Chapitre 62: Alfonzo's First S-Class Quest; Part 1

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.

January, x780.

Three weeks have passed since the S-Class Promotion Exams concluded. In those three weeks, Neither Alfonzo nor Elicia have taken any quests. It is not as if they didn't want to, though. Rather, it is because they were unable to.

In their fight with Gildarts during the exam, Nearly half of Alfonzo's ribs were cracked. Between Gildarts' kick, slamming back first into a tree, and having Elicia forcefully slammed into him, there was simply no getting around the damage.

Elicia, on the other hand, was not particularly injured. Her knee was sprained when Gildarts swung her into Alfonzo, and she had a few cuts and bruises after she and Alfonzo rolled across the forest floor. But other than that, there was nothing to speak of. Instead, the reason she could not take any quests was due to her side job. While training for the Exam she put all her clothing orders on hold. So, she had to play catch up.

Today, the day when Porlyusica cleared Alfonzo to return to his wizarding duties, Alfonzo, while holding Elicia and Cana's hands, was making his way to the guild hall from their house.

"You two are finally ready to take quests again?" Cana asked as she walked to the guild with Alfonzo and Elicia.

"Yeah." Alfonzo replied with a nod. "Your dad really did a number on me during the exam. But due to the adrenaline, I didn't even notice exactly how much pain I was in until the next morning."

"Hmph!" Cana snorted angrily. "I'll give him another piece of my mind the next time I see him."

"Yeah, me, too." Elicia chimed in as she held up her right fist threateningly. "My knee hurt for, like, a week after the exam."

"At least it didn't stop you from finishing your orders, though." Alfonzo said with a chuckle.

"If it did, I would have punched him in the nuts again." Elicia said, getting angry just thinking about her schedule being delayed even more than it had already been.

Cana could not help but laugh out loud after hearing Elicia's declaration. Just the memory of Gildarts shivering every time he got too close to Elicia tickled her funny bone.

"Anyway, are you gonna take your first S-Class quest, Fonzie?" Elicia asked wither eyes shining.

"That's right." Alfonzo replied, pride and excitement in his tone. "As an S-Class wizard, I gotta do it sooner or later. So, why not sooner?"

"Aww… That means we can't come with you, doesn't it." Cana asked with a pout.

"Unfortunately." Alfonzo said, letting go of Cana's hand and beginning to comb his fingers through her thick, beautiful dark brown hair.

On a side note, after Cana let go of her inhibitions during Alfonzo's celebration party, she seemed to have been set free. Instead of her more modest choice in clothing, which usually consisted of a short-sleeved crop top and pants, today she was wearing a teal bikini top with gold accents and tassels hanging over her rib cage and the top of her abdomen, a pair of black pants with pink stripes running down the outer hems, and a pair of black boots with short heels.

Considering that she was almost fourteen and going through puberty, her secondary sex traits were also starting to make themselves known. Though she was not as well endowed as her grown up canon counterpart, she had quite a few more slender muscles thanks to the more intense training.

Like that, with some lively chatter and a little flirting, the trio arrived at the guild. When they did, Alfonzo immediately made his way into the kitchen for his morning shift as a cook. Meanwhile, Elicia and Cana found their way to their usual table where Gray, Natsu, and Happy were already present. With Gray and Natsu bickering as usual.

Eventually, the rest of the gang slowly trickled into the guild hall. As they did, they made their breakfast orders before joining Elicia, Cana, Gray, and Natsu at their usual table.

"Good morning, everyone." Erza, the last to arrive said as she took her seat at the table. Then, she looked at Elicia and continued. "Alfonzo is cleared to train and take quests today, right?"

"That's right." Elicia replied after swallowing the pancakes she was chewing.

"Then, I'll have someone to spar with again starting today." Erza said, clenching her fist in front of her chest.

Over the last few weeks, Elicia, and to a lesser extent, Cana, had noticed that Erza had been acting differently. Her eyes followed Alfonzo more than they had in the past. Also, she seemed more concerned about Alfonzo's health than the rest of the group.

While Cana was only slightly wary of these changes, Elicia was considering things more deeply.

'It's clear that she's got a crush on Fonzie." Elicia thought to herself while she continued to eat. 'But is it enough to overshadow how she feels about Jellal? Well, I guess only time will tell. But I've got my eyes on you, Erza.'

What neither Elicia nor Cana realized, however, was the budding affection Laki was also feeling for Alfonzo. They can't be blamed for that, however, Laki's manner of speech and overall different demeanor than everyone else made her quite difficult to read.

"Unfortunately, I don't think he'll be available to spar with you today, Erza." Cana said while cutting her omelet. "Fonzie said that he wants to take his first S-Class quest today."

Hearing that, Erza visibly deflated. Although Cana wanted to dismiss it as Erza being sad that she would not get to spar this morning, Cana knew that it was deeper than that.

'Damn it!' Cana exclaimed internally. 'Another one? Alfonzo's not even putting the moves on any of them. How are they falling for him like this? Then again, he didn't put the moves on me either. Do I really have any room to talk?'

"Aww man!" Natsu whined. "Alfonzo's so lucky. I wanna go on an S-Class quest."

"You can't say that, Natsu. "Lisanna said, in an admonishing tone. "Alfonzo works really hard. He's not just lucky."

"I know…" Natsu said, continuing to whine. "But I wanna go on an S-Class quest. Hey, do you think he would take me with him if I asked?"

"Definitely not." Elicia replied.

"Why not?" Natsu asked.

"Because he's not allowed." Erza replied instead of Elicia. "Only S-Class wizards are allowed to go on S-Class quests."

"That's right." Elicia said with a nod.

"Besides, if he could take anyone with him, why wouldn't he take us?" Cana said, pointing to herself and Elicia.

"Just give it up, flame brain." Gray said in a dismissive tone. "You're just not good enough for an S-Class quest yet. You're not even an S-Class candidate."

Although unintentional, Gray's words hit all the A-Class wizards who were not chosen to participate in last year's S-Class Promotion Exam right in the heart.

"Say that again when you're not running around the guild hall in your underwear, you frosty pervert." Natsu shot back.

"Huh?" Gray exclaimed as he looked down.

"Well, I guess we all know the answer now." Cana said with a giggle.

"The answer to what?" Bisca, who was accepted into the guild after the celebration party, asked.

"The age-old question." Cana said with a smile. "Boxers or briefs. It seems Gray is a briefs guy."

Immediately, the others at the table began laughing while Gray blushed.

"Shut up, Cana!" Gray shouted in an attempt to hide his embarrassment. "Leave me alone."

"By the way, Cana." Elfman said as he watched Cana pour the contents of a small bottle into her cup of juice. "What is that?"

"Oh, this?" Cana asked, holding up the small bottle. "Just a little something to give my drink a bit of a kick."

"Huh?" Elfman exclaimed, not understanding what Cana meant.

"It's alcohol." Elicia said, answering Elfman's unasked question. Then, she placed her fingers on her forehead, as if she were in distress, before she continued. "She hasn't' stopped drinking since the party. *Sigh* What is Gildarts, her father, doing? Such an irresponsible parent."

"Hey, I heard that!" Gildarts shouted from the bar before rushing over to the table. "How can you call me an irresponsible parent? I'll have you know, drinking builds character."

"Even if that were true, we all know why you don't say anything to her unhealthy habit." Ur said, approaching from behind Gildarts. "You just dote on her too much to scold her when she does something wrong. On top of that, you drink like a fish yourself. So, it would be absolutely hypocritical for you to scold her."

"That's not… untrue…" Gildarts replied bashfully while scratching the side of his head. "Either way, Cana is a strong wizard with strong magic power. I'm sure she'll be fine."

"Irresponsible parent." Everyone at the table, including Cana, said in unison.

From there, breakfast continued. Eventually, Alfonzo left the kitchen and ate his own breakfast with the others. About half an hour later, everyone was done eating. While most of the group followed Gildarts outside to the backyard of the guild hall for their morning training, Elicia, Cana, and Erza, with Mirajane watching from the distance, waited at the bottom of the steps for Alfonzo, who had gone up to the second floor to choose his first S-Class quest.

"So, you're finally taking an S-Class quest?" Laxus said from a table near the S-Class quest board. "It's been, like, three weeks since your promotion. I thought you were too scared to take a quest."

"Nah, there's no reason to be scared." Alfonzo said while dismissively waving off Laxus' words. Then, he grinned smugly as he continued. "I mean, if you can complete an S-Class quest, then it should be no problem for me. Since I kick your ass like three or four times a year, right?"

In response, Laxus could only grit his teeth and clench his fists. At the same time, he vowed to increase the intensity of his training so that he could wipe the smug grin off of Alfonzo's face.

"Hmph! We'll see how long you can keep that smug attitude of yours." Laxus said before looking away.

Deciding that he had said enough as well, Alfonzo completely ignored Laxus from that point forward. Then, he began looking over the S-Class quests. And just as he expected, there were three sections on the quest board.

The first section consisted of the normal S-Class quests. Meaning, those that had been posted for less than ten years. The second were the 10-Years Quests. Those are S-Class quests that had not been completed for anywhere from ten to ninety-nine years. And the third section was for the 100-Years Quests. Like the 10-Years Quests, these are S-Class quests that have remained uncompleted for a century or more.

'Well, considering that I just got promoted to S-Class, I can exclude the 10-Years and 100-Years quests off the jump.' Alfonzo thought to himself as he examined the quests sheets. 'There's no way Gramps would let me take any of those for now.'

Continuing to read the quest sheets, Alfonzo eventually found one that caught his eye.

"Well, I've never gone on Dark Guild subjugation, so why not?" Alfonzo said as he yanked the quest sheet off the board. "And since they want them brought in alive, I won't have to worry about keeping it together after my first kill."

Like that, Alfonzo turned around and made his way down the stairs without even looking in Laxus' direction. As soon as he reached the bottom of the stairs, he was immediately crowded by Elicia, Cana, and Erza.

"What quest did you pick?" Elicia asked, reaching for the quest sheet. "Lemme see."

"Nope." Alfonzo said, pulling his arm out of Elicia's reach. "I can tell you that it's a Dark Guild subjugation quest. But I can't let you see it. I'm not gonna break the rules when I can feel Gramps staring a hole in the side of my head."

Immediately, Elicia, Cana, and Erza looked toward the bar. There, they saw Makarov, just as Alfonzo mentioned, staring at their group. So, as to not get Alfonzo in trouble, they each took a step back and gave Alfonzo the room to walk toward Makarov, which he did.

"So, you said Dark Guild subjugation, huh?" Makarov said. "Let me take a look."

Dark Guild Subjugation: Behemoth Claw

Rank: S

Client: Oliver Cromwell, Mayor of Freesia Town.

Objective: Apprehend the members of the Dark Guild, Behemoth Claw.

Location: Freesia Town

Notes: Over the last month or so, the citizens of the town have been going missing. At first, we thought it was due to the wild beasts that roam the plains and mountains that surround the town. However, after one of the townsfolk was able to escape their pursuit, we found out that the townsfolk were being kidnapped by members of Behemoth Claw. We need these criminals removed as quickly as possible. Otherwise, the people of Freesia will not be able to sleep peacefully.

P.S. If the Behemoth Claw Guild Master, Giovanni Regalia, is not captured, this quest will not be considered complete.

Reward: 3,500,000 Jewels + Dark Wizard Bounties from the Magic Council.

"Hmm… I've heard of this guild." Makarov said while stroking his mustache.

'If my memory is correct, Behemoth Claw has a hand full of A-Class wizards.' Makarov thought to himself, trying to remember everything he could about Behemoth Claw. 'And their guild master should be an A-Class wizard as well. Just at the top of the tier. This shouldn't be a problem for any S-Class wizards. But since this is his first S-Class quest… Well, Alfonzo is strong, he should be able to handle it.'

*Bang!*

After finishing his thoughts, Makarov placed the quest sheet on the bar top. Then, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his seal before stamping the quest sheet.

"Alfonzo, my boy." Makarov said as he picked up the freshly stamped quest sheet. Then, while handing it back to Alfonzo, he continued. "Good luck on your first S-Class quest."

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commentaire Commentaire 16

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Chapitre 63: Alfonzo's First S-Class Quest; Part 2

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Freesia.

January, x780.

After a ten-hour drive in his Vanquish, Alfonzo finally arrived in Freesia Town. Considering that the sun had set by the time he arrived, Alfonzo decided he would meet with the client tomorrow morning.

Meanwhile, shortly after Alfonzo pulled into the town, a young man with shifty eyes that had been assigned to watch the town entrance, after he was sure that no one was watching him, quickly left the town. Then, after running through the plains surrounding the town, he eventually arrived at the foot of a mountain.

After carefully checking the area, the young man eventually arrived in front of a set of five boulders that roughly resembled the shape of a pentagram, should one see them from above. A moment later, after injecting his magic power into the five boulders using a specific pattern, a passage opened in the center of the five boulders, revealing stairs that led underground.

Wasting no time, the young man made his way down the passage. Then, a moment after he could no longer be seen on the surface, the passage closed, looking completely natural to anyone who was unaware.

"Who's there?" A bald man with a scar over his right eye asked as soon as the passage closed.

"It's me, Nigel." The young man, Nigel, replied.

"What are you doing here, Nigel?" The bald man asked with skepticism in his tone while subconsciously leaking his magic power into the surroundings. "Your shift doesn't end until sunrise."

"Wait, please don't hurt me, Hammer!" Nigel said frantically. "I came back because I have something important to report to Master Giovanni."

"Hmph!" The bald man, Hammer, snorted in disdain. "Why don't you tell me what you have to report, and I'll decide if it's important or not."

Hearing that, Nigel cautiously took a step back. He, a middle-of-the-road C-Class wizard, was under no illusion that he could stand up to Hammer, an A-Class wizard and the second strongest member of Behemoth Claw.

"But... Master Giovanni told me to report any news directly to him." Nigel replied, fear filling his tone.

To be honest, Nigel was right to be afraid. Ever since the former master of Behemoth Claw chose Giovanni to become the next guild master, Hammer has been irritable and prone to losing his temper on the lower ranked members of the guild.

Hearing how afraid Nigel was and seeing him taking shaky steps backward, Hammer's face morphed into a smile that delighted in the suffering of others. Then, he took a step forward and raised his hand. As he did, the wind began to gather in his palm before he compressed it into a small ball that fit comfortably in his hand.

This technique was how he got the nickname, "Hammer." Being struck by one of these balls of wind was like getting hit with a mechanically powered sledgehammer.

"Now, will you tell me what you saw?" Hammer asked with a vicious smile on his face. "Or will I have to ask in a more… proactive way?"

"But… The Master?" Nigel replied, taking another step back in fear.

For every step Nigel took backwards, Hammer would step forward. Eventually, Nigel reached the stairs he had just descended, tripping over the first step as he did. And when Hammer saw that, his smile widened. Luckily, Hammer's spike in magic power alerted the other dark wizards in the hideout.

"What's going on here?" A deep, magnetic male voice asked from the corridor behind Hammer.

"Tch!" Hammer clicked his tongue in annoyance after hearing the new voice.

Letting the wind ball dissipate, Hammer turned around to see the man who just arrived.

"It's nothing, Giovanni." Hammer replied. "I was just greeting the weakling that came back."

Stepping out in the open was a short man with long blue hair that reached his shoulders, bangs covering his right eye, deep black eyes, a goatee, and wearing a black magician's robe. Even though he was shorter than average, no one who knew his identity would dare to take him lightly. This man was Giovanni Regalia, the guild master of Behemoth Claw.

"Sure you were." Giovanni replied, glancing at Hammer as he did. Then, he turned his attention to Nigel. "What was your name again? Eh, I can't be bothered. But I know you were supposed to be watching one of the town's entrances."

"That's right, Master Giovanni." Nigel said, quickly standing up from the stairs. "I'm Nigel, I was tasked with monitoring the east entrance of the town."

"I see." Giovanni replied with a nod. A moment later, however, his eyes narrowed, and he began leaking his killing intent and magic power as he continued in a cold tone. "For your sake, boy, I hope you have a good reason for leaving your post."

"Ye-yes sir. Nigel replied, even more fearful than when Hammer as approaching. "I saw a fancy, like, really fancy, magic vehicle enter the town less than two hours ago."

Hearing that, Giovanni dialed back his killing intent. Then, he gestured for Nigel to continue.

"Only really rich people would have a vehicle like that." Nigel continued. "So, I thought it was either a powerful wizard or someone with high status. Either way, I thought you would want to know about it."

"Good." Giovanni replied with a nod. "Hurry back to the town. Then, I want you to find out if he's a wizard or just a money bag."

"Yes sir." Nigel replied before running up the stairs and returning to the town.

Giovanni then turned to Hammer.

"Hammer, when the kid… What's his name again? Eh, doesn't matter." Giovanni said, not interested in anyone who does not have the potential to reach A-Class. "Anyway, when he gets back, take a few men with you into the town."

"Oh! I think I like where this is going!" Hammer said happily.

Even though Hammer was envious of Giovanni for being chosen as the guild master, he did enjoy the tasks that Giovanni assigned.

"If he's just another money bag, bring him here for the ritual." Giovanni continued. "And if he's a wizard…"

"Yeah?" Hammer asked, excited by the possibility.

"Beat him to within an inch of his life." Giovanni said with a smile. "Then, we'll use him in the ritual."

"Aww…" Hammer said, sounding disappointed. "So, I can't kill him?"

"No." Giovanni replied. "A wizard's magic power will make reaching our goal much easier."

"Tch!" hammer clicked his tongue once again. "Fine. I'll bring him in alive. But it's okay if he has some missing limbs, right?"

"Doesn't matter." Giovanni said nonchalantly. "As long as he's alive. I couldn't care less."

"Hell yeah!" Hammer cheered excitedly. "This is gonna be fun. I'd still have more fun killing him, though."

Like that, the rest of the night passed uneventfully. The next morning, Alfonzo woke up and went out into the Hotel's courtyard to do a bit of morning training. As he did, he stretched his magic power to get a feel for his surroundings.

'Hmm… There's a wizard watching me from the building across the street.' Is he just curious or is he one of them?'

Continuing his workout, Alfonzo kept his senses trained on the wizard who was watching him. Then, after he finished his training, an hour and a half later, he returned to his hotel room to get freshened up.

And as soon as he entered the hotel, Alfonzo noticed the stalker running away, toward the edge of the town.

"That was probably a member of Behemoth Claw." Alfonzo murmured as he gently rubbed shampoo into his scalp. "Looks like this quest won't take as long as I thought."

After his shower, Alfonzo dried off and dressed himself. Now wearing a black sleeveless shirt, a white t-shirt underneath, a black pair of pants, a blue sash around his waist, and a pair of white shoes that looked like Airforce1's with a blue check, Alfonzo made his way out of the hotel before getting in the Vanquish. Then, he drove toward city hall where he would meet with the mayor, Oliver Cromwell.

An hour later, Alfonzo left city hall. Having heard everything that the citizens had reported about the missing people, Alfonzo decided to check the locations where the people were taken from. After another two hours of investigation, Alfonzo realized that these dark wizards weren't going to be as easy as he thought to find.

"Well, it wouldn't be an S-Class quest if it was going to be easy." Alfonzo said with a shrug as he returned to his car after interviewing the family of the most recent victim. Then, with his hand on the door handle, Alfonzo clenched his other fist as he spoke once again with anger in his tone. "But I'm gonna make those muh fuckas pay for splitting up families. As long as I can help it, These dark guilds and cults will pay for tearing apart families like this."

A few moments later, after taking a few deep breaths, Alfonzo was able to calm himself down. Then, he opened the car door and sat in the driver's seat.

"*Sigh* I miss Lici already." Alfonzo murmured, laying his forehead on the steering wheel. "Even if she was just as angry, she'd know exactly what to say to make me feel better."

Shaking his head to rid himself of his negative thoughts, Alfonzo put on his seatbelt and started the engine. Then, he returned to his hotel. Having maintained his [Magic Power Detection] since the morning, Alfonzo quickly noticed that the magic power signature that was watching him in the morning had returned.

"You're back, huh?" Alfonzo muttered to himself with a smile. "And it looks like you brought some friends. Let's see… Two A-Classes, five B-Classes, and the same C-Class. I guess there will be a party tonight."

Deciding that starting a fight in the middle of the town while the sun was still up would be a bad idea, Alfonzo simply parked his Vanquish in front of the Hotel. Then, he went back to his room. All the while, he kept watch over the wizards who were lurking in the building across the street.

Meanwhile, in the building across the street from the hotel, the eight Behemoth Claw wizards had just watched Alfonzo walk into the hotel.

"Was that him?" Hammer asked.

"Yes sir." Nigel replied with a nod. "That's the same magic vehicle I saw last night."

"Good." Hammer said, his mouth splitting into a blood thirsty grin. "And he's definitely a wizard. A strong one, too. Probably from one of the legal guilds."

"So, the mayor made a quest to…?" A female, B-Class wizard asked while checking her make-up in a hand mirror.

"To either rescue the townsfolk or get rid of us." The other A-Class wizard in the room replied. "And why the hell are you even doing something as useless as your make-up? It's not like anyone cares."

"Shut up, asshole." The female wizard shot back. "What's it matter to you? Oh, I know! You're lusting over me, aren't you? Must suck to have never been in a pussy since the day you fell out one."

"What did you say, Bitch?" The A-Class wizard asked with a growl.

"That's enough!" Hammer shouted, slamming his fist on the wall, cracking it in the process. "If the two of you start some shit and the prey ends up getting away, I'll make sure that you're part of the ritual, too."

Immediately, the two wizards stopped their quarrel. They knew that Hammer was not making empty threats. His violent and sadistic nature were well known in the guild, after all.

"Now, Listen up!" Hammer said, addressing all the wizards in the room. "We'll wait for midnight. Then, we'll take him down in his sleep. After that, we'll toy with him until he wishes he were dead. I'm sure the despair will help with the ritual."

As Hammer announced the plan, the other wizards all wore smiles as vicious as Hammer's. Meanwhile, the bound, gagged, and beaten people who were working in the room before Behemoth Claw arrived could only shiver with terror. At the same time, however, they did their best not to make a sound. Otherwise, they would receive another round of beating from their inhumane captures.

Several hours later, just as the clock struck midnight, Hammer and two of the B-Class wizards approached the front entrance of the hotel where Alfonzo was staying. Meanwhile, The other A-Class wizard and the rest of the B-Classes spread out around the hotel just in case their target somehow got away from the initial attack.

"Tch!" Hammer clicked his tongue as he passed by Alfonzo's Vanquish. "Why would anyone waste so much money on something like this."

Then, Hammer's eyes lit up with a vicious glint.

"Hehehe… I wonder how he would feel if I destroyed this little piece of scrap?" Hammer asked as he began gathering the wind in his right palm.

"I'd be pissed." A voice said from the entrance to the hotel.

Quickly turning, the three Behemoth Claw wizards saw Alfonzo, the one they declared as their target, leaning against the hotel's wall with his arms crossed.

"So, I'd appreciate it if you left my ride alone." Alfonzo said while glaring at Hammer.