanted her, I started hiding her..." Helena responded without hesitation. "In a safe place, under constant protection. Very few people know where."
She took another deep breath.
"But this isn't a permanent solution, I don't know how long this will last..."
Natsu stood up from the chair slowly.
The movement was calm, almost lazy, but there was something different about him now. A subtle pressure in the air, hard to explain, but impossible to ignore.
"So let me see if I got this right," He said, his voice too calm for the content: "A powerful pirate decided he wanted your daughter. He's using trade, politics, and fear as bargaining chips. And if no one does anything, he'll escalate this until he gets what he wants..."
He looked at the three.
Helena held his gaze.
"Yes."
Natsu adjusted the scarf around his neck, cracking his knuckles once.
"Great." The lopsided smile returned, now loaded with something dangerously sharp: "I hate that kind of person, it'll be a pleasure to wipe him out..."
Helena remained silent for a few seconds after Natsu's last words.
Then, something in her gave way.
The erect posture, the controlled expression, the calculated tone she had maintained since the beginning of that meeting simply unraveled. Her shoulders dropped slightly, and when she took a deep breath, it wasn't as a commercial representative, but as someone who had been holding back her own despair for too long.
"Natsu..." She called him by name for the first time, her voice faltering almost imperceptibly. "I'm not speaking now as the head of the Rosenfeld Commercial Association."
She squeezed her hands on the table, her fingers trembling.
"I'm speaking as a mother." Her eyes moistened, but she didn't cry. Not yet. "Please... help my daughter."
Darius lowered his head, unable to face the scene. Marcus averted his gaze, his jaw locked, as if the anger had nowhere to go.
Natsu stopped.
For an instant, the air around him seemed to become completely still.
"Relax." He said calmly: "This is no longer your problem."
Helena blinked, surprised.
"I'm going to handle this. That Kael guy made the wrong choice. And he's going to pay for it."
He shrugged.
"You're not going to hand over your daughter. You're not going to negotiate. And you're not going to lose any more nights of sleep over this."
The laid-back tone only made the words even firmer.
Helena felt her throat tighten. For the first time since everything started, something resembling hope arose in her chest.
"Thank you..." She murmured, almost in a whisper.
Natsu was already turning toward the door.
"Prepare a ship." He said over his shoulder. "I want it ready tomorrow morning."
Marcus raised his head immediately.
"Tomorrow?" He widened his eyes. "But we don't know exactly where—"
"Prepare it." Natsu repeated, without raising his voice. "We'll head toward the most attacked route. I'm sure they'll show up..."
Darius nodded slowly.
"We'll take care of it."
Natsu placed his hand on the doorknob, but stopped before leaving. He looked sideways, as if only then remembering something much more mundane.
"Ah." A lazy half-smile appeared: "Is there any decent place to eat around here?"
The three blinked, caught completely off guard by the abrupt change in tone.
"And an inn." He completed. "I'm going to spend the night in the city."
Helena was the first to react.
"Yes... of course." She cleared her throat, composing herself as best she could. "The Blue Phoenix Inn is two streets from here. The food is good and the place is discreet."
"Perfect." Natsu nodded satisfied.
He opened the door.
Before leaving, he cast one last look at Helena.
"Take care of your daughter." He said calmly: "The rest is on me."
The door closed behind him.
And, for the first time in days, the weight suffocating the room seemed to lessen, even if just a little...
___________________________
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