428 Preparing For Departure

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Takanosu.

October, x785.

A few days after the battle outside the Takagi mansion, Alfonzo and Elicia, along with the knights had finally taken care of all the zombies in the town. Unfortunately, because of the ritual, nearly ninety-two percent of the population of Takanosu Town had died. And once word of what happened spread around the kingdom, it would be a long time before the town was repopulated.

Currently, Alfonzo and Elicia were sitting in the meeting room of the Takagi mansion with Souichiro and Captain Tadashi Miyamoto discussing the aftermath of the incident.

"*Sigh* Cleaning up after this mess is going to take a lot of time." Tadashi said in a tone mixed with annoyance and sadness. "And there were so many lives lost. Why would that Koichi Shido do something like this?"

"For the same reason all the random villains of the week do shit like this." Alfonzo replied disdainfully. "For power… And to sate his lust. I mean, apparently, he had been using his position as a marquis's son to have his way with the young women at the school for years. And when this all started, he was using [Charm Magic] to enslave almost every woman he came across, too."

"For a man like him, that doesn't surprise me." Souichiro said while shaking his head. "He and his father are the same kind of people. They both want power and see women as nothing more than objects to be used and discarded."

"I kinda wish I had run into him first before you, Fonzie." Elicia said with a dark gleam in her eyes. "Although it would have been disgusting, I would have wrapped my threads around that little thing between his legs and minced it in to a pile of fleshy bits if he had even tried to use that [Charm Magic] on me."

Hearing that, Alfonzo, Souichiro, and Tadashi all close their legs involuntarily. A reaction Elicia did not seem to notice as she was too busy thinking of the ways she would torture Shido. Alfonzo had told her about what he said when they first met, after all.

"*Cough* Anyway, were you able to find out if Shido was working with anyone else?" Tadashi asked, trying to change the subject.

"Yes, we did." Souichiro replied with a grateful nod. "Unfortunately, we were unable to get as much information as we would have liked."

"What do you mean?" Tadashi asked as his expression turned solemn.

"We found out that other than the Shido father and son, there was one more person involved in this incident." Souichiro said. "A woman. However, that was all we could get out of him. He was too afraid of the woman's retaliation to tell us more. Claiming that if she ever found out he had betrayed her, he would suffer a fate worse than death."

In response, Tadashi could only frown in contemplation. Meanwhile, Alfonzo and Elicia, who had finally snapped out of her thoughts of torturing Shido, exchanged glances. Then, after a few moments, they nodded at each other and looked back at the marquis and knight captain.

"We probably know who he was working with." Alfonzo said with a shrug.

"Yeah, while we were on our way into the town, we saw her standing on top of the clock tower." Elicia continued. "But before we could capture her, she [Teleported] away."

"And who do you think it was?" Souichiro asked with a frown.

"The other traitor of the Magic Council, Junko Enoshima." Alfonzo replied.

"That's impossible." Tadashi said while shaking his head. "She was crushed under rubble when the old Council Building collapsed. It's in all the reports."

"*Sigh* I'm really glad the Council was remade." Alfonzo said in an exasperated tone. "It was definitely in our report when we faced Grimoire Heart last year. But Junko was part of the Dark Guild. Hell, Lici even fought and defeated her."

"Yeah, but that whack job got away then, too." Elicia said with a pout. "But I'll catch her one day. No one threatens my Fonzie…"

Once again, Elicia's aura started turning dark. However, before it could become overwhelming, Alfonzo started combing his fingers through her hair. The gentle brush of his fingers against her scalp calming her down immediately.

"Yeah, we'll definitely get her next time." Alfonzo said with a loving smile. Then, he looked back at Souichiro and Tadashi as he continued. "What about the communications block? Did Shido spill anything about that?"

"Yeah, Apparently, there's some kind of device in his mansion in the town." Souichiro said with a nod. "I'll be sending a squad of my men to check it out after this meeting ends."

"I'll be sending Chief Minami to accompany them, as well."

Hearing that, Alfonzo and Elicia once again exchanged glances before nodding at each other.

"I guess I'll go with them, too." Alfonzo said with a shrug. "I know a little about magic items… So, that might come in handy in shutting the thing down. Plus, there might be all kinds of traps set up, too."

'He knows a bit about magic items, he says.' Souichiro and Tadashi thought simultaneously while smiling on the inside.

Meanwhile, in another room of the Takagi mansion, Saya and Yuriko were enjoying a cup of tea together.

"Are you sure about this, Saya?" Yuriko asked as she placed her teacup on the saucer.

"I am." Saya replied with a nod. "I've always wanted to learn magic. But I never thought I had the talent to do so. But now that I know I have it, I would like to learn. Perhaps I would be able to help people, too."

"*Sigh* I see." Yuriko said with a sad smile. "Well, you're an adult now. So, I won't try to talk you out of it. Just be careful. Even when you're not looking for it, a wizard seems to find trouble a lot more than a normal person."

"Yes, Mother." Saya replied with a nod. "I'll be careful. Besides, if I join a guild, I'll have people to watch my back."

"Yes, that's true." Yuriko said as a maid refilled her teacup. Then, after taking a sip from the refilled cup, she continued with the cup still in her hands. "On top of that, a guild would have quite the selection of magic to learn. So, you definitely be able to find the magic that fits you the best."

Nodding in agreement as she had come to the same conclusion, Saya picked up her own teacup and took a sip.

"So, you'll be joining Fairy Tail, correct?" Yuriko asked in a playful tone. "I mean, you want to be with the man you have a crush on, right?"

"Spurt!*

"*Cough!* *Cough!* Mom!" Saya exclaimed after spewing a mouthful of tea. Then, with her face red up to her ears, she continued in an angry, yet embarrassed, tone. "What are you talking about!? Who has a crush on Alfonzo!? Like I'd ever be interested in someone who wasn't smarter than me!"

"Oh my?" Yuriko replied while gracefully covering her smile with her right hand. "But Saya, Sweetie, I never mentioned anything about Alfonzo. Besides, didn't Elicia say that both Miss Busujima and Mr. Hirano would be going back to Magnolia with them to join Fairy Tail, as well? So, why did you immediately assume I was talking about Alfonzo?"

This time, Saya did not give in to her mother's provocation. Instead, she simply rolled her eyes while watching the made clean up the mess she made.

"Yeah, like I would ever have a crush on Hirano." Saya said, not realizing that she had just told on herself.

Instead of teasing Saya any further, Yuriko just gave her a knowing glance before taking another sip of her tea.

"Anyway, you never did say which guild you wished to join." Yuriko said with a smile.

"*Sigh* You were correct, Mother." Saya said in an exasperated tone. "I would like to join Fairy Tail. Though, it has nothing to do with having a crush on anyone. But Alfonzo and Elicia told me about a particular type of magic that would suit me. On top of that, they have a friend who could help me learn it."

"Oh, and what magic is that?" Yuriko asked in an interested tone.

"[Solid Script Magic]." Saya replied.

At the same time, Saeko had returned to the Busujima residence, a large eastern style mansion, and was packing her belongings.

"*Sigh* It's too bad father is not here." Saeko muttered to herself as she packed some of the more important things in her bedroom into a bag. "I know he would not have stopped me. Instead, he would have been elated that I had the potential to use magic and surpass him as a swordsman. Though, he did often admit that he was not the strongest swordsman on the continent. Something about a woman much older than he was who perpetually looked young."

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Mermaid Heel Headquarters.

*Sneeze!*

"*Pant* Are you okay, *Pant* Master Ritsu?" Tsunade, who was lying flat on her back and covered in sweat in the Mermaid Heel guild master's private training chamber, asked between ragged breaths. "Did you catch a cold, *Pant* or something?"

"I'm fine, Tsuna." Ritsu said as she took a handkerchief from the interior of her kimono to wipe her nose. "It would seem someone was talking about me. And I must say, I don't like the topic."

Hearing that, Tsunade began to shiver as Ritsu's angry aura filled the training chamber.

'She's not gonna take this out on me, is she?' Tsunade thought to herself in terror. 'Just the other day, with Shizune's help, I found out that I have in fact died during my training with her. And I really don't wanna experience that again. Especially since I lived through this session… A session that's already over.'

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Takanosu.

At the same time, Saeko shivered involuntarily, feeling that her life would be in danger if she continued her line of thinking.

Looking around warily, Saeko was unable to find the source of that feeling. So, once the feeling disappeared, she went back to packing her bags.

"I'm really looking forward to fighting Titania and that girl, Sun Seto, Alfonzo and Elicia talked about." Saeko said with a happy smile on her face. "Having talented swordswomen around my age to train with would be good for me."

At that point, Saeko stopped what she was doing as she shivered.

"And I'll be able to take bandit subjugation quests, too." Saeko said with a sadistic smile on her face. A moment later, however, she calmed down and wore an apprehensive expression. "*Sigh* I wonder how the members of Fairy Tail will react to that side of me?"

With that thought, Saeko shook her head before she returned to packing her belongings, taking a lot less clothing than expected. She would be in the same guild as the Magic Seamstress, after all. Thinking now would be a good time to upgrade her wardrobe.

Like Saeko, Kohta was in another part of the town packing to leave Takanosu with Alfonzo and Elicia. However, he did not have much to pack. Although he had magic guns from his time training to become a knight, none of them could compare to the one Alfonzo made for him. So, he decided he would leave them behind.

"I'll just have to make money by completing quests." Kohta thought to himself as he looked over his magic gun collection. "*Sigh* I'm really gonna miss you guys. But it's time for me to move on."

As he spoke the last part, Kohta ran his hand over the magic rifle that was his favorite part of his collection with a gentle gaze.

"Anyway, I guess I should leave Mom and Dad a note." Kohta said as he tore his gaze away from his magic gun collection. "I'm sure they would be proud of me. They never wanted me to join the knights, anyway, not liking the fact that I'd lose the freedom to do what I like once I did. They actually told me to join Fairy Tail. Especially my mom after she saw Elicia's clothing. *Sigh* In the end, I'm doing what she wanted me to."

Like Elicia, Kohta's mother was also a fashion designer. And although she was successful, that was only within the borders of Fiore. However, she was never jealous of the up-and-coming designer, Elicia. Instead, she had always wanted to work with her.

Knowing that, Kohta decided that after he got settled in Magnolia, he would run the idea past Elicia. And who knows, maybe his mother would be able to expand her business as well.

Meanwhile, the only other person who would be leaving Takanosu with Alfonzo and Elicia, Shizuka, was happily playing with the kids in the primary school and waiting for Alfonzo and Elicia to come back to get her.

'I can't wait to see the parade.' Shizuka thought to herself happily. 'I bet all the floats will be really pretty. I wonder if I can ride one.'