This pair of siblings, Mirajane and Elfman, were quite extreme in their self-blame, each eagerly claiming all responsibility for what happened, as if afraid to leave even a shred of fault for anyone else.
To those who understood, this showed their deep sibling bond and willingness to shoulder blame.
To outsiders, it might have looked like they were competing for some prized possession instead.
"..."
Marco shook his head in resignation.
Though their emotions were genuine, such words were useless now—especially since Lisanna was alive and well.
The way these two were carrying on, you'd think she had actually died.
"Let's rest first and recover our magic power, then return to the guild."
Marco waved his hand, signaling them to stop assigning blame.
Since everyone was at fault, they should focus on improving themselves to avoid repeating mistakes.
If they felt guilty toward Lisanna, they should treat her better in the future—these were the practical actions that truly mattered.
Mirajane and Elfman both nodded in agreement.
Marco's words made sense.
With the situation here resolved, there was no need to linger.
Packing up and returning home was the right course of action.
As the group was recuperating, someone finally arrived belatedly.
Mystogan, wearing a mask that completely concealed his face and carrying several staves on his back, rushed to the "scene of the incident" covered in dust.
Unfortunately, the "Anima magic" here had long concluded—he had made the trip for nothing.
"Isn't that... Mystogan?" Mirajane spoke up upon seeing the "mysterious figure" at the scene.
To their family of three, Mystogan was indeed the "guild's mysterious man"—they had virtually no interaction with him and didn't know him personally.
They'd only heard his name and seen photos, all of which showed him wearing a mask.
When Marco invited Mystogan to join Fairy Tail, Mirajane's family was still in their hometown.
By the time they finally joined the guild, Mystogan rarely returned.
Even when he did come back, he always maintained an air of mystery.
With his masterful hypnotic magic, Mystogan could come and go "like a ghost."
Except for a very few who were immune to his hypnosis, everyone else would fall asleep until he left and lifted the spell.
Throughout Mystogan's visits, everyone would repeatedly fall asleep—Lisanna and Elfman had genuinely never seen him even once.
"That's Mystogan alright." Marco nodded.
It seemed Mystogan had indeed detected the Anima here, but timing simply didn't permit him to arrive sooner.
Otherwise, he might have prevented this Anima outbreak.
'Hum!'
Marco released his magic power to alert Mystogan in the deep crater, making their presence known.
While recovering their strength, they hadn't immediately departed but had moved from the ruins of the Anima-created crater to a nearby tall hill.
Soon, Mystogan arrived on the hilltop using his staff, where he met Marco, Mirajane, Lisanna, and Elfman.
"Marco, what are you all doing here?"
Seeing Marco's group, Mystogan asked in confusion.
He never expected to encounter companions from Fairy Tail in this godforsaken place—especially Marco.
"We came to undertake an S-Class Quest." Marco replied without hiding anything.
He trusted Mystogan completely—the man was simply too pure-hearted.
Marco genuinely respected and felt assured about this selfless otherworldly prince who tirelessly traveled everywhere resolving Anima incidents.
"S-Class Quest? So you brought some companions along to experience the intensity and atmosphere, but won't this completely demoralize them?" Mystogan spoke slowly, having initially assumed this "S-Class Quest" was taken by Marco, with Mirajane, Lisanna, and Elfman forming a team to accompany him and gain exposure.
"..."
The group fell into silence until Marco finally broke it:
"It's Mira's quest. My commission is to ensure their safety."
"Mirajane? You've been promoted to S-Class too?."
Hearing Marco's words, Mystogan visibly started, then remarked with some emotion, seemingly caught off guard by this revelation.
"I earned first place just like Erza to get promoted to S-Class." Mirajane spoke with a dark expression, emphasizing the prestige behind her S-Class rank.
"Impressive. Congratulations."
Mystogan nodded, offering sincere praise to Mirajane.
His congratulations were genuine, celebrating both her achievement and Fairy Tail gaining another formidable member.
"Mystogan, it's time you returned to participate in the exams."
Marco's sudden statement caught Mystogan off guard.
After a moment's hesitation, he slowly nodded in agreement.
"Alright. Next year, I'll return to take the S-Class exam and strive for promotion." Mystogan's use of "strive" gave everyone pause.
Even Lisanna and Elfman, who barely knew Mystogan, recognized this "mysterious figure's" immense power.
After all, every time he returned to the guild, everyone would fall into deep sleep like logs.
This overwhelming strength was palpable to Lisanna and Elfman, whose awe led them to estimate Mystogan's capabilities as highly as possible.
And indeed, his power justified their imaginations—he could easily achieve S-Class.
"That's excellent. If you participate next year, we can secure three consecutive first-place finishes, completely dominating the younger generation across three guilds. This would set a great precedent for the expanded examinations to come."
Marco smiled with satisfaction.
Mystogan's willingness to return for next year's S-Class exam was crucial.
With him competing, rankings became a non-issue—victory and promotion were guaranteed.
"Too bad Natsu and Gray will have to wait longer." Marco chuckled.
Once Mystogan entered the competition, it would be another high-level sweep.
Like Erza and Mirajane, he'd secure individual promotion, leaving the rest of Fairy Tail no choice but to accept it.
"Unless they can perform as well as Mystogan." Mirajane interjected, feeling there might still be a chance.
Though Mystogan was undoubtedly powerful, she had only witnessed his hypnotic magic.
Would such spells remain equally effective in real combat? Mirajane harbored serious doubts, realizing she still didn't truly understand Mystogan.
"I hope they can achieve it." Mystogan remained unbothered.
When the time came, he would give his all to win, fulfilling the expectations of Marco and Master Makarov.
As for the others, he didn't care about their performance.
If other Fairy Tail companions could advance alongside him, he would be delighted—it meant the guild's strength was growing, and the reliability of their plan to fight in Edolas was increasing.
The only remaining problem was that Mystogan hadn't yet developed a safe method to return or a way for everyone to use magic freely.
They couldn't just lead everyone to their deaths.
"How is your research progressing?" Marco was also deeply concerned about this—it was key to resolving the Anima issue.
He couldn't wait to go to Edolas and teach those guys an unforgettable lesson.
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