Magnolia: East Forest
Raizel had just completed another S-Class quest—an extermination mission involving a nest of Wyverns.
He had returned to the Guild to report the success and then used Teleportation Magic to teleport directly to his training grounds in the East Forest, intending to meditate.
However, as he materialized, he saw three figures standing near the lake.
Two were old acquaintances: Laxus, who's looking bored as usual, and Cana, who was shuffling a deck of cards.
The third was a stranger.
He was a tall, lean young man with long green hair and peculiar lightning-bolt-shaped cowlicks sticking out on both sides of his head.
He wore a rapier at his hip and carried himself with stiff, formal dignity.
This was the person Laxus had mentioned over the lacrima—the persistent fanboy.
Freed Justine.
"Raizel," Laxus nodded in greeting. "You're back."
"Yo," Cana waved.
Laxus gestured to the green-haired man. "This is Freed. He's... enthusiastic. I'm taking him to the guild to sign up."
"It is an honor to meet you, Sir Raizel," Freed bowed deeply, his hand over his heart. "Laxus-sama has spoken of your strength."
Raizel smiled politely.
He knew Freed's future potential well.
The future captain of the Thunder God Tribe, the user of Dark Écriture, a form of Letter Magic similar to Levy's but focused on combat and debuffs.
He was also a master of Jutsu Shiki (Runes), capable of creating complex barrier rules.
"Nice to meet you, Freed," Raizel said.
He turned to his friends. "So, Laxus, Cana... what brings you to my backyard?"
"We just got back from a quest," Cana explained, slipping her cards back into her pouch. "We had something to tell Kagura, so we stopped by the training grounds hoping she was here."
"Kagura?" Raizel frowned slightly. "What is it?"
Cana closed her eyes and shook her head slowly. "Don't worry, it's nothing bad. We ran into Simon while we were on our quest."
Raizel's expression relaxed.
"He's traveling with a group of friends now," Cana continued. "He looked good. Happy. We just wanted to let Kagura know so she doesn't worry."
"That's good news," Raizel nodded. "Kagura will be relieved. Simon actually sent a letter to the guild a few days ago, but Kagura is still out on a mission with Erza and Ultear. I'm holding onto the letter for her."
"Oh, speaking of Simon's friends," Cana grinned, a mischievous glint in her eye. "One of them uses a unique type of Card Magic. We sparred a bit, and I actually learned a new trick from him."
She pulled a single card from her deck with two fingers and held it up. The card glowed with a faint, spatial aura.
"What did you learn?" Raizel asked curiously.
"It's called Dimension Dimension," Cana explained. "Or 'Sealing.' It can trap objects—and even people—inside the card dimension."
She flipped the card.
"It's basically portable Spatial Magic. Anything sealed inside cannot be damaged from the outside, and they can't break out unless they have dimension-cutting abilities or I release them."
"Not bad," Raizel whistled. "That's a very high-level utility spell. Congratulations."
"I've seen it in action," Laxus grunted, crossing his arms. "It's annoying. She managed to seal one of my lightning bolts. It completely nullified the attack."
Raizel raised an eyebrow.
Sealing Laxus's lightning? Even if he was holding back, that was impressive.
It meant Cana's potential had skyrocketed. This magic could act as a perfect defense or a way to capture enemies alive.
"To put it simply," Raizel grinned, "Cana hit the jackpot."
"Let's go eat," Laxus interrupted, clearly done with the conversation. "Freed offered to pay."
"I would be honored!" Freed exclaimed.
After the four of them had lunch at a nearby restaurant (where Freed fussed over Laxus's order like a butler), they headed to the guild.
Makarov, upon seeing a strong new recruit, immediately found another excuse to throw a banquet.
...
A Few Days Later
Ultear, Erza, and Kagura finally returned from their marathon mission.
After reporting to Makarov, Kagura didn't even stop to rest. She learned from Ur that a letter from Simon was waiting for her, and that Raizel had it.
She rushed straight to the East Forest.
Raizel was meditating by the lake. He sensed her approach—her magical signature was agitated and hurried.
"Kagura," Raizel said, standing up before she even arrived. "Wait there. I'll get it."
Flash.
He vanished and reappeared seconds later, holding a thick envelope.
Kagura took it with trembling hands. She tore it open right there in the forest, not caring about privacy.
Inside was a short letter and a stack of photographs.
Dear Kagura,
I hope you are well. Don't worry about me. I have met some friends, and we are traveling together to find missing relatives. We are safe.
Be careful on your quests.
Love, Simon.
It was brief, typical of Simon. But the photos told a richer story.
Kagura shuffled through them.
There were pictures of landscapes, strange towns, and food. And then, there was a group photo.
Simon stood in the middle, smiling broadly.
His arm was draped around a boy with blocky hair and a boy with a cards motif.
Millianna was there too, looking cheerful.
They looked happy and.... Free.
Raizel glanced over her shoulder.
The person Cana and Laxus had met was Sho, the one who taught Cana the Sealing spell.
Kagura slowly looked through the photos Simon had sent, an irrepressible smile appearing on her face.
As long as her brother was happy on his travels, that was all that mattered.
This was also why she hadn't stopped him. Now that her brother had made new friends, she was even happier.
Simon used to send letters back, but they were mostly just a few dry sentences.
This time, he had learned to send photos back, perhaps at his friend's suggestion.
A radiant smile broke across Kagura's usually stoic face.
"He's happy," she whispered.
"You're quite anxious," Raizel teased gently. "Seeing you so flustered... it's rare. Usually, you act like a sixty-year-old samurai master."
Kagura froze.
Her face flushed pink. She stammered, trying to find a retort, but failed.
She shot him a glare that lacked any real heat.
"I'm just kidding," Raizel laughed softly. "It's good to see you show emotion. As long as you're comfortable, be however you want."
"I know," Kagura muttered, regaining her composure. Her mask of cool indifference slid back into place, but her eyes remained warm.
This expression easily gave people a "stay away" feeling, but she was fine with it because she didn't intend to make many friends.
Fairy Tail was enough, and those who knew her well knew she was the type who was cold on the outside but warm on the inside.
After putting away the letter and photos, Kagura followed Raizel back to the Guild.
She had run over as soon as she heard about Simon's letter and hadn't had a proper chat with Ur and the others yet.
...
Raizel and Kagura walked back to the Guild.
Just as Raizel pushed the doors open, a blur of motion came flying at them.
Raizel's reflexes kicked in instantly. He stepped to the left. Kagura stepped to the right.
Whoosh.
Two bodies flew through the open doorway like cannonballs.
Natsu and Gray.
They sailed past Raizel and Kagura, hit the cobblestone street outside, and rolled for a solid twenty meters before coming to a stop in a tangle of limbs.
"Ouch..." Natsu groaned.
Raizel looked at the open doors.
'Well, at least I saved the door hinges.'
He looked inside.
The guild hall was silent. Everyone was frozen in terror.
Standing in the center of the room was Erza Belserion.
And..... She was trembling.
A dark, murderous aura radiated from her body, twisting the air itself. It was far more terrifying than any demon Raizel had faced.
Ultear and Cana were holding her arms, trying desperately to restrain her.
"Calm down, Erza!" Cana shouted.
"Think of the repair bill!" Ultear pleaded.
Raizel looked closer.
Erza's beautiful face was covered in white cream and red syrup.
A slice of strawberry cake—a limited edition slice—was smashed against her cheek.
It seemed Natsu and Gray's brawl had resulted in collateral damage. And they had hit the one target they should never, ever ever ever ever hit.
"THAT WAS A LIMITED EDITION!!!" Erza roared, her voice shaking the foundations of the building. "I WAITED IN LINE FOR THREE HOURS!!!"
"REQUIP!"
A sword appeared in her hand.
"RUN!" Happy screamed, flying out the window.
Raizel looked at Kagura.
"Maybe we should wait outside for a bit," Raizel suggested.
Kagura nodded solemnly. "Agreed."
They quietly closed the doors.
---------
Read 40 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator