The Pict Magic Of Fairy Tail

Chapter 8: The Mission

With the request letter in hand, Silver and Elfman followed the address provided and found themselves at the client's house.

The client was an elderly lady with a head full of silver hair.

When she saw the two young boys, she welcomed them warmly before starting to explain the details of her request.

"The ring itself isn't valuable; it's just an ordinary one. But to me, it's special," the old lady said, a sweet smile of reminiscence forming on her face as she sat in a chair. "Back then, I was young, and my husband was just a poor young man..."

As she spoke, her voice gradually trailed off into silence, lost in memories.

Silver and Elfman exchanged glances.

Just as Silver was about to interrupt, Elfman stopped him with a gentle hand.

When Silver turned to look at him, Elfman simply shook his head without saying a word.

They waited patiently for a long time, until the sun was starting to set.

The old lady finally came back to reality and continued with a smile, "Sorry about that. When you get old, you tend to reminisce a lot."

"It's no problem at all; we haven't been waiting long," Elfman quickly denied, not wanting her to feel guilty.

The experienced lady, however, could easily tell he was lying. She smiled and gently patted their heads. "You two are kind boys. That ring was our wedding ring. Although it's not valuable, it holds special meaning for me."

"So, Grandma, when was the last time you saw the ring?" Silver quickly asked, taking the opportunity to get back on topic.

"Ah, it was right before dinner a few days ago. I took it off while preparing dinner. The next morning, I wanted to put it back on but couldn't remember where I had placed it the night before. I've searched all the usual spots but couldn't find it. That's why I made this request—to have you help me find the ring," she explained from the beginning.

"So, the ring is definitely still somewhere in this house and hasn't been lost elsewhere," Silver realized, making the search significantly easier.

Silver then asked, "Grandma, can you tell us about the layout of your house? Where do you usually place the ring?"

"The house has two floors. The second floor has four rooms; two were my son's and daughter's old bedrooms, while the other two are guest rooms. On the first floor, the left side has the kitchen, bathroom, and toilet, and the right side has my and my husband's bedroom, a study, and a storage room. The basement is used for storing items we rarely use, including a wine cellar," the old lady explained with a smile. "I usually place the ring in the bedroom before bed, but sometimes I leave it in the study."

"I see," Silver nodded. "Since you've already checked the usual spots, the likelihood of it being in the bedroom or study is low. So, what did you do before dinner that day? Where did you go?"

The old lady hesitated for a moment, trying to recall. "Before preparing dinner, I realized the rooms upstairs hadn't been cleaned for a while, so I did a quick cleaning. I got the cleaning supplies from the storage room. After cleaning, I felt a bit sweaty and took a shower. I rested for a while before starting to cook dinner. Oh, and I also went to the wine cellar to get a bottle of wine for dinner."

Hearing this, Silver's face twitched slightly. Based on her recollection, she had practically been everywhere in the house before dinner.

His question had been more or less pointless.

However, this wasn't a problem; it only meant their search would be slightly more focused.

Seeing that Silver had finished his questioning, Elfman stood up, ready to start the task.

"Wait a moment, Elfman," Silver called out to him. "You've been the one handling most of our previous tasks. This time, let me take the lead."

"Huh? But with such a large place, when will you find it on your own?" Elfman looked puzzled upon hearing Silver's suggestion. "Wouldn't it be faster if we search together?"

"Don't worry. Now that I'm a C-Class mage, I'll use magic to solve this. Come with me—I'll show you my magic," Silver replied confidently.

He stepped outside, set up a chair on the street, and placed a drawing board on it.

Then, he started sketching the old lady's house with precise strokes.

"Wow, it looks exactly like it! Very impressive," the old lady praised with a smile as the image of her home quickly took shape on the paper.

Watching him finish the drawing, Elfman asked, a bit confused, "And then? What happens next?"

"Next…" Silver put down his paintbrush and channeled his magic power.

A magic circle briefly glowed on the paper, and the sketch connected directly to the real house.

Under Silver's control, the drawing transformed into a first-person perspective view, just like in a video game.

Silver guided the drawing's view into the old lady's house, turning left into the kitchen.

He meticulously checked every corner, completing the search in under a minute.

"It seems the ring isn't in the kitchen," Silver noted. He then moved the view to the bathroom, which had fewer places to search and could be checked at a glance.

Next, he directed the search to the storage room, cluttered with various items. Although it took a bit more time, Silver still finished searching the entire room in under ten minutes.

He then moved on to the second floor and the basement, completing the search of the entire house in just half an hour. Despite the speed, he found no trace of the ring.

"What's going on? We've searched everywhere it could be. Why haven't we found it?" Silver muttered in confusion.

"Maybe it's in the study or the bedroom but fell under the bed or a cabinet?" Elfman suggested.

"I don't think so. The old lady must have already checked under the bed and the cabinet," Silver replied, shaking his head slightly. The old lady nodded in agreement, confirming his assumption.

However, Silver added, "Still, older eyes might not be as sharp as they used to be. There's a chance something was overlooked. Let's search one more time, just to be safe."

With that, Silver manipulated the drawing's view to search the study and the bedroom.

Sure enough, nothing was visible under the bed or the cabinet at first glance.

But when he moved the bed and the nightstand aside, they found the ring wedged in the gap between the two pieces of furniture.

"So it was stuck between the bed and the nightstand," Silver remarked as the ring dropped to the floor in the drawing. The old lady's face lit up with realization, and she remembered placing the ring there that night.

With the ring found, the old lady happily signed off on the task request.

After leaving the drawing with the old lady as a keepsake, Silver and Elfman bid her farewell and returned to the guild before nightfall.