chapter 67: Verik empire
The sun had risen over the horizon again like any other normal day, in an unknown location was a huge airship that was flying at high altitudes through the clouds.
The airship is extremely large: It consists of a central hull whose sides are two larger ones that have an elongated protruding part. It flies over several large magical glyphs floating near it, with a pair of them found behind it, at the ends of the protruding sections, something that makes them highly evocative of thrusters, and an even more massive one sitting beneath it. The shape of the hull is that of a real ship, which has an arched, pointed bottom, which ends at the front in a dark area where the guild symbol is located, with an open area just above it, where It seems to be the main room.
This room is crowned by a dark arched ceiling reminiscent of an overturned hull, on the back of which another tower, similarly shaped, once again sits, emerging from the main hull and rising several meters, ending in a huge protruding observation deck, complete with large windows. On the sides of the tower, the ceiling is dark, it is a pair of large ornaments, in the form of wings that protrude upwards; a similar pair of wings is also present in the protruding sections of the aircraft, with one of them adorning each outer side.
The two joined sections of the nave have a front, protruding dark parts reminiscent of faces, each adorned with a clear motif, somewhat similar to a stylized monster head. Both the hull and the two adjacent sections have linear blank parts, where a multitude of square windows line up one after the other, which are highly reminiscent of the hatches.
In addition to being an extremely large airship and equipped with protective layers of magic. In the front it has a magic cannon that has an extremely destructive capacity, it is a war weapon that throws a powerful beam that can cause large explosions.
The weapon is Jupiter's Magic Cannon: it is a magic weapon that uses a huge magic tear that gathers magic power. After gathering a satisfactory amount of energy, it unleashes a powerful beam of compressed magical energy against the user's enemies.
The airship is, in fact, the base of operations for the Grimoire Heart dark guild.
The master of the dark guild is known as Hades whose real name is Precht Gaebolg who was also the second master of the Fairy tail guild in the distant past. In addition to being one of the four founders of that guild.
Hades is a tall, elderly man, slicked back, white hair revealing his forehead, a mustache, and a similarly slightly thin long beard that reached down to his lower chest in many curves. He has some wrinkles on his face, as is evident from his very advanced age, however, despite this age, his figure is muscular and well defined.
Master Hades was now seated inside his airship while exuding suffocating pressure that made the weakest soldiers unable to breathe or even move freely. He was somewhat annoyed and his gaze was as cold as ice as he looked at Azuma's pathetic appearance right now.
The reason was that Azuma appeared before him with multiple wounds all over his body that from what could be seen had not yet completely healed, and it can be said that he was one of the strongest members of his guild and one of the six Grimoire Heart purgatories.
Whoever could have hurt him like that was someone with some skill. Azuma was known to everyone as someone who liked to look for strong opponents and fight with them, so they can deduce, in the mission that Master Hades had recently given him, on the way he met an opponent that he could not overcome and what they see before their eyes was the pathetic defeat he experienced.
"You look miserable with that appearance." Hades had been waiting for a few minutes for all the main members of his guild to gather so that he could proceed with Azuma's report on his mission. When he saw that they were finally present after a few minutes of waiting, he spoke his first words.
"Uhahaha hey what kind of joke is this, because you look so crappy Azuma." Exclaimed a young man who was mocking with a huge smile at the appearance that one of his companions was exhibiting in front of everyone
"Well, this is something that was ever going to happen, but to think that this guy was left in such a sorry state makes me want to meet that person who left him like that because he must have some strength." A tall man spoke lazily with a serious and serene look on his face, who only gave Azuma a glance.
"Okay, enough is enough." Hades stepped in and leaked some of his magic power to calm everyone down before the others commented on what they see.
After seeing everyone calm, he directed his gaze to Azuma who was standing in front of him and began to speak. "Tell me Azuma, you were able to complete the mission successfully."
"Yes, mission accomplished, as said with the information, I was able to find one of the keys." Azuma replied respectfully.
"Well, very well, hahaha Now it won't be long before I get them all, so we will continue with what we have planned so that after a few years we can get started with our own."
Master Hades was happy that he was finally getting closer and closer to his dream with what he had long yearned for, and that could only be fulfilled if they managed to collect all the keys that could revive the black magician Zeref.
Master Hades had had information about the location of some missing keys and Azuma's mission was to investigate a site where the location of one of them was and now seeing how Azuma had returned with a new key he knew that the information he had obtained was real therefore the other locations of the other keys must be true.
Now that he had knowledge of the locations of the other keys it would be easier for him to obtain them and he couldn't help but laugh out loud.
The other members of the six purgatories saw how Master Hades was happy and in a good mood and could not help but share the same sentiment as him, since over the years numerous towns have been killed and looted in search of those keys and who knows, how many lives of innocent people have been lost just in order to obtain those famous keys that would serve to revive Zeref.
"Master, excuse me for interrupting your moment of happiness, but there is something I must speak to you about." Hades, who was pleased with a big smile on his face, was interrupted by a voice belonging to one of his magicians. He saw the person who spoke and asked in a deep voice. "What do you want Ultear,? you couldn't wait until later to speak."
"Sorry but I couldn't wait later, besides what I have to say is also of utmost importance." The young woman replied calmly and undisturbed by the tone Hades was using with her for daring to interrupt her moment of happiness.
Hades just looked at her and motioned for her to explain, Ultear seeing that and already got permission to speak, she said. "The mission I was given some time ago to infiltrate the council ranks has finally paid off. I have been there for some time now and have already earned the trust of many. I have recently been informed that I will be promoted due to my good work, and it won't take long for it to be on top and we can get all kinds of classified information at our fingertips. "
"Oh that's nice news to hear, this certainly wasn't something I would have hoped for. Hahaha, everything is going great for us ... and that's it or do you have anything else to tell me that might surprise me."
"Indeed there is something more. Meredy is progressing very quickly with the training we give her, so it won't take long for her to become part of the six relatives in purgatory and she stands here with us in this group. "
"Jo, Meredy you say, that little girl you are taking care of, right. That is also interesting news, but I have yet to see her in person to evaluate her results, and I hope they are good, since she has you as a magic teacher and it would be a total shame if his power is not good enough having you as a teacher. On one of these days I will take some time off to see its level and if it is rated to stand here with you. "
Hades finished talking to Ultear when his gaze frowned again and his eyes fell on Azuma who was still standing in front of him waiting for orders.
"So Azuma. I congratulate you on completing your mission successfully, but seeing the wounds on your body I must suppose that the mission was not as easy as we originally thought. Tell me, who was the one who left you in that sad state, I want to hear it in detail."
.....
Azuma narrated everything that happened to him after completing the mission, how he met Yuujiro and how they beat him until leaving him with all the visible wounds on his body. She even told him that with his strength he could not do anything and that he finally had to make a forced withdrawal because they were attracting a lot of attention and if he stayed longer he could have died causing the key he had collected to be lost.
"I see, hahaha, that's interesting. Makarov has recruited an incredibly skilled person, and from what you tell me, that man named Yuujiro apparently has something of evil in him that would make him a formidable soldier in my troops. I would like to meet him and invite him to join my guild. "
"Well, leaving that topic to be forgotten. What about the location of the next key, they have managed to locate its location." Hades asked their magicians.
"In fact, master, we have found the next destination and it seems that not only one, but two keys are found together in the same place." Ultear answered Hades's question with a small smile adorning her lips.
"Two keys, that's great, tell me where it is."
"Near a village where the heavenly well is located, on the outskirts of the Verik kingdom."
"Oh, that place, where they say it is the home of the fairies. Well, change course and direct the airship in that direction, we are going to the kingdom of Verik."
***
Verik Ishgar Kingdom
The Verik Kingdom is a kingdom located south of Ishgar that contains a population of 28 million inhabitants, although 60% of them are poor. The kingdom's climate is Mediterranean and most of the time it has a cloudy sky with black clouds that cover the view of the sun and the bluish sky.
The country is largely recognized throughout Ishgar for having a democratic order of excellence. The capital is Andorra and its most populous city is Monill. The capital of Andorra contains a population of 12 million inhabitants, while the city of Monill has a population of 15 million inhabitants, making it the most populous city in the kingdom. It is governed by a constitutional monarchy and the king of the Verik kingdom is "Varull de Fonse Verik".
'Varull by Fonse Verik': is a tall, tough-looking middle-aged man with a well-worked muscular body. Her skin is tan dark brown and her short jet black hair is slicked back. His square face adorned with a well-trimmed beard, sharp eyebrows, and blue eyes. Her body emanated from a powerful and oppressive aura.
The Verik king is a free will individual with a surprisingly open personality. He is stubborn and calculating, he has charisma. Furthermore, his popularity is high among the people of his kingdom. He is recognized as a great hero and celebrated as a wise king by his government.
....
Right now in an underground room located under the kingdom palace where darkness reigned with only the slight torch flames hanging on the walls illuminating a small corner, a man could be seen wearing simple clothes as he sat with his arms crossed and eyes closed. He was meditating while patiently waiting for the arrival of a person.
"Excuse the delay, my King." At that time, a man slightly older than the man sitting in the chair who had a few strands of white hair with somewhat thin build and wearing a luxurious robe, entered the dimly lit room greeting the person in front of him as he bowed his body in the form of a greeting.
Clearly the identity of the person sitting in the chair is the king of the Verik kingdom, while the identity of the other person who has just entered is his Prime Minister "Verik Daner III".
"My king excuse the delay, I was arranging some details with the soldiers and waiting for new information about the mystical people."
"Okay, it doesn't matter. So what did they get this time, managed to communicate, or is it still a total failure."
"We are still working on it, but in all these years that we have been trying to establish communication with them, they have completely ignored us. I think it is time to use the latest plan for this occasion, poverty in our country has been it increases every year and more and more people are leaving for the nearby kingdoms. "
"Hmm, doing that is something I don't want to do, but seeing the people of my town, seeing how they are suffering more every day, it seems the time has come to make our movement against them. I've been avoiding this as usual. place and that's why I've been trying to communicate with them, but since they are ignoring us, the time has come to use violence and make war to take their power. "
"Your majesty, excuse me for the question that I am going to ask you and I know that you have already answered this in the past but, really, do you believe that there are those beings living above the skies of our kingdom. It is true that I too I've heard that story as a child and in fact those same stories are what mothers tell their children. "
"But in all these years that I have lived in this kingdom, since I was born. Never in my life have I seen those mysterious beings that you say you have seen since childhood. In fact, I would still think that they are only the product of imagination and fantasy tales, but you are very sure that they really exist even in these times and live above us without anyone noticing."
"haha it is normal that you think that, that they are a product of the human imagination since they have never been shown to humans. But when I was little, 32 years ago I am sure that I saw her leave my father's rooms that night."
"From the window of my room I saw when one of them came out of the window of my father's room who was the king at the time and then that little person with wings that shone rose to the sky getting lost in the clouds."
"I spent sleepless nights waiting for that little thing to come back again but as the days went by I realized that I would never see it again, so to get rid of the doubt I went to see my father and asked him what That was what I had seen that night. But I never got an honest answer from him and he just smiled at me from ear to ear saying that maybe one day I can meet one of them. "
"So on that day when my father told me that, I knew that what I saw that night was not my imagination and in fact it was real, they existed and still exist above our kingdom."
"Oh, so those stories are true and there really are ....."
"Yes, as they say in children's stories, fairies exist and have been living above the sky for many years without anyone noticing." The king replied excitedly, then continued
"It is said that fairies long ago lived on earth with humans, they had great power, powerful magic that could grant wishes and for that reason humans began to capture and sell them as they had the power to make dreams come true. "
"For that same reason is that I did not want to do this again, recapture them. Since humans have already done it in the past and they fled hiding from everyone's view, but they leave me no other choice. My people die and there is more and more poverty in my kingdom, at first I wanted to communicate with them to reach an agreement or alliance. But seeing that in all these years they have ignored us, I have no choice but to repeat past history. "
Verik's king planned to invade the fairy kingdom with his soldiers, the objective was already clear. Capture them and have them use their magic to save their kingdom in crisis. He was with a determined look and ready to do it, the history of humans has always been like this, if someone has a greater power than yours, someone sooner or later will rise and try to take it from your hands or use you for their own benefit.
The prime minister standing in front of the king was seeing those cold and serious eyes, determined to start the invasion and gain the power to help his people.
"If that is what my king wants, then that will be done. I will prepare the troops with the soldiers and wizards of the city, hire the wizards of some guilds that have flight magic and help send our armies to heaven, first we have to find the exact location of the island and then attack. "
The king seeing his prime minister decided to help him with what he will do, he nodded and got up from his seat when he passed him and said. "I want everything to be ready in 2 weeks, make the preparations and organize the soldiers together with the magicians."
***
Yuujiro was on a train that was heading towards the destination that marked the point of the map in his hands, where the fairies supposedly lived.
Sitting in the seats of the train where there were many people with him in the same train, he began to see the different maps he had found on the different continents of the world as well as the kingdoms and the towns that were in each one of them.
He began to think about the different places there were.
To think that this world was so big. From what I see here, there are three continents that are Ishgar-Frostland-Arakitashia.
In each of those huge continents there are great cities and kingdoms of which he had no knowledge of their existence. In time I hope to visit all those places in the world.
Here on the continent of Frostland they have countries that have caught my attention.
The country of Demi, one of the countries not inhabited by humans that has approximately 60 million inhabitants. I wonder what they mean by nonhumans, they will be male beasts, humans who can transform, humans with animal or beast traits as well as people with cat or dog ears, female rabbits or werewolves. That country is one that I have to see with my eyes as to place.
I can't find anything here about whether humans are allowed or not.
There is also the country of Cifer that is also inhabited by non-humans, but unlike the Demi country, this is a country hostile to humans. In addition to having great military power, it is inhabited by more than 65 million inhabitants.
Here in ishgar there are several breeds of animals and people that I have not yet seen, there are the giants and years ago there were also dragons, who knows. Perhaps in a more distant era there were also phoenix or other mystical creatures of which we have no knowledge yet.
I wonder what kinds of people or animals or species will be on the other continents, this world still has a lot of place to explore.
So the place that is marked by the map where fairies exist is in Verik's kingdom, it will be a long and tiring journey. I think the way to get there faster is by flying, but doing a normal flight is boring ..... but, I have something that can help me, a magic that they gave me a long time ago and I still haven't had a chance to use.