"That's the royal palace just ahead. This is as far as I can take you."
Ella gently set Kaien Blaze down on the ground.
"Thanks a lot. If I had to walk the whole way, it might've taken me hours."
What took Ella half an hour to walk would've taken Kaien more than ten times that on foot—not to mention all the time spent dodging giant feet along the way.
Ella chuckled.
"Don't mention it. It was nice talking to a human mage and hearing about the world outside. Well, we'll be off then."
"Bye, Brother Kaien!" Brie waved enthusiastically.
Kaien smiled and waved back. This was just a brief detour in his life—one of those encounters you cherish even if you never meet again.
Once the two had disappeared down the road, Kaien turned toward the towering gates of the royal palace.
"Halt!"
"Who are you?!"
The guards posted at the entrance stepped forward. While humans were rare in Elbaf, they weren't unheard of—there were even a few human settlements scattered within the kingdom.
"I'm a mage from Fairy Tail. I came here on a commissioned mission."
"A mission?"
"Wait—that mission?!"
The Giant Kingdom rarely needed outside help. If a mission had been posted, it could only be that one.
"Please, go on in!"
The two giant guards stepped aside immediately.
"Uh… aren't you going to search me or anything?"
He had mentally prepared himself for a thorough inspection.
One of the guards laughed.
"Heh… no need. Honestly, inspecting human gear is a bit… tricky for us."
Kaien glanced at his modest backpack, then at the massive hands that could crush it by accident. Yeah. Fair enough.
"I'll escort you to His Majesty."
The guard's strides were massive, but Kaien kept pace with ease thanks to his improved physique. It didn't take long to reach the grand hall of the palace.
"Your Majesty! The mage from Fairy Tail has arrived!!"
A booming voice replied from within.
"Oh? The mage from Fairy Tail is here? Quickly—let him in!"
"Please enter, honored mage."
"Thanks."
Kaien nodded politely, then leapt with force, clearing the two-meter-tall threshold like a squirrel hopping a log.
Everything here made him feel like a mouse in a castle made for dragons. He'd seen giants in the Fairy Tail anime before—but that was just a village. This was an entire kingdom.
If scaled proportionally, this kingdom was easily twice the size of Magnolia.
A nation twice the size of Magnolia wasn't exactly large by human standards—but without a doubt, this was one of the strongest countries in the world.
And this—these kinds of eye-opening experiences—was exactly why Kaien loved S-Class Missions. He was starting to understand why Gildarts always preferred to roam.
What was a short stroll for giants took Kaien several minutes at a jog. The royal hall was so large it could've been mistaken for an airfield.
Eventually, Kaien reached the throne, where he met the Giant King—not an aged ruler with a white beard, but a surprisingly young man who looked to be in his thirties.
"Your Majesty of the Giant Kingdom, it's an honor. I am Kaien Blaze, a mage of Fairy Tail. I've come in response to your commission."
The king smiled down at him.
"Mmm… How's that rascal Makarov doing?"
Kaien blinked.
"You know our Guild Master?"
"Oh? So the little guy's Guild Master now? Hah, well, I guess that makes sense. Human lives are short—he would be the old man in charge by now."
"I've known Makarov for a long time. Back when I was still the crown prince, we met. He was about your age then. Over sixty years have passed since. I suppose he's a wrinkly old man now, huh? Hahahaha!"
Kaien immediately understood why Makarov had reacted so strangely when he saw the request. They were old friends.
"Those were good times. I bet Makarov never told you about how many times I slammed him to the ground—or kicked him in the butt. He even had the nerve to flirt with Lina! Hah! But in the end, she married me!"
Kaien's mouth twitched.
'Getting slammed and kicked is one thing, but seriously… that short old man had the guts to hit on a female giant? Who does he think he is, Erza in drag??'
…Well, maybe it wasn't that outrageous. Makarov did wield Giant Magic, after all. Flirting with a giantess wasn't entirely off the table.
Still… 'she's a giant, man!'
"And what's got you laughing so hard, Your Majesty?" came a gentle, feminine voice.
A graceful giant woman entered the hall.
The king beamed and pointed at Kaien.
"Lina, perfect timing! This little guy's a member of Makarov's guild."
The woman named Lina finally noticed Kaien's tiny figure near the throne.
"Oh?! You're from Little Makarov's guild? How is he? Is he doing alright?"
Kaien looked up at her and smiled.
"Guild Master Makarov is doing well, though age has caught up with him a bit. He's in decent health overall—eating, drinking, relaxing. He's enjoying life."
"That's good to hear. Sounds like he's living peacefully. I'm glad."
"Now then, let's get down to the mission, shall we?" Kaien said, getting to the point.
"Yes, of course. Let me explain," the king nodded. "Tell me, young mage—how strong do you think our Giant Kingdom is?"
"Extremely strong. Honestly, even across the entire continent of Ishgar, I think this is the most powerful nation."
Kaien's tone was dead serious. He wasn't just flattering.
Even the average giant here was a walking war machine. Drop one of them into the One Piece world and they'd be on par with Vice Admirals. With a population in the tens of thousands, this kingdom was terrifying.
Even Kaien, with his boosted stats, could maybe take on a few dozen giants if he went all out. After that, he'd burn out.
If that wasn't a strong nation, what was?
"Haha! You flatter us. But I know that the true rulers of this continent are still the humans. Especially that 'Etherion' weapon of the Magic Council. One shot could level my kingdom."
Kaien shook his head.
"Etherion is a last-resort weapon. It's not something they'd deploy casually."
"But not using it easily doesn't mean they'll never use it," the king said quietly.
"Still," he continued, "that's not what I meant to talk about. I wanted to tell you that beside our kingdom… lies another nation with power rivaling ours—"
"The Kingdom of Trolls."