Chapter 27: The Northern Beast King! He Must Be There!
That day, under Erza's gaze, Ren boarded the train heading for the Northern Plains.
Erza watched the train leave with heavy worry, her concern practically overflowing from her eyes.
"Don't worry, Erza. Ren is very strong. Nothing will happen to him."
Beside Erza, Gray, Natsu, and a reluctant Mirajane were all there at the station to send him off.
Although Mirajane looked completely unwilling, there was still worry in her eyes.
"That guy won't get into trouble over just one request. He's the man I'm going to defeat!"
Seeing Erza's anxious look, Mirajane lifted her chin and spoke up.
Erza turned and glanced at the arrogant Mirajane, and a smile appeared on her face.
"Let's go back."
Only after the train completely disappeared from sight did Erza turn around and leave the station with her companions.
The train traveled for nearly two days before Ren finally arrived near his destination.
Stretching his body, Ren felt like his bones were about to crack from sitting so long.
Fortunately, Zeus could act as a cushion for a while; otherwise, the hard seats might have actually ended him.
Taking the train was exhausting.
After getting off the train, Ren went straight to the town's municipal hall.
Not long after, hearing that an S-Class mage from Fairy Tail had arrived, people from the hall came out to welcome him.
"Hello. I'm the mayor, Gilto."
In the meeting room, an old man with white hair but a determined face walked in.
The moment he saw Ren, a flash of doubt crossed the mayor's eyes.
Could someone so young really be an S-Class mage?
It wasn't that no one had taken this request before, but most of them had been older.
"Here's my identification and the request sheet."
Seeing the suspicion in the mayor's eyes, Ren didn't hesitate to pull out the proof Makarov gave him and the request form.
After checking the proof, the mayor tentatively believed him.
"This request has gone through six S-Class mages. You are the seventh."
Sitting in his chair, the mayor took a sip of water and spoke with a desolate expression.
"Tell me the specific details of the request."
Ren frowned slightly and asked the mayor seriously.
The mayor nodded, then explained the situation to Ren.
After about fifteen minutes, Ren exhaled heavily.
He roughly understood the request.
In a mountain range near Gilto, there was a Beast King.
The Beast King had plagued the towns and villages near the mountains for years, and many people had died in its jaws.
Several nearby villages and towns had jointly issued a request to the Kingdom of Fiore to eliminate this Beast King.
But over time, the Beast King survived being hunted by several S-Class mages.
And over a period, its strength grew, until it eventually turned the tables and killed those S-Class mages instead.
Now, the request had been upgraded again and again, becoming a Ten-Year Quest.
After learning the full story, Ren nodded and pointed to the mountain range towering into the clouds not far away. "The Beast King is there, right?"
The mayor nodded and answered Ren, "He's there."
Hatred filled his eyes. The people of this town were practically being kept as livestock by that Beast King.
It wasn't that no one tried to leave, but they were all stopped by the Beast King.
The Beast King seemed to possess intelligence, treating humans as food and keeping them penned in this town.
Ren exhaled and nodded. "I understand."
He waved to Zeus nearby, then jumped onto Zeus's back.
He waved to the mayor. "I'll go take a look first!"
As Ren soared into the sky on Zeus, a look of hope appeared in the mayor's eyes.
In the mountains, Ren activated Observation Haki.
Instantly, scenes of the mountain range appeared in Ren's mind.
Flying a large circle around the mountains, Ren's Observation Haki didn't sense the Beast King at all.
Logically, the Beast King shouldn't be small.
Ren did detect quite a few large magical beasts in the mountains, but their strength was too weak.
The Beast King never appeared from beginning to end.
This made Ren frown.
Did the Beast King leave?
Shaking his head, Ren searched around the mountains twice more, but there was still no trace of the Beast King.
Since he couldn't find it, Ren had to leave for now.
Back in town, Ren found the mayor.
He got a drawing of the Beast King from him.
When told the Beast King didn't seem to be in the mountains, the mayor suddenly became agitated.
He retorted emotionally, "Impossible! That beast wouldn't leave!"
Ren's eyes narrowed. He shouted at the mayor, "What did you mean by that? What do you mean 'wouldn't leave'?"
Realizing his slip, the mayor calmed down and forced a smile onto his aged face.
He said to Ren, "Nothing. That beast keeps us here like livestock. He wouldn't leave easily."
Seeing that the mayor seemed to be hiding something, Ren thought for a moment, then looked up and said, "If you hide information about the request, I can give up on it immediately. I can go back right now!"
Stared down by Ren, the mayor fell silent.
He gritted his teeth and answered in a low voice, "That beast appeared in those mountains nine years ago."
"When it appeared, it ate a team of hunters who went into the mountains, and after that, it started eating people in the surrounding towns and villages."
"Every time that beast appears, it seems to follow a pattern. It shows up every year on August 1st."
Hearing the mayor's explanation, Ren frowned slightly.
August 1st. That was less than half a month away.
After a moment of silence, Ren nodded. "I'll stay in town. Wait half a month. If there's anything else, I hope you'll tell me immediately."
Ren swept a meaningful gaze over the mayor. Under Ren's stare, the mayor forced a smile and said ingratiatingly, "Of course, of course!"
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