บท 72: Chapter 72

***

Two years later. In the distant waters of the Land, a lone ship with white sails sailed through the waves. Atop the main mast, driven by the wind, fluttered a black flag with a golden grinning skull.

On the deck of the schooner, a whole crew of pirates flew the ship. A rough bald, half-naked old man urged the young with a whip and laughed:

- Work dirty rats! The boss is angry today! You bastards have two days, if he kills me, I will beat you to death! Ra ha ha ha!

The team just laughed in response. They were already accustomed to this behavior and continued to work at the same pace. This bald old man is only so formidable in appearance. Although he knew how to intimidate, but the team was afraid of the captain - that's why they continued to work in the sweat of their brow.

Meanwhile, while the pirate ship was cutting through the waves, a tall young man was standing on the upper deck not far from the helm, leaning on the bulwark. He was naked to the waist with a couple of scars on his waist and several on his right shoulder. His entire body was covered with relief muscles. But, the distinct bloody symbol on the back spoke better than any words - Fairy Tail!

Aidan straightened and squinted at the horizon.

- Well, where are you ... Tenryu. - over the past two years, Aidan has changed even more. He stretched out and acquired a strong body. Even though his face still retained some childlike features, at sixteen he looked like a grown-up boy. Dark purple hair, eyes the color of blood that seemed to glow in the glare of the burning sun. His skin was still slightly pale as before, but this only made him look even more attractive. Previously, he was a little upset with his cute appearance, but now he looked more like a serious guy, with sharp eyebrows like swords and obvious masculinity, and having acquired a strong body, he no longer looked like a sweet boy. Now he has become a real man!

Aidan has spent the past two years on a mission. More precisely, it was this task that took him two years due to one problematic case. To overestimate their strengths would be typical for a wizard who did not know defeat in the past and who imagined himself to be a strong magician. It happened with Aidan, which is probably why he did not get rid of the scars on his right hand. In many places it was slashed, as if it had been passed over with a sharp blade. He wanted to keep himself a reminder not to be too arrogant. On that day, he experienced the worst defeat of his life ...

Two years ago, in the south of Fiore, in the county of Onslow.

Fairy Tail's young wizard has arrived on an SS class mission. It said: "The son of the great Earl of Onslow has set out on a dangerous adventure to the newly discovered ruins of the Onslow mine. The ten knights and the court magician of the family did not return with the heir to the family. The wizard who is able to find the son and the people of the count will be paid a well-deserved reward of one hundred million precious.

How could Aidan disagree that day? In search, he was always good. Maps, even the most ancient ones, were always excellent for him, and at the same time he was a good tracker. Some ancient ruins did not scare him, so he decided to rip off more money in front of something serious. In addition, he naturally understood that this was not an easy matter. If it could not be fulfilled for three years and the award has risen from ten million to a whole hundred, then there is really something dangerous in these ruins. Over the course of three years, several quite strong wizards have perished there. But there are not so many really strong wizards in Fiore. Do not be surprised, because even in Fairy Tail, until recently, there was only one S-rank wizard. In any case, Aidan saw here both easy profit and quite interesting experience. Who knows what can be found in ancient ruins, to which outsiders have not reached out? Surely something worthwhile! Then Aidan did not know how he was right and at the same time self-confident.

Disassembled with the count, who surprisingly turned out to be quite a serious and collected man, unlike the Duke of Everly, Aidan received a lot of useful information, warnings and even the necessary provisions for several days. Father and Mother worried about their son, and the county itself suffered from the loss of a wizard and even part of the knights. Therefore, Aidan did not pull for a long time and descended into these ruins. In the mountains, in the Onslow mine, he began his journey to these cursed halls of antiquity.

On that day, as it always happens, everything happened quite peacefully and calmly. At the beginning of his journey, Aidan did not encounter a single problem. Unfortunately, he did not feel more than one life on the way. As he later learned, the whole thing is in some of the walls in the deep halls of the dungeon. All of them seemed to distort space and more than one perception and ability could not just pass through them. To some extent, it was almost a different space. So far, Aidan hasn't been that strong. Although, this is not why he could not find the aura of the life of the Count's son and his subordinates ...

- It's ... yours ... - a couple of hours later, Aidan found himself in a huge ancient hall, with three different statues.

A giant with an ax stood in the middle, his weapon turned out to be real, not stone, and his head was decorated with a helmet-crown with horns. Even from the inanimate, from this silhouette, a huge imperious aura emanated. Two more stood on either side of him. On the left is an archer with a golden bow in his hands and a helmet typical of his profession on his head. The other was also a warrior, thin with no helmet, but with a blade red like blood and a cloak of the same color. Aidan frowned. A concentrated stench hit him in the nose. The smell of the dead ... In this room, even the magic of death, hidden deep inside the wizard, made itself felt. Not a few people died in this place. The dried blood on the wall and on the ground spoke for itself. In some places, traces of battle were visible, chips on the walls as if from arrows, and even slots from a blade and an ax. Aidan quickly figured it out, especially when he noticed several old corpses on the ground, already withered from time to time. For three years they have changed beyond recognition. Although, some clearly appeared here much later ...

The wizards of various guilds lay nearby in the other direction, just at the next door, inside which rested a silver spear. This door was like an altar on which this artifact was kept. But on the way, there were more than three dozen dead bodies, and among them was the son of the duke in golden armor, along with his retinue. The magician at the wall, as if depressed and decided to take a nap, but the punctured skull spoke just about the fact that this dream had lasted for a long time ...