"Of course I can handle it!"
Facing Marco's doubts, Mirajane answered firmly without hesitation.
"I already told you there's no need to ask others for help."
After responding to Marco, Mirajane turned to Lisanna with a slightly displeased expression, as if blaming her younger sister for doubting her capabilities.
When Mirajane was about to undertake a mission, Elfman insisted on accompanying her out of concern.
After learning about it, Lisanna also grew worried and wanted to join, even suggesting they invite more people to assist.
This concern was understandable—after all, this was an "S-Class Mission," specifically an urgent combat-type assignment.
Having recently been promoted to "S-Class Mage," Mirajane was now qualified to take on S-Class missions.
This would be her first time undertaking such a task, and naturally, her younger siblings wanted to contribute, hoping to help their sister achieve a successful debut.
An S-Class mission assigned to an "S-Class Mage" didn't require the entire team to be S-Class—others could join to assist even if they weren't at that level.
However, given the high difficulty of S-Class missions, non-S-Class Mages could offer limited help.
Typically, S-Class Mages wouldn't bring lower-ranked members along.
Fresh from her promotion, Mirajane was brimming with confidence and saw no reason she couldn't handle it alone.
Since her siblings were worried, she decided to take them along—partly to let them gain experience, but mostly because she was confident in her ability to protect them.
But Lisanna's suggestion to invite even more people struck a nerve.
Did her sister not trust her strength?
She didn't need anyone's help—not even Elfman or Lisanna.
She could solve this on her own.
"I wasn't doubting you, sis. I just thought having more people would increase our chances..."
Lisanna shrank under Mirajane's scolding, offering a meek explanation.
Though Lisanna had grown taller—now fourteen and nearly matching Mirajane in height—she still didn't dare argue much.
In their family, the eldest sister's authority was absolute, and both siblings deferred to her.
"I agree we don't need extra help! A real man protects his family with his own strength. I alone can defend my sisters!"
Elfman thumped his chest, speaking with conviction.
The boy had grown increasingly tall and muscular, truly embodying his ideal of masculinity.
At fifteen, he already stood close to 6'3", towering over most people around him.
"You're pretty confident," Marco remarked dryly.
Elfman talking about protecting Mirajane was almost comical—two of him combined wouldn't stand a chance against her.
Still, the sentiment was admirable.
"Hehe~" Elfman scratched his head.
Of course, he knew he wasn't as strong as his sister, but if they really encountered an enemy, he would never back down—he'd never let any harm come to his sisters.
"What kind of mission is it?" Marco asked Mirajane, curious.
"It's a mission to subjugate a monster known as the Beast King," Mirajane replied.
For her, combat missions like this were a piece of cake—just another magic beast to deal with.
"The Beast King..." Marco pondered for a moment, an image forming in his mind—a monster somewhat resembling a horned gorilla.
Such magic beasts were extremely rare and quite powerful, primarily due to their immense magic power.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have been classified as an S-Class mission.
"With Mira's strength, dealing with this kind of magic beast shouldn't be a problem," Marco assessed, speaking from experience as someone who had fought the Beast King before.
"But that's assuming it's just an ordinary specimen," Marco added.
If it were the "King of Kings," the outcome would be hard to predict.
These creatures had incredibly volatile magic power, and the "King of Kings" was even more so.
The current Mirajane might not necessarily be able to defeat such a foe.
"Even if it's not ordinary, I can still take it down," Mirajane retorted with a scrunch of her nose, refusing to believe she could lose to any magic beast.
"You... didn't do any preliminary research, did you?" Marco looked at her in disbelief.
Had she bothered to gather information beforehand, she wouldn't be so dismissive of the "Beast King" or take the "King of Kings" lightly.
"What's there to research? It's just a magic beast. I've read about it in books—doesn't seem that hard to handle." Mirajane widened her eyes, brimming with confidence.
She had done her homework, knowing the basics about the "Beast King" and that the "King of Kings" was stronger than the average one.
But so what? No matter how strong, she'd still defeat it!
"..." Marco opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing more.
Having just passed the S-Class exam and become an "S-Class Mage," Mirajane was clearly riding high on confidence—especially since, like Erza, she had achieved first place in the exam.
The second "Tri-Guild Joint S-Class Exam," hosted by Quatro Cerberus, had been even more brutal than the first.
By the end, Mirajane was the only one promoted to "S-Class Mage," having demonstrated abilities far surpassing the other candidates.
The previous year, during Erza's exam, at least Mirajane had been able to give her a tough fight.
This year, however, Mirajane had dominated the competition effortlessly, bulldozing her way to the S-Class title.
It was no surprise she was overconfident now.
People learn little from words but everything from experience.
Mirajane's current mindset would only change after a harsh lesson—one solid failure would be enough to wake her up.
"Alright, go on then," Marco nodded, dropping the subject.
"Don't worry, we'll be back soon." Mirajane confidently made her promise and then set off with Elfman and Lisanna.
Elfman was just as confident as his sister, but only Lisanna's face showed worry.
Lisanna looked at Marco.
Though she didn't speak, her eyes carried a plea—she wanted Marco to help them.
Marco nodded at Lisanna, immediately turning the worried girl's expression into one of joy.
Lisanna knew very well that with Marco's help, no task would be too difficult.
Watching the three siblings gradually disappear into the distance, Marco didn't follow immediately.
Instead, he sent a crow to keep watch.
Marco himself returned to the guild to check the records related to the mission.
He wanted to see what was really going on.
After reviewing the mission records, Marco had a premonition.
This "Beast King" would likely teach Mirajane a lesson.
According to the information provided by the client, this "Beast King's" power clearly surpassed that of an ordinary "Beast King."