Erza, the female protagonist of Fairy Tail, is probably positioned as the second female lead, but her popularity is greater than the first female lead's.
Takeshi really liked the character Erza, so he recognized her at a glance.
This was his first time seeing her in person. She hadn't been at the Guild when he joined, seemingly out on a quest.
"What's going on?"
"It seems Erza wants to take an S-Class Quest, but Master refused her."
"S-Class?!"
S-Class Quests are extremely difficult. Even for S-Class Mages, they are life-threatening jobs, and one wrong move could lead to failure.
Unless it's an S-Class Mage with extremely great power, like Gildarts, even S-Class Mages rarely take S-Class Quests under normal circumstances.
Erza looked at Makarov and said, "Master, I am confident I can complete this S-Class Quest."
She had been an S-Class Mage for three years. She passed the S-Class Mage examination at fifteen, becoming the youngest S-Class Mage in the history of the Fairy Tail Guild.
After becoming an S-Class mage, she wasn't in a hurry to take S-Class Quests because she knew her strength was insufficient, so she patiently honed her abilities.
Originally, she planned to take an S-Class Quest last year, but then Mirajane's incident happened, so she patiently honed her skills for another year. Now she was eighteen.
Upon hearing that a new member of the Guild had completed an S-Class Quest on their first job, Erza's competitive spirit was greatly ignited. She was an S-Class mage but hadn't completed an S-Class Quest, yet a rookie had. So she decided to challenge an S-Class Quest.
"No. This job is too dangerous. It's not a matter of confidence, it's a matter of strength."
"I have the strength to complete this quest."
"You stubborn girl, why are you so insistent?!" Makarov slammed the table in anger.
Elfman muttered, "Why does this scene feel so familiar?"
As he spoke, he glanced at Takeshi. A few days ago, Takeshi seemed to have had a similar conversation with Master.
"Master, I'm not being stubborn. I truly am confident I can complete this job."
Makarov sighed, "Alas. You girl, S-Class Quests are not that simple. This quest has actually been posted for over two years. In those two years, seven or eight powerful Mages challenged it, and none of them returned. Now you know why I won't let you go."
"What?!"
"Seven or eight Mages all failed?!"
Everyone in the Guild was shocked. Mages capable of taking S-Class Quests must be powerful. For so many powerful Mages to have failed, this S-Class Quest must be too dangerous.
"Master, I still want to try and challenge it." Erza said with a serious expression.
Every quest has its dangers, and only by constantly challenging oneself can one break through limits.
"You child, why can't I reason with you?" Makarov was furious.
At this moment, he glimpsed Takeshi in front of the request board and thought, 'This kid seems to have always been eyeing the quests on the second floor.'
"Alright, I agree."
"Really?!"
Erza was surprised. Seeing his attitude earlier, she thought he would never agree.
"However, I have one condition."
"What condition?"
"That is, you cannot do this quest alone. It's too dangerous to go alone. I'll assign someone to go with you, only then will I feel at ease."
Saying this, Makarov pointed his finger at Takeshi in front of the request board. "Takeshi, you go with Erza."
Takeshi was a bit stunned, pointing at himself. "Me?!"
"Eh?!"
Everyone in the Guild was shocked to hear Makarov's words.
Takeshi was a rookie who had just joined the Guild, having recently completed an S-Class Quest. Now he was going to take on a second S-Class Quest?
"That's right. It's you. Haven't you always wanted to do S-Class Quests? I'm giving you a chance. Go with Erza to complete this S-Class Quest. Will you do it or not?"
[Ding! Do you accept the S-Class Quest: Legendary Sword?]
[Reward: 10 Draws!]
Seeing the system prompt, Takeshi immediately raised his hand and shouted, "Master, I'll do it!"
How could he not do it?
One S-Class Quest was worth 10 A-Class Quests. Moreover, doing 10 A-Class Quests was too troublesome, requiring him to run around, which was not as convenient as doing one S-Class Quest.
Makarov looked at Erza and said, "Erza, this quest will be completed by you and Takeshi working together. If you don't agree, then I cannot allow you to go alone."
S-Class Quests were too dangerous. Although Erza's overall ability was great, the possibility of failure was very high.
Although Takeshi was a rookie, he already had experience completing S-Class Quests. And from Elfman's description of his performance, although Takeshi's stamina was a bit lacking, if he went all out, the power he unleashed was definitely among the top S-Class Mages.
If he wasn't afraid this kid would get too arrogant, he could even be made an S-Class Mage directly.
Only with Takeshi going with Erza could he feel somewhat at ease.
"I agree."
Erza didn't hesitate at all. She wasn't the type to stubbornly seek death. If she could complete the quest more safely, she wouldn't refuse.
"Hello, I'm Erza. Nice to meet you." Erza extended her hand to Takeshi and introduced herself.
Takeshi also extended his hand and shook Erza's. "My name is Takeshi. Nice to meet you."
"Hmm, I've heard of you. You single-handedly defeated the Phantom Bandit Gang and completed an S-Class Quest. Very dependable."
"It was just a coincidence."
"S-Class Quests cannot be completed by coincidence. We can spar sometime if you have time."
"Uh... alright."
Takeshi saw the strong desire to win in Erza's eyes, as if she was determined to defeat him.
"Takeshi, take a look at the quest." Makarov handed the request form to Takeshi.
Takeshi took the request form. This was his first official look at an S-Class request form. The request form was marked with a large red 'S' to highlight the danger of the quest.
[Legendary Sword (S): In a temple deep within the Western Great Forest in the western part of the Sobellia Kingdom, there is a legendary sword. Pull out the legendary sword and return it to the Sobelia Royal Palace.]
"The quest doesn't seem that complicated."
Makarov said with a serious expression, "The simpler the quest, the more dangerous it is. Seven or eight powerful Mages have already fallen on this quest."
"I don't know much about this quest, but I do know about the Western Great Forest of the Sobelia Kingdom. Its official name is the Western Great Forest, but it has another name: Forest of Magical Creatures."