After sending Loke and Issac away, Astro returned to the room. Inside, he found Eva sitting by her father's side, holding his hand tightly. The man was still weak, but fully awake, and their quiet father-daughter moment carried a warmth that almost made Astro pause at the door. Almost.
But there were bigger issues at hand.
"Sorry to interrupt," Astro said, stepping closer. "Miss Eva, could you ask the village head to gather all the comatose people in one place? I'll need to treat them together. In the meantime, I'll use some healing magic to stabilize your father a bit more."
Eva clearly didn't want to leave, but the moment she heard the last sentence, she shot up like she'd just been given orders from the heavens. "I'll go right now!" she said, and hurried off.
Her father gave a tired chuckle, watching her vanish. "She's a bit of an airhead…but she's a good child… Thank you, wizard for treating me."
"You can call me Astro Blackmist," Astro replied, already checking the man's condition again. "I'm from Fairy Tail."
His hand glowed faintly as he scanned for aftereffects. "Now, about that lacrima. How did it get inside you? The way it was placed was… crude. Whoever did it clearly had no clue what they were doing. And with how little ethernano you have in your body—like most normal villagers—shoving a chunk of solidified ethernano inside you was basically a death sentence."
The man shifted uncomfortably, unsure whether to answer.
Astro's tone hardened. "I'd suggest you talk. People like that don't just stop after one mistake. Worst case? They'll try to silence this entire village to cover their tracks."
The man stiffened. Silence stretched for a moment. Finally, he glanced at the door Eva had left through, sighed, and spoke.
"Two men came to the village. They asked the village head to choose twelve of our strongest men. Said they could… help us wield magic."
Astro's brows furrowed.
"The offer was very tempting," the man continued quietly. "With magic, we thought we could finally defend ourselves. No more begging wizard guilds for help every time something strange happened. But… I guess it was all a farce. We tried to bite way more than we can chew."
Astro thought about it and still told him the harsh truth, "Farce is putting it lightly. You were test subjects. They were experimenting on you. Helping you was never part of the plan."
He paused, then asked, "Does the village head know more about them?"
"I don't know…" the man muttered, his eyes heavy. His body sagged as sleep overtook him again. This time it was just exhaustion.
Astro stood up, gave him one last glance, and headed out.
In the village square, people had already begun to gather. The air was filled with nervous whispers. Families clustered around, watching the Fairy Tail mage like he was their last hope.
Loke approached Astro and lowered his voice. "I checked everyone. Everyone here's just regular villagers, no magic talent. Whoever planted those lacrima—I don't think they're not among this crowd."
Astro's eyes flicked to Issac, the village head. The old man stood stiffly off to the side, gaze darting away with a guilty conscience.
Without a word, Astro got to work. One by one, he removed the embedded lacrima from each comatose villager, his magic precise and efficient. Gasps and relieved cries followed as each person stirred awake. Even those not afflicted pressed closer, anxious to see the miracle.
Astro then asked everyone else to come forward to check whether they were experimented on as well.
Finally, Astro stood in front of Issac. His hand glowed faintly as he scanned the man—just to be safe—before his expression hardened.
"Tell me everything about the people who did this."
Issac's face tightened. He looked behind, where the curious and worried villagers were watching their interaction. He looked down at the ground, shame painted across his features. "…They never gave their names. Said they were wandering travelers. They offered to give us powerful magic. At first, we didn't believe them, but Eva's father volunteered. And… it seemed to work."
His voice rose, desperate. "They told us he'd been successfully implanted with some kind of wood-magic device. And when Eva's father tried it—he actually made a tree sprout out of the ground! I saw it with my own eyes!"
Astro blinked, deadpan. Unbelievable. They were fooled by a party trick.
"They tricked you," Astro held the lacrimas in his hand and said flatly. "That wasn't him using magic. One of the travelers probably cast it when no one was looking."
Issac's shoulders sagged.
Loke leaned in, inspecting one lacrima on Astro's hand carefully. "I had my suspicion when I first saw it but these look kinda similar to the ones my rich ex–girlfriend used to call her father. Small, short-range communication lacrima. I heard they are crazy expensive and not exactly easy to get. People usually put them in earrings or pendants."
"What?!" Issac's voice cracked. "They're not meant to grant magic?!"
"Of course not." Astro's tone cut sharp, leaving no room for false hope. "They're practically worthless in your situation. Shoving them inside people with no talent for magic was pointless and dangerous. Honestly? A waste of resources too."
Issac staggered, the weight of his mistake crushing him. His knees trembled. "No… no way…"
"Pull yourself together," Astro said coldly. "Tell us what they looked like. If we move quickly, we might track them down before they trick anyone else."
Issac swallowed hard. "Both men were in their thirties. One had black hair and a scar on his right cheek. The other had brown hair… very muscular."
Astro scribbled the description down, then looked up. "And now… about our reward."
Issac flinched but quickly retreated into his home. He returned with a pouch of cash, handing it over, "Fifty thousand jewels. It's all the request promised. Thanks a lot for treating the villagers"
Issac bowed, and the rest of villagers on the square also followed him and bowed showing gratitude.
Loke accepted it smoothly, but Astro lingered a moment longer on Issac. His voice softened, though it still carried weight.
"Nobody's perfect, Mr. Issac. I get it—wanting magic feels like the ultimate dream. But chasing shortcuts like this only leads to disaster. People can't do everything on their own. That's why we live in a society—so we can cover for each other's weaknesses. Don't be ashamed of what you lack. Be ashamed if you let greed blind you."
Issac kept his head down, silent in shame.
Outside the village, Loke and Astro were making their way back to the train station.
"I thought you were the quiet type," Loke said, grinning as he gave Astro a playful shoulder punch. "But it turns out you can be harsh and soft when it counts. You've got leadership qualities, you know that?"
Astro doesn't know if he is a leader material but still allowed himself the faintest smile. " You sound like you've had experience leading before. Squad leader of some wizard group, maybe?"
Astro knows even inside a guild, some mages form their own groups. Some of these groups become even more famous than the guild themselves sometimes.
Loke's smile faltered. A shadow crossed his expression, tinged with melancholy. "…Not quite, but I was called a leader once." He didn't elaborate.
Astro noticed the shift. "I'm a good listener. If you ever want to share… I'll keep it a secret."
At the beginning, he'd thought of Loke as just a hopeless playboy. But he was starting to see there was more depth. Someone who cared about people, lifted their spirits, knew when to set aside pride and when to step up. Still a hopeless playboy though.
Loke waved it off with a sad smile. "Some other time. But here's a piece of advice: when you do have people following you, cherish them. Spend as much time with them while you can. Because one day… it might only become a distant memory."
Astro went quiet, the words sinking deep.
Sensing the mood getting too heavy, Loke quickly switched gears. "So! What's next? Are we going straight back to Fairy Tail? Report everything to the Magic Council and get some drinks from Mira as a celebration of your first completed job?"
Astro chuckled. "Hah. After giving me a lecture on leadership, you think I'd just cower away? Nope we have to cherish our moment together so as the leader of this group I am extending this mission."
"We're going to track those sick wannabe scientist bastards down and beat them so badly they'll never even think about experimenting like this again." Astro punctuated the statement by slamming a fist into his palm.
"…You didn't even ask if I wanted to come, and when did you become the leader?" Loke deadpanned, raising a hand.
Astro did not answer the question and continued from where he was left off. "Think about it: how many girls like Miss Eva will end up heartbroken if their families are torn apart by scum like that? Can you really just let that slide?" He even wiped away a fake tear for effect.
Loke froze, eyes blazing with sudden fire. "You're right! We can't let more beautiful women suffer like this! As their knight in shining armor, it's my duty to protect them before tragedy strikes!"
Astro nodded gravely, hiding his smirk. "Exactly. I knew you'd understand."
"…Okay." Loke crossed his arms. "So how do we find them?"
Astro's lips curled into a smile. "Oh, don't worry. I have a plan. Let's go find your rich ex-girlfriend first."
"What?"
And with that, the two Fairy Tail mages walked off into the distance, dust rising at their heels as the village faded behind them.