[Ding! Mission triggered!] [Mission Name: "Healing the Sick and Save the Dying!"] The dorm matron of the girls' dormitory, Granny Hilda, is in mortal danger! Save her! Ensure she survives unharmed! Save Granny Hilda (Incomplete) [Mission Reward: Skill Experience Book] The system popped up the mission, informing Marco who was sitting in that carriage. Marco threw a punch, and a biting cold wind howled. The two panicked horses were instantly frozen, but the carriage, carried by momentum, continued to plunge toward the cliff, smashing the two horses into shattered ice. "That looks like Mr. Lazio's family carriage!" The coachman exclaimed, finally noticing the emblem on the carriage—it was the same as the one he was driving, clearly belonging to Mr. Lazio. The carriage tumbled down the cliff, leaving the coachman grief-stricken. Yet, the next moment, the coachman's sorrow vanished. The sound of crows cawing rang out and then the carriage was yanked back up from the cliff—a flock of crows lifted it into the air. The pitch-black crows were large and strong. A dozen or so crows either pulled or pushed, hauling the carriage back onto the cliff. The carriage landed safely on the cliff again. The crows dispersed, fluttering onto Marco before vanishing—all of them stored away in his system space. Indeed, these crows under his control could also be stored there, making them convenient to use. [Ding! Mission "Healing the Sick and Save the Dying" completed! Mission Progress: Save Granny Hilda (Completed) [Claim mission reward?] The system displayed the mission completion, and Marco immediately claimed the reward. Now, Marco had two Skill Experience Books in hand, which could directly increase a skill's proficiency by 300 points. Sometimes, Marco found it frustrating. If only these Skill Experience Books had distinctions like (Beginner), (Intermediate), and (Advanced). That way, using them would be effortless—just match the book's level to the skill's level. But now, with them being universally applicable across all levels, using them on beginner skills felt like a huge waste, especially since skills became harder to level up later on. Setting aside the Skill Experience Books for now, Marco approached the carriage to check the situation. The coachman was nowhere to be seen—perhaps he had jumped out when things took a turn for the worse. Pulling aside the carriage curtain, Marco peered inside and indeed saw an elderly woman huddled in the corner, her face still pale with fright. When she saw Marco opening the door, her expression froze in shock. "Granny Hilda? What are you doing here?" Marco looked at Granny Hilda with a face full of 'surprise', asking as if he genuinely didn't known who was inside. "Marco-chan? Was it you who saved me?" Granny Hilda was still shaken, but upon seeing Marco, she gradually calmed down. "Yes, it was me. I happened to be passing by." Marco nodded, helping Granny Hilda out of the carriage. The old woman was quite short, about the same height as Makarov. "Thank goodness you save me..." Grandma Hilda rubbed her body; aside from a few bumps and bruises, she hadn't suffered any serious injuries, though she had been badly frightened. For a moment, she had thought she was going to fall to her death—and she still hadn't given Erza what she needed. "Thank you so much, Marco-chan." Remembering this, Granny Hilda thanked Marco again. "No need to be so polite, Granny. It's what I should do. Though next time I go to the girls' dorm, maybe you could stop blocking me?" Marco grinned, teasing Hilda with a playful smile. "No! When you were little, I didn't mind you playing in the girls' dorm, but now that you're older, you can't just go in whenever you please." Faced with Marco's unreasonable request, Hilda firmly refused. Back when Marco was a child, she hadn't stopped him from visiting the girls' dorm, but now that he was grown, she couldn't allow it anymore. She didn't care what others thought—she absolutely wouldn't let boys over six years old wander into the girls' dorm. "But this is a life-saving favor!" Marco laughed, emphasizing his point. It had been years since he last entered the girls' dorm—Hilda's management was strict. "Then you might as well throw me off right now!" When it came to principles, Hilda was unwavering. She stiffened her neck, completely unaffected by Marco's 'threat'. "You're something else, Granny!" Marco chuckled and shook his head, dropping the joke. In just a few words, Hilda had mostly recovered, clearly calming down from her earlier shock. "Granny, where's the driver of your carriage?" Marco changed the subject, glancing back but seeing no sign of the driver catching up. Had he been injured when he jumped? "Probably fell off the cliff..." Hilda sighed. The driver had let out a scream—maybe he'd misjudged his jump and tumbled down the mountainside. She didn't have much to say about the driver's decision to abandon the carriage. Survival instincts kicked in, and when he felt he couldn't control the horses, he jumped. It wasn't professional, but in the face of life and death, it wasn't surprising. If the driver had survived, he would've faced punishment, but since he was already dead, there was nothing more to say. "Granny, take my carriage back." With the two panicked horses shattered on the ground and no driver, Hilda naturally couldn't return on her own. Marco offered her his carriage—though it technically belonged to Mr. Lazio anyway. "You must have things to do, right? Don't let me hold you up. This old lady can just wait here. Maybe another carriage will pass by soon, and I can hitch a ride. No one would bother an old woman like me." Hilda refused, not wanting to trouble Marco. She didn't want to interfere with his work or his quests. "It's fine. I'm not in a hurry, and I'm almost at my destination anyway. I can go the rest of the way on my own—I have my own ways of traveling." Marco grinned and waved his hand. Four large crows appeared. Under the watchful eyes of Hilda and the driver, Marco leaped onto two of the crows while the other two gripped his shoulders. With a flap of their wings, the four crows lifted him into the air. "You all head back. I'll be on my way now." Marco waved at Hilda, then directly controlled the crows to take flight. These four large crows responded to his commands as smoothly as his own limbs, with almost no delay—it felt just like playing a flight simulation game. That said, flying wasn't exactly comfortable. Marco was nearly blown silly by the wind and had to expend more magic to shield himself. He should've crafted a windproof 'carriage' for the crows to pull while he lounged inside, sipping tea in leisure—now that would've been true comfort. But external objects couldn't be stored in the system space, making it inconvenient. And using materials meant for forging or repairing sacred armor to make something like that would've been downright wasteful. Lost in these thoughts, Marco soon arrived at his destination. Descending from the sky atop two massive ravens, he naturally drew everyone's attention. Once the crowd recognized him, another wave of commotion erupted. Marco's popularity was at its peak—wherever he went, he caused a stir. Saying "there's no one under heaven who doesn't know him" wasn't an exaggeration. He'd underestimated his own fame and soon found himself completely surrounded by the crowd. Outside the crowds, inside a rather luxurious carriage, a well-dressed, blond-haired young girl peered out through the curtains. "Uncle Deller, who is that outside?" The girl, no older than ten, asked the coachman with curiosity. Clearly a noble young lady with refined upbringing, she addressed even the driver with courtesy. "Lucy-sama, it seems to be that Marco Dreyar," the coachman replied. -------------------------------- If you boys like harem and lemon i release a new one piece fic. One piece : Capturing beauties makes me stronger. Read 40 chapters ahead and support me on . (.)com/Newbietranslator