"You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. In less than three days, your powerful muscles and long lifespans will disappear."
Aux glanced at the villagers.
To him, the entire settlement was already beyond saving. Rather than wasting more time, it was better to let them die in their own laziness.
Ignoring the useless group completely, Aux lifted his staff and walked out of the village, intending to continue his wandering journey.
After he left, Erza pondered for a moment, then turned to the village chief and extended her hand.
"The requested mission is complete. Please pay the commission fee."
Several villagers exchanged looks, and their previously fearful expressions twisted into ugly ferocity. They moved to surround Erza.
The village chief raised his voice in denial, "The request was to kill that demon! You didn't complete it, so we can't pay the reward!"
All the villagers nodded in agreement. They had no intention of paying her a single coin.
"The Master said that if a client refuses to pay, I can handle it myself," Erza muttered.
With a gesture of both hands, her Knight Sword appeared. Without another word, she began swinging it wildly at the surrounding villagers.
Her sword wasn't sharpened—it only caused pain—so she wasn't worried about killing anyone by accident.
"Ahhh, it hurts! Stop!"
"I'll report this to the Magic Council! I'll say a Mage from Fairy Tail attacked civilians!"
"Your Guild will be expelled from the Light Guilds!"
Several villagers rolled on the ground, howling pathetically.
The village chief, thinking Erza was easy to intimidate, began shouting threats while rolling around.
Hearing this, Erza's expression darkened. She pressed the flat of her sword against the chief's neck.
"If that's how it is, then maybe I should slaughter every villager here first."
"G–gulp…"
Feeling the cold metal at his throat, the chief's face turned ashen. His entire body trembled.
"No! I'll pay! I'll pay right now!"
Her stare was too terrifying. The chief feared she would act on her threat, so he immediately agreed to hand over the money.
"Pleasure working with you!" Erza said with a bright smile.
After following the chief to his home and taking her reward, she left the village without looking back. She still wanted to catch up to the wandering Mage and talk to him.
Running out of the village, she soon spotted him ahead. She raised her voice and called, "Friend, wait!"
Aux stopped.
He turned slightly to look at her, only continuing once she had caught up.
Erza smiled as she asked, "Friend, what's your name? And which Mage Guild are you part of? I've never seen you around before."
Aux introduced himself and added, "I haven't joined any Mage Guild. I want to measure this world with my own feet."
"No Guild?" Erza blinked in surprise. To possess such powerful magic yet not belong to any Guild was shocking.
She quickly adjusted her tone. "Aux, why don't you join our Fairy Tail Guild? You don't seem like someone who enjoys being alone. Our Guild is very lively."
More than just lively.
As someone who had seen the series, Aux knew Fairy Tail wasn't simply "lively."
He had always admired their bonds—stronger than blood—and the scenes where they fought fiercely to protect their comrades.
But Fairy Tail was also a lightning rod for trouble. Countless Dark Guilds targeted them.
And Aux disliked fighting more than anything.
Joining a trouble magnet like Fairy Tail was dangerous.
"I'll think about it."
Aux originally intended to refuse, but when Erza turned to him with a hopeful expression, the words couldn't leave his mouth.
Erza was already delighted with that answer. She cheerfully invited him, "Great! Come to Magnolia with me and see the Fairy Tail Guild."
With the topic dropped for now, they continued talking as they walked toward the nearby town.
The village they had been in sat on the border between two kingdoms.
Although no major wars had broken out, small skirmishes were common, and towns or villages often became targets for bandits.
After crimes, bandits usually fled into nearby forests and valleys to evade Soldiers.
Ahead of Aux and Erza now was a dense, dark jungle.
A single narrow, winding path connected the village to the town.
Upon arriving at the path, they found several armored Soldiers lying on the ground.
Erza and Aux hurried forward to investigate.
These Soldiers were from the Kingdom of Fiore—the kingdom's emblem was imprinted on their armor.
"All fatal wounds. It looks like there are bandits hiding in this forest," Aux concluded after examining the injuries.
The cuts were precise and swift. The killers were skilled.
"The bodies are still warm. Those bandits can't have gone far. Let's go after them," Erza suggested.
But Aux shook his head.
"We should return to town as fast as possible, notify the Soldiers, and let them handle it."
Chasing bandits meant fighting.
And fighting was the thing Aux hated most—especially when strong enemies might be involved.
Dashing in recklessly was dangerous.
"If these bandits reach the village and start burning, killing, and looting, by the time we return with help, it'll be too late! Re-Equip!"
Erza responded immediately. White light enveloped her, her original armor vanishing.
Aux froze.
The thin white light outlining her figure was like a translucent veil, tracing every curve of her body, it was somehow more alluring than being naked.
"Heaven's Wheel Armor!"
Re-Equip complete!
Erza dashed forward, following the tracks into the jungle.
"I was only saying that if the villagers died, then they died… but I didn't expect you to use a charm spell…" Aux muttered.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Since Erza had shown him such a generous "view," it would be unforgivable not to help.
Through towering trees and waist-high grass, Aux caught up to her.
At the moment, Erza was hiding behind a thick tree trunk, peeking ahead.
When she noticed Aux, she smiled. "You really are suited for our Fairy Tail Guild."
Aux rolled his eyes and stepped forward to look where she was watching.
Through the grass was a large clearing.
Dozens of bandits were sitting in a circle, grinning and flattering a one-eyed man in the main seat.
Behind them were several tied-up women.
"These bandits not only killed Soldiers but also kidnapped townswomen. They all deserve to die!" Erza hissed with righteous fury.
She looked ready to charge in at any moment.
"That one-eyed man must be their leader," Aux said calmly.
There were many enemies, and it would be difficult to deal with them without endangering the hostages.
A careful plan was necessary.
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