"The palace is just ahead. I can only take you this far." Ayla set Takeshi down.
Takeshi said, "Thank you. If I had walked by myself, it might have taken several hours to arrive."
Ayla had just walked for half an hour, but for Takeshi, it would have been at least ten times that, not even counting the time wasted avoiding the giants.
Ayla smiled. "You're welcome. I'm happy to talk to a human mage and learn about the outside world. We'll be going now."
"Goodbye, Takeshi-nii." Buli waved at Takeshi.
Takeshi smiled and waved back.
This was a small interlude in Takeshi's life. Perhaps he would never see these people again, but the experience was a good one.
After watching the two leave, Takeshi turned and walked towards the Giant King's Palace.
"Stop!"
"Who are you?!"
The guards in front of the palace stopped Takeshi.
Humans were rare in the Giant Kingdom, but not nonexistent, there were some human villages here.
Takeshi said, "I am a Mage from Fairy Tail. I'm here for a quest."
"A quest?"
"Is it that quest?!"
Their Giant Kingdom could usually solve all its problems. It seemed they had only issued one quest to outsiders recently.
"Please come in."
The two giant guards immediately stepped aside.
"Uh... don't you need to check me?"
It was a royal palace after all, and he had prepared for it.
One guard chuckled. "Haha... no need. Besides, inspecting human things is somewhat difficult for us."
Takeshi looked at his backpack, then at the guard's hand, which was even larger than himself. Indeed, inspecting it would be difficult.
The other guard said, "Come on, I'll take you to see His Majesty."
The guard took large strides into the palace, and Takeshi quickly followed. Fortunately, his physical condition was excellent now, allowing him to easily keep up with the guard.
A short while later, Takeshi arrived outside the main hall of the palace.
"Your Majesty! The Mage from Fairy Tail has arrived.'
Soon, a booming voice sounded from within. "Oh? The Mage from Fairy Tail has arrived? Please, come in quickly."
"Mage, please come in."
"Thank you."
Takeshi nodded to the guard, then leaped, clearing the two-meter-high threshold.
He realized he was like a small mouse, it was truly inconvenient to be here. But he didn't know until he saw it—the Giant Kingdom was truly amazing.
He had seen giants in the Fairy Tail anime, but that was just a giant village. This was a Giant Kingdom.
If scaled down, this kingdom was roughly twice the size of Magnolia.
A country twice the size of Magnolia—what a small country it seemed. But without a doubt, it was the strongest nation in this world.
These completely different experiences were one of the reasons Takeshi liked taking S-Class Quests. He now somewhat understood why Gildarts loved to travel so much.
The path to the audience chamber, which wasn't far for a giant, took Takeshi several minutes even at an accelerated pace. The main hall of this palace was almost as long as an airport.
Takeshi met the King of the Giant Kingdom. Unlike the elderly kings he had seen before, he appeared very young, looking to be around thirty years old.
"Greetings, Your Majesty. I am Takeshi, a Mage from Fairy Tail. I have come here to accept the quest you issued."
The King smiled as he looked at Takeshi and said, "Hmm... how is that boy Makarov doing?"
Takeshi was startled. "Your Majesty knows Master?"
The king said, "Oh? That boy is the Guild Master now? Well, that makes sense. Humans have shorter lifespans, so he should have been Guild Master for a while."
"Makarov and I are old friends. I knew him when I was still the prince of the Giant Kingdom. He was about your age then. Now, more than sixty years have passed, and he must be an old man, hahahaha."
Upon hearing this, Takeshi understood why Makarov was so surprised when he received the quest. It turned out he and the King were friends.
"Those times were nostalgic. I bet Makarov never told you that I threw him dozens of times and kicked his butt. He wasn't big, but he had designs on Lina. In the end, Lina married me. Hahahaha."
Takeshi's lips twitched, and he inwardly complained.
Being thrown and kicked in the butt was one thing, but such a short old man, not big in stature, yet with such a big lustful heart, dared to have designs on female giants. Did he think he was Gaban?
Uh... actually, it might not be impossible. After all, Makarov's magic allowed him to enlarge his body, so having designs on female giants didn't seem like too big of a problem.
"What's so funny, Your Majesty?"
Just then, a beautiful female giant walked out.
The King pointed at Takeshi and laughed. "Haha, Lina, you've come at a good time. This little fellow is a member of that boy Makarov's guild."
The female giant named Lina only then noticed Takeshi, such a small person, in the hall.
Lina immediately showed a joyful expression upon hearing the King's words. She squatted down and asked Takeshi, "Oh? You're a member of Makarov's guild? How is Makarov doing now? Is he well?"
Takeshi said, "Master is doing very well. He's just getting on in years, and his health has declined a bit, but overall, he's quite good, enjoying himself with food, drink, and play every day."
"Is that so? He sounds good. That puts my mind at ease."
"Your Majesty, let's discuss the quest."
"Hmm... yes, let's talk about it. Young man, what do you think of the strength of the Giant Kingdom?"
Takeshi said with a serious expression, "Very strong. Even looking across the entire Ishgar continent, it is the strongest nation."
Any giant here, if taken to the One Piece world, would be comparable to a Vice Admiral and this nation has at least ten thousand giant inhabitants.
Even he, if he didn't flee and fought head-on, would be exhausted after defeating dozens or even a hundred giants.
If such a nation isn't strong, what kind of nation is?
The King laughed. "Haha. You flatter us. I know that the dominant power on this continent is still humanity, especially Etherion of the Magic Council. One strike could almost destroy my nation."
Takeshi shook his head. "That is the ultimate weapon of the Magic Council, it won't be used lightly."
The King shook his head. "Not used lightly doesn't mean not used at all."
"But I'm not talking about that. What I'm saying is, actually, next to us, there's another nation of similar strength: the Troll Kingdom."