Fairy Tail: Swallow the Fire

43. Lyubov of the Unremitting Mist

Maybe I should incorporate more fire in my diet...

While my attention was fixed on a distinctively familiar mass of spiky black hair – a sight I often encountered in the underground fighting rings – I noticed Giles reentering through the door situated behind the bar. His face adorned a smile that practically shouted "Opportunity!" at full volume.

"You're next job is waiting for you in the S-Class lounge upstairs. Good luck, and don't be afraid to decline if you feel yourself out of your depth."

"S-Class lounge?"

"Indeed. You, my friend, might very well be getting a promotion. One quite lucrative for us both."

I tried to suppress the smile on my face by devouring the rest of the flames. I could hear Giles' chuckle as I hopped off of the stool and made my way up to the lounge where only the staff, the guild master, and S-Class ranked wizards were allowed to go.

Entering the room with "Lounge" carved into the dark wooden door, I was met with a comfortable-looking room fit with dark purple couches that would look more at home in a noble's mansion.

In the middle, two of those couches were facing each other with a table in between them. Barely visible through the smoke permeating the air was the eldest of the Elemental Four, Lyubov of the Unremitting Mist, puffing from a hookah. She stared at me with intrigue as I walked in, never once letting go of the hookah's mouth.

"Well then. This is interesting," she said in a rough voice, the middle-aged woman placing the smoking tool in a dish to the side as she crossed her legs and knitted her fingers. "Giles told me he'd send someone that doesn't mind dying. That boy has never made mistakes before, he knows better than that, and yet he sent a child? What is your name and magic, girl?"

"Lyssa. Fire devil slayer, healing flame, darkness, enchanting, transformation, and a few black magic spells."

"Darkness, huh? That's quite a skillset and a dangerous path for one so young to travel down. You know what they say; when you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back. You think you can handle that?"

"Whether or not I can means nothing to me. The rewards are inconsequential to how I get there."

The forty-year-old looked at me with piercing brown eyes for several moments before a chilling smirk carved its way across her face.

"Spoken like a true fool. Just what I was hoping for. Sit, let's go over the details."

As Lyubov waved her hand, the mist from her fingers manipulated the air's smoke. A letter, pulled by misty hands from across the room, landed before us. Opening the parchment, Lyubov revealed a holographic projection of the guild master, Jose.

"Lyubov, an urgent request from the Magic Council requires your immediate presence within the next day. You, along with any trusted individuals you choose, are tasked with overseeing a crucial shipment from Oshibana Station to the capital of Crocus. The cargo consists of three freights, one containing enough Etherion to generate approximately 1.7 million Edeas of magic power, while the other two serve as decoys. We cannot disclose which is which in this letter due to the recent surge in attacks on trains and mobile caravans.

While the suspected target is the Etherion shipment, the attackers have been indiscriminately kidnapping or killing passengers and stealing transportation. Your primary objective is to secure the Etherion transport. All other 'passengers' will be undercover royal soldiers working to identify the attackers. Maintain your cover. Successful transportation carries a reward of 10 billion jewels, with a bonus of half that for identifying the attackers if the situation arises. The outcome of this mission will greatly influence our standing with the Council, so I should not need to say what will happen to you in particular should you fail."

The hologram disappeared after the message ended, leaving the S-Class to lean back on the couch. Her face was stone cold, not a drop of sarcasm left on her face.

"Etherion. Normal humans and most mages can't even come close to the stuff, let alone touch it, without experiencing extreme detriments due to concentrated ethernano exposure. Anything more than an hour is a death sentence, which is why it requires specific methods of containment. If it cracks, well..."

"And it's used to fuel the Satellite Square: Etherion, the Magic Council's strongest weapon."

"Smart kid. But yeah, that's exactly why they want it so bad. For some reason, the country of Alvarez has been looking towards our shores a little too closely for the Council's liking. Even if they won't say it, we're in a tad bit of an arms race just for security. You know how governments and their lethal dick-measuring contests are. So, you ready to go even if you're probably about to die?"

"Well, I am a fool aren't I?"

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Giles concept (Age: 27)

Lyubov concept (Age: 42)