After a moment of thought, Roger nodded under Gildarts' expectant gaze.
"Alright, we're willing to join Fairy Tail."
At those words, Gildarts' face broke into a wide grin. "Great! Once I finish this mission and track down your parents, we can all head to the guild together."
Roger froze for a second, realizing Gildarts had misunderstood their situation. He shook his head gently.
"No need to look… the three of us don't have parents."
"Our village was attacked by a dark magic cult. The kids were taken, and the adults were killed."
"We went through a lot to escape."
Kagura's eyes reddened at the mention of their past. She rubbed them hard, patting her cheeks to hold back tears, then looked up at Gildarts.
"Uncle," she said, her voice tinged with a sniffle, "is the Magic Council you mentioned even stronger than a guild?"
Hearing her soft voice, Gildarts' smile faded. He crouched down to meet her gaze at eye level.
"That's right, Kagura, isn't it? If you've got any questions, feel free to ask."
"Is the Council… like a village elder who manages lots of villages?" she asked.
"Something like that," Gildarts said carefully. "The Magic Council's main job is overseeing all the mage guilds, catching bad guilds and dark guilds."
Kagura's eyes lit up. "So the dark magic cult is a dark guild, right? Will the Council catch them and save the people they took?"
Gildarts fell silent for a moment before answering slowly, "The Council… hasn't issued any missions about the dark magic cult recently. As far as I know, they don't even seem aware of it."
"How…" The spark in Kagura's eyes dimmed, and she forced a trembling smile. "Okay, then… but my brother definitely escaped from those bad people. He's so smart, he must have gotten away. Yeah, he's already escaped."
Her voice wavered on the edge of tears, and Gildarts, flustered, fumbled around before pulling a delicate dagger inlaid with colorful gems from his pack.
"This was a gift from some villagers after a mission. It's really popular with girls where it's from," he said, handing it to Kagura. "A little welcome gift from your uncle."
Caught off guard by the sudden present, Kagura's brewing sadness melted away. She took the dagger, stunned. "Th-thank you…"
Seeing her mood lift, Gildarts sighed in relief and continued, "The guild provides free food and lodging for young kids. Once you join, you can stay in the guild's orphanage."
"But when you turn 13, you'll need to move out and live on your own."
"If you're hungry, just head to the guild's front desk and order from Aero. Food and drinks at the guild are free, but don't waste anything."
"The guild also has low-level missions designed for young mages to earn rewards, like F-rank missions to find lost pets or E-rank missions to deliver letters between towns."
"Missions above E-rank involve combat, and you'll need the guild master's approval to take those."
"The higher the mission rank, the bigger the reward."
Kagura raised her hand curiously. "Uncle, are you here because of a mission?"
"Not exactly a mission," Gildarts said with a wry smile. "It's a task assigned by the Council to every guild. Each guild has to send a member to complete it."
"This task is a bit dangerous. It involves a demon created by Zeref—Deliora—so the old man sent me."
"Zeref!!" Erza exclaimed, startled.
"You know about Zeref?" Gildarts asked, puzzled.
"Yeah," Erza said gravely. "The mages who attacked our village said everything they did was to revive Zeref."
"Revive Zeref?!" Gildarts' magic power erupted like a tidal wave, overwhelming the three kids and making it hard to breathe.
Realizing what he'd done, he quickly reined in his magic. "Sorry! That news was just so shocking… I lost control for a second."
"I need to report this to the Council immediately."
Kagura, still shaken from the magic surge, her face pale, asked hesitantly, "Is Zeref… stronger than you, Uncle?"
Gildarts shook his head, his expression heavy. "Compared to him, I'm like a toddler just learning to walk."
"Zeref is the most ferocious and powerful dark mage in magical history. He can create demons with ease."
"Take Deliora, for example. It's just one of the demons Zeref made on a whim, but it's got an immortal body."
"It can destroy an entire town in less than a day, leaving nothing but desolation in its wake."
"Immense magic power, an unkillable body—no one's been able to take it down."
"The only way is forbidden magic, but most forbidden spells require the caster's life. That's why Deliora's been wreaking havoc in the south for years."
"My task this time is to find a forbidden substance."
"Wherever Deliora passes or attacks, a black mushroom sometimes grows, nourished by blood and resentment. At its top, it sprouts a black-red flower."
"That flower is the key ingredient for the substance."
"Some time ago, someone got hold of this substance from a dark organization's leader, but halfway through studying it, they were corrupted by its magic."
"Their magic turned demonic, and by the time the Council found them, they'd lost their mind, eyes glowing red, attacking everything in sight like a madman."
"No matter how much the mages attacked, they wouldn't fall. Even piercing their heart—"
"Caused a black flame to burst from it?" Roger and Erza said in unison.
Gildarts froze, eyes wide. "How do you two know that?!"
"Not the dark magic cult again, is it?"
Roger nodded helplessly. "Yep, the same guy who was shouting about reviving Zeref."
"When Erza stabbed his heart with a sword, he didn't die. Instead, a black flame surged from his heart, and he kept trying to attack us."
"But he still had his mind—obsessed with reviving Zeref and killing anyone in his way."
Gildarts thought for a moment. "Maybe the substance wasn't complete, or his magic nature was different, so he didn't fully lose his mind."
"How'd you beat him in the end?"
Roger pulled a grape-sized silver metal ball from his pocket. "Caught him off guard and shoved one of my homemade bombs in his mouth. One explosion, and he was done."
Gildarts' mouth twitched. "I don't know whether to call you lucky or unlucky… You stumbled onto his weakness by pure chance."
"Attacking from the outside is nearly impossible to kill them. As long as the substance's magic isn't depleted, they keep going."
"But a massive internal attack can overwhelm the substance's recovery, killing the user instantly."