"We haven't set out together like this in ages, feels nostalgic." Lucy said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, the scenery lifting her spirits.
A crystal sky, lush green hills, a murmuring stream, birds and beasts, blossoms and butterflies—cool breeze carried the scent of earth and grass, and worries melted away.
"The air's so fresh, the breeze feels perfect. This place is amazing." Lucy spread her arms wide.
"Like camping! Great mood!"
"Aye!"
Happy eyed her. "By the way, Lucy, why'd you come?"
"I… I'm partners with Natsu! Where he goes, I go." Lucy scrambled for an excuse.
Happy looked skeptical. "You're here for the reward, aren't you?"
"No way! I just missed everyone going out together."
She definitely was here for the reward. Takeshi was generous, and a job from the fourth seat would pay millions. One hundred thousand would cover her rent for a year.
"Really?" Happy's face stayed doubtful.
"Cross my heart!"
"Hey, the client's the fourth seat, right? The Council gave Takeshi the first seat, yeah?"
"Yep."
"Think he's mad Takeshi jumped over him and wants trouble?"
"Dunno… hope not."
"Jura's only fifth seat and he's crazy strong, wonder what the fourth can do." Natsu's eyes sparkled.
Takeshi chuckled. "Quit guessing. We'll find out soon."
The Four Gods of Ishgar rarely showed up, but Takeshi remembered them, for a simple reason.
The former first seat, God Serena, had once thrashed all four of them single-handedly. That battle had turned the once-legendary title of Ten Wizard Saints into a bit of a joke.
God Serena had defected to the Alvarez Empire and become one of the Spriggan 12.
Seats two through five couldn't beat the first, and when the Alvarez Empire invaded, they'd been useless.
Ever since, Takeshi had felt the title was rather overrated.
All jokes aside, the Wizard Saints were still top-tier. They just paled beside the might of the Alvarez Empire.
"Look, everyone! A house!" Lucy pointed to a small wooden cottage on a bare hilltop.
"Excuse us, we're from the Mage Guild Fairy Tail." Lucy politely pushed the door.
"Shhh..."
"Silence. Plants love quiet. If you understand, shut those noisy mouths."
Lucy, Natsu, and Happy tensed. The man before them was the fourth seat of the Ten Wizard Saints.
"Quiet? Just kidding. Trees and flowers adore the human voice. Wahahaha!" Warrod turned, laughing.
"A tree?"
The old man looked exactly like a tree.
"Ah, you're finally here, Fairy Tail Mages."
"Are you Mister Warrod Sequen of the Ten Wizard Saints?"
"Correct. I'm Warrod Sequen... Just kidding."
"Eh?!"
The group stared, stunned.
"That was a joke too."
"What's with this grandpa?!"
Natsu and Happy were thoroughly bewildered.
"Hello, Warrod-san. I'm Takeshi, here for your requested job."
"Takeshi? So young. A true prodigy."
Warrod could feel the surging magic power inside Takeshi, close to his own. So much power at such an age was hard to believe.
Takeshi's Transparent World showed Warrod's magic power: a bit above eight stars.
Though currently listed fourth among the Ten Wizard Saints, Warrod had contributed more than most during the war against the Alvarez Empire.
"So why are you here?" Warrod asked, puzzled.
Takeshi's lips twitched. "You summoned me."
Warrod smacked his forehead. "Ah… I forgot."
Thud!
Everyone face-planted.
"Just kidding."
"This old man is really exhausting." Takeshi complained helplessly.
"Alright, jokes aside, let's talk business."
...
The group sat down at the table and chairs outside the house.
Warrod said, "Since I retired, I've been working on greening the desert."
Lucy asked, "Retired? You used to work in a guild too?"
"Hahaha, it was a wonderful guild. I use my 'Green Magic' to stop the desert from expanding. Calling it a charity event sounds nice, but it's actually just a hobby."
As Warrod spoke, a flower quickly bloomed from his hand.
"So I travel through deserts everywhere all year round. Recently, I discovered a strange village. According to records, it's the Sun Village, a village that worships an eternally burning flame as its guardian deity."
"An eternally burning flame? Does it taste good?!" Natsu's eyes lit up as soon as he heard 'flame'.
During the Dragon attack, Natsu had eaten his fill, though despite that, he couldn't do anything to that fire dragon and could only barely hold it back.
"I don't know, I don't eat flames after all. But that's not the point. Whether it was a natural disaster or man-made, that village is now frozen. People, animals, plants, buildings, rivers—even the eternal flame that protects the village is frozen."
"The flame is frozen?!"
"How can that be?!"
Lucy and Happy were a bit shocked.
Warrod shook his head. "I don't know what happened in that village, but the villagers inside the ice are still alive. I can't just ignore villagers who are still living but frozen. So, I hope you can save that village. This is my request."
Natsu got excited upon hearing the request. "I see! That's easy then! I'll melt all the ice with my flames!"
He finally had an S-Class Quest suitable for him. He was right to come this time. If he completed an S-Class Quest, becoming an S-Class Mage would be a sure thing.
"Aye!"
Happy was also very happy that Natsu was going to complete an S-Class Quest.
"No, that isn't ordinary ice."
Lucy raised her hand and asked in confusion, "Warrod-san, aren't you the fourth-ranked of the Ten Wizard Saints? A powerful Mage like you should be able to solve this easily."
Warrod explained, "You seem to have some misunderstandings. Even the Ten Wizard Saints aren't omnipotent. They're merely ten people arbitrarily selected by the Magic Council. In this continent, there are plenty of Mages stronger than me, and outside this continent, I am but a small existence."
"Take Takeshi, for example. Despite being so powerful, he wasn't one of the Ten Wizard Saints before the Grand Magic Games. It was only after the Grand Magic Games that he was recommended for the position."
Lucy nodded in understanding. "That's true. Gildarts is also incredibly strong, yet he isn't one of the Ten Wizard Saints either."
During the battle between Gildarts and Takeshi, it was clear that Gildarts' strength was far greater than that of Jose, Jura, or Jellal, who were all Wizard Saints, yet he still wasn't one of them.
In Dark Guilds, the master of Oración Seis, Zero, and the master of Grimoire Heart, Hades, were also far stronger than the average Wizard Saint.
The Ten Wizard Saints really might just be arbitrarily chosen by the Magic Council, but there's no doubt that those selected are all very powerful.
***
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