Chapter 533: Newcomer, Kinana
By the afternoon, only a few regulars and laid-back veterans remained in the guild, quietly drinking and chatting.
Some genuinely had no interest in becoming S-Class mages. Others had long accepted they wouldn’t make the cut, so there was no point stressing over it.
Now that the usual troublemakers had gone off on missions, the guild felt a little calmer than usual.
Occasionally, a few members whose tasks were nearby would return the same day, file a report, and then head out again without even stopping to rest.
Technically speaking, someone like Erza taking on three missions at once was a violation of guild policy. But she’d assured Mira she’d complete them one by one, just skipping the time it would take to return to the guild between them.
As an S-Class mage, she was given some leeway on rules like that.
"I really wish I could become S-Class too... then I could be closer to Laxus..." Chico sighed as she slumped over the table, looking completely unmotivated.
Chico was the daughter of the landlady who managed the guild’s women’s dormitory. Her chin rested on the table, and several ghostly white apparitions floated around her lazily like bored spirits.
Lisanna brought her a fresh cup of juice and said casually, "Then why don’t you try? Take the exam next time."
"I can’t," Chico muttered, her face buried in her arms. "Lisanna, did you forget what my magic is?"
Lisanna blinked. "Oh, right. ’Legend of city’ magic."
Chico nodded with a sigh. "It only works inside Magnolia. Remember how it worked in Edolas? That was only because the whole city was floating with us."
The moment they left the magical boundaries of Magnolia, Chico’s magic would stop functioning altogether. Even with a lot of prep time, it was hard to rely on. And the S-Class exam was always held somewhere far from Magnolia.
So even if she passed the preliminaries, she’d be stuck.
Lisanna thought for a moment. "What if you learned a second magic style? Maybe something like Take Over?"
"No way," Chico immediately refused. "Legend of city magic is cool and mysterious. Take Over’s too wild. What if I turned out looking like Elfman, ah, sorry."
Lisanna just laughed. "It’s fine, it’s true. Elfman’s transformations really aren’t the most elegant."
In her heart, she thought her sister’s Satan Soul form wasn’t all that pretty either. She liked her own version best, at least it looked cute.
Though Mira had mentioned that Rhodes seemed to really like her Satan Soul transformation...
Was he just saying that to keep Mira happy?
"Lisanna! Over here!"
"Coming!" Lisanna grabbed a tray and brought drinks to Nab, who was standing right next to the job request board.
"Aren’t you going to take a job?" she asked.
"I’m looking for one only I can complete," Nab said with a serious expression, his eyes scanning the mission slips.
"Nab from Edolas wasn’t picky at all," Lisanna teased. "He was running around all day long."
Nab hesitated, then scratched his chin. "Still... this world’s me has standards."
"Unbelievable," said Reedus, strolling over and shaking his head. "It’s really been days and you’re still saying that?"
"Because it’s still hard to believe," Nab muttered, staring at Lisanna.
Reedus ignored him and pulled out his sketchpad. "Lisanna, would you like a new portrait? I haven’t drawn you since you came back."
Okay," Lisanna looked down shyly. "Should I change clothes first?"
"No need," Reedus said, sketchbook already in hand. "Just stay like that."
As evening approached, the guild doors opened again, and in walked Makarov, returning from his trip. This time, he was accompanied by a young girl with violet hair.
Gildarts, notably, was nowhere to be seen.
"Master! You’re back!"
"Who’s that girl with him?"
"So cute!"
Voices rose one after another as the members took notice. The girl hid timidly behind Makarov, peeking out from under her bangs. She had a soft, unsure look, and the moment she stepped in, all eyes were drawn to her.
"Alright, everyone quiet down!" Makarov raised his voice, making a calming gesture. "Let me do the introductions."
The crowd respectfully stepped aside as Makarov brought the girl to the center of the guild hall.
Wendy and Carla watched with curiosity from a nearby table. A new member?
Would she be entrusted to them for guidance?
Wendy thought about it for a moment and then shook her head. Probably not. Technically, her own "intern" status hadn’t even been lifted yet.
"This is Kinana," Makarov said warmly, placing a hand on the girl’s shoulder. "From today on, she’s one of us, a full member of Fairy Tail."
He nudged her gently forward. "Go on, say hello."
Kinana bowed her head nervously, voice soft and unsure. "I... I’m Kinana. I’m nine years old, no, twenty. Twenty years old. Kinana... please don’t bully Kinana~"
"Twenty?!"
Everyone exchanged surprised looks.
With her innocent expression, petite frame, and childlike voice, she didn’t seem much older than Wendy at all. In fact, her mannerisms made her seem even younger.
Rhodes narrowed his eyes slightly. Did she just say nine at first by accident... or was that the truth? Where had the Master found this girl?
"Wendy," Makarov called.
"M-me?" Wendy stood up quickly.
"Yeah. Come over and keep Kinana company for a while. I need to have a quick word with Mira."
"Got it!"
Wendy was all smiles as she hurried over. Even if Kinana wouldn’t be under her care long-term, she was happy to help.
"Hi, I’m Wendy. And this is my best friend, Carla."
Kinana blinked and smiled shyly. "Hello, Kinana..."
"She refers to herself in third person?" Carla whispered, quirking a brow. Still, seeing several people preparing to swarm the new girl out of curiosity, the Exceed quickly flew into the air and scolded them like a stern little guardian. "Don’t crowd her!"
Kinana’s eyes lit up the moment she saw Carla flying.
A strange, intense sense of familiarity washed over her.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the guild hall, Makarov had pulled Rhodes and Mira aside and began explaining where Kinana had come from.
"Do you still remember the Oración Seis?" Makarov asked.
"Of course," Rhodes replied instantly.
"Among the six members, there was a Poison Dragon Slayer called Cobra. He had a companion, a flying, mutated purple cobra."
"!" Both Rhodes and Mira turned to look at Kinana.
"She couldn’t be..."
"Yes," Makarov confirmed. "Kinana was that snake. The Council had planned to ’dispose of’ her today, believing she was just a magical beast."
His voice grew more serious.
"But I sensed something strange. So, I used my magic to dispel the transformation... and she returned to this form."
"When she first changed back, she said she was nine," Makarov continued. "But the Council’s magical instruments confirmed her age as twenty. That means she was probably turned into a snake by magic at the age of nine... and she has no memory of the eleven years that followed."
Rhodes frowned. "Was it Cobra who transformed her? Or someone higher up, like Brain?"
Makarov shook his head. "No. Eleven years ago, Cobra was still a child himself. He had been captured and imprisoned in the Tower of Heaven around that time."
He looked toward Kinana, who was sitting with Wendy and Carla.
"My guess is he encountered Kinana by chance, realized something was different about her, and chose to take care of her while she was in snake form."
Mira’s expression softened. "So in a way... they’re both victims."
Makarov nodded. "No matter what her past was, Kinana is one of us now. Because of the long-term effects of that transformation magic, she may be twenty in age, but her physical growth is stunted, and mentally... she’s still like a child. Which brings me to this."
He turned toward Mira.
"I’d like to ask you to take care of her for a while."
"Me?" Mira tilted her head.
Makarov chuckled. "Yes. Because among everyone in the guild, you have the most experience dealing with adults who have underdeveloped communication skills and a limited understanding of the world."
Rhodes: "..."
Was that supposed to be a jab at me?
Mira, clearly thinking the same, gave Rhodes a teasing wink before smiling brightly at the Master. "Understood."