Chapter 5: The Boy "Prodigy"

"So you're Freed, nice to meet you," I said as calmly and smoothly as I could without letting out a shred of my surprise and exasperation.

Of course, he had to be a noble...

Of course, Fate had to play with me...

My life wouldn't be exciting enough now wouldn't it, Fate?

How tempted am I at that moment to scream at the top of my lungs, yelling every curse I know from my former life that I could think of.

"Junelle-san... are you okay?"

My thoughts burst and I switch my attention to him, smiling and putting aside my predicament into a box to mull about it later. "No need to be formal, just call me Roy and I'll call you Freed. After all, we both caught each other sneaking out from the party." The boy squeaked but nodded nonetheless, his forest green eyes darted nervously as if any seconds we were about to get in trouble. Wait... eyes? Both his eyes are normal?!

Huh... he mustn't have learned magic yet.

"Hmm, is there something on my face?" Young Freed asked me.

I belatedly realized I have been examining way too intense for any normal person to find it comfortable, and immediately I leaned away to give back his personal space. Both of us were stuck in an awkward situation, me more so when I wasn't sure how to start our conversation after that embarrassing act of mine, "Uhm...so...Freed...where does your family live?" Okay, good job me, that should be a standard question to ask.

"Ah, uhm, we live in the Western side of Fiore, in Dawn City." He answered simply. Hmm, Dawn City... that's quite far away. Makes me wonder how he could have ended up in Fairy Tail.

"Wow, your place is really far, I live in Margarett Town. That's in South Fiore."

"...I know..."

I blinked, not expecting that response, "You do?"

Freed nodded and began to look at me with awed eyes, "People have been talking about you, said there's a boy from the Junelle Family being able to use magic for the first time in seven generations, not to mention you've been making fast progress in Runes, saying that you're a prodigy."

By now, I feel cold sweat went down past my forehead. People have been talking about me? Because I can use magic? And being a fast learner?

I'll be damn, I'm not sure how to take this news.

I tried to look nonchalant like it's no big deal and shrugged, "I'm not sure what people are saying about me, but how about we get to know each other from ourselves?" After contemplating my words, Freed seemed pleased with that and nodded. We then began talking between our shared my plate of food for hours. The show did not give him enough credit for him because Freed was really a cool guy to get to know with. The guy likes to read especially fiction stories about dashing heroes going off an adventure (who knew he's a male version of Levy?), thinks magic is the coolest thing to ever exist, knows how to play the piano, the flute, the harp, tennis, tea...

How do you even play tea?

Or rather, there's something awfully off about his life, "Err... that's great Freed, no offense but don't you have any hobbies?"

My question puzzled him, tilting his head he asked, "What do you mean?"

"Other than books and magic, you barely told me anything you actually like rather than what you can do."

Freed's face turned an awful shade of red as if I exposed of him of something shameful. He admitted he barely had any time outside his mansion that doesn't involve his education or a party involving his parent's social circle. He didn't need to tell me to know Freed has what my former world would call Helicopter Parents, which sounds exhausting. They're even dictating his hobbies, for God's sake! Freed mentioned he didn't hate or feel suffocated by them so he didn't mind much of their expectations nor did I pointed out how wrong it was for them to push him that way.

It's not my position to criticize his parents' way of parenting and might affect the plot if I said anything, so listening might be the best choice.

"...and next week, my parents would finally teach me horse riding, we have our very own ranch near my house and there..."

And... he starts being chatty.

A lot chatty actually.

Was he originally a chatty person? I think something similar happens when he talks about Laxus. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind him being chatty, it was just... unexpected. At least it wasn't as surprising as Young Lucy Actually Got Spunk. Then he abruptly stopped and widen his eyes at something as he looked at the sky, "How long have we been here?" He asked.

"One and a half hours, give or take, why?"

"Oh wow, I have to leave, we've already booked a midnight train home so this would it for us"

I looked down at my plate and surely our food has been emptied without us noticing. I find myself disappointed at the news, it's not every day I get to have friends from my age group with me being a noble and homeschooled. I look down at the napkin covering the plate and got an idea. "Hey listen, why don't we write our addresses and send letter sometimes. That way we could get in touch all the time." I took the napkin and wrote it with the pen I had in my pocket, (I'm still using a pen if I ever got too little magic to work with) and gave it to him.

Freed brighten up at that, and took the napkin, promising he would definitely start writing to me. Before we say our goodbye though, all hell broke loose.

A scream echoed through the ballroom, a crash and later... shadows of multiple people past by us. carrying something green before someone bellowed "The princess is kidnapped!"

...seriously? What were the knights even doing to let this happened?

Freed and I both exchanged perplexed looks and rushed off inside. The ballroom that used to be gleaming brightly with nicely placed decoration, food lined up deliciously, people talking with joy and laughter is thrown to chaos. The people all wear a sad, concern look, some were crying from the shock. The food and decorations were in shambles. The guards on the floor, barely moving, and the Head Knight was giving orders to those who can search the whole city before the perpetrator could escape out of town.

I found the glimpse of blond curly hair and ran up to to my dad and brother, "What happened?"

Father looked down and swoop me into his arms as he broke down crying. "Oh thank heavens you're alright Roy, we didn't see you anywhere and were worried what might happen to you"

"I'm fine, Dad, but please tell me what happened" I was concerned about the situation, I failed to notice the small click of the tongue from behind me.

What happened was one of the knights stationed was apparently a dark guild member in disguise, he made a smokescreen and confused the guards and create panic, a few knights managed to stay calm and protect the royalty but failed in the end. Simple but effective, the surprise element has always had a more than 90% chance of success. Especially in places that no one dared to try.

This is bad...either the kidnappers are stupid or they are very smart and had planned ahead where they'd be escaping. Even though I'm not sure it's in the original plot or not, doesn't mean I can't help.

But what the heck can I do? I'm just an 8-year-old who could do a little magic and maybe could sense etherna-

...I'm such an idiot.

I ran to the nearest guards, ignoring the questions from my father and the call from my brother. This is more important. I spotted one of the knights who had been attacked, he was a familiar face despite his eyes closed from the growing bruise and holding on to his injured arm, looking not at all battle-ready. But he was insistent to the Head Knight to let him search for the princess along with his comrades. Great, it's the perfect type of situation to exploit him.

When the Head Knight left his side to coordinate the search, I knocked on the injured knight's leg guard, taking his attention. I then gestured for him to come closer enough for me to whisper. He raised an eyebrow but compiled, "I know how to get to the princess but I need your help"

He looked taken aback by the fact but then turned to glare at me and his bearing was oozing with anger. "Kid, you might be nobility, but there are a time and place to joke about..."

"NO, I'm serious. I could literally track down ethernano, I can't do it far but once I memorize someone's ethernano, I could help to point out the places they've used magic before but it's better than nothing"

The knight looked like he was in two minds but then turned toward the hustling and bustling knights, getting ready to search the whole city if they have to and setting a perimeter. His eyes gazed down and his fist clenched that I heard the sound of its metal guards grazing one another.

"Alright kid, how are we going to do this?"

I smiled but kept a serious bearing in mind, "Okay, I just felt the ethernano's residue here and it's more than likely that one of the men in the group uses Teleportation since it just appears and disappears, but since I saw them outside, the user is a third-rate magician who can't pop up too far. If I were them, I would either have a hideout or prepared an escape route, but the later seemed more probable."

The knight struggled not to look surprised and concentrate to take in his explanation. "I could think a few routes they could take, we need someone to take you, as much as I want to deny, my condition isn't the best to find the princess"

I thought about it, and although that would be a wise decision. I looked him up and down; battered and hurt but his vigor isn't anywhere near depleted. It's only a hunch but I felt he would run around the city if he had to. Even now his whole body is twitching to get a move on.

"Hey Mr. Knight, I think I have a solution for you," I said with a pen in my hand. He was skeptical but I didn't let him voice out a complaint as I started writing vigorously on his armor. The change in his expression should be enough to know that it's working.

"What did you do?"

Feeling proud at my work, I explained with a wide grin, "I enchanted your armor with my runes so it would be lighter and let the wearer have increased vitality, faster speed, and unable to receive damage or magic from an outside force."

"Such a thing... I never heard runes could do that."

I couldn't help the smug smirk at the sound of awe in his voice, "What can I say, Mr. Knight? I thought of having my ways, and learn the best magic to do that. So shall we get going?"

He nodded with hidden excitement, he lifted me to his shoulder and without the knowledge of the other knights, sneak out"

"You are an interesting young man, Roy Jurenelle"

"How so... wait, you know my name?"

"You should know you're the first young noble who didn't feel offended by my disrespect for calling you 'kid' and yes, I know of your name or I might embarrass myself for not remembering His Majesty's family."

"Why do I need to feel offended, I am a kid?"

"And yet so many don't realize that"

The two of us had finally gone past the castle walls, "by the way, what's your name? I can't keep calling you Mr. Knight all the time."

For some reason, he looked surprised at that question and smiled, "Arcadios" immediately I felt firsthand of my runes effect on him as he whisked me away in a speed up to 20 miles per hour.

The few things I learn about Rune Magic is that you need to be specific. For example, how I made him more vigor was to write that the wearer would have increased in adrenaline for every time the person ran or in a fight. If I had only written make him have increase vitality then the magic would make him ADHD at every given moment until I dispel it. One of the reasons why enchantment with runes are not popular, they need to be specific and needed time and experiment to get it right.

Anyway, back to finding the princess.

Arcadios guided me through the dark streets. There were times I found traces and time there weren't. We didn't give up though and as more time passed by, the more desperate and faster Arcadios becomes. It worried me how much he's pushing himself, but I couldn't let him rest, not when I finally felt a clustered of ethernano at the woods. From their movement, it seemed the princess was struggling to get away.

"Hurry, she's in trouble!"

Arcadios put on speed like a mad man and probably would have broken the 30 mph limit if he could. I clutched his shoulder tightly as he rushed off, not minding the trees and bushes hindering us, or the numbing pain on his arm.

The moment our eyes caught the jade-colored hair girl, Arcadios let out a battle cry that flinched the kidnapper, giving him enough time to knock one of them with the blunt side of his sword.

There were a total of four people, including the one that got knocked out, all four wore a very dark shade of purple robe, not giving off any featured from them. Arcadios went to battle one mage, another backed off, while the third had already made a magic circle appeared.

Oh no, you don't!

The tip of my pen lighted and I immediately scrawled words to dispell magic and made a quick line to make up the barrier. Arcadios was on him in a second, "Hey, wait a sec-!" But Arcadios was already engaging with his opponent which led me to faced two opponents at the same time. "Oh, this is just great," I snarked to myself.

The pair of kidnappers took one look at me, and proceed to smirk at one another. It was clear their eyes were saying This is going to be like taking candy from a baby. Well, this baby's cry is going to shatter your eardrums.

But then they pulled out their respective weapon, one a machete and the other a giant red-yellow hammer that could make Harley Quinn proud. I glanced back and forth between the two death-inducing weapons and my pen. a part of me was hoping the saying 'the pen is mightier than the sword' would be literal in this case.

So with a nervous grin, I pointed my pen at them like a sword and yelled, "En garde!"

The young man with a scar across his left eye invoked his magic and elongated his arm like rubber, his machete threatened to stab me to which I dodged. Seeing the offering he gave to me, I made a quick write to his arm and he immediately turned to stone.

"Larry!" his partner cried before growling, "Kid, you're going to pay for that!"

But before he could have the jump on me, he suddenly tumbled down by a white streak of something punching him across the face. We were both surprised by the appearance of Miss Carly Ray Bunnyffer, the little living rabbit doll was jumping and down with a tutu and looking ready to punch some bad guys. The kidnapper blinked at it, most likely trying to test if he was seeing things.

"What the fu-" Miss Bunnyfer must not like his language because she jumped and made a harsh kick to his shin before kicking an uppercut to his face that got him to bit his tongue. The guy tried to swat the doll with his large swinging hammer, but Miss Bunnyffer prove to be nimble as it swerved, backflipped and jumped by the skin of its teeth. Over the hammer, between his legs, on its back, until it finally jumped on the kidnapper's face and led him to smacked himself to unconsciousness.

"Woohoo! way to go Miss Bunnyffer, you're the best!" The princess cheered before giving her doll a crushing hug, while I stood gaping at the surreal scene. Huh... who knew a rabbit would make a better bodyguard? I'm impressed by my own work.

I then glanced back and saw Arcadios finished taking care of the mage, it would seem he wasn't a close-range fighter with him flickering everywhere to dodge. It was an annoying style to fight against, but it seemed he managed to dispatch him off.

I then checked up on the princess, and she jolted at someone's presence but relaxed when she recognized my face under the moonlight, "You're the mage person," she squealed softly.

I chuckled, "Yes I am, and I'm here to take you home, come!" I held out my hand and though she had a moment to look, possibly debating to trust me, she took it at the end.

I pulled her in, forced my back on her, and swipe her legs around my arm so I could piggyback her. "Arcadios-san, are you done yet?"

"Ah, yes Roy-sama, I've just had to apprehend someone that should be good enough to interrogate later."

"Then take all three of them so we could go to the castle."

Arcadios nodded without so much as frowning from getting ordered around by a kid and I appreciate him for that. He pulled one of the unconscious men, the hoodie dropped to reveal a face. While nothing about it rings any bell, the mark on his face certainly did. There was little I could do in describing the mark, but at best it looks like a pair of black-sickle-ax-blade-shaped wings with the attached end entwining with each other instead. Arcadios seemed to know if the shocked gasp he made was any indication.

"But that's-"

Suddenly, a spike of ethernano appeared and my Sixth Sense sensed an approaching mage at high speed. I shouted 'watch out!' and Arcadios was blasted with a...pink ball?

Our mind both stopped working to confirm what we were seeing and reacted too late when it explodes and trapped him into figure threw another purple ball and trapped all four of the kidnapper and took them away.

"Curses, they got away!"

"What should we do now?" Before he could answer, we heard the metal footsteps from behind, indicating the knights' arrivals.

They were flabbergasted seeing a man getting stuck from a pink substance and a boy carrying the princess on his back. The Head Knight was also there, he rushed forward and demanded to tell him what had happened. Looking at his furious face kind of tied our tongue. He looked at the princess and sighed in obvious relief, giving orders to ensure her well being along with me and helping Arcadios from the sticky substance trapping him.

This... is going to be a long night.