Chapter 22: Bloody Lake

"Are you sure you can complete the mission published by me?"

Currently in one of the houses in Rosemary Village. Allen was seen with three people in the living room of the house. The three people with Allen were the Village Head of Rosemary Village, the Village Head's wife, and also Erza. Doubt appeared on the Village Chief's face when he found out that the person who would carry out the mission given by him was a child who was the same age as Erza.

Allen sighed hearing the question, he then looked at the Village Chief and said, "Sir, every time a wizard who joins the guild wants to carry out a mission. The wizard is required to confirm first with the Guild Master or with someone who has previously been appointed by the Guild Master to supervise the Guild while the Guild Master is not present at that time. As long as the Guild Master or the person in charge approves of the mission taken by a wizard, the wizard can go on the mission carried out by them. On the other hand, if the Guild Master or the figure in charge does not approve of the mission taken by a magician because of various considerations such as the strength and danger of the mission. So, it is impossible for the magician to come to carry out the mission he wants to take."

"…My presence here proves that I have received permission from the Guild. They believe that the strength I possess is capable of completing this mission. Therefore, please don't underestimate me too much."

"…"

The three people who were currently with Allen fell silent when they heard this.

"The strength and abilities possessed by a wizard should not be seen from the age of the wizard. There are many young wizards who are even the same age as me who have stronger powers than the older wizards or even the same age as the village chief. In some cases, wizards who have just reached their teens already have higher power than Guild Masters who are relatively old. Age should not be used as a benchmark to determine the strength and abilities possessed by a magician."

Allen's wisdom made the Village Chief and his wife unable to say anything. This was their first time meeting a child who possessed wisdom that might be on par or surpass their own.

"I see," the Village Chief sighed then looked at Allen, "I apologize for doubting you before."

"It's okay" Allen shook his head and continued, "Now, can you explain the mission I have to do? The mission poster explains that the aim of this mission is to clear the lake. I want to know information about the lake, such as how big the lake is and when did the water in the lake start to become cloudy?"

"Okay," the Village Head answered and began to explain, "As you previously said, the task you have to do is to help clear the water in our village's lake which has become cloudy. The lake is located one kilometer east of our village and has a size of around 25 hectares. The lake itself is something very important to our village. The main source of water obtained by our village comes from the lake. However…"

"…This past week there have been very significant changes experienced by the lake. The lake which was previously always clear and clean suddenly became cloudy and dirty. This makes it impossible for our village to consume or use the water in the lake."

"Apart from the lake which is located one kilometer from this village. Is there another lake not too far from this village?"

"There is," the Village Head answered, "However, the location is quite far, about seven kilometers from our village."

"In this week's time period, has anyone come to the lake that is used as the village's main water source?"

"We come there every day," the Village Head answered, "However, we only come to check the situation there. Usually there is a representative from the village who will go to check the condition of the water in the lake and then return to provide the latest report on the situation there to all the village residents."

Allen nodded then asked again, "Has there been a case like someone disappearing from this village in recent times?"

"Huh?"

The Village Chief, his wife, and Erza were quite confused when listening to Allen's question.

"I'm not too sure about this, but there is a possibility that the lake which is the main water source for your village is currently occupied by a magic monster called the Steel-Scaled Crocodile."

"This…"

The Village Head and others were stunned to hear this.

"The Steel-Scaled Crocodile is a magic monster that has extremely hard scales. Their scales have a hardness equivalent to steel and are usually used as the main material for making armor and magic weapons. These animals really like to live in rivers and lakes and often make the water where they live cloudy so that they can block the view of their prey which is right where they live. Usually this animal really likes to attack its prey secretly. For example, a human who wants to bathe or do an activity in a lake. Because the lake water is murky, it will be difficult for them to see the inside of the lake. At the same time, it would be an opportunity for the Steel Scaled Crocodiles to attack those humans."

Allen stopped for a moment and saw the frightened expressions shown by the Village Chief and his wife. He then continued, "There is a possible reason why the lake which is the main water source of your village is currently occupied by them because their previous habitat has been taken over by other animals. Maybe it's a magic monster that likes to live in water with relatively stronger power compared to them. The presence of these animals poses a threat to the Steel Scaled Crocodiles which makes them look for new habitats and finally reach the lake which is the main water source for your village."

"The residents of this village were lucky because at that time the crocodile had already occupied the lake. Nobody goes to play there. If someone dares to go there to do something, especially to take a shower, it is not impossible that that person has become prey to the crocodiles."

The bodies of the Village Head and others immediately trembled when they heard this.

"A-Allen, are you sure about what you're saying?" Erza asked doubtfully.

Erza's question woke up the Village Head and his wife.

"That was just my analysis. However, after analyzing all the information that the Village Chief gave me previously. There is a high possibility that the analysis made by me turns out to be correct."

"M-Mr wizard, if the analysis you said earlier is correct and currently the lake which is our village's main water source has been occupied by magic monsters, can you solve the problem?" Asked the Village Head's wife.

The Village Chief looked at Allen with a look full of hope.

"Previously we had also considered the existence of these magic beasts. Therefore, don't worry too much. Because I have been sent to do this mission. That means the Guild believes in my strength and ability to complete this mission." Allen smiled and immediately stood up from his seat, "How about we go to the lake now?"

"Hn," Village Chief nodded vigorously.

He now believed that the boy in front of him could help to solve the problems their village was currently experiencing.

Allen then looked at Erza, "Do you want to come with us?"

"Huh?"

Erza was surprised to hear Allen's question.

"This…Isn't it dangerous for him to come with you guys?" The Village Chief's wife asked doubtfully.

"Don't worry. I can keep it safe. This mission was relatively easy for me to complete even if the number of magic beasts was very large, I had great confidence in my strength. Besides that…"

Allen smiled and said, "She has a very high interest in magic. I couldn't show off my magic skills previously because I was in a hurry to meet the Village Chief. Now there is time for me to show her this. Hm, well, count it as payment for the help she gave me for helping me find the Village Head's house."

Allen looked back at Erza, "Do you want to come with us? Don't be afraid, I will protect you"

A strange feeling suddenly appeared inside Erza. This was the first time she felt this feeling. Nevertheless, she really liked the feeling. Erza nodded and a sweet smile suddenly appeared on her face,

"Hn,"

******

Rosemary Village Lake.

"We have arrived. That's the lake we usually use as our main water source, Allen."

Allen, the Village Chief, and Erza have finally arrived at the lake which is usually used by the residents of Rosemary Village to meet their water needs. This lake is relatively large in size compared to the lake currently made by Laxus and Cana. The lake previously had clear water and was always used by residents. However, the water in the lake has become cloudy, meaning residents can no longer get a clean water supply.

"Hn," Allen nodded and immediately released his Observation Haki ability. Allen's Observation Haki immediately covered the entire area of the lake. Allen can know all the conditions currently occurring on the lake.

"As expected"

"How?" The Village Chief asked quickly, "Is it possible..."

"Well," Allen nodded and continued, "There are a large number of magic beasts currently in the lake and there are… Over a hundred of them."

"!!!"

The Village Chief and Erza were immediately stunned when they heard the number of magic monsters currently inhabiting the deep part of the lake. Their bodies tingled and a feeling of fear enveloped their bodies.

"You residents of Rosemary Village are very lucky," Allen immediately added, "You didn't provoke the beast. Luckily, this animal is also not an animal that likes to hunt outside the area where they live. Therefore, even though the number of these animals is very large, for now you are still safe. If only one of the residents in your village provokes the animal..."

The Village Chief and Erza immediately swallowed their saliva when they heard this. Even though Allen didn't finish his words, they already knew what the result would be. It is certain that all the villagers will be monitored by all the magic monsters that currently inhabit the inner part of the lake.

Allen sighed then walked forward slowly. The Village Chief and Erza looked at each other. The two of them were currently praying in their hearts that the problems their village was experiencing could be completely resolved by Allen. Allen immediately stopped right at the edge of the lake. Simultaneously, he sensed movement occurring nearby.

"Want to make me your prey? That's if you have the ability to do it."

Magic energy was instantly mobilized by him. A large golden magic circle immediately appeared right above the lake. The moment the giant magic circle appeared, the expressions of the Village Chief and Erza immediately changed with surprise. This was their first time seeing such a large magic circle array. Compared to the stunned Village Chief and Erza, the magic beasts currently in the lake felt a very bad feeling. Simultaneously, an extremely terrifying pressure suddenly descended on their entire bodies.

"Light Ability – Death Chain Light!"

Hundreds of large gold chains immediately appeared from within the magic circle. The end of the chain has a very sharp tip. The size of the chain is one meter in diameter. These chains immediately moved at high speed towards the inside of the lake.

"Explosion!"

A very strong rumble suddenly occurred there. The previously calm lake water immediately started to waver due to the chains entering the lake. Every chain that entered the lake immediately targeted one magic monster – the Steel Scaled Crocodile and then killed them very cruelly. The heads of each crocodile were immediately pierced by the chain, causing them to die instantly.

The previously murky lake water slowly began to turn red.

"That…"

"The redness of the lake is due to the blood of the magic beasts," Allen said calmly, "Compared to having to move them, which requires effort and hard work. Apart from that, if they are moved to another place, it is not certain that they will not harm humans who live or pass by in that area. Therefore, rather than moving, it was better to kill them directly. The number of these animals is also very large. Killing some of their species will not endanger the extinction of their species."

"…"

The Village Chief and Erza were left speechless listening to Allen's words. The lake water slowly started to become redder and redder. There was a trace of worry currently appearing on the Village Chief's face. He was afraid that the lake water would be contaminated by the blood of the magic beast that Allen was currently killing, which would cause the lake water to be unusable.

"Don't worry too much" Allen could feel the worry that the Village Chief was currently experiencing, "I will restore the water of this lake back to how it was before the magic beasts came to occupy this place; because that's my job. If I cannot do that, I am not entitled to receive the promised prize money."

Allen's words immediately made the Village Chief feel relieved. He heaved a sigh of relief and was glad that the person who received the mission published by him was such a reliable figure.

The mission carried out by Allen was supposed to be a water purification mission and not a mission to hunt the magic monsters that lived in the lake. As long as Allen helps to purify the lake water without hunting down the magic monsters that live in the lake, his mission is considered complete and if the village finds something odd, such as the magic monsters that live in the lake. They were required to pay again because they had to publish a mission to hunt the magic monster.

What is certain is that the missions they will publish will be missions with higher pay than the missions published by them previously. This was because the mission was related to hunting and the number of magic monsters hunted was more than a hundred. Usually such missions were S class missions and only S class wizards were eligible to take them.

Rosemary Village was lucky because the one who took this mission was Allen. Allen provided this assistance because he felt this mission was quite interesting and he had an interesting adventure while coming to this place. Therefore, he paid for everything he got by helping the residents of Rosemary Village to eliminate threats that might destroy them.

All the magic beasts residing in the lake had finally died. The lake water had become dark red due to the large amount of blood from the magic monsters mixing with the lake water. Allen then immediately controlled all his light chains to pull the entire body of the magic monster out of the lake and bring it down to land.

At that moment one of the bodies of the magic beasts came out of the lake. They finally saw the magic monster that inhabited the inside of the lake.