"I come from Ishgar. My purpose in coming here is to defect to your nation and seek a better future for myself."
"From Ishgar? And you came here to join us?"
Genos leaned back slightly in his chair, his eyes full of suspicion as he sized up the young man before him from head to toe.
"Exactly, exactly. I have long admired His Imperial Majesty."
Kabe nodded repeatedly, flashing his white teeth in a grin, putting on an act of absolute loyalty so convincing that it almost looked real.
Genos stared at him for two more seconds. Then he suddenly nodded in understanding and stood up.
"I understand now. Come with me."
"Oh? You are taking me to the capital to meet His Majesty the Emperor?"
Kabe's eyes lit up as he got to his feet and asked curiously.
At those words, Genos shook his head. Then, with crisp efficiency, he pulled out a pair of handcuffs and snapped them around Kabe's wrists.
"No. I am taking you to the mental hospital. There are plenty of talented people there just like you, people who claim they are capable and insist on dedicating themselves to His Majesty."
Kabe: ...
'Damn it. Have you ever seen a lunatic this handsome?
I was trying to save time and head straight for the capital, and this idiot cannot even read the situation.'
Irritated, Kabe's face darkened. He exerted a slight amount of force with both hands, and the handcuffs, forged from a special material designed to suppress the magic power of ordinary mages, shattered on the spot.
The expressions of Genos and the surrounding soldiers changed immediately.
In an instant, a chorus of swords being drawn rang out sharply through the restaurant.
Ignoring the blades now aimed at him from every direction, Kabe's presence shifted completely. His eyes turned cold and sharp as he locked gazes with the grave eyes hidden beneath Genos's visor.
Then he said icily,
"The joke ends here. I need you to contact your superior and report the situation here. Do you understand?"
Under that frigid stare, Genos felt a chill spread through his entire body, as though he had been targeted by some ferocious beast.
Almost on instinct, he swallowed and hurriedly nodded.
"I... I understand. I will send someone to make contact at once."
With that, he pulled out a magic device similar to a communication crystal transmitter right in front of Kabe and gave a quick but detailed report of what had happened.
"My lord, may I ask your name?"
Holding the communication device, Genos asked the question with visible tension.
"Kabe, Fairy Tail's Mage King."
The moment he heard that answer, Genos hurriedly relayed the crucial information.
Not long after, another burst of hurried footsteps sounded from outside the restaurant.
Genos quickly went out to receive the newcomer. A short while later, he returned with a middle-aged man who looked to be around forty, dressed like a general in heavy black armor with a white cloak draped over his shoulders.
The moment the general stepped inside, he strode directly up to Kabe and gave him a slight bow.
"My apologies, Lord Kabe. I have already reported your request to the Imperial Senate.
On behalf of the Empire, I welcome your decision to join us."
'That was fast. Their efficiency is way beyond Fiore's.'
After silently marveling at how quickly the people of Alvarez handled matters, Kabe calmly adjusted his collar, clasped his hands behind his back, and raised his chin with open arrogance.
"Then what are we waiting for? Take me to the capital. I want to meet His Majesty."
"Please come with me. I will arrange an airship for you immediately."
The general stepped aside and made a polite gesture for him to proceed. Genos also hurriedly bent into a perfect ninety-degree bow, expressing his respect.
And so, under the escort of an entire squad of city guards, Kabe swaggered out of the restaurant in full view of everyone.
Once outside, he did not leave right away. Instead, his gaze swept across the nearby crowd of onlookers until he found the fat restaurant owner who had set him up.
He raised a hand and pointed straight at him as he spoke to the black-armored general.
"That owner maliciously cheated a customer for no reason. I demand compensation for my emotional distress. Let us say... a thousand times the cost of my meal."
The general glanced at the fat man, whose eyes had already gone dull with shock. Without the slightest hesitation, he nodded. Then he turned to Genos and ordered,
"Carry out Lord Kabe's request. While you are at it, have your men investigate the restaurant's recent tax records."
Genos gave a formal imperial salute, then immediately led several guards toward the terrified owner.
The moment the fat boss heard their conversation, his legs gave out beneath him and he collapsed to the ground, regret flooding his heart so fiercely that he nearly passed out.
Only then did Kabe finally feel his mood brighten completely.
'Tch. You wanted to cheat me? Enjoy prison, bastard.'
After receiving full compensation, Kabe whistled cheerfully and followed the city guards away in high spirits.
Behind him, all that remained was the completely sealed restaurant and a crowd of local residents staring at one another in bewilderment.
"Sigh. That is why this kind of thing was never something ordinary townsfolk like us should get involved in."
"No matter which side you stand on, you get nothing good out of it. Better to just stay quiet and watch the drama."
One of the customers who had been eating in the restaurant earlier shook his head and sighed once the group had gone far enough away.
The people around him all nodded in fearful agreement, each of them still shaken by what they had just witnessed.