**Chapter 15: Read Too Many Web Novels**
Erza didn't take Kaito's joking words seriously. Darlock's estate was so wealthy, yet Kaito hadn't taken any of it and left everything to the villagers instead.
She had no idea that Kaito's heart was bleeding inside. He really was a man of principles after crossing over, but deep down he was still a village tyrant—a village tyrant who loved taking whatever he could get.
"Just now, were you really sure that woman would surrender?" Erza couldn't help asking.
"Surrender? I wasn't sure at all."
Erza's eyes widened in disbelief. "What?! Then how could you dare kill Darlock? Did you know your actions might have gotten that girl killed?"
"Well~! Even though I wasn't sure, I had a feeling she wouldn't dare make a move."
"Why?"
"Do you think Darlock was a good person?"
"Of course not! He was the worst scum imaginable. If you hadn't acted first, I would have killed him myself!" The word "slave" was practically taboo for Erza.
"Since he wasn't a good person, how much loyalty could his subordinates possibly have?"
"..." Erza fell silent. The subordinates of a villain were usually villains themselves. Loyalty would be limited.
"Remember how that woman tried to escape together with Darlock? She put Darlock first instead of running alone. That proves she's afraid of death and her loyalty isn't absolute. Once Darlock died, that little bit of loyalty lost all meaning."
Erza still looked a little confused. "But she should have used the hostage to threaten us and force us to let her go."
Kaito smiled. "Because she didn't dare."
"Why?"
"Because I killed Darlock without hesitation, she knew I would kill her just as easily. She didn't dare bet her life on whether I could be threatened."
Kaito's words left Erza deep in thought, but she still felt there was more to it than he was saying.
In truth, it wasn't that simple. Part of it came from his many years of fighting experience, and the other part was the natural "aura" Kaito had developed over nearly ten years as a village tyrant.
It was similar to how a person would raise their hands when a gun was pointed at them, how a thief would tremble when seeing a police officer, or how a mouse instinctively fears a cat.
It resembled the Conqueror's Haki from One Piece, but far weaker. At best, it could be called "Village Tyrant's Haki."
When he walked through the village, roosters wouldn't crow, hens wouldn't lay eggs, and even the fiercest dogs wouldn't dare bark in his presence.
"How can you notice so many small details?" Erza asked.
"I've read too many web novels."
******
Not long after Kaito and Erza left, members of the Magic Council arrived at the bombed area.
Looking at the scene before them—the countless huge craters left by the explosions—the Magic Council personnel were completely stunned.
"Was this place attacked by a dragon?"
"Look!" Someone noticed the many corpses lying on the ground.
"So brutal!"
"Correct. They're mages from the dark guild Black Wolf's Claw." After checking the bodies and finding the dark guild emblem, the faces of the Magic Council's Rune Knights turned colder.
Dark guilds were not under the Magic Council's jurisdiction. In their eyes, dark guilds were terrorist organizations that accepted assassination and other dirty jobs. No matter how many died, they weren't worth pitying.
"Did those two young mages really do all this?"
"I remember Fairy Tail is only a mid-tier guild. Are their mages really this powerful?"
"Report the situation as it is."
******
Kaito and Erza returned to the Fairy Tail guild covered in dust.
The moment Kaito stepped inside, he shouted loudly, "Food! Give me food! I'm about to starve to death!"
Guild Master Makarov saw the two return and asked, "Kid, how did your first mission feel?"
Kaito, who had gained nothing from the trip, answered in a bad mood, "Terrible! It was a complete waste."
"What? The mission failed?" Makarov was a little surprised. Although Erza was young, her strength as a mage was undeniable, and Kaito's power was even greater. A simple bandit extermination mission shouldn't have been difficult for them. Had they encountered a very powerful mage? They didn't look injured.
"I'm hungry. I don't want to talk!" Kaito started stuffing food into his mouth.
Makarov got angry at his attitude and scolded, "Stinky brat! You have no respect for your elders at all. Erza, tell me what happened."
Erza recounted the entire incident in detail to Makarov.
Although she felt Kaito's killing intent was a bit heavy, everything he did was correct. Some of his methods were even sharper and more decisive than those of adult mages. It surprised her, but it also put her mind at ease.
"Not bad! The kid is pretty smart. You did a great good deed."
Makarov usually had to stay at the guild and attend meetings with other guild masters, so he rarely encountered such situations. If he had, he would have eliminated those people himself.
Kaito kept shoving food into his mouth while mumbling, "Mmm~! Doing good deeds doesn't fill your stomach."
Makarov smiled. "It may not feed you for a lifetime, but it can at least buy one meal. Eat as much as you want. It's on me."
"Really?!" Kaito said in pleasant surprise.
"Stinky brat! I am the Guild Master of Fairy Tail. Of course my words are real."
"Old man Guild Master, I've discovered you're actually quite nice! Wise and mighty! Yeah, not bad at all. Very kind and approachable, just a tiny bit…"
Makarov scolded irritably, "Little bastard! If you don't know how to flatter someone, then don't! Just work hard from now on."
"No problem."