Year X772 — Early Summer
Location: Magnolia Town & Surrounding Regions
Age: Ren (7) | Erza (7)
---
Fairy Tail missions were never small.
They were listed as small—lost pets, broken fences, minor monster sightings—but something always exploded. Ren learned this quickly.
The job board loomed like a dare.
Erza stood before it, hands on her hips, eyes scanning parchment after parchment. "…We're not allowed to take the S-rank ones."
Ren nodded. "…I am aware."
She frowned. "…Then why are they on the same board."
"…Temptation," Ren said. "A Fairy Tail specialty."
Makarov cleared his throat loudly from behind them. "C-rank. Start there."
Erza turned, instantly straight-backed. "Yes, Master!"
Ren bowed politely. "…Understood."
Makarov's eyes lingered on them, thoughtful. "…Don't overdo it."
They did not hear him.
---
Their first mission took them just beyond Magnolia's eastern woods.
Request:
Remove aggressive boars damaging crops.
"…Boars," Erza repeated, drawing her sword with excitement. "Easy."
Ren crouched, pressing his palm to the earth.
> Great Sage.
> [Analyzing terrain… Soil density moderate.
Threat assessment: Low-to-medium.
Suggestion: Reinforce user musculature by 12%. Enchant blade edge for impact dispersion.]
Ren exhaled. "Okay."
The enchantment flowed smoothly—too smoothly. His magic didn't resist anymore. It listened.
Erza blinked as her blade shimmered faintly. "…Did you do something."
"…Just a little," Ren replied.
The boars charged.
Three seconds later—
Silence.
Erza stared at the flattened clearing, then down at the boar unconscious at her feet. "…I didn't even swing that hard."
Ren tilted his head. "…You didn't."
She looked at him slowly.
"…Ren."
"…Yes?"
"…We're going to get in trouble."
---
They did.
Not for the boars—but for accidentally rebuilding half the farmer's fence with reinforced wood that would outlast generations.
The farmer cried.
Makarov paid compensation.
The guild laughed.
Growth continued.
---
Missions stacked quickly.
Escort jobs.
Monster deterrence.
Ruin scouting.
Each one pushed them further.
Ren's enchantments evolved from simple reinforcement to layered effects—stability within strength, flexibility within hardness.
> [New suggestion: Apply micro-enchantments continuously rather than in bursts. Result: Reduced fatigue, higher output.]
"…So… like breathing," Ren murmured.
> [Correct.]
Total Concentration and magic synchronized.
Ren no longer cast enchantments.
He maintained them.
Erza noticed first.
"…You didn't stop," she said one evening, watching him reinforce a sparring dummy for the fifth minute straight.
"…Stop what."
"…Your magic. It's always on."
Ren blinked.
> Oh.
"…Is that dangerous," she asked quietly.
He smiled. "…No. It's comfortable."
She nodded, trusting him completely.
---
Erza's growth was explosive.
Her Re-Equip speed doubled.
Armor changed mid-strike, mid-fall, mid-impact. She adapted instinctively—choosing protection without sacrificing offense.
During one mission, a stone golem collapsed beneath her.
She didn't panic.
Armor shifted to lightweight. She pushed off falling debris, landed cleanly, sword already drawn.
"…Nice," Ren breathed.
She grinned. "…Again."
---
One mission changed things.
Request:
Investigate bandits using magic near Clover border.
They arrived at dusk.
Smoke curled above ruined carts.
Ren felt it immediately.
> [Warning. Magical residue present. Hostile enchantments detected.]
"…They're not normal bandits," he whispered.
Erza tightened her grip. "…Good."
The ambush came fast.
Chains of magic lashed outward.
Ren moved without thinking.
> [Suggestion: Counter-enchant chain structure. Alter tensile balance by 40%.]
The chains shattered.
Erza surged forward, armor flashing crimson.
Steel rang.
Spells detonated.
For a moment—just a moment—Ren felt fear.
> We're still children.
Then—
> [Emotional fluctuation detected. Stabilizing focus.
Suggestion: Synchronize enchantment with ally's rhythm.]
Ren closed his eyes.
He listened.
Erza's heartbeat. Her breathing. Her intent.
Magic flowed.
She struck.
The bandits fell.
Silence returned.
Erza stood still, chest heaving.
"…We won," she said softly.
Ren nodded, hands trembling slightly. "…Yes."
Not easily.
But decisively.
---
The guild's reaction was… loud.
"YOU FOUGHT BORDER BANDITS?!"
"AT SEVEN?!"
"THE KIDS ARE BUILT DIFFERENT!"
Makarov stared at the report for a long time.
Then he laughed.
"…Fine," he said. "B-rank missions. Supervised."
Erza beamed.
Ren exhaled.
---
That night, Ren sat alone, staring at his hands.
> [Growth rate exceeding projections.]
"…Is that bad."
> [No. However—
Recommendation: Balance power with joy.]
"…Joy?"
> [Yes.
User smiles less during combat.]
Ren thought of Erza laughing after missions. Of the guild's noise. Of shared meals.
"…I'll try."
---
The next mission involved chasing a runaway chicken through Magnolia.
No magic allowed.
Erza tripped.
Ren laughed—really laughed—for the first time in days.
The chicken escaped.
Mission failed.
They were fined.
And somehow—
That felt like victory too.
---
End of Chapter 33 🌱⚔️