As he flew closer, Akira looked down at the village from above. It was a very quiet and hidden place, with only a few simple wooden houses and a small river running through the middle. There were huge farming fields all around, making it look like a typical rural area. But strangely enough, there were no soldiers or guards patrolling around, making it look completely disconnected from the rest of the Alvarez Empire.
[Notice. The life signal is located in the wooden house near the edge of the forest.]
Akira locked his sharp eyes onto a small, isolated cabin sitting right at the tree line. It looked very peaceful, with a small vegetable patch and a flower garden in the front yard.
Wanting to avoid drawing any attention from the working farmers, Akira glided away from the fields and dropped down into the thick trees behind the house. As soon as his talons touched a sturdy branch, he canceled the transformation. The falcon form vanished, and Akira returned to his original body.
He adjusted his dark clothes and dropped silently onto the soft grass below. Standing in the quiet shadow of the trees, he suppressed his presence completely, making sure not even a single drop of his magic power leaked out.
Taking slow, silent steps, he walked out of the woods and approached the wooden house. He first used his detection magic to check if there were any hidden mages nearby. Finding none, he breathed a sigh of relief and then knocked on the door of the wooden house.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The sound of his knuckles against the aged wood echoed softly into the quiet clearing.
For a few seconds, there was absolute silence from inside the house. Then, Akira heard the light, hasty sound of footsteps approaching the door, followed by the soft click of a lock turning.
The door creaked open, revealing a mature woman whose dark green hair was pulled back tightly into a neat, taut bun. She wore a simple yet elegant long-sleeve blouse featuring a crisp collar and sharp white cuffs at the wrists, giving her a tidy, reserved appearance despite her rural surroundings.
Her green eyes blinked in sudden surprise as she looked at the young traveler standing on her doorstep. Although she seemed to be a normal housewife, the sharp gaze that she gave him told Akira that she had the air of someone who had seen much of the world.
"Hello there," Grammi said softly, her voice calm and polite. "Can I help you with something? Are you lost, young man?"
Akira looked at her for a moment, letting out a quiet breath. After all that trouble, he had finally found her.
"Hello, you must be Grammi. My name is Akira, and I'm a wizard from Fairy Tail," Akira replied smoothly, keeping his voice low so it wouldn't carry toward the distant farming fields. "I'm here on a mission that is entrusted to me by Lady Layla Heartfilia." Saying so, he showed Grammi a medallion that Layla had given him earlier. It bore the unique crest of the Heartfilia family.
Grammi's green eyes widened instantly at the mention of Layla's name. The calm, composed front she had put up vanished, replaced by sheer shock.
She quickly glanced past Akira's shoulders, scanning the quiet tree line and the empty fields in the distance. Seeing that no one was watching, she grabbed Akira by the sleeve of his dark clothes, yanked him inside the cabin, and promptly slammed the door shut, locking it tight behind him.
"Lady Layla sent you?" Grammi whispered urgently, her hands trembling slightly as she turned back to face him. She pressed her back against the wooden door, her green eyes searching Akira's face for any sign of a lie. "How... how is Lady Layla?"
"Lady Layla is doing fine," Akira said quietly, easing her immediate panic. "She sent me because she needs the Aquarius key. She wants to complete the set of the Twelve Zodiac Keys, so she wants to borrow it from you."
Hearing those words, Grammi was suddenly swept with a wave of deep nostalgia. Out of all the servants, she was the one who had stayed by Layla's side the longest, growing to become her closest confidante and dearest friend. Like Layla, Grammi was a capable celestial spirit mage in her own right. After Layla retired from her duties, Grammi had set off to travel the world, eventually settling down here in the Western Continent after getting married. Yet, despite the years and the vast distance between them, in her heart, she still proudly considered herself Layla's loyal servant.
Grammi closed her eyes, letting out a soft, emotional breath as a gentle smile touched her lips.
"I see..." she murmured, nodding her head in full understanding. "If it is for Lady Layla's wishes, then of course I will give it back. I never truly considered it mine to keep anyway."
Saying so, she told Akira to follow her. She led him down a short hallway toward the back of the house, stopping outside a door where the faint sound of splashing water and joyful giggles could be heard.
Grammi pushed the door open softly, revealing a cozy, warm bathroom. Standing right outside a wooden tub was a young girl with bright green hair—a much younger Brandish—giggling happily as she played with water. Floating inside the tub was the Celestial Spirit Aquarius, her blue tail swishing gently through the water as she playfully tipped her golden urn to pour small water bubbles over the little girl's hands.
"Look, Mom! Aquarius is playing with me!" Brandish giggled, turning around with bright, energetic eyes.
However, as soon as the door opened, Aquarius paused. She dissolved the water bubble and shifted her sharp eyes onto Akira. Sensing the unfamiliar magic power coming from the visitor, Aquarius crossed her arms, giving Akira a cold, stern glare from inside the tub.
Brandish hugged Aquarius from behind and looked toward the door with bright, curious eyes. "Mom, who is he?"
Grammi smiled warmly at her daughter, stepping into the room. "Brandish, sweetie, step back for a moment. We have a guest, and there is an important matter we need to handle."
Although Brandish didn't know what was really happening, she obediently stepped away from Aquarious, ran towards Grammi, and hid behind her mother.
Akira and Aquarius locked eyes, the room growing quiet as the gentle splashing of water settled down. Sensing the strange, boundless nature of the magic power concealed beneath his calm exterior, Aquarius narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
"What are you?" Aquarius asked with her sharp voice as she glared at him from inside the tub. Although she had lived for a long time, even she had never seen someone like this boy in front of her. If Aquarius were to describe the boy, she would have to say that Akira looks like a dragon in human skin.
Akira didn't flinch under her fierce gaze. Instead, he maintained his quiet composure, keeping his magical presence completely contained so as not to alarm the young Brandish standing nearby.
"I'm Akira, a wizard from Fairy Tail," he replied evenly, meeting her stern blue eyes without a hint of fear. "And I'm here on behalf of Lady Layla."
Upon hearing Layla's name, Aquarius's harsh expression softened just a fraction, though her defensive posture didn't completely disappear. She glanced over at Grammi, who gave her a solemn, reassuring nod.
"It's true, Aquarius," Grammi said softly, stepping forward. "Lady Layla needs your key to fulfill her goal. It is time for us to return to Ishgar."
Aquarius let out a quiet sigh, the fierce energy around her dissolving back into the water. She looked down at her golden urn, then back at Akira, examining the young wizard with newfound seriousness.
"Layla, huh...?" Aquarius muttered, her tone dropping its previous harshness. "If that woman is the one calling for me, then I have no reason to refuse."
*****
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