"The Great Forest of Monsters?!" Levy cried out in shock.
Jet looked at her. "What? You know about it, Levy?"
Levy nodded. "It's recorded in the magic archives. The Great Forest of Monsters is one of the legendary 'forbidden zones' for humans. It's said to be home to over a million magical beasts."
"A million?! How many is that? I can't count that high! Happy, lend me your fingers!" Natsu was shocked, frantically trying to count on his hands.
Happy shot back, "Forget my fingers— even if you borrowed all my fur, it wouldn't be enough!"
Gray asked, "If that forest has so many monsters, isn't the kingdom afraid of being destroyed?"
Makarov explained, "That's what makes the Sorbear Kingdom special. It's also known as the Kingdom of Swordsmen. Everyone there practices swordsmanship. They have more swordsman guilds than Mage guilds."
"The swordsman guilds' main job is to hunt in the Great Forest of Monsters. They defeat the beasts and sell the materials they get. They're ranked by how many monsters they hunt, from one-star to nine-star."
"A nine-star swordsman is about as strong as one of our S-Class Mages."
"With so many swordsmen hunting, the kingdom has managed to hold back the monsters. And by using the materials from the beasts, Sorbear has become one of the most powerful nations on the Ishgar continent."
"That's all I know. I've heard of the Sword of Legend, but I thought it was just a rumor."
"I'm telling you this so you understand how dangerous this mission is. The job was first posted to the swordsman guilds. Countless seven-star, eight-star, and even nine-star swordsmen went to challenge it. They all died in the forest."
"When no one could complete it, the job was sent to the Mage guilds. The Mages who tried also failed."
"It may be ranked as S-Class, but all the guild masters agree that this mission is close to SS-Class. That's why I tried to stop you."
"SS-Class?!"
Everyone in the guild was shocked. SS-Class was above S-Class— a mission far more dangerous.
"My only advice is this: if you feel the mission is too hard, retreat immediately. Staying alive is more important than anything."
"Yes, Master!"
Kael Vane and Erza both nodded seriously.
Kael felt this would be tricky. The Great Forest of Monsters, endless magical beasts… this was a huge challenge. It was the most trouble he'd had to face.
But that didn't make him want to give up. Instead, he felt a thrill of excitement.
It was the same feeling he had when he fought Phantom Lord. It was a feeling he'd never had before. It felt amazing.
Am I a warmonger deep down? No way. Before I crossed over, I never even got in a fight. The only time I cussed was when my teammates in ranked matches were trash.
Erza turned to Kael. "Kael Vane, let's go pack. Meet at the Magnolia train station in one hour."
"Got it."
The two left the guild.
"Aww! I want to go on an S-Class mission too!" Natsu watched them go, full of envy.
Gray said, "We can't do S-Class missions because we're not strong enough."
"But Elfman went on one, didn't he?"
Elfman shook his head. "I was just watching from the side. Kael Vane did everything. If it had just been me, I would have been killed."
Even though he was part of it, he was still shaken. This S-Class mission was even more dangerous than the one he and his sister took a year ago. Every member of Phantom Lord was tough, and their leader's Full Reflection magic was a nightmare.
…
Kael Vane went home, packed a few things, and headed to the train station.
A little while later…
"Sorry… have you been waiting long?"
"I just got here… That's a lot of luggage!"
Kael couldn't help but say something. Erza was pulling a cart piled high with bags. Was she going on a mission, or moving? Even Kael didn't have this much stuff when he moved.
"Is it a lot? I think it's fine."
Soon, they boarded the train and found their seats. The train started to move.
"Kael Vane, I'm sorry to trouble you with this."
Erza felt a little guilty, asking someone she just met to risk his life on an S-Class mission.
Kael waved his hand. "It's no trouble. I had to take a job anyway. I should thank you for letting me challenge an S-Class mission."
Hearing this, Erza felt a lot better.
They chatted for a while. Kael found that Erza was very easy to talk to. When they got tired, they rested.
After three days, they arrived at the capital of the Sorbear Kingdom: Sword City, Noah.
"It's huge!"
Kael looked up at the massive, 100-meter-tall city walls.
Unlike an open town like Magnolia, this capital was completely surrounded by huge walls.
You could see damage and dried bloodstains on the walls. It was clear these weren't just for show. Real battles had been fought here.
Even though he was used to skyscrapers, this was different. It gave him a feeling of awe.
"Wow! It really is," Erza said, just as shocked. She had never seen walls this high.
There was a large gate at the bottom of the wall. Tourists and merchants were lined up, waiting to be inspected.
"What are you two here for?"
Soon, a guard came up to Kael Vane and Erza.
Erza said, "We are Mages from Fairy Tail. We're here on a request."
The guard nodded. Many Mages came here, mostly to hunt the beasts in the Great Forest of Monsters.
"What's in the boxes?"
"Luggage."
"Luggage?! This much?!"
The guard was shocked. Was she here for a mission, or to move in?
Suddenly, a scream rang out.
"Monster!!"