Kevin and Elfman arrived next door, where the mayor greeted them enthusiastically.
"Mr. Kevin, you're awake! Thanks to you and Mr. Elfman last night, I would have been killed without your help."
The mayor was deeply grateful to Kevin, having witnessed the entire battle. The Ancient Knight Order Mages seemed formidable, yet they were wiped out by the Phantom Bandit Gang and proved unreliable. Fortunately, Kevin displayed incredible power and handled all the opponents, sparing the mayor from being torn apart.
Kevin replied earnestly, "No need to be polite, Mayor. You are our client, and protecting clients is the primary duty of us Mages of the Fairy Tail Guild."
"What excellent Mages!"
The mayor placed a box of money on the table.
"Mr. Kevin, this is the reward for the mission. Please count it."
Kevin's eyes lit up at the sight of so much money, and Elfman's reaction was similar.
Typically, he earned just over 100,000 J for a job, and a challenging one would yield about 200,000 J. At most, he could manage four or five jobs a month. Seven million J was a year's worth of earnings without eating or drinking.
Seeing 7 million J in one go was truly overwhelming.
"Mayor, you are too kind. We trust you, of course."
Kevin said this while eagerly picking up the money, even changing his address from "Mr. Mayor" to "Mayor."
The mayor was delighted: "Hahaha! Gentlemen, if you're not in a hurry, why not stay a few more days? I'd like to properly host my two saviors."
Kevin waved his hand: "We appreciate your kindness, Mayor, but there's no need for hospitality. We need to return to the Guild quickly to submit the mission. If we delay too long, everyone will worry, and with such a major incident, you must be busy too. Next time!"
"Alright! Then I won't keep you. Safe travels."
"We'll be leaving. If anything like this happens again, remember to come to the Fairy Tail Guild!"
The mayor smiled bitterly: "I hope it never happens again."
Once was enough; another incident could be too much for his heart.
Kevin and Elfman left by carriage.
In the carriage, Kevin opened the money box, and the sight of gleaming banknotes was dazzling.
"Gulp!"
They couldn't help but swallow, having never seen so much money before.
Kevin took out half and handed it to Elfman.
"Hmm? Kevin, what are you doing?"
Elfman was a bit dazed, holding the money.
"What am I doing? What do you mean, 'what am I doing'? Of course, I'm splitting the money!"
"Spl-spl-splitting the money?!"
Elfman was stunned, stuttering in disbelief.
"That's right! You came on this mission with me, so we split the reward!"
Kevin said matter-of-factly.
"No, no, no! That's not right! I was mentoring you, not teaming up for a mission. Besides, I didn't do anything; you completed it all yourself. I can't take the money!"
Elfman quickly put the money back.
Mentoring new Mages was an obligation for senior members, who typically didn't take rewards.
Kevin handed the money back: "You sacrificed your time and protected the client. It's only fair you receive a reward."
"That's too much. I'll just take this."
Elfman took out 100,000 J.
"No, that's too little. This mission is different. You risked your life; you deserve more."
After some back and forth, Elfman finally accepted 1,000,000 J.
Seeing Elfman accept the money, Kevin nodded in satisfaction. Elfman got involved because of him, and risking his life warranted a greater reward.
However, Elfman felt uneasy about the money, having done little. 1,000,000 J was months of work for him. Kevin was generous. Maybe he should introduce his sister to him.
Back at Fairy Tail Guild.
Mira routinely collected the Guild mail. Most were client requests that she organized and posted on the request board for Mages to accept.
"Huh?"
Mira noticed a file with a large "S," indicating an S-Class request. S-Class requests were rare due to high danger but offered generous rewards starting at 5,000,000 J. Guilds valued S-Class requests greatly.
Mira opened the S-Class request and paled at what she saw.
The Guild was bustling as usual.
Mira rushed in, panicked: "Something terrible has happened! Master!"
"Hmm? What's wrong, Mira?"
"The Phantom Bandit Gang mission... has been changed to S-Class!!!"
"Pfft—!"
Makarov spat out his drink.
"What?!!"
The Guild fell silent.
S-Class missions were for S-Class Mages. Even they wouldn't easily accept such risky requests, as a single misstep could be fatal.
"What happened?! Why is it an S-Class mission?!"
Mira handed the request form to Makarov.
Makarov read it, his face changing dramatically: "Camille, the King of Assassins? He's the Phantom Bandit Gang's leader."
"What?!"
"Camille, the King of Assassins?!"
Everyone reacted with shock.
Camille was infamous, known for eliminating powerful Mages. No one targeted by him survived; his power was terrifying.
"Master, what do we do now?"
Mira was anxious. Besides Kevin, her brother Elfman was on this mission. Her sister Lisanna died on an S-Class mission; losing her brother too would be unbearable.
"I'll go myself!"
No S-Class Mages were in the Guild, and even if they were, facing the King of Assassins was risky. Makarov decided to go himself.
As Makarov was about to open the door—
Creak—!
The Guild doors opened, and Kevin and Elfman appeared at the entrance.
"Kevin!!"
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