Fairy Tail: The Uncrowned King of Magic

Chapter 130: Chapter 130

Marshall and Lucy entered an exceptionally luxurious mansion.

Whoever owned the place certainly seemed wealthy.

"Welcome, Fairy Tail Mages. I’m the client, Kaby Melon, and this is my wife..."

Their client was a pleasant-looking middle-aged man dressed impeccably from head to toe.

He greeted the two of them with a friendly smile.

"I never expected such a famous guild to accept my request. You’re both so young, so I imagine you must be exceptionally capable Mages."

Despite what he said, his thoughts told a different story.

’I’ve never heard of either of them.’

’They look more like some noble family’s heir and lady than Mages.’

’Can they really succeed?’

’Maybe I should wait for someone else... I don’t have many chances. I can’t afford to alert Everlue.’

Marshall gave him a knowing smile.

"You’re quite fortunate, Mr. Melon."

"I’m one of Fairy Tail’s strongest S-Class Mages. Whatever your request may be, I can complete it."

He paused.

"But I hope you won’t conceal any information from me."

"S-S-Class?!"

"That’s right! Boss is super strong, nya!"

Ruby proudly puffed out her chest.

Kaby immediately became much more excited. He then turned toward Lucy, who was still dressed as a maid.

"Then this young lady must be..."

"She’s a newcomer."

Marshall gestured toward her.

"I only accepted this request because I wanted to give her some practical experience."

"So, Mr. Melon, you really are quite lucky."

"Now, let’s discuss the job."

"And once again, I hope you won’t hide anything."

"O-Of course..."

[Did he already realize this mansion is rented?]

Kaby nervously wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"My request involves only one thing."

"I want the two of you to destroy a book currently owned by Duke Everlue."

"There is only one copy in the entire world."

"DAYBREAK."

"No matter what it takes, I need that book destroyed."

"I’m willing to pay any price."

Lucy swallowed and analyzed the situation objectively.

"Two million Jewels just to destroy one book?"

"Well... considering we’d be going against a duke, I suppose that reward isn’t unreasonable."

Marshall, however, tilted his head.

"I don’t particularly care what the job involves."

"You could ask me to demolish Everlue’s entire mansion and I still wouldn’t have a problem with it."

"But I already told you not to hide anything from me."

He looked directly at Kaby.

"Those two million Jewels are probably your entire fortune, aren’t they?"

"You’re sacrificing everything you have merely to destroy one book."

"So what is your real reason?"

"Huh?! N-No!"

Kaby hurriedly gestured around them.

"Look at this house! Do I look like someone who can’t afford two million Jewels?"

"There’s no need to repeat such a pointless lie."

Marshall’s smile disappeared.

"Don’t imagine you can deceive a powerful Mage."

"I’ll be completely straightforward with you."

"The reason I accepted this request is because I already wanted to deal with Everlue."

"We have the same enemy."

"That’s why I’m sitting here."

"I don’t care about your money."

"I want the truth."

"Do you understand?"

Marshall released a tiny fraction of his magic power.

The pressure alone caused Kaby, an ordinary man, to break into a cold sweat.

He hurriedly stood.

"I-I understand!"

"I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have concealed anything."

"The truth is..."

Kaby drew a breath.

"The author of Daybreak was my father."

"His pen name was Kemu Zaleon. He was once an accomplished novelist as well as a Mage."

"But more than thirty years ago..."

Lucy suddenly gasped.

"Wait! Your father was Kemu Zaleon?! I’m a huge fan of his books!"

She quickly covered her mouth.

"Sorry. Please continue."

Kaby finally told them everything.

More than thirty years earlier, Duke Everlue had commissioned Kaby’s father to write his biography.

The work took three years.

When Kemu returned home, however, his personality had completely changed.

He swore never to write another book, cut off his own right hand, and eventually took his own life.

At the time, Kaby hadn’t understood his father’s actions.

The two had even argued bitterly.

Only years later did Kaby come to regret the cruel things he had said.

Destroying his father’s final work had since become an obsession.

That obsession had led to today’s request.

"For a while after he died, I hated him."

Kaby’s voice trembled.

"But as the years passed, that hatred became regret."

"If I hadn’t said such terrible things back then, perhaps Father wouldn’t have taken his own life."

"That’s why I have to erase this final work of his from the world."

Kaby and his wife bowed deeply.

"I will pay the promised reward."

"So please... please complete this request."

Both of them were trembling slightly.

Reopening a wound buried for decades was clearly painful.

Lucy covered her mouth, her eyes filled with sympathy.

She looked toward Marshall, silently hoping he would agree to help them.

Marshall thought for a moment.

"I won’t accept this request."

"What?!"

Kaby immediately panicked.

"Why? Is the reward not enough? I can find more money—"

"Calm down, Mr. Melon."

Marshall interrupted him.

"If I’m correct, this mansion is rented."

"Even gathering two million Jewels must already be extremely difficult for you."

"You posted a request beyond what you can reasonably afford."

"If I take all that money, how are you and your wife supposed to live afterward?"

"Huh...?"

"And you still haven’t told me the complete truth."

Marshall’s gaze sharpened.

"You don’t hate your father."

"You hate the person who turned your father into that man."

"Duke Everlue."

"Am I wrong?"

"I..."

The strength drained from Kaby’s body.

He sank onto the sofa.

"You’re right."

"I understood it eventually."

"Duke Everlue must have done something to Father during those three years."

"There has to be a reason he changed so completely."

"But Everlue is an enemy I could never oppose."

"I was powerless..."

"You don’t need to explain any further."

Marshall leaned forward.

"Just answer one question."

"Do you hate Duke Everlue?"

Kaby fell silent.

A moment later, he clenched his teeth.

"I hate him!"

"Good."

"Do you understand what kind of person he is?"

"He’s a calculating, depraved noble."

Kaby’s expression twisted.

"He’s committed countless crimes, but somehow he always manages to avoid leaving evidence behind."

"Excellent."

Marshall nodded.

"Then I have a request for you."

Kaby blinked.

"For... me?"

"That’s right."

"I want you to contact everyone you know who has suffered under Everlue or been treated unjustly by him."

"When the time comes, I’ll need them to testify publicly about his crimes."

"Can you do that?"

"This..."

Kaby stared at him.

"Are you saying...?"

"Exactly what you think I’m saying."

Marshall smiled coldly.

"That bastard duke has been irritating Fairy Tail for years."

"I came here specifically to settle the score."

"I’ll enter his estate and gather whatever additional evidence we need."

"As for Daybreak..."

He shrugged.

"If we find it, dealing with the book along the way is easy."

"Your request itself isn’t particularly important to me."

"Getting rid of Everlue is."

Kaby’s body began trembling.

For the first time, he could see the possibility of revenge.

"I-I understand."

"I know several other people who have suffered because of the duke."

"I’ll contact them immediately."

"Good."

Marshall stood.

"Then I’ll handle my part."

"Lucy, let’s go."

"Huh?"

Lucy hurried after him.

"R-Right!"

The next instant, Marshall disappeared along with Lucy and Ruby.

...

By the time Lucy regained her bearings, she was already back inside the magical vehicle.

’Amazing...’

’His Spatial Magic is incredible.’

Everyone kept saying Marshall was an S-Class Mage, but until now she hadn’t really understood what that meant.

And when he confronted their client earlier...

He had possessed an overwhelming presence.

It was difficult to think of him as an ordinary fourteen-year-old boy.

"M-Marshall?"

Lucy looked at him.

"What do we do now?"

"We go directly to Duke Everlue’s estate, arrest him, and finish the job."

"Huh?!"

Lucy stared.

"Is that really okay?"

"He’s a major noble, isn’t he? Won’t that cause trouble?"

"You already heard how many terrible things he’s done."

Marshall looked unconcerned.

"There’s no reason to play by the rules with someone like that."

"Just follow my lead."

"You’ll be fine."

"O-Okay..."

Lucy obediently nodded.

Mostly because she had no idea how to argue with him.

Marshall had been leading her around by the nose since yesterday, yet somehow everything he said continued sounding reasonable.

Then she froze.

Wait.

If they were simply going to storm the mansion...

Hadn’t she dressed as a maid for absolutely nothing?

What had all that exhausting practice during the journey been for?!

No.

Hold on!

Marshall had said from the beginning that his true goal was dealing with Everlue.

So had there ever been any reason for Lucy to pretend to be a maid?

Had he done it deliberately?

Or had circumstances genuinely changed?

"Lucy, it looks like our maid-infiltration plan is unnecessary after all."

Marshall gave her an apologetic smile.

"Now that we’ve confirmed Everlue has committed plenty of crimes, there’s no reason to play along with him."

"Sorry."

"All that effort you put into practicing ended up going to waste."

"O-Oh."

Lucy blinked.

"No, it’s fine."

"You’re right..."

It was probably just her imagination.

Marshall couldn’t have predicted that their investigation would change direction.

He had simply adjusted the plan after learning new information.

Yes.

That had to be it!

Lucy successfully convinced herself without noticing Marshall desperately suppressing the corners of his mouth.

’Lucy is ridiculously easy to fool.’

’If I weren’t still this young, I could probably talk her into the bed.’

Marshall quietly snickered to himself, already considering how he might trick her next.

But first...

He needed to deal with that idiot duke.

"Boss! We’ve arrived, nya!"

"Well done, Ruby."

They stepped out of the vehicle.

Marshall stored it inside his Subspace Dimension, and the three of them approached the gates of Duke Everlue’s extravagant estate.

"Marshall, what do we do now?"

Lucy clenched her fists eagerly.

"Should we call him outside?"

This was her first real guild request.

Naturally, she wanted a chance to show what she could do.

Marshall was curious about Lucy’s actual combat ability as well, so he smiled.

"Do you have an idea, Lucy?"

"Go ahead and try whatever you think is best."

"I’m here to back you up, so you can approach this however you like."

"Really?!"

Lucy brightened.

"Then I can just smash through the front gate?"

Marshall shrugged.

Do whatever you want.

Lucy grinned and pulled out a silver Celestial Spirit key.

"Hehe! Then let me show you what i can do!"

She raised the key.

"Open, Gate of the Great Bear!"

"Come forth, Big Bear!"

"ROOOAR!"

A three-meter-tall white polar bear suddenly materialized.

It raised its head and let out a thunderous roar before looking down at Lucy.

Then, with an almost painfully innocent expression, it held out one enormous paw.

"You greedy idiot!"

Lucy immediately flushed with embarrassment.

"I’ll give you snacks later!"

"For now, go smash that gate open!"

She hurriedly explained herself to Marshall.

"Ahem. Big Bear is a little obsessed with food."

"But he’s extremely strong!"

"He’s a very capable Celestial Spirit."

Marshall merely smiled.

The exact mechanics governing silver-key Celestial Spirits varied considerably depending on their summoner, but they were far from weak.

If Marshall summoned this particular spirit himself, it would probably be capable of awakening Ice Magic.

Lucy, however, could currently draw out little more than its tremendous physical strength.

That strength was still more than enough.

Big Bear charged forward and smashed Duke Everlue’s gate apart with ease.

Almost immediately, a bizarre little man burst out of the ground.

"Who dares trespass upon the estate of Duke Everlue?!"

Then he noticed Lucy standing before him in her blonde twin-tails and maid uniform.

"Hm?"

"So you came to apply for the maid position?"

He examined her.

"But you’re far too ugly."

"I don’t want you!"

"?!"

Something inside Lucy’s mind shattered.

Her humiliation instantly transformed into fury.

"DUKE EVERLUE!"

Lucy pointed at him.

"Your crimes have already been exposed!"

"Surrender peacefully!"

"Big Bear!"

She jabbed a finger forward.

"Beat him senseless!"

"Nani?!"

Everlue jumped backward.

"You’re enemies?!"

He immediately screamed toward the mansion.

"Southern Wolves! Get out here and earn your pay!"

Ever since Everlue lost his Celestial Spirit key, he had hired nearly half a mercenary guild to protect him around the clock.

At his command, dozens of mercenaries poured out of the mansion.

Two particularly strange-looking men stood at the front—one enormous and heavily built, the other sporting a ridiculous braid and hairstyle.

Lucy’s confidence immediately faltered.

She stepped in front of Marshall protectively.

"This is bad."

"Marshall, there are so many of them."

"Should we retreat first?"

"It’s fine, Lucy."

One of the mercenaries stepped forward.

"Enemy attack?! Have you ever heard of the Vanish Broth—"

A crimson beam tore across the battlefield as the braided man didn’t even finish his sentence.

Marshall’s Heat Vision punched straight through his abdomen and dropped him to the ground.

"Brother?!"

"What just happened?!"

Every mercenary turned toward Marshall.

A faint crimson glow still lingered in his eyes.

Marshall scratched his head with an embarrassed smile.

"Sorry about that."

"I suffer from a rare condition where my eyes automatically fire lasers whenever I see a balding man with a long braid."

"Could I trouble you gentlemen to cut your hair?"

"Otherwise, I’m afraid I may suffer another attack very soon."

"Hiss—"

Marshall raised his head slightly.

Heat Vision swept horizontally across Everlue’s estate.

The enormous mansion was sliced cleanly in half.

Silence.

Everyone stared at the collapsing building, completely unable to process what had just happened.

"My, my."

Marshall smiled sweetly.

"It appears my condition is getting worse~"

There was no warmth whatsoever in his eyes.

The crimson glow grew brighter.

"Eeeek!"

"We’re sorry!"

"We quit!"

"We’re abandoning the job!"

"Quick! Cut his braid off!"

"We don’t have scissors!"

"Then pull it out!"

"Hurry! Do you want to die?!"

The mercenaries instantly lost every trace of fighting spirit.

They weren’t being paid nearly enough to die for Everlue.

As for the duke himself, he had collapsed onto the ground, trembling from head to toe.

"W-Who are you?!"

"I’ll give you anything you want!"

"Please! Don’t kill me!"

Marshall looked down at the pathetic noble with profound disappointment.

These people were far too weak.

Before arriving, he had spent time wondering exactly how he should punish Everlue.

Now he couldn’t even be bothered.

Makarov had forced him to tolerate this idiot for years.

The old man really could be ridiculously softhearted.

Marshall closed his eyes and extended his perception throughout the ruined estate.

He located Everlue’s study, raised one hand, and used Spatial Magic to cut the entire room out of the building before transporting it directly in front of them.

Books and furniture had been scattered everywhere when the mansion collapsed.

Marshall looked at the mess and sighed.

Perhaps slicing the building in half had been slightly impulsive.

"Lucy."

"Since we’re already here, look for that book."

"We might as well complete the original request while we’re at it."

"Huh?"

Lucy stared blankly at the devastated mansion.

"O-Okay..."

Marshall then turned toward the mercenaries, who were desperately bandaging their injured companion.

The crimson light appeared in his eyes again.

"You lot."

"Come help me find a book called Daybreak."

"I also suffer from another rare condition."

"If I fail to locate Daybreak within ten minutes, my eyes begin firing lasers at random people."

The mercenaries snapped to attention.

"Yes, Boss!"

"We guarantee we’ll find it!"

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