Fiore Kingdom, southwest, Katchia Mountain Range. This was Zorn's last S-rank mission. The previous missions had all been easily resolved under Zorn's leadership, without a doubt.
For Kana, experiencing different types of S-rank missions at this age and assisting in their completion was an incredibly valuable experience for a Magician. Kana also saw a significant improvement in her own strength through real combat situations. Of course, the days spent with Zorn were also incredibly precious memories for both of them.
In the distance, the mountains were dyed with the colors of late autumn, resembling a serene traditional Chinese painting. Yellow, brown, and red hues intertwined, depicting the beauty of late autumn with their colors and shapes.
Zorn and Kana strolled leisurely along the mountain path, admiring the surrounding scenery with great interest.
"Tap, tap, tap~" Kana suddenly ran ahead, having reached a naturally formed mountain peak platform.
"Haha, Zorn, hurry, look, it's so beautiful!" Kana giggled, urging Zorn to come faster, but she herself was deeply engrossed in the breathtaking scenery, not even turning her head.
The layered peaks were like a beautiful scroll, with clouds like silk floating among them, gently swaying with the mountains. Under the sunlight, they emitted a shimmering glow, as dazzling as treasures from the immortal realm.
The mountains, set against the clouds, appeared even more majestic and towering. When Zorn stood on the platform, overlooking the beautiful sea of clouds and peaks, he couldn't help but marvel at the wonder and grandeur of nature. This magnificent view filled both Zorn and Kana with an immense sense of tranquility.
While admiring the view, Zorn quickly took out his magic camera to capture the moment. He hopped left and right, capturing Kana and the beautiful scenery together, and also took many photos with Kana as keepsakes.
Zorn took out the newly taken photos and carefully placed them in an album. It contained many wonderful memories: a Guild group photo (drawn when Happy made a move), Laxus's ugly photos, photos of Erza and Mirajane bickering, photos of Natsu and Gray enduring painful but persistent training, and photos of Elfman shyly facing the camera and Lisanna's sweet smile, some interesting photos of Guild Members, and photos with Kana from their travels.
These memories were treasured by Zorn. He also planned to show these new travel photos to the Guild Members when he returned, to make them envious. Zorn smiled as he closed the album, slowly put it into his backpack, and then pulled Kana to continue their unfinished mission.
"Zorn, I heard that many Magicians returned empty-handed from investigating this ruin, which is why it was finally upgraded to an S-rank mission," Kana said, recalling the mission brief she had seen before coming: [Investigate the Lost Magic Ruin], and descriptions of the mission from other Magicians.
Magicians undertaking the mission would often go missing, and then others would search inch by inch in this mountain range without finding any trace. Then, one day, the missing person would lose all their magic, appear in a random place in the mountains, and be found disoriented, remembering nothing of what happened.
It even led people to believe that this ruin didn't exist, but an old man in a village in the mountains said that the ruin was real, passed down through generations, and that his descendants must find it.
"The specific reason is unknown."
"All the magic disappeared? That's indeed a bit strange, but don't worry, I'm here," Zorn guaranteed, completely unconcerned. At worst, if anything happened, he could instantly teleport Kana and himself out. His Observation Haki range was now extremely wide.
"Let's go, the village should be in that direction." Zorn sensed a bit, finding some life signs to their east, but also detecting something unusual within his perception.
"What's wrong? Did you find something?" Kana saw Zorn frowning during his perception, clearly indicating an issue.
"Well, we'll know when we go there. It's just a small problem," Zorn said, bringing two fingers together slightly, genuinely expressing that it was a minor issue. This sincere answer made Kana accurately understand that it really should be a small problem.
After some time, the two arrived within the village. A middle-aged man dressed as a villager greeted them with a smile, "Two Magicians, you must be tired from your journey. Come, come, the food is already prepared. Eat, rest well, and then go on your mission tomorrow."
"Oh, really? That's great, I really am tired from the journey," Zorn replied with raised eyebrows, a slight smile, and a Happy expression. He also turned to Kana and said, "Looks like this mission is going well, let's go in quickly!"
With that, he eagerly pulled Kana, following behind the uncle. However, as he held Kana's hand, he drew a mark on her palm, secretly conveying a warning to be cautious.
Kana instantly understood Zorn's meaning. She wrapped her arms around Zorn's arm, an expectant expression on her face, and followed the middle-aged uncle into the village.
Inside the village, various villagers went about their tasks, and children played nearby, curiously watching the two. Each household was also preparing lunch.
Zorn carefully observed the daily habits of the villagers. On the surface, it truly was a harmonious and beautiful village, making it impossible to detect anything amiss.
"Haha, almost there, just ahead. My father is the village chief here. After dinner, you can learn more about the mission from him."
Seeing Zorn enthusiastically observing the villagers' lives, the middle-aged uncle quickly spoke up to redirect Zorn's attention. He pointed ahead, and an old house with a smoking chimney and a courtyard appeared before them.
A large table was set in the courtyard, laden with chicken, duck, fish, meat, and seasonal vegetables, very abundant and appetizing.
A woman carried out the last dish from the kitchen. Seeing her husband bring guests back, she was equally enthusiastic.
"Oh, are these the two Magicians here for the mission? You're truly young and promising! Quick, quick, you two young lovers, please take a seat. Husband, please accompany our guests, I'll go help my father-in-law out."
The woman first praised the two, then quickly urged them to sit down, and then went inside to help out an old man who looked frail and walked with a shuffle.
Since entering the village, Zorn had kept his Observation Haki covering the entire village, and truly, there had been no problems until now.
When he first scouted, he did discover that this village had a problem. During his initial perception, there were clearly only a few people in the village, and then at a certain moment, the number of people grew wildly, as if they had suddenly sprouted from the ground.
This also made Zorn wary. As they approached the village, this middle-aged man seemed to know someone was coming today, greeting them early, which made it even more suspicious.
Zorn, while thinking silently to himself, still looked Happy and eager, his face beaming at the table full of delicious food.
To be continued~
----------------------------------
I've already posted 40 new chapters on Patreon!
If you like the story and want to reaad more, please visit my patreon. Every support is very meaningful!
[patreon.com/Kazenova223]
Thank you very much!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"