Chapitre 338: A Quest in the Rebuilt Rosemary Village

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Rosemary Village.

April, x785.

A few days have passed since Fairy Tail's trial against the Magic Council concluded. In that time, thanks to the many media outlets around the continent, the outcome of the trial has been circulated to nearly every person on Ishgar. In fact, the news had even made it to people on other continents as well. Though, the interest in news on other continents was quite low.

Meanwhile, as the details of the new Magic Council system were being ironed out, Gran Doma and the available Wizard Saints, which included Makarov, were taking care of the Magic Council's duties for the time being.

As for Fairy Tail, they were back to business as usual. Even Alfonzo, who had not taken a quest in months due to his research on Fairy Sphere, preparing for the trial against the Magic Council, and designing the training rooms and their control mechanisms for Mermaid Heel, was finally back to proper wizarding work.

And today, along with Erza, he was standing outside of a small, rural village.

"It looks just like I remember." Erza said in a nostalgic tone.

"So, this is the village where you lived before... that happened, huh?" Alfonzo asked while spreading his [Magic Power Detection] and radar waves.

'There's a large tunnel passing underneath this village.' Alfonzo thought as he examined the feedback from his detection skills. 'I guess this is part of the big ass transmutation circle the homunculus are making.'

["It makes sense."] bedlam replied. ["There was a massacre here in the past, after all."]

'Yeah, it makes me wonder if those mother fuckers had something to do with it being attacked in the first place.' Alfonzo wondered.

["I still say you should just storm their hideout and kill them all."] Riot grumbled.

"Still, I wonder who rebuilt it." Erza said, pulling Alfonzo's attention away from his internal conversation.

"Well, since we have to meet the village chief anyway, I'm sure we'll find out soon." Alfonzo said with a gentle smile while wrapping his right arm around Erza's waist and letting his hand rest on her hip.

"You're right." Erza replied with a smile as she snuggled a little closer to Alfonzo.

"Then, shall we?" Alfonzo asked with a smile.

"Yes, let's." Erza replied with a smile of her own.

With that, the couple made their way into the village. As they did, they caught a lot of attention from the villagers. Though, no one seemed keen on coming to talk to them.

Eventually, Alfonzo and Erza arrived outside the largest house in the village. Thinking the size of the house indicated the homeowner's status in the village, they assumed that it was the village chief's home.

*Knock!* *Knock!* *Knock!*

Once at the front door, Alfonzo knocked with his free hand. Then, after a few moments, he and Erza could hear footsteps on the other side of the door.

"Just a minute." Came the sound of a deep, yet vaguely familiar, male voice from the other side of the door.

Then, after another moment, the door was opened, and the person behind it surprised both Alfonzo and Erza.

"Can I… help… you…?" A large, muscular, black-haired man with a metal plate on his jaw and an eye patch over his eye asked. Though, he trailed off at the end.

Just like Alfonzo and Erza, he was also surprised when he recognized the people knocking on his door.

"Simon, is that you?" Erza asked in a tone mixed with equal parts happiness and surprise. "You're the chief of this village?"

"Erza?" Simon replied in a dumbfounded tone as he stared at Erza blankly. Then, he absent-mindedly answered her question. "Uh, yeah, I rebuilt our old village and became its chief."

"I'm here too, you know." Alfonzo said playfully while grinning at Simon.

Alfonzo's playful question was enough to pull Simon out of his stupor. Then, he glanced at Alfonzo out of the corner of his eye. And when he saw the grin on his face, his brows furrowed.

"I really wish you weren't." Simon replied coldly.

"Aww, come on, man." Alfonzo said with a smile. "Don't be like that, we're here to help with your magical beast problem."

"Indeed." Erza replied with a nod, her surprised expression morphing into a solemn one. "The request said you were being attacked by Crow Tengu, correct?"

Hearing that, Simon exhaled a sigh. Then, he stepped aside and gestured for Alfonzo and Erza to enter the house.

A few minutes later, Alfonzo and Erza were seated side by side on a couch in Simon's living room. Meanwhile, Simon had just entered the room, carrying a tray with a teapot and three tea cups. Then, after setting the tray on the coffee table, pouring a cup of tea for the three of them, and taking a seat himself, Simon finally got to the details about the quest.

"*Sigh* This village has only been operational for three months and we're already being attacked like this." Simon said in a tired tone.

"But that doesn't make sense." Alfonzo replied with a frown. "Usually, Crow Tengu live in mountainous regions away from contact with other living beings. I mean, sure there is a mountain not too far away, but why would they be living so close to humans? Unless…"

"They made the mountain their home during the years when no one lived here." Erza said, finishing Alfonzo's sentence. "And now, they're attacking because you invaded their perceived territory."

"As far as I can tell, that's correct." Simon replied with a nod. "And considering how long this area was just a village ruin, it's also the most reasonable conclusion."

In response, both Alfonzo and Erza nodded.

"But I don't get it." Alfonzo said with a slight frown. "You're actually pretty strong, Simon. And Crow Tengu are usually only A-Class magic beasts. So, what's going on? Are there just too many for you to handle? Or is there some kind of anomaly in that murder of crows?"

"*Sigh* Both, unfortunately." Simon replied. "On top of their flock having an abnormally high number, they also have two leaders that are stronger than me. I'm just lucky they haven't both attacked at the same time. Otherwise, I'm afraid this village would have been destroyed again."

"Does that mean they are just killing people randomly?" Erza asked. "Your quest sheet only asked us to deal with a group of Crow Tengu. But there wasn't much more information than that."

"Yeah, in fact, if it weren't for the location being Rosemary Village, we probably would not have taken this quest due to the lack of information." Alfonzo added.

"Is that why it took so long for a guild to respond to my request?" Simon asked with an eye brow raised.

"Exactly." Erza replied with a nod. "You didn't even mention if the victims of the attacks were being killed or taken away. For all anyone who read it would know is that the Crow Tengu were just harassing the village without causing any major damage."

"I see..." Simon said while nodding in understanding. "This is the first time I've ever put in a request from the Legal Guilds. So, that will be helpful for the future. Though, I pray I never need to use that information."

"Actually, I'm surprised your sister didn't respond to your request." Alfonzo said. "I mean, even though you didn't put your name on the request as the village chief, she should recognize the name too, right?"

Hearing Alfonzo mention his sister, Simon tensed while he glared at Alfonzo warily. However, after a moment, he realized that now was not the time for that. So, he relaxed slightly before responding to the question.

"*Sigh* I made sure that the request did not make it to Mermaid Heel." Simon replied. "I didn't want Kagura to see the village in this state. As far as she knows, everything in the village is fine."

"Simon, you really shouldn't keep things from her like that." Erza said sternly. "She's your sister. And I'm sure she would want to help you through this."

After reaching this point, Erza turned towards Alfonzo, and her gaze softened into something gentle and loving as she gripped his hand in hers.

"That's what family does, after all." Erza continued with a smile.

At the same time, Alfonzo thought he heard the sound of one of Simon's molars cracking. But he decided it was just his imagination a moment later while ignoring the pain-filled glare he was receiving.

"*Cough* Anyway, what have the Crow Tengu been doing when they attack?" Alfonzo asked, bringing the conversation back on track.

In response, Simon took a deep breath to push down his agitation. Meanwhile, Erza's expression changed back to a solemn one as she waited for Simon's answer.

"For the most part, they only cause confusion and mayhem." Simon replied. "Luckily, they don't just slaughter the people randomly. However, when the leaders of the flock make their appearance, they usually target a person, an adult at their peak, and try to abduct them."

Hearing that, Alfonzo and Erza's gazes sharpened.

"While I can get between them and their target, most of the time, that usually doesn't matter." Simon continued. "Because one of their subordinates will just take the person away while I'm distracted."

At that point, Simon lowered his head in shame.

"Lucky for me, as soon as they secure their target, the whole group leaves, including the leader." Simon said in a tone of self-loathing. "No matter how close to killing me it is."

With that, the room lapsed into silence for the next few minutes.

"Simon, I know you must feel guilty for surviving despite the fact that your villagers are being taken away." Erza said. "But without you, it's likely that this village would have been destroyed much sooner."

"I know, but…" Simon replied while clenching his fists.

"Anyway, that's why we're here. Alfonzo replied with a reassuring smile. "We'll handle those crows, just give us as much information as you can about them."

"*Sigh* Right." Simon replied with a nod.

Then, Simon went on to tell Alfonzo and Erza everything he knew about the Murder of Crow Tengu living on the nearby mountain.

As it turned out, like most bird species, they don't have much activity at night. So, all the attacks have come during the day. However, like most magical beasts, they have the ability to navigate through darkness, making Simon's [Dark Moment] spell useless. It even makes catching their prey easier as they can't see where to run to.

"One more thing..." Simon said. "They usually only attack twice per week. And since they just attacked the day before yesterday, there should be a few more days until they attack again."

Hearing that, Erza's eyes lit up.

"That means I'll have some time to explore the village, right?" Erza asked excitedly.

"That's right." Simon replied with a smile.

Hearing that, Erza smiled as well. Then, she wrapped her arms around Alfonzo's.

"Then, I'll be able to show you around the village." Erza said while looking into Alfonzo's eyes.

At the same time, Alfonzo saw Simon's smile cramp in real time. He also thought he saw the number "9999" pop up over Simon's head for a second. But he once again wrote it off as a figment of his imagination.

"Sure." Alfonzo replied with a smile. "And while we're at it, I'll make some upgrades to the houses. That way, while we're dealing with the Crow Tengu, the people in their houses should be safer."

"Yeah, and as long as we have our [Magic Power Detection] active, we'll be able to give an early warning, giving the people time to retreat to their houses." Erza added.

Meanwhile, Simon wore an uncertain expression after hearing the unfamiliar term.

"[Magic Power Detection]?" Simon inquired.

"Ah!" Erza exclaimed, realizing that she let that slip in her excitement.

"*Sigh* It's fine, Erza." Alfonzo said as he began combing his fingers through Erza's hair. "Because he's the chief of your old village, I don't mind."

As he finished speaking, Alfonzo shifted his gaze to Simon.

"We'll teach you the spell so that you can keep the village safe, Simon." Alfonzo said with a solemn expression on his face. "But [Magic Power Detection] is an exclusive spell of our guild. So, I need your word that you won't teach it to anyone else. Not even your sister."

'Damn, I really need to learn [Contract Magic] for situations like this.' Alfonzo thought to himself.

["Yeah, but the kind of magic you're thinking of would be a kind of [Dark Art]."] Bedlam replied, pouring cold water on Alfonzo's thoughts.

["So what?"] Riot exclaimed with a sneer. ["People who can't keep promises deserve harsh punishments. And losing their ability to use magic seems fitting."]

Meanwhile, Erza was also having a conversation with her [Soul Armament Spirit], as well.

'I can't believe I let that slip out.' Erza said mentally while beating herself up on the inside.

["You need not worry."] Said a female voice in a chivalrous tone. ["It is clear that Alfonzo understood it happened because of your care for our friend and former village."]

'I know, but like he said, it's a secret of Fairy Tail.' Erza replied.

["Indeed."] The [Soul Armament Spirit] replied. ["And should we ever find evidence that Simon betrayed our trust and the trust Alfonzo put in us, we shall return and make him pay with our own hands."]

'Um… Just out of curiosity, what kind of punishment are you thinking?' Erza said, thinking her [Soul Armament Spirit's] words sounded a bit too ominous.

["What other punishment is there for treachery?"] The [Spirit] asked. ["Though, because he has been a good friend for many years, we will not let him suffer and grant him a quick death."]

'Yeah, that's what I thought.' Erza muttered internally.'*Sigh* Alfonzo mentioned that our [soul Armament Spirits] manifest as amplified versions of certain emotions within us. And it's clear to see that mine manifested my sense of justice. Then, as Alfonzo likes to say, "cranked it up to eleven".'

Meanwhile, Simon actually considered giving his word and still telling his sister how to use the spell, just to spite Alfonzo. But several things stopped him from doing that in the end. The first being that Kagura would look down on him, as she had a very strong sense of justice. The second was that he did not want to break Erza's trust. And the third was the spike of killing intent he felt just when that thought crossed his mind, whose source he could not identify.

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Chapitre 339: What Should We Do About Yoruichi?

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.

April, x785.

While Alfonzo and Erza were discussing their quest's details with Simon, the rest of Alfonzo's girls were at the mansion. While Elicia was at her work station creating the pieces for this year's summer collection, the other girls, Cana, Ultear, Mirajane, Marin, and Sun were meeting in Sun's bedroom.

"Is it really okay to talk about this while Erza isn't here?" Sun asked in a concerned tone.

"don't worry about it, Sun." Marin replied with a smile. "I talked to Erza before she left with Alfonzo. She said she trusts our judgement on this."

"If you say so." Sun replied. "It still feels wrong not having her here for something so important, though."

"Yet, we've put it off for so long." Ultear said.

"Well, you can't blame us for that, right?" Cana asked, surprisingly, she was without a bottle of alcohol. "I mean, if we do, we'll undoubtedly have to think about what happened to Fonzie."

With that, the room was engulfed in a slightly angry atmosphere.

Naturally, the important thing the girls were talking about was what happened when Alfonzo, Elicia, and Yoruichi spent the night together, and what they would do about Yoruichi.

"So, does anyone have any thoughts?" Mirajane asked, breaking the silence.

In response to Mirajane's question, the other girls remained silent while exchanging glances. Eventually, Sun opened her mouth, breaking the silence once again.

"Did Alfonzo say anything about what he thought?" Sun asked while looking at everyone with curiosity in her gaze?

"I don't know, I've never talked about it with him." Cana replied. "Well, other than when he told us that he'd let us decide."

"Me neither." Marin replied with a nod.

"Same here." Mirajane added while shaking her head gently.

"*Sigh* Of course, none of us talked to him about it." Ultear said. "And it makes sense since we've all been avoiding talking about it this whole time."

The rest of the girls nodded in response.

"But I think it's pretty clear how Alfonzo feels about it, though." Ultear continued. "I mean, if he was against letting her join us, he would have told her no. Like he did with Laki a few years back."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Cana said with a frown. "But I can't understand why..."

"It's probably because he knows her better than we do." Marin suggested. "I mean, other than Lici, none of us had ever met her before... that... happened. Actually, Mira and I met her during that Joint mission, but neither of us really interacted with her very much."

"That's true." Mirajane affirmed with a nod. "Besides, even though what Lici did was wrong, I really don't think she would have done it if she didn't see something in Yoruichi."

Once again, the room fell into silence while the girls contemplated Mirajane's words.

"Even if that's true, I still don't' like her." Cana said, breaking the silence. "And if it were up to me, I'd keep her as far away from Fonzie as possible."

"I understand what you're saying, Cana." Marin replied. "But this isn't all about what we want."

"Actually, I have to disagree." Ultear said, disagreeing with Marin's opinion. "This time, it really is all about us. The decision was left in our hands, after all."

"I think we should give her a chance." Sun said in an optimistic tone.

"Even after what she did to Fonzie?" Cana shouted angrily while standing up explosively. "She even pulled Lici into it. She made me distrust my best friend!"

"Calm down, Cana." Mirajane said, grabbing Cana by the hand as she spoke.

At the same time, Sun was taken aback and almost fell off the edge of her bed in surprise.

"Easy there, Sun." Ultear said as she caught sun before she could fall to the floor. Then, with Sun in her arms, she shifted her gaze to Cana. "Mira's right, you need to calm down. Or are you going to do this every time someone's opinion differs from yours?"

Before Ultear had even spoken, Cana had already calmed down when she saw Sun's expression after her outburst. However, she had no intension of apologizing.

"Are you saying we should just let her join us?" Marin asked Sun a moment later.

"Uh... No." Sun replied while shaking her head after getting seated once again. "I'm saying we should get to know her. Then, we can decide after that."

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Ultear asked curiously. "Mermaid Heel isn't exactly close to Magnolia."

"But Alfonzo will be staying there for a while, right?" Sun asked while tilting her head cutely.

"Yeah, that's right." Mirajane replied. "Are you suggesting we stay there with him?"

"No." Sun replied while shaking her head. "Well… Yes?"

"Hehehe. Which one is it, Sun?" Marin asked, finding Sun's expression amusing.

"Um… I mean, we should all take turns staying with Alfonzo while he's there." Sun said. "And while he's working, we can try to get to know her. Like, we can talk to her and the other members of Mermaid Heel to figure out what she's usually like."

Hearing Sun's suggestion, Ultear, Mirajane, and Marin exchanged glances. Meanwhile, Cana continued to look away as if she were no longer interested in the conversation.

"That's actually…" Ultear muttered.

"A pretty good… No, really good idea." Mirajane said, finishing Ultear's sentence.

"Awesome, Sun!" Marin shouted as she wrapped the younger girl in a hug.

In response, Sun smiled brightly. Until the only voice of dissent echoed through the room.

"I don't want anything to do with this." Cana said coldly. "I seriously can't believe that you all plan to forgive her so easily."

"That's why we want to---" Marin said, trying to explain why they agreed with Sun's suggestion.

"Don't bother, Marin." Ultear said while placing a hand on Marin's shoulder and shaking her head. "Trying to explain it to the most selfish among us isn't worth it."

"I know you're not talking about me!" Cana roared angrily.

"Who else would I be talking about?" Ultear asked, not backing down in the slightest. "Which other girl planned to hurt Alfonzo just as badly if she failed the Promotion Exam again? Hmph! And you have the nerve to take offense at being called selfish."

Immediately, a lot of Cana's anger vanished after hearing Ultear's retort.

"And as far as making mistakes goes, who almost killed most of the guild with her [Super Nova] spell just because her barrel of ale got destroyed in a battle with Phantom Lord?" Ultear continued, causing Cana's anger to recede even further. "You really shouldn't throw stones from your glass house, Cana."

With that last sentence, Cana lowered her head in shame.

"I think that's enough, Ultear." Mirajane said calmly. "There's no need to be so harsh with her. Especially since we can all understand how she feels. What that Yoruichi girl did is unforgivable, after all."

"Not that we're asking you to forgive her, Cana." Marin said gently. "But it's clear that Alfonzo has positive feelings for that girl, despite what she did to him. So, it might not be too bad to see why. Then, like Sun said, after we have a little better understanding of her, we can make our decision."

After Marin finished speaking, the room fell into silence once again, with all eyes focused on Cana, curiously waiting for her response.

"*Sigh* Fine~~~." Cana said, her discontent evident in her tone. "I'll give her a chance. But I'm not going in with the mindset of trying to like her, or anything."

"Honestly, I don't think any of us will." Mirajane said, her usual smile creeping onto her face.

"As long as you actually try to get to know about her, that should be enough." Ultear added.

"Yeah, then after we've all spent a little time around her and the people that know her, we can get together and talk about it again. "Sun said.

"And do you think Erza will go along with this plan?" Marin asked curiously.

"Oh, she definitely will." Cana said in an exasperated tone. "She'd probably challenge her to a fight as soon as she arrived, saying something like, 'the best way to get to know someone is through clashing swords'."

Hearing Cana's attempt to imitate Erza's voice, the other girls could not help but start giggling while completely agreeing with Cana's assumption.

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Rosemary Village.

*Sneeze!*

At the same time, Erza sneezed so hard that some of the dust on the village's roads was blown away.

"Damn, that one must have come from the tips of your toes." Alfonzo said while blankly watching the dust scatter. "Are you getting sick?"

"I don't think so." Erza replied while wiping her nose with a handkerchief she [Requipped into her hands]. Then, after [Requipping] it away, she continued. "But I feel like someone is talking about me."

"Oh." Alfonzo replied with a nod.

Currently, Erza was showing Alfonzo around the rebuilt village of Rosemary. And despite the fact that the village had once been destroyed, Simon had rebuilt it exactly as it was all those years ago. The only thing different about it was the people living there.

"Anyway, last but not least." Erza said as she stopped in front of a small house. "This is where I used to live."

Surprisingly, Erza's name was carved into the door frame.

"I guess Simon decided this would be your house whenever you came to visit. "Do you wanna head back to Simon's place and get the key to take a look inside?"

In response, Erza shook her head gently.

"Although it's nostalgic, I won't let myself be trapped in the past." Erza said as she reached for Alfonzo's hand. Then, once she had his hand in hers, she squeezed it before continuing. "I already have a wonderful home and a loving family. There's really no reason to look back."

Hearing that, Alfonzo couldn't help but smile. Then, he pulled Erza into an embrace before planting a kiss on her lips.

At the same time, Simon, who just remembered about Erza's old house, had come around the corner with the key to Erza's old house in hand. And the first thing he saw was Alfonzo and Erza kissing passionately in front of the house.

*Cough!*

Immediately after seeing the couple, Simon turned around and coughed into his hand. A moment later, he saw that it was covered in blood. Luckily, he didn't cover the key to Erza's old house in blood, as it was in the other hand.

Meanwhile, Simon's cough managed to break Alfonzo and Erza out of the world they created for themselves a few moments ago.

"Oh, Simon, did you need something?" Erza asked without a hint of shame in her expression.

"Not really." Simon replied while turning towards Erza and hiding his blood stained hand behind his back. "It's just that I remembered your old house and came to find you and give you the key."

With that, Simon extended the key to Erza.

"I even upgraded it a little when I had it rebuilt." Simon continued. "Now, instead of just one room with a place to cook, there's a bedroom. Also, I added a bathroom with plumbing, too. The kitchen is fully equipped, as well."

"Thank you." Erza said with a smile as she accepted the key. "Then, I guess we can stay here while we're taking care of the quest instead of looking for an inn. Honestly, I don't even remember if the village had one back then."

"It didn't." Simon replied while shaking his head. "And it still doesn't. We don't get enough visitors to warrant building one. And if those Crow Tengu continue tormenting this village, we never will."

"You don't have to worry about that." Alfonzo said. "By the time we're done, they'll either all be dead, or they'll relocate to somewhere else. And for the right price, I could even install some defensive measures for the village, just in case there are other threats in the future."

Hearing that, Simon sounded quite interested. As a village chief, keeping his people safe was his top priority, after all.

"Speaking of price…" Alfonzo continued after some thought. "Please, don't take this the wrong way... But how did you get the money to pay to have this village rebuilt so quickly? I mean, it hasn't even been a year since you started roaming the kingdom."

Not only Alfonzo, but Erza was curious to know the answer to that question, as well.

"Well, you came with me when I packed my belongings in the Tower of Heaven, remember?" Simon said, directing his question at Alfonzo.

"Yeah." Alfonzo replied with a nod.

"Well, most of that stuff were the luxurious items the ones who enslaved us before Jellal took over owned." Simon continued. "And although they were nice, I had no need for them. So, I sold them off once I started my journey. And to my surprise, I ended up quite rich after selling all of it."

"Ah, that makes sense." Alfonzo replied. "I wondered why you packed all that glittery shit when we were under a time crunch. But now I see that it was a good thing you did."

"Indeed." Simon replied with a nod.

Meanwhile, though she had been listening to the conversation, Erza had stepped up to the door of her old house and used the key to unlock it. Then, after opening the door, she was surprised at what she saw.

The inside of the house was fully furnished with some of the highest quality items one could buy.

"This is a bit much, isn't it, Simon?" Erza asked in a tone filled with confusion.

"Oh, that?" Simon asked as he walked towards Erza, quickly followed by Alfonzo. "Well, since you and your guild mates---"

"Family." Erza said, correcting Simon mid-sentence.

"Yes." Simon replied. "Since you and your family were the ones who saved me from the Tower's influence, I did this to honor you. So, you can just think of this as a token of my gratitude."

"Just accept it, Erza." Alfonzo said as he placed a hand on Erza's shoulder. "You can look at it this way, at least we'll have somewhere comfortable to live while we're here. And if we can get some ingredients, I even have somewhere to cook."

Hearing that, Erza's eyes lit up light torch lights. Then, she turned towards Simon with such vigor that he took a step back subconsciously.

"What's wrong, Erza?" Simon asked apprehensively.

"Is there anywhere in the village that sells strawberries?" Erza asked in an intense tone.

"Uh… Yes?" Simon replied.

"Then, please, lead us there." Erza said as she grabbed Alfonzo by the hand. "We should have strawberry shortcake to celebrate the reestablishment of Rosemary Village."

"Well, I saw that coming." Alfonzo replied with a shrug and a smile while allowing himself to be dragged along to the village market.