The Pict Magic Of Fairy Tail

Chapter 13: Mission Complete

The tent was already materialized, and with that done, Silver and Mira collected some firewood from around the area.

After a brief discussion, they decided that Silver would take the first watch for the night, while Mira would take over for the second half.

Sitting next to the campfire, Silver grabbed a thick branch and stirred the flames, making sure the firewood burned brighter and more intensely.

"Hey, Silver. Can you materialize a pillow or maybe a stuffed toy to use as a pillow?" Mira's voice suddenly came from inside the tent.

"Are you serious? Given our current situation, you want a pillow?" Silver threw the stick aside and responded with a helpless expression.

"Why not? Is it such a big deal?" Mira's voice asked again.

"Of course it is. Can't you just endure it for one night?" Silver sighed, slightly annoyed.

"Alright then," Mira muttered softly, and the tent fell silent.

A while later, just as Silver thought Mira had fallen asleep, her voice came from inside the tent again. "Ugh, I can't sleep. Silver, let's chat for a bit."

"Mira, are you sure this is a good idea? You know you're supposed to take the second half of the watch tonight," Silver reminded her.

"What can I do? I just can't fall asleep," Mira answered, sounding unapologetic.

"Fine, what do you want to talk about?" Silver asked, seeing no point in arguing.

"How can I help Elfman become more manly?" Mira asked after a brief moment of thought.

"That depends on how you approach it," Silver answered casually.

"What do you mean?" Mira was taken aback by his response and asked for clarification.

"It's simple," Silver explained. "Among the three of you siblings, you've always been the one making the decisions. In every situation, it's you who calls the shots, so Elfman's role has been to just follow your lead. You've been protecting him too much, leaving him with no room to grow."

"What does that have to do with making Elfman more manly?" Mira, puzzled, pressed further.

Seeing her confusion, Silver elaborated, "Since Elfman has never had to make any critical decisions on his own, he hasn't developed enough self-confidence. Without confidence, it's hard to exhibit any kind of masculinity, don't you think?"

"Is that so?" Mira pondered for a moment before asking, "So, what should I do?"

"It's straightforward," Silver replied. "Start by letting Elfman take on solo missions to develop his sense of independence."

"If you're worried, you can follow him from a distance, just make sure he doesn't notice you."

"Once he gains some independence, have him take Lisanna along for missions."

"This way, he'll have to take responsibility not just for himself but also for Lisanna. When problems arise, he'll need to think things through more thoroughly, because any wrong decision will affect not just him but also Lisanna."

"And then?" Mira asked, seeking more details.

"After that?" Silver paused briefly, then continued, "Once Elfman gets used to making decisions and sees positive outcomes, he'll naturally start believing in his own judgment. His confidence will grow from there."

"I see... That makes sense," Mira murmured, seemingly deep in thought.

For a moment, both of them fell silent, with only the crackling of the fire filling the night air.

After a while, noticing that Mira had stopped talking, Silver picked up a couple of dry branches and threw them into the fire, adding fuel to the flames.

Then he lay down next to the campfire, resting his head on his arms, and gazed up at the boundless night sky through the gaps in the leaves.

As time passed, Silver occasionally added dry branches to the campfire to keep it going.

Gradually, the sky began to lighten.

Soon, there was movement inside the tent, and before long, Mira stepped out. Seeing Silver stoking the fire, she immediately walked over and gave him a light punch on the head.

"Why didn't you wake me up? We agreed I'd take the second half of the watch!" she scolded.

"Ow, that hurts!" Silver rubbed his head, looking at her with a pained expression. "What's that for?"

"What do you think?" Mira glared, grabbing him by the collar. "We agreed that I'd take the second half of the night, but now it's already morning…"

"Alright, alright, I get it," Silver quickly grabbed Mira's hand, loosening her grip on his collar.

"I thought about it. Since we need to keep watch at night in a fixed spot, we can easily head back to the town and rest during the day."

"Given that, there's no need for both of us to suffer through a sleepless night, right? Besides, I heard that lack of sleep can make girls age faster."

"Hmm?" Mira, hearing Silver's explanation, thought about it for a moment.

She realized that his reasoning made sense, so she slowly let go of his collar. "Fine, you make a good point. But did you see any signs of bird activity last night?"

"No, not at all. It was quiet the entire night," Silver answered, spreading his hands as he adjusted his collar.

Mira glanced at him, then carefully walked over to a patch of horsetail grass and uprooted it. "In that case, let's gather this plant and bring it back to our client. We'll rest well today and come back to watch the second patch tonight."

"Got it," Silver replied. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the materialized tent, and the two of them left the forest.

Over the next two days, Silver and Mira continued to keep watch in the forest each night.

They made sure not to forget the tent again.

However, even by the end of their mission, they still hadn't seen any trace of the bird Mira had described.

Finally, Mira had no choice but to track down the person who originally told her about the bird.

It was only then she learned that the bird in question was none other than the common "Big-Headed Bird" often seen in this forest.

The Big-Headed Bird was known for frequenting areas around magical plants like horsetail grass.

Its plumage was indeed vibrant, but its appearance left much to be desired.

It had an enormous head with a large fleshy bump on top, and its call was unpleasant to the ear.

It primarily fed on nuts and seeds, occasionally preying on small lizards or snakes, especially venomous ones.

The fleshy bump on its head could secrete various substances that neutralized toxins.

Despite its odd looks, this bird was indeed quite rare, as it could only be found in the forests surrounding Magnolia on the entire continent.

Learning this, Mira was left speechless.

The so-called rare bird turned out to be a peculiar yet common sight in the very forest where they had spent several nights watching.

She couldn't help but laugh at the irony, realizing that they had been looking for something that was right in front of them all along.