60-61

Chapter 60: Chance Encounter  

"Woooo—"  

A long, low train whistle snapped Rayne out of his thoughts.  

The slight shudder of the train coming to a stop told him they’d arrived.  

Around him, the noise of passengers gathering their belongings filled the cabin.  

"Rayne, Rayne! Let’s go!"  

Conann hopped down from her seat, tugging at his sleeve with eager energy.  

Rayne didn’t resist, simply grabbing the massive sword leaning beside him and slinging it over his back.  

Four months had passed since his battle with Laxus.  

In that time, he’d not only grown stronger—but taller, too.  

Now, the sword no longer looked comically oversized on him.  

Still, its sheer weight made people instinctively step aside as they walked.  

Nobody wanted to get accidentally clobbered by that thing.  

Snowfall Station 

The moment they stepped off the train, Conann’s eyes lit up.  

She tilted her head back, catching snowflakes on her tongue.  

"Cold!"  

Her face scrunched up in delight—until a light chop landed on her forehead.  

"Idiot, that’s dirty."  

Rayne frowned, meeting her wide, innocent eyes.  

This was a train station, after all. The snow here was mixed with soot and smoke.  

While Conann wouldn’t get sick (being a dragon and all), he still didn’t want her eating random things.  

"I’m sorry."  

Her immediate, guilt-free apology left him with no room to scold her further.  

"Let’s go. We’ll ask around in Northpeak Town first."  

Glancing at the sky, Rayne sighed.  

The heavy snowfall made it impossible to tell the time, but judging by the train schedule, it was probably mid-afternoon.  

Finding their target in these mountains—even with Conann’s senses—would be needle-in-a-haystack work.  

He wasn’t about to wander blindly through a blizzard like an idiot.  

Better to gather intel first.  

"Woo~! Forward!"  

Conann pumped her tiny fist, dragging him along as they left two sets of footprints in the snow.  

The Carriage Ride 

In this weather, finding transport was a nightmare.  

After what felt like forever, Rayne finally flagged down a horse-drawn carriage headed for Northpeak Town.  

Pulling back the thick curtain, he found two passengers already inside—  

A father and son.  

The man had the faint aura of a mage, though not a particularly strong one.  

Their eyes immediately locked onto Rayne’s oversized sword.  

Ignoring their stares, Rayne lifted Conann in first before climbing in himself.  

"Haa…"  

The relief of escaping the biting wind was instant. He brushed snow off his coat while Conann—  

Was already playing with a snowball.  

Her clothes, being dragon scales in disguise, naturally repelled moisture.  

Rayne felt a pair of eyes on him.  

The black-haired boy was staring—not at him, but at his sword.  

When their gazes met, the kid quickly looked away, pretending to study the carriage walls.  

"Sorry, he’s just curious."  

The father offered an apologetic smile.  

(Truthfully, he was just as intrigued. A kid wielding a sword like that? With a horned girl by his side? Everything about them screamed "unusual.")  

"It’s fine."  

Rayne shrugged, sitting across from them with Conann.  

The man clearly wanted to avoid trouble, and Rayne had no interest in small talk.  

So they rode in silence, broken only by the soft crunch of snow under the carriage wheels.  

Every now and then, the boy would sneak another glance.  

Rayne pretended not to notice.  

Northpeak Town – Nightfall 

By the time they arrived, daylight had faded.  

Warm lanterns glowed along the snowy streets as Rayne stepped out first.  

"Driver, where’s the mayor’s house?"  

The father and son quickly disappeared into the town, leaving Rayne to his query.  

"The mayor? Straight ahead, then left. Keep going ‘til you see a fancy-lookin’ place."  

The driver, a seasoned traveler, gave precise directions.  

"Thanks."  

With a nod, Rayne took Conann’s hand and headed off.  

Meanwhile… 

"Dad, was that guy a mage?!"  

The black-haired boy practically bounced with excitement.  

At his age, the idea of being a quest-taking adventurer was the coolest thing imaginable.  

"Yeah. Probably here for the mayor’s request. And definitely not from around here."  

Now that Rayne was gone, the man relaxed.  

As a local, he knew about the town’s recent troubles.  

And those two?  

No way they were from the northern regions.  

Not with how lightly dressed they were for this weather.  

"So cool…"  

The boy’s eyes sparkled with pure admiration.  

Chapter 61: The Crimson-Armed War Demon  

Watching his son’s eager expression, the man’s heart was filled with mixed emotions.  

Children disappearing from town, rumors of Dark Guild attacks in other regions—in this world, lacking the power to protect oneself was dangerous.  

But becoming a mage came with its own perils.  

Just like those two kids from earlier, so young yet already running around facing life-threatening dangers.  

The conflict of these thoughts made him sigh.  

"Gray… do you really want to become a mage?"  

"Yeah! It seems so cool!"  

The boy named Gray sparkled with excitement, his voice brimming with enthusiasm.  

"Becoming a mage is tough. Are you sure you can handle it?"  

"I know I can! I’ll become the strongest mage and protect you and Mom!"  

The black-haired child grinned, his innocent laughter ringing through the streets.  

"...Is that so? Then your mother and I will be waiting."  

The man paused before smiling warmly, ruffling his son’s hair. Then, bending down, he effortlessly lifted Gray onto his arm.  

"For now, let me protect you and get you home fast—otherwise, your mom’s gonna scold us."  

Under the glow of the streetlights, his sturdy frame strode swiftly toward their house, the sound of his son’s cheerful giggles trailing behind.  

Meanwhile, Rayne wasn’t one to get lost.  

Following the coachman’s directions, he soon arrived in front of a rather luxurious three-story building.  

"This should be the place."  

Muttering to himself, he pressed the doorbell.  

In such a remote town, Rayne wasn’t even sure if there were proper inns. So instead, he headed straight for the mayor’s residence.  

As the client, the mayor would at least help arrange accommodations.  

"Coming!"  

A young woman’s voice answered, followed by light footsteps.  

Behind the iron gate appeared a young lady with chestnut-brown hair tied into a long ponytail draped over her shoulder.  

"May I ask who you are?"  

Her eyes widened slightly at the sight of Rayne and Conna—two children showing up at this hour.  

If not for the massive sword strapped to one of their backs, she might’ve suspected they were some illegitimate offspring of her husband’s.  

"We’re members of the Fairy Tail Guild. We’ve accepted the request to eliminate the Dark Guild."  

Rayne briefly flashed the guild emblem on the back of his hand.  

Beside him, Conna swayed slightly, her eyelids heavy.  

Over time, she’d grown accustomed to sleeping at night.  

Even though it was still early, winter meant the sky had already darkened—and to Conna, that meant bedtime.  

Because, for a long-lived species like dragons, time was a meaningless concept.  

Dark? Sleep.  

Light? Play.  

Simple as that.  

(Of course, this rule went out the window during nighttime missions.)  

"Fairy Tail…? Please, come in!"  

The woman—Tia—murmured the guild’s name before hurriedly opening the gate.  

Even if they looked like kids, anyone who could wield such a weapon couldn’t be weak, right?  

With that thought, she didn’t question them further.  

"My husband hasn’t slept properly in days because of this. Thank goodness you’re here!"  

Her steps were quick, relief evident in her voice.  

"It takes time for requests to reach us, after all."  

Cross-region requests always took longer—not just travel time, but also verifying the details.  

"Ah! I’m Tia. And you two are…?"  

"I’m Rayne. This is my partner, Conna."  

He offered a faint smile as he introduced them.  

"To think you’re both such accomplished mages at such a young age…"  

Since it was just a townhouse, they reached the interior in no time.  

The inside was brightly lit, a fireplace crackling in the center of the room, its warmth starkly contrasting the winter chill outside.  

On the couch in front of the fireplace sat a middle-aged man with streaks of gray in his hair.  

His eyes flicked toward the two children—one of whom looked half-asleep.  

"Tia, who are these two?"  

"They’re the mages who accepted our request—Rayne and Conna."  

After explaining, Tia turned to Rayne.  

"This is my husband, Rick, the mayor of our town."  

"...Here’s our request form."  

Rayne pulled out the document and handed it to Tia, his eyes assessing the mayor.  

Bloodshot eyes, dark circles, disheveled hair—he definitely looked sleep-deprived.  

His magical energy was faint, and though his hands were rough, they weren’t a warrior’s.  

In just a glance, Rayne had already sized him up.  

"This is indeed my request. So, Rayne… you’re the famous ‘Crimson-Armed War Demon’, aren’t you?"  

After verifying the form, the mayor stepped closer.  

"...I’d be happier if you didn’t call me that."  

Rayne’s eye twitched at the title.  

Due to his earlier money troubles, he’d been taking on requests nonstop.  

His efficiency was high—but so were the complaints.  

Escort missions? He’d charge ahead, cutting down bandits and monsters in brutal fashion.  

Battles? His swings were so destructive that anything (or anyone) caught in them ended up as collateral damage—or worse, splattered.  

Naturally, this led to many traumatized clients.  

As Fairy Tail’s rising star, he’d even been interviewed by Sorcerer Weekly—and thus, the infamous epithet was born.  

"Understood. Have you two eaten yet? If not, we can prepare something."  

Quick to notice Rayne’s distaste for the title, the mayor smoothly changed the subject.  

"We’d appreciate that."  

Rayne wasn’t one to refuse—after all, this was partly why they’d come.  

"Also, if you could brief us on the request details. The form doesn’t cover everything."  

"Tia, could you…?"  

Pleased by his professionalism, Rick nodded to his wife before leading Rayne and Conna to the dining table.