Chapter 64 - Expedition

---Earthland---

Returning to Earthland once Yue was back at our home at the North Pole, the first thing I heard was Minerva and Millianna's stomachs growl. Glancing back at them, the two of them immediately looked away in embarrassment.

"Should we stop for lunch?", I asked them.

"I...I don't know...", Millianna stated.

"We are fine!", Minerva refuted.

Seconds after that, their stomachs growled again making me chuckle a bit. Saying we could stop to eat lunch, the two of them thanked me very quietly. Passing out lunchboxes I bought in the market, Minerva was already halfway done by the time I sat down. Having some tea after lunch, we all relaxed a bit afterwards to let our food settle before continuing on.

"Is that the Mountain Pass?", Lucy inquired as we spotted the gap in the mountain high above us.

"Yep, that's what the map says.", Erza said double checking out position, "I don't see any Wyverns though."

"They are most active during the early morning and late evening, right now they are probably asleep. If we got close, they would certainly attack us.", I told them based on what Levy and Hermione had previously told me, "We need a plan."

"I say we just bombard the place.", Sorano stated.

Telling her that wouldn't work, I reminded everyone that we were in avalanche country here. Any explosions we cause could potentially send one hurdling down the mountain where trappers, hunters, and loggers could get killed. Stating that we need to use a containment plan, I noticed that Yennefer was nodding with approval.

"Containment plan?", Brandish asked.

"Yes Lisanna, Mirajane, Erza, and I can all fly so we can keep them close to the ground. If we attack them near the cave where they are nesting, we can control the number of Wyvern we face at any given time.", I said drawing a map on the snow, "Once we narrow their escape path down to a single exit, we effectively have this job done. The four of us will keep them close to the ground, and the rest of you can capture them."

"Capture them?", Lucy repeated with a concerned look.

"Brandish, can you use your magic to miniaturize them? If you do, we can sell them as pets to wizards and wealthy people.", I stated, "We can make a killing doing this, and since they will be small they won't be as dangerous."

"How much does a Wyvern go for?", Erza inquired.

"If you miniaturize them to maybe a foot or two in size, you could sell them for an upwards of 100 million jewels...depending on their coloration and health. The more vibrant the coloring, the higher the price.", Yennefer told them.

Seeing dollar signs appear in Minerva and Sorano's eyes, they immediate said they could go on a massive shopping spree with that money. Erza was grinning like a child in a candy shop as that kind of money could buy her many different armor sets and weapons. Confirming that everyone was onboard for this plan, we got to work scouting the immediate area around the mountain pass. Breaking up into several teams, I took Lucy, Sorano, and Irene with me to ensure they didn't have to reveal their magic in front of Yennefer. After spending an hour looking around, I could tell the women were getting frustrated.

"Jeez...why couldn't the Wyvern's pick a warmer place to nest?", Sorano shivered as we walked around.

"Wyverns have a higher than normal body temperature, they prefer cooler areas to compensate.", Irene replied.

"...stupid biology...", Sorano muttered.

"I am not seeing any caves with a big enough entrance for a Wyvern.", Lucy said using binoculars to search the mountain side.

Telling them to wait a moment, I flew into the sky to get a better view. Noticing that Erza, Mirajane, and Lisanna had the same idea they all signaled that they didn't see anything. Regrouping we reviewed our findings and concluded that there wasn't any place large enough for them to roost. Flying higher up the mountain didn't yield anything either so we were all stumped.

"Let me try something else.", I said using Detect Life to search the immediately area.

As expected, there wasn't any Wyverns nearby but I did notice several life signs up in the pass. Relaying that information to the others, everyone looked really confused.

"If there are Wyverns here, why would anyone stay here?", Juvia asked.

"Why don't we go find out?", I chuckled as I led the way up to the pass.

Once we were in the pass, I used Detect Life again to pin point where they were. Climbing up the rock face to a small cave, I cautioned Erza and Brandish to be ready. Using the spell Light Ball, I lit up the cave only to find four people shivering together in a ball. Seeing the shackles on them, we assumed they were bandits for a moment till we saw a Celestial Key in their hands. Looking at one another, we all came to the same conclusion.

"We aren't here to hurt you.", Erza said calmly, "We are mages, and we are here to help you."

"Stay...away...", one of the boys remarked weakly trying to cover one of the girls.

"I can assure you, no one here wants to do you any harm. My name is Mael, I am one of the Wizard Saints. You are former captives held by the Church, right?", I asked, "What are you doing up here, and are you responsible for the attacks on the merchants?"

"We didn't...hurt anyone...", a young girl replied, "Mage Hunters...they are searching...for us..."

"That makes a lot of sense.", Brandish stated, "We didn't see any debris which was very suspicious."

Helping the people down out of the cave, we got them some blankets and hot tea to drink. The four of them were really shaken up, likely from a lack of sleep.

"Are those shackles?", Yennefer questioned, "Why are you helping bandits?"

"They aren't bandits, they are Mages the Church has been keeping locked up.", I replied, "They are Celestial Mages, is there a Church location nearby?"

"Down the mountain...", the young girl said pointing down the opposite side we came up.

"There is a...monastery...", the young man told me, "They kept us there...in cages, and force us to...work on projects for them."

Asking them how they managed to escape, they replied that the people working there aren't actually monks. They are actually Mage Hunters and Researchers that use the remote location to conduct tests that would otherwise draw too much attention to themselves. A few weeks ago, the captors held a celebration for one of the Mage Hunters and they got plastered. In a blind rage, the jailer opened the door to attack them only to trip over his own feet and bust his head open on the floor.

Seizing the opportunity, they opened all the cages and attempted to make a get away. Unfortunately not all of the people were blind drunk so those that still had some sense pursued them. Many of them got recaptured, as they were too weak from malnutrition to run fast, but five of them managed to get away. The oldest of the five made many trips to forage for food for them, but three days ago she didn't return.

"Please help...", the young girl said looking me in the eyes, "She is our friend...and kept us safe from the bad men."

Standing up, I told Irene and Yennefer to protect them while we took care of this.

"You aren't seriously thinking of attacking a monastery just on the words of these four, are you?", Yennefer asked me, "They could be lying for all you know. Mages hate the Church, if they are lying you will spark a religious incident."

"In the event they are, I will take the blame for it. If they aren't, we are going to burn the place to the ground.", I chuckled casually.

Summoning Rhitta, I lead everyone down the mountain. Spotting the building about thirty minutes later, I suggested Yennefer and Irene stay back with the four Celestial Mages. I didn't want them getting caught in the crossfire that would surely occur.

"You have a plan?", Minerva inquired as we headed towards the entrance.

"Yep, don't let any of the Church people leave alive. If we leave no survivors, we can pin this all on the Dark Guilds and simply report we found it destroyed.", I said with a smile, "So go wild, and don't hold back against them. Remember, these people would love nothing more than to see you in chains and under their heels."

All of them knew how crappy these people were so it didn't take much to persuade them to kill. Erza, Millianna, Sorano, Lucy, and Brandish all suffered at the hands of these people so they were eager to take some revenge.

Seeing no one on the walls, we walked up to the gate and I gently knocked on it. Looking at me in confusion, they didn't understand why I didn't blow the door in. Giving it a few moments, I hit the door again this time hard enough to knock it off the hinges. Falling to the ground with a loud thud, we heard the sound of several bodies being flattened under its bulk.

"I guess they didn't want to answer the door...how rude.", I snickered as we walked in.

Thanks to the sound of the gate falling to the ground, dozens of Mage Hunters came pouring out of every corner of the compound. Giving the signal to fight, all of us rushed towards the enemy ready to give them hell.

---Orario, 3rd Person POV---

"Do we...really need...all of this!", Lily grunted as she carried the supplies Bella and her had gone to buy, "I think Mael will have this taken care of!"

"We can't keep relying him all the time!", Bella said, "Goddess Astraea said that he will keep being worried about us if we don't show him we are capable Adventurers. Even Violet agreed, right?"

Their new friend Violet, an Amazonian from the Aphrodite Familia, quickly agreed with Bella. Stating that she heard that Mael was worried about their safety, Violet told them it was a good idea to show him that he didn't need to worry about them.

"Besides which, what is the problem with buying your own supplies for your trip?", Violet remarked, "Do you want him to spoil you all the time?"

"I don't mind...", Lily muttered under her breath.

"I mean...", Bella said as she fidgeted around, "I like it when he worries about us, but...if it's causing him trouble..."

"*sigh* This is exactly why you have to be more self-reliant. Mael is going to be surrounded by a lot of women, and won't have the time to always be there for you in the future.", Violet stated in frustration, "I mean he is already sleeping with the two of the strongest Goddesses in Orario. Lots of Female Adventurers are going to want to pair up too, I mean strong men attract women. We naturally seek out strong men so our offspring are the strongest they can be."

Staring at Violet, Lily wasn't that thrilled with that comment. In her mind, she wanted a family with someone that genuinely cared about her and her well being. She didn't want a family like the one she left in the Soma Familia...that was the last thing she wanted. Lily wanted love, not someone strong.

"That's not true!", Bella said with an upset look, "Mael would never leave us behind! He promised he wouldn't!"

"You can believe that all you want, but the truth of the matter is he will be spending a lot of time with many beautiful and strong women. Do you really think you can compete with the likes of Aphrodite, Freya, and Ishtar?", Violet pointed out.

Carrying the supplies into Stardust Garden, Violet was going to continue scolding them when Alise chimed in.

"I think you need to leave.", Alise said standing up for her juniors.

Noticing that other Familia Members were glaring at her, Violet took the hint and immediately left. After she was gone, Kaguya glanced over to Bella who was visibly upset as was Lily. They had been well aware of Mael's romantic relationships, and had kept quiet about it up till now for fear they would upset him.

"I don't think you have anything to worry about.", Merlin stated, "He clearly cares a great deal about you. If he didn't, why would he suddenly start showing up more often to see you?"

"Yeah, and makes you all that yummy food!", Shera added.

"Is all you think about food..?", Ryuu asked.

"Why are you always so mean to me!?", Shera pouted.

"I think all nutrients meant for your brain went to your breasts...", Ryuu sighed.

Covering her chest, Shera stuck her tongue out and called her a meanie. Telling her that having a big chest didn't have anything to do with her intelligence, all Ryuu could do was snicker and give her a grin.