The destruction of the R-Organization's stronghold in the Kingdom of Fiore acted like a starting pistol in the race against organized crime. Over the next three months, the group's other outposts across Ishgar were systematically dismantled by wizards and Magic Council forces. It took a full half-year before news of the crackdown finally vanished from the pages of Weekly Sorcerer, replaced by "Relationship Gossip" and "Fashion Shows."
During this time, the exchange students had fully integrated with the students of Fairy Academy. On the other hand, the "Seven Kin of the Holy Knights," composed of the elites from both magic schools, had not been idle. The group averaged one mission per week—each one extraordinary and perilously dangerous. In Fairy Tail terms, these were tasks that would be classified as S-Class or even SS-Class.
Fortunately, Descartes and his team were powerful enough that they had yet to fail a single mission. Over the past six months, the seven of them had wiped out over 300 dark guilds within the borders of Fiore, making a massive contribution to the peace of the magical world. Consequently, the "Seven Kin of the Holy Knights" became a sensation—the "Star Team" of the magic world. The prestige of Descartes and his companions reached new heights!
One day, Brain called the seven of them to his office. Over the last six months, Brain had studied the Detailed Explanations of Super Archive Series Magic and Super Archive left behind by Weston years ago. As a result, his own "Archive" magic had evolved, greatly enhancing his data analysis and utility capabilities. Every time The Seven went on a mission, it was Brain providing intelligence and silent support from behind the scenes.
"A new mission has arrived," Brain said, his tone unusually grave. "This time, the enemy is no small matter. It may require all of you to participate together to handle it."
Hearing such a serious tone, the seven felt a surge of surprise. Three months ago, they had realized that the combined strength of the Seven Kin was far too high. Facing ordinary dark guilds, having all seven of them act at once was overkill—it was a waste of time and left them unsatisfied. Since then, they had split up, tackling missions in groups of two or three while the others remained on standby or took separate jobs.
The academy had noticed this but didn't stop them, merely advising them to "pay attention to safety."
"What kind of enemy is so powerful?"
"To be precise, your opponent this time... is not human!"
Not human? The seven of them froze simultaneously.
"If it's not human, what else could it be?"
"Demons," Brain stated. "Your enemy is a massive guild that has been lurking in Ishgar for decades, perhaps even centuries—Tartaros."
"It has another name: Books of Zeref!"
What?! Books of Zeref?!
Everyone present widened their eyes, faces filled with disbelief. Had Brain only said "Tartaros," they might not have understood the gravity of the threat, but the mention of Zeref put everything into perspective.
"I've heard of Zeref, but Books of Zeref... what is that?" Layla couldn't help but ask.
Lore regarding Zeref was generally extremely secretive; unless one specifically sought it out, ordinary wizards rarely knew the details. As for the Royal Capital Magic Academy, while it was one of the two great schools of Fiore, its ultimate backers were the Royal Family, who were not well-versed in the dark history of Zeref.
In contrast, Fairy Academy had been founded by the "transferee" Weston, so certain high-level courses contained relevant descriptions. Descartes, with his "family background" and status as a top student, was naturally very familiar with it. Gildarts, though not much of a scholar, was a third-year student who did a lot of field work and had heard whispers. As for Ur, Serena, Silver, and Bluenote, they might have known nothing before coming to Fairy Academy, but the past six months of study had given them a solid foundation.
Only Layla, still a lower-class student, had not yet had much contact with Zeref-related history. To accommodate her and ensure everyone had a clear understanding of the foe, Brain recounted the intelligence from start to finish.
"Zeref was a wizard who lived approximately 400 years ago. In his youth, he possessed magical talent that far exceeded ordinary humans..."
Even this simple introduction was content never mentioned in lower-grade textbooks. Through Brain's narration and supplements from the others, Layla gradually realized how terrifying the legendary Zeref truly was.
"...Later, Zeref used Black Magic to create a large number of demons and sealed them within books—one demon per book. To this day, the magical world is unsure exactly how many 'Demons of the Books of Zeref' there are, and we cannot accurately estimate their strength. But it is said that even the weakest demon has the power to easily destroy a city, while the stronger ones can topple a nation."
"The information after this is what I learned only after this mission was assigned," Brain continued, clearing his throat.
"Zeref stored all the 'Books of Demons' he created within a 'Bookshelf.' This 'Bookshelf' itself is a demon—a colossal, flying demon whose internal space resembles a castle, named 'Alegria.' The demons used 'Alegria' as a base to form a guild, which is Tartaros. They have lurked in Ishgar for years, accumulating power while secretly helping organizations that worship Zeref to grow. If we don't destroy Tartaros, they will eventually bring about an unimaginable disaster! Fortunately, Lady Luck has smiled upon us; someone has found their stronghold!"
Layla broke into a cold sweat, her face pale. She swallowed hard several times but couldn't suppress the shock and unease in her chest. "Y-you mean... our mission this time is to raid the demons' headquarters?!"
Brain smiled satisfactorily. "Layla truly is a cute and clever girl! That's exactly right! It's going to be hard work again, so put your life on the line and show us what you've got! I, your teacher, will be in the rear waiting for your good news!"
Layla's face turned ashen, and she looked ready to cry.
"You've got to be kidding me?!!!" she wailed. "I'm still just a kid! Why do I suddenly have to put my life on the line?! Sending a pure, sweet, and cute girl to fight vicious and terrifying demons while you hide in the back—do you even count as a teacher?!"