"Too... too strong. Just what kind of person is this young man... I never even saw him release any magic, yet his speed, that eerie black mist, and the strength to tear off a Vulcan Queen's arm in an instant... it is hard to believe someone so young is capable of that."
Watching the Vulcan Queen, now missing one arm and its head, slowly collapse onto the ground, Macao's own body began to tremble uncontrollably. It was too terrifying. He could not reconcile the polite, calm young man who had spoken to him earlier with the monster of power he had just witnessed. Cold sweat slid down his back. His legs shook so badly he could barely stand, and even his breathing turned rough and rapid.
"Rip..."
The other Vulcan Queen, who had attacked a moment later, had not seen clearly what happened. Its claws, which had been about to rake across Geno's position, instead slashed at empty air. The ice beneath its strike was torn apart, leaving a huge gash in the ground.
"Awoo..."
When the late-moving Vulcan Queen finally saw the bisected corpse of its companion, it let out an almost frantic howl, its killing intent surging to an extreme. The rage in its eyes said it wanted to shred Geno into fine dust.
"Oooooh..."
Another thunderous roar shook the air. The brilliant fur along the Vulcan Queen's back shot up like golden needles.
Intense icy electricity poured through that needle-like fur, crackling as it gathered. The very air around it began to snap and pop with tiny explosions.
"The Vulcan Queen is completely enraged now."
Even though Macao knew full well how terrifying an enraged Vulcan Queen could be, the worry on his face had already faded.
He really did not need to worry. Geno, faced with such a seemingly deadly situation, did not even bother to turn around. He did not need to look. He could clearly sense the Vulcan Queen behind him drawing out all of its magic power. Compared to its previous state, it truly had become stronger.
Even so, for him, that increase was so small it was not worth mentioning. The difference was negligible, almost nonexistent.
"Powerless anger."
Geno lightly patted the sleeve of his robe. His body vanished completely in the blink of an eye.
When he appeared again, the blood red cross in his eyes had already faded, returning to their usual clear blue. He had not even glanced back. Instead his feet carried him calmly in Macao's direction.
Behind him, the Vulcan Queen that had not had time to unleash its magic was already cleaved cleanly into two halves. Blood slowly spread across the icy ground, staining the snow red. The rage on its face was frozen in place, with no time to change into anything else.
"Th..."
Staring at the Vulcan Queen that had been sliced into two parts, Macao had not even finished being stunned when he suddenly realized that Geno's figure had already walked right up to him.
He did not even get the chance to react or marvel. When he looked properly, Geno was already at his side.
"Uncle, we meet again."
Just like before, his tone was not particularly warm, yet it was steady and unhurried.
"Y... yes, we meet again, young man."
Macao regained his senses and extended a trembling hand toward Geno in greeting.
"Well... I did not expect you to be this powerful. Earlier I even tried to stop you from taking this path. Seems I really did not know what I was talking about."
Of course he had not known Geno was this strong. Otherwise he would not have been feeling so smug about "saving" the young man just a short while ago.
Now, embarrassment rose in his chest.
"There is nothing wrong with that. I know you meant well, Uncle. If I really were just an ordinary mage like you assumed, your warning might have actually saved my life."
"Since fate has us meeting again like this, how about I tell you something... whether you want to hear it or not is up to you."
It was all a bit too coincidental. Geno had originally decided not to get involved any further, yet somehow here they were again.
He did not know why Macao, who by rights should never have stepped into this place, had ended up coming here anyway. But he had clearly sensed everything Macao had done earlier, from his hesitation to his final decision to risk his life to rescue Geno if things went badly.
Right now Geno was strong, strong enough that something like a Vulcan Queen was no more than a grain of sand before him, incapable of causing the slightest ripple. But he was still human. And humans had feelings. Fairy Tail was one of the anime he cherished the most. Naturally, he carried complicated emotions for the characters.
Macao might not have had much screen time in the anime, and Geno had not felt especially attached to him before. Yet seeing his real actions just now had deepened that impression. Macao was a good father, and an even better man.
"Uncle, I think that if you keep staying on this mountain, you are very likely to run into something extremely dangerous. You should head down while you still can. There is someone waiting for you at home, right."
If the original plot had not changed, Geno would not have needed to say anything. But things were clearly different now. Macao had come here, which meant the story might not follow its old path. If that was the case, his future could hold danger even worse than possession by a Vulcan. Geno could only give him a warning. Whether he listened or not was up to him.
"Something dangerous... you mean..."
Macao was startled by Geno's words. He opened his mouth to ask what that meant, but before he could finish, the young man's figure vanished from his side.
From where Geno had been standing, his voice drifted faintly through the air.
"I do not know what it will be. It is just my instinct. Whether you believe a strange young man's instinct or not, that depends on you, Uncle."
"Oh, and if you do not want the people you love to be looked down on, do not obsess over proving yourself. Focus on truly becoming stronger. True strength does not need proof."
"So... so cool. Is he really just a young man?"
Macao slowly spun in place, but Geno was already gone. Only those lingering words echoed in his ears.
"True strength does not need proof, huh... what he said makes sense. Maybe I should not be so fixated on proving something. Maybe I should think harder about how to become truly strong. If I become truly strong, I will not need to prove anything. The people who look down on me will naturally shut their mouths. No matter what, I cannot lose to kids like Natsu and Gray."
"Just who is this young man... that strange black mist, that overwhelming power and speed... he must be some star mage from a powerful Hunters Guild. I simply do not know much about the Hunters, that is all. When I get back, I should really look into it."
Macao had not seen Geno use magic, and he could clearly sense that the magic within Geno did not feel especially vast. With what he knew now, the most reasonable conclusion he could reach was that Geno belonged to a Hunters Guild.
He had briefly considered that Geno might be a Royal Knight. However, he knew enough about them to be certain. Among the younger elite knights of the kingdom, there was no such shining star that matched this boy.
"For a treasure like him, a young hunter that strong, there has to be some record of him somewhere. I am really getting curious about who he is."
...
At the foot of Mount Hakobe.
A not very spacious carriage stood on a narrow mountain path.
Inside the carriage, a young man and a young woman sat facing each other.
The young man had long golden hair and wore a white noble style suit, complete with a noble's hat. The young woman had short snow white hair and wore a robe as pale as fresh snow.
"This mountain looks huge. There must be plenty of powerful monsters up there."
The girl peered out through the carriage window at the snowy peak, then turned her gaze back to the young man sitting opposite her.
"Um... Rufus, will Geno big brother be alright going up there alone? Should we... should we go up and take a look too?"
She asked shyly, her voice soft and hesitant.
The young man she called Rufus was the very same Rufus who, in the Fairy Tail anime, would later become one of the five strongest mages of Sabertooth after Fairy Tail's main force disappeared on Tenrou Island for seven years.
Hearing her question, Rufus adjusted his hat and thought for a moment. Then he answered her in a steady, composed tone.
"Well..."
"Yukino, since Geno big brother told us to wait for him here, we should listen to him and stay put."
The girl, Yukino, was also a character from the Fairy Tail anime. Like Rufus, she was a future member of Sabertooth who rose to prominence after Fairy Tail's main force vanished from Tenrou Island.
When Geno first transmigrated into the Fairy Tail world, he had appeared in the city of Shiroh, where the Sabertooth guild resided.
Knowing a bit about Sabertooth, he chose to join that guild.
Since this was long before the Tenrou Island incident, Sabertooth was still a completely unknown, insignificant guild in the Kingdom of Fiore.
It had fewer than a hundred members and no branch guilds anywhere.
After Geno joined, the guild finally began to gain some reputation in the city of Shiroh. The number of members increased rapidly.
However, in terms of real core combat power, the only one truly worthy of being called a main force was Geno himself.
It was not until half a year ago that two promising mages joined the guild one after the other, Rufus and Yukino.
They were young, but their strength already surpassed that of many adults in the guild. In a short amount of time, they had both become B rank mages and were now aiming to become A rank.
To be promoted to A rank in the guild, they first had to pass Geno's test.
That was why the two of them had been following Geno. They were waiting for him to give them that trial.
Only after earning Geno's recognition could they call themselves A rank mages of Sabertooth.
"Do not worry, Yukino. Geno big brother is the only S rank mage in our Sabertooth guild. And actually, you might not know this, but I have been observing him for a long time. His strength is definitely far beyond what our guild calls S rank."
"I think that taking care of any monster on this mountain will not be a problem for him."
"Though, Geno big brother is looking for a high-ranked monster, the Icefang Snow Wolf. That might take him a bit of time."
Rufus had joined the guild before Yukino. Compared to her, he understood a little more about Geno's power. But it was only "a little more." As for Geno's true strength, perhaps no one but Geno himself had witnessed it yet.
"Oh, I see. Then I will listen to you, Rufus. Compared to me, you definitely know Geno big brother better."
After she spoke, Yukino fell quiet.
"Mm. It will be fine."
Rufus nodded, sitting upright with a gentleman's posture, hands resting properly, making no superfluous movements.
Just like that, the two of them waited quietly for Geno's return.
...
...
"There is movement. Something is heading this way."
On the carriage, Rufus suddenly sensed something approaching. His eyes flickered slightly, and his expression grew cautious and alert.