Chapter 18: The King's Mission
Hearing this voice, the crowd instantly fell into chaos.
Looking in the direction of the sound, they saw a massive, boar-like monster, four or five meters tall, appear at the edge of the forest. Flames burned on its hooves and back.
The guard's expression changed the moment he saw it.
"Not good! It's a five-star magical beast! A Blazing Boar!"
"Quick, prepare to attack!"
The guards immediately sprang into action.
"ROAR----!!"
The Blazing Boar let out a furious roar and charged straight for them.
"BAM!!!"
"Uwaaaaaah!"
"Gyaaaaaah!"
With a savage charge, the Blazing Boar sent all the guards flying.
Just as it was about to crash into the crowd...
A figure shot forward.
Splurch----!!
The figure and the Blazing Boar passed each other. A massive gash appeared on the beast's body, and blood sprayed from the wound.
Thud!
The five-star magical beast, the Blazing Boar, collapsed to the ground.
Erza sheathed her sword. The one who had just attacked was, of course, Erza. Seeing that the crowd was about to be injured, she had taken action.
"So strong!!"
"That was a five-star Blazing Boar! She took it down in one hit! Who is she?!"
"Could she be a six-star... or even a seven-star swordsman?"
Seeing Erza fell the monster, the crowd couldn't help but applaud, marveling at the strength she had displayed.
A guard quickly ran over, his eyes now full of respect. "Honorable lady swordswoman, thank you so much for stepping in. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable."
"I just saw that people were about to get hurt, so I acted. I hope I didn't interfere with your duties."
The guard waved his hands frantically. "Not at all! Not at all!"
"If it's alright, could you please hurry up with the inspection? We still need to enter the city."
"No, no! No inspection needed! Welcome to Sword City. Please, go right in! We hope you enjoy your stay!"
The guard didn't even bother to check their luggage and immediately waved Ren and Erza through.
"Thank you."
"It seems the people here really respect swordsmen," Ren observed. He could clearly feel the change in the guard's attitude toward Erza.
Erza explained, "This is Sword City. Everyone here reveres swordsmen. The higher a swordsman's star rank, the higher their status. I've always wanted to come and see it, but I never had the chance."
The two of them walked through the massive city gate.
The first thing that met their eyes was an incredibly tall statue standing in the city's center. It was a massive sculpture, at least two hundred meters high.
It depicted a man in armor, leaning on a greatsword with both hands, his deep eyes gazing up at the sky.
"That's a huge statue!" Ren was in awe. Today was the first day he truly felt like he had entered a fantasy world. "Who is he?"
"The Sword Saint, Noah," Erza said, looking at the statue. "It's said his swordsmanship was so transcendent it bordered on divine, so he was given the title of 'Sword Saint.'"
Erza's eyes were filled with aspiration and reverence. Even though she wasn't purely a swordswoman, she used swords for most of her magic, and she deeply respected those with high-level swordsmanship.
"A Sword Saint, huh..." Ren wasn't sure how good this "Sword Saint" was, but when it came to swordsmanship, he refused to believe anyone could surpass Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
"Let's go."
The two of them walked down the main street.
The street was bustling with people, and nearly everyone, even the children, was carrying a sword. Weapon shops lined the street. They even passed a school called, simply, "The Swordsman Academy."
The entire city was filled with the aura of the sword. It truly deserved the name "Sword City."
Following the main street, they arrived at the royal palace of the Kingdom of Soar, the location of their client.
"Halt!"
The royal guards stopped Ren and Erza.
Erza stepped forward. "We are mages from Fairy Tail. We are here in response to a request."
"Mages? Please wait a moment!" One of the guards immediately went to inquire.
A short while later, a minister in his fifties walked out.
"Are you the mages from Fairy Tail?"
"Yes, we are."
"I am Lamon, a minister of the Kingdom of Soar. Please, come this way."
Ren and Erza followed the minister into the royal palace.
The palace wasn't particularly luxurious. In fact, for a royal palace, it seemed almost too plain.
Soon, they were led into the main throne room.
"Your Majesty! The mages from Fairy Tail have arrived," the minister announced, bowing to the king on the throne.
Ren and Erza looked at the king. He was a man in his forties or fifties, with a sharp, commanding presence. His body was corded with muscle. He looked less like a king and more like a general.
King Reno smiled. "Welcome, mages of Fairy Tail."
"Your Majesty, we are here in response to your request."
King Reno nodded. "Yes, I have been notified of your arrival."
"Could you please explain the mission in detail? The request form was limited. The more we know, the higher our chances of success."
"Of course. That is just what I was about to do. First, let me tell you a story. You both know who founded this city, do you not?"
Erza nodded. "It was the Sword Saint, Noah."
"Correct. The Sword Saint, Noah, was my ancestor. Four hundred years ago, he slew the evil dragon, Alazam, on this very spot and founded Sword City. The people honored him as 'Noah the Hero.'"
"Yes, so the legend goes," Erza said, seeming to recall the story.
"In truth, the legend is not entirely accurate. My ancestor did not kill the evil dragon Alazam. He sealed it. Then he founded this city to stand guard over it for all generations."
"Now, four hundred years have passed. The seal's power is weakening. We do not know when, but the dragon will break free. When that happens, the entire Kingdom of Soar will be plunged into disaster."
"Therefore, I planned to retrieve my ancestor's sacred sword to suppress it. But that... monster... seems to have learned of this plan. It controls a massive number of magical beasts, which now guard the temple. Anyone who approaches is killed by the monsters."
"I have already lost count of how many have been fed to those beasts."
Ren spoke up. "So, you want us to break through the monsters, enter the temple, and bring back the sword, correct?"
The king shook his head, his eyes turning grim.
"No. That is not it. I want you... to kill the evil dragon."