Chapter 123: Humans Are Terrifying
"K-killed them until they were scared?!"
The Giant General who had followed the King onto the bridge lowered his massive axe. All the giants in the vanguard were stunned when they heard Ren's words. They stared at the cowering, whimpering masses of trolls.
They had fought the Troll Kingdom their entire lives, knowing how terrifying their strength was. These Trolls were completely barbaric, each one tall, incredibly strong, and feeling no pain.
Their Elbaf Kingdom had only managed to suppress these barbarians with their sophisticated weaponry and excellent combat training. It was a war of attrition that had lasted for centuries.
And now... this single human youth had walked into their capital and broken them.
The Giant King looked around, his mouth agape. The city was in ruins. The Troll Palace was a pile of rubble. The very ground was split open as if by an earthquake. If they hadn't seen the terrified trolls with their own eyes, they certainly wouldn't have believed it.
But looking at the Trolls' timid, hesitant gazes, they all knew it was true. This human youth had truly, utterly scared the Trolls into submission.
"Let's go," Ren said. He was putting on a calm front, but he was exhausted. The destruction he caused in the Troll Capital was considerable, but the total number of Trolls he actually killed wasn't that many.
These Trolls, purely in terms of physical fitness, were even more terrifying than Giants. Killing one required a significant amount of effort.
With his magic, he might be able to kill hundreds, but his magic would likely be depleted, and there were tens of thousands of Trolls in this royal city.
Most importantly, he didn't have much animosity towards the Trolls themselves. His targets were the cultists. The Mage Guild also had strict regulations stating that Mages could not participate in national wars or genocide. His job was to rescue the children and eliminate the instigators, which he had done.
The Giant King also nodded when he heard Ren's words. He was a king, not a butcher.
Although they had already led their people into the Troll Capital, he also knew that the Trolls were not to be trifled with. If a real, desperate, all-out fight broke out, his giants would undoubtedly suffer heavy casualties.
Their original purpose in coming here was to rescue Ren. Since that objective had been achieved and the enemy was routed, there was naturally no need to linger here.
The giants, in a state of silent awe, formed a protective perimeter around Ren and left.
Only after the last giant's footsteps faded from the Bridge of Giant Wood did the Trolls finally dare to stand up. They looked at the ruins of their capital, at the body of their king half-buried under a building, and at the lone human walking away with their mortal enemies.
"That human is too terrifying!" one of the troll captains shivered.
"Didn't they say humans outside are actually very weak? Food? How can there be such a terrifying monster?"
"Yeah! To be able to cause such terrifying destruction... is this human magic? I'd rather fight the entire Giant army..."
Elbaf Capital
Many people—mothers, fathers, and elders—had already gathered at the gate of the Capital, waiting anxiously for their army's return.
At this moment, heavy footsteps sounded, and the Giant King returned with his people.
"We're back—!" The Giant King shouted loudly, his voice filled with triumph.
"Oh oh oh oh oh!!!"
Everyone in the Elbaf Capital cheered, a wave of relief and joy washing over the city. They had long known from the rescued children that it was Ren who had single-handedly saved them. Ren was the benefactor of their entire Elbaf Kingdom.
The Giant King, his voice booming over the cheers, raised his axe. "To celebrate the children's return! And to welcome our hero! Ren!! Let's have a feast tonight—!!"
"Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh!!!"
All the giants shouted excitedly!! The children being rescued was indeed a good thing worth celebrating.
Soon, all the giants became busy. Everyone gathered in the central square, building bonfires the size of houses. Entire roasted beasts, larger than elephants, were set on massive spits. Barrels of ale, each one as large as a small cottage, were rolled out.
Many giants danced around the bonfires, their faces beaming with happy smiles.
The little children rescued by Ren all gathered around him, looking at him with adoration.
The Giant King raised his massive, hollowed-out horn, filled to the brim with ale. He lightly clinked it with Ren's (comparatively tiny) glass, then both of them drained their drinks.
"Ah ha~~! Wonderful! Truly wonderful!" the King laughed, his voice echoing. "These past few months, because of the children, I was so frustrated! Now, the children are safe, and those Troll bastards have been thoroughly beaten! It's truly satisfying! Hahahaha!!"
During his conversation with the Giant King, Ren finally felt he could relax.
Queen Lina, sitting beside her husband, smiled gently. "This is all thanks to your help, Ren. To be able to rescue 120 children from the Troll Capital... it's truly unimaginable. Ren, you're not an ordinary Mage, are you?"
Although Lina and the King had never been to the human world, they had gathered quite a bit of information about humans from their old friend, Makarov. Ordinary human Mages were even weaker than their giant children. Even powerful Mages were only comparable to adult giants in strength.
The strength Ren displayed was too exaggerated, even more exaggerated than Makarov in his younger days.
"Hmm… I guess so." Ren wasn't sure what his exact level was, but he felt it should be similar to the Four Heavenly Kings of Ishgar.
[Akarin's Note: The "Four Heavenly Kings of Ishgar" (Ishgar Shiseiten'ō) is a fanfiction-specific title, referring to the four strongest Mages on the continent, considered a rank even above the Ten Wizard Saints.]
The Ishgar continent was vast, hiding an unknown number of powerhouses. Like the giant and troll races, these two races were actually very formidable.
"How is it just 'I guess so'?" The Giant King said excitedly, slamming his horn down. "Ren is definitely the strongest Mage on the continent! Lina, you don't know how exaggerated this young man's strength is! He just walked out of the Troll Capital, swaggering all by himself, and all the trolls didn't dare to stop him. It was so domineering!"
Lina smiled and said, "Alright, my dear, I've heard you say it several times already. Little brother Ren, even if you're not the strongest on the Ishgar continent, you're certainly in the top three. It's incredible to have such powerful strength at such a young age. Humans are still that race capable of creating miracles."
While enjoying the feast, Ren chatted with the Giant King and Queen. During their conversation, he also learned how the Guild Master met the two of them.
The Guild Master had also come here on a mission back then and became acquainted with the King and Queen, who were young warriors at the time. The three of them together defeated a terrifying monster, a Hydra, that was plaguing the kingdom. From then on, they were all hailed as heroes of the Elbaf Kingdom.
"During that time," the King laughed, "that little man even confessed his feelings to Lina! He wanted to invite her to leave with him!"
Lina rolled her eyes, but her smile was fond. "He was very sweet. He said he'd use his Giant Magic so he could hold me properly. But I had to refuse. I only regarded Makarov as a dear younger brother."
She glanced at her husband. "Besides, my heart was already given. The King and I were childhood sweethearts, and we already had deep feelings for each other. Moreover, it's too inconvenient for giants to live among humans, and I love my hometown. It was impossible for me to leave."
After that, the old man had no choice but to return to the Guild alone. Because the Elbaf Kingdom was relatively isolated and the distance between them spanned almost the entire Ishgar continent, they had not been in contact since then.
Ren hadn't expected the old man to have such a past experience, but thinking about it, it made sense. The old man must have been a protagonist of an era in his youth.
The feast lasted until late at night. Early the next morning, Ren packed his luggage and bid farewell, preparing to leave.
"Ren, are you going back so soon? Won't you stay a bit longer?" Ren had helped so much, and the Giant King also wanted him to stay longer to properly express their gratitude.
Ren smiled and refused, "No, Your Majesty. The Guild is still rebuilding after the attack from Phantom Lord, and I need to go back to help. It's also a bit far from Fairy Tail, and if I'm gone too long, everyone will start to worry."
"In that case… alright! Then I won't force you to stay."
When Ren arrived at the Capital gate, he found many people gathered there, including the 120 children he rescued and their parents.
"Brother Ren!" Buli and the other children happily called out when they saw Ren approaching.
"Buli, Ayla-san, why are you all here?"
Ayla smiled, her eyes filled with gratitude. "You're leaving, so of course we have to come and see you off!"
One of the parents, a massive giant warrior, bowed deeply to Ren. "Mage Ren, my daughter... she was one of the ones taken. I have no words. You have my life, and the life of my clan."
"Brother Ren, I want to become a man like you in the future!" Buli declared loudly.
"Oh!" Ren smiled. "I have high hopes for you. You must become a man who can protect his mother in the future."
"Brother Ren, can I marry you when I grow up?" a little giant girl, the same one who had worried about clothes, asked him.
Ren immediately broke into a sweat upon hearing this: "Uh… I think... compared to Brother Ren, you're already big enough."
"Hahahahaha!!!"
All the giants burst into laughter, seeing Ren's rare embarrassed expression.
"Alright, everyone, this is as far as you need to see me off!"
"Full-Body Take Over · Ulquiorra Cifer!"
Ren used Ulquiorra's reception, and everyone saw him transform again into the pale, winged figure.
All the children became excited. "There was even another transformation! It's so cool!"
"Wow! So cool—!!"
Ren, now as Ulquiorra, tapped his toes and was already standing in mid-air.
"Wow!!! Is he flying—?!" The adult giants were surprised.
The children cheered excitedly. "So Brother Ren could fly!"
Ren waved his hand and said, "Goodbye everyone!"
"Take care—!"
"Come visit often—!"
The Giant King shouted loudly, his voice echoing across the mountains, "The Elbaf Kingdom will always be friends with Fairy Tail! If you ever need help in the future, please just say so, and we will definitely come!!"
Ren waved his hand, then entered his Resurrección state. With a powerful flap of his black wings, his body rapidly flew back in the direction he came from, a black speck against the morning sun.
Although he wasn't someone who particularly enjoyed helping others, the feeling of being genuinely thanked... it wasn't bad at all.
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