"They seemed to be confirming the final location, something about stealing a book today. But now that you've eliminated them, everything should be fine, right?" The little girl, realizing something, spoke with a hint of hesitation. The other children all turned to look at Rayn.
Rayn didn't respond, his eyes narrowing slightly. After seeing the Toymaker's Workshop, there was one thing he hadn't figured out. How exactly did the first mages who took the request escape from the dark guild? Could a dark guild of over thirty people not manage to trap a small team of five? It wasn't that Rayn looked down on them, but if they truly had that kind of strength, they wouldn't have advised the town mayor to post the request in the south.
Besides, this place was a considerable distance from North Peak Town. To endure severe injuries and the freezing weather and still make it back was a display of willpower that even Rayn had to commend.
"Speaking of which, that guy's magic was puppetry." "If he could use that magic to control them from a distance, then those two..." Rayn looked up, thinking of Marion's magic and the magical seeds he had planted in his subordinates. "I hope I'm wrong, and that those two are just really strong-willed mages."
Although he thought this, Rayn turned to the children beside him. "We need to get back quickly. You'll have to bear with it." If he was wrong, it would just be an early return. But if he was right, there was a slim hope that they wouldn't return to a town in ruins. Yes, just a slim one.
After all, according to the little girl, they were supposed to make their move today. When he left in the morning, nothing had happened, but it was still early. Given the dark guild's style of killing after they pillage, Rayn didn't think they would bother waiting for the cover of night. Unless his intrusion had coincidentally interrupted their plans. That was the only remaining sliver of hope.
"Okay!" Although they didn't know what Rayn was thinking, they saw his serious expression and agreed earnestly. Of course, Rayn's question was just a formality. Even if they didn't want to endure it, Rayn would have insisted.
Magic surged around him, and his body instantly grew to about three meters tall. This size didn't consume too much of his magic and he could maintain it for a long time. It was large enough to carry everyone else. He placed Kanna on his shoulder and then scooped up the other children in his arms. Then, he sped off toward North Peak Town.
Not to mention the current weather, the battle just now had attracted countless magical beasts with the scent of blood. Even if the shockwaves from the fight had scared them away, it didn't mean they were gone for good. If he went back first and let the children return on their own, they would be like a buffet served on a platter. Rayn didn't want to end up in a situation where he failed to save anyone and North Peak Town was also destroyed.
Thanks to his earlier warning, the children in his arms, despite finding it hard to breathe in the cold wind, forced themselves to endure it. Although Rayn didn't use his full strength to conserve stamina and magic, his return trip to North Peak Town was much faster than his departure. Even so, the sky was already growing dim. Fortunately, North Peak Town still stood intact in the setting sun. Seeing this, the children in his arms breathed a sigh of relief.
Sitting on Rayn's shoulder, Kanna swung her white-stockinged legs, a look of disgust in her eyes. "Rayn, a nauseating presence appeared nearby earlier." Rayn turned his head to look at Kanna and clearly saw the revulsion on her face. Even with the dark guild members she had encountered before, Kanna had only shown disdain. But this presence elicited pure disgust.
"To be precise, it's similar to a lost demon, chaotic, complex, and filled with deep malice," Ddraig continued Kanna's description.
"A demon. Zeref's Book Demon, Deliora." Rayn's eyes flickered as he looked at North Peak Town ahead, a thought flashing through his mind. "This couldn't be Gray's hometown, the one destroyed by Deliora, could it?"
The original story didn't delve deeper, but this world undoubtedly had demons. For example, Mirajane's [Take Over Magic: Satan Soul]. But the only demons that truly appeared and left a deep impression were those from Tartaros. As a demon, even if it was just a book demon created by Zeref, it still fell into the category of things Kanna detested.
"The demon's presence means something must have happened, but since the town is unchanged, the damage probably wasn't severe," Rayn thought to himself as he quickly entered the town.
"How could those two suddenly go crazy like that?"
"Who knows, maybe they got hit in the head."
"I heard they were controlled by magic, that's why they attacked the Silva family."
"Luckily, Silva knows some magic, otherwise it would have been dangerous."
"Sigh, what a world. First the children go missing, and now this happens."
As he walked toward the mayor's house, the streets were filled with small groups of people discussing in hushed tones. What they said was more or less what Rayn had expected.
He quickly arrived in front of the mayor's house. The iron gate, which had been shut tight last night, was now wide open. Without ringing the bell, Rayn walked right in and soon saw the young lady of the house looking worried in the courtyard.
Hearing the footsteps of several people, Tia quickly turned around, and her eyes fell upon Rayn, who was carrying his greatsword.
"Rayn? You're back! Are the children okay?" Then her gaze fell on the children following behind him, and her worried expression relaxed, replaced by a look of pleasant surprise. She didn't recognize two or three of them, but she remembered the two little girls quite clearly. She had even given them cookies before.
"Mrs. Tia," the two girls greeted her.
"Where's the mayor? I heard there was trouble in town," Rayn asked, not waiting for them to continue their greetings.
"Yes, Rick is in his study on the second floor. You can go straight up to see him," Tia replied, Rayn's question seemingly confirming her earlier worries.
"No need, I'm coming down now!" Rick's voice and upper body appeared from the second floor. His eyes swept over the children, and a look of joy flashed in his eyes. Then, the sound of heavy footsteps followed.
"Then I'll leave these children with you, ma'am," Rayn said and then led Kanna into the house.
Just as they reached the living room, Rick's figure appeared, his heavy steps echoing on the stairs.
"Master Rayn, the request..." Rick rubbed his hands together, looking at Rayn with anticipation. His enthusiasm was a level higher than yesterday. It was understandable. Having children disappear from his jurisdiction, and even having residents' homes invaded, was extremely damaging to his career.
"I could only find five. The rest were taken away two days ago," Rayn said, shaking his head with some regret. Two days was enough time to transport them anywhere, even in this world with its strange technological development. He couldn't possibly catch up now. The only place he might have a chance of finding them was his next target, the Magic Research Institute.
"Is that so? It seems those children were just unlucky," Rick sighed softly. If only it had been two days later, they could have been saved. But alas, what ifs are only what ifs.
"Then, the mages from that dark guild?" Rick then thought of something and quickly looked at Rayn, asking nervously. Those dark guild members were not kind people. If Rayn had only driven them away, they would surely come back for revenge, and the ones who would suffer would be the people like him who issued the request.
"You can rest assured on that front. I might get complaints about other things, but no one will ever complain about this," Rayn, having handled many requests, naturally saw what the mayor was afraid of and said with a gentle smile.
"Hehe, is that so," Rick chuckled drily. Having read the magazine, he was well aware of the bloodiness behind that calm statement. The magazine mentioned that many people reported Rayn for being extremely brutal in his actions, but no one ever reported him for not being clean and decisive. After all, this person truly left no one alive when dealing with dark guilds and bandits.
"We issued a request to exterminate the dark guild, so your request has been perfectly completed," Rick said, changing the subject. "We will give you the reward later."
"By the way, did something happen in town after I left?" After settling the matter of the request, Rayn began to ask.
"Sigh, just three hours ago, those two heavily injured mages suddenly went berserk," Rick began, not surprised that Rayn knew, as the incident was quite a commotion and many people had seen it.
After taking a sip of tea to wet his throat, Rick continued, "They attacked the Silva family. Fortunately, Silva's skills were decent. Although he was seriously injured, he managed to protect his wife and child." "Someone saw that the two of them seemed to have snatched a book bound with chains from the Silva house." "They were about to unlock it, but then they stopped and ran out of town." "It wasn't until they disappeared that the residents rushed forward to take the Silva family to the infirmary."
After finishing his account in one breath, Rick poured himself another cup of tea.
"That book must be the Book of Demons, and unlocking the chain would release the demon inside." "But why did they suddenly stop summoning the demon?" Rayn's eyes lowered as he thought silently. He glanced at Kanna, who was sitting on the sofa, her legs swinging back and forth like a pendulum, unable to reach the floor.
"Do you know roughly what time they found the book?"
"Almost four and a half hours ago, I think," Rick replied quickly, although he didn't understand why Rayn was asking.
"It seems that was when I was fighting the dark guild members. Later, realizing they were no match for me, they changed the plan from unsealing to transferring it?" Rayn calculated the approximate time and quickly came to a conclusion. Marion wasn't just watching him kill his subordinates at that time. He was actually using his magic to remotely control the two injured mages. That's why he didn't respond to his subordinates' calls. And after seeing the strength Rayn displayed, he chose to transfer the Book of Demons. Their bodies were ultimately just being controlled by magic. They weren't completely brainwashed. So the place, or person, the two were transferring it to was nearby. The presence Kanna sensed could have been another demon also looking for the Book of Demons, or perhaps the two were transferring it to a demon. In the future, Tartaros, Oracion Seis, and Grimoire Heart could form an alliance. They naturally had ways to communicate. Perhaps now, or even earlier.
"Mayor, what's the full name of the Silva who was attacked?" Having gradually pieced together the sequence of events, Rayn asked a question that seemed very strange to the mayor.
"Silver Fullbuster."
"I see. Thank you, Mayor," Rayn nodded slightly, a faint smile on his lips and a strange look in his eyes. He never thought that this request of his would actually reverse Gray's fate. This remote town was also spared from being destroyed by Deliora today.
"Master Rayn, if there are no other questions, I'll go get the reward," said the mayor, completely unaware that he had just had a brush with death, now beaming at Rayn.
"Yes, thank you for your trouble," Rayn nodded, thinking that there didn't seem to be anything else to ask for now.
"Then please excuse me," Rick stood up, bowed his head, and turned to walk towards the study upstairs.
Soon, he came down with a large bag. The faint clinking sound from within made Kanna's eyes light up. Her tail swayed faster, and her body tensed slightly, looking as if she was about to pounce.
After receiving the proof of completion and the reward, Rayn chose to take his leave. It was still possible to find lodging in a nearby city at this time. Any later and they would have to travel in the dark, and even the carriages would be gone.
"Then I won't keep you," Rick didn't try to make him stay, as he still had a lot of things to deal with. For example, finding homes for the children and announcing the extermination of the dark guild.
Escorted by Rick, Tia, and a few of the children, they soon arrived at the door. A mother and child also happened to stop in front of the mayor's house at that moment. The child was the same black-haired boy from the carriage last night and the street this morning. But compared to the previous two times, his expression was now more serious, as if he had matured a little. The adult, however, was not the sturdy man from last night, but a gentle woman. Both of them had some injuries, not serious, but they still looked uncomfortable.
Seeing this, a glint appeared in Rayn's eyes, and his gaze fell on the black-haired boy. At this moment, he was also staring straight at Rayn. Compared to last night and today, his eyes now showed a bit of determination. His mother, seeing Rayn's greatsword, quickly tried to pull her son aside to make way.
Rayn withdrew his gaze and led Kanna towards the town exit. Although the plot had changed, Rayn was not overly worried. The biggest change had already begun when he appeared in this world. As for the plot, Rayn never intended to confine himself to that framework. Moreover, Rayn could see that even with Gray's parents still alive, he would still walk the path of a mage. Perhaps his magic would be different, perhaps he would join a different guild. But he would definitely become a mage. The change in his eyes already said everything.
"Rayn, are we going back after this?" Kanna asked, trotting beside the young man and looking up with her big, blinking eyes.
"Not yet, let's go find someone in the town of Brago first."
"Find someone?"
"Yes, a powerful ice-make mage."
"Is he as strong as the Guild Master?"
"Haha, not quite."
The two talked softly as their figures gradually disappeared down the street.
"Mika, and little Gray, is Silver okay?" the mayor asked, looking at the boy and woman.
"He's fine. We just came to thank the mayor this time," Mika said, withdrawing her gaze and sincerely thanking the mayor. For the person who had helped her family today, she had brought her child all the way here to express her gratitude.
"Mayor, were those children brought back by that boy?" she then asked, her gaze falling on the children with curiosity.
"Although he looks young, that boy is a rising star from a major southern guild, with the impressive title of 'Crimson-Arm War Demon'," Rick said with some emotion. He was glad he hadn't underestimated him because of his age, or he would have lost face completely.
"What's that guild's name?" Gray also withdrew his gaze from the now-empty street and looked intently at the mayor.
"Fairy Tail, a guild with a strange name."
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