"Brother Moen, can we learn magic too?!"
Lisanna stared with wide eyes, looking at Moen in shock.
After Elfman told her about Moen's idea, the little girl didn't hesitate at all—she immediately said she wanted to learn "Take-Over Magic."
In Lisanna's heart, she always felt she owed Mira-nee. Because the first time she saw Mira-nee's arm, she too had been afraid. Thinking back on it now, she felt ashamed.
So when she learned there was a chance to make up for it, Lisanna held onto it like a life-saving rope, unwilling to let go. She looked at Moen with a face full of expectation, terrified of hearing a rejection.
"Start with meditation."
Moen didn't give a definite answer, because even he wasn't sure.
In theory, Elfman and Lisanna, as siblings, shouldn't be incapable of sensing magic at all.
For a simple reason—their sister Mirajane Strauss was a genius who awakened magic on her own. As her blood-related younger brother and younger sister, Elfman and Lisanna should each have at least some magical talent.
Magical talent really can be inherited. Laxus is the best example. It's very rare for a mage's child to be unable to use magic—what differs is only the level of talent.
This was exactly why Moen suggested this idea. But he couldn't speak too confidently—what if they really hit the jackpot?
What if Elfman and Lisanna ended up being "muggles"? That would be ridiculous.
"Okay, we'll work hard!"
Although Moen didn't give a clear answer, Lisanna wasn't discouraged. She and her brother Elfman would both work hard—they were going to hold tightly onto this opportunity.
Such pure, beautiful feelings.
Looking at Lisanna and Elfman, Moen couldn't help but sigh internally. The three siblings who grew up depending on each other were willing to work themselves to the bone for one another.
"You'll succeed."
Moen reassured the two of them.
"Calm your mind and slowly feel it."
Bringing the two children into the guild's meditation room, Moen began guiding them to sense magic—to search for the source of magic within themselves.
Meditating to sense magic was a long process and couldn't be completed in a single step. Moen himself had never experienced the process, but this was what he'd heard from others.
Moen had awakened his own "magic." In a sense, his "magic" was actually the Saint Seiya System.
Inside the meditation room, Lisanna and Elfman sat quietly, beginning their meditation according to Moen's instructions.
Not long after, Elfman suddenly jumped up excitedly.
"Hm?"
Moen looked at the delighted Elfman in surprise. This kid was overly dramatic… had he already sensed something?
"Brother Moen, I sensed magic!"
Elfman clenched his fists tightly, looking extremely excited.
Seeing Elfman so worked up, Moen just smiled and shook his head. He didn't sense any magic from Elfman yet.
"Steady yourself. Take it slow. You haven't even stepped through the door."
Moen signaled for Elfman to continue meditating, though he had already breathed a sigh of relief. Elfman definitely had talent—he must have sensed the existence of magic. That was the difference between a mage and a "muggle."
Magic existed in all things. Every person had magic within them, and magic was closely tied to life force.
And the only difference between a mage and a "muggle" was whether one could sense the existence of magic. That was the sole threshold.
Elfman was already standing on that threshold—just one last step to go.
"Yes! Big bro!"
Elfman sat back down and continued meditating. His talent did seem slightly better than Lisanna's. Lisanna was still frowning, trying hard to find the sensation.
But even if Lisanna couldn't sense magic right now, it didn't matter. As long as one of them could learn "Take-Over Magic," it would still have a huge impact on Mirajane.
Moen stood guard at the entrance of the meditation room, waiting for them, and also preventing anyone from barging in and disturbing their meditation. This concerned his mission, and today, he was going to occupy this meditation room no matter what!
During this time, Natsu and Gray roughhoused their way over and Moen kicked both of them back out with a single strike.
The two boys who were kicked for no reason were totally confused. Normally when they fought, Brother Moen didn't care—so why did he suddenly attack today?
"Whatever! Let's fight then!"
After being kicked far away, Natsu jumped up energetically, itching for battle. His "battle addiction" had flared up—he wanted to challenge Moen again.
Bang!
Splatt!
Seeing the excited Natsu charging toward him aggressively, Moen simply threw one clean punch, sending stars spinning in Natsu's vision.
"Drag him away."
Moen looked toward the frozen Gray and ordered.
"Yes, Brother Moen!"
Without a word, Gray grabbed Natsu by one foot and sprinted away, dragging him behind, passing by Mirajane as she walked toward the room.
Gray took a moment to glance at the strange cloaked girl. He also felt she resembled Erza when she first joined the guild.
But he couldn't be bothered. Brother Moen would handle it. Just like Erza, this girl would probably blend in soon enough.
Mirajane shrank deeper into her cloak, also glancing at Gray and Natsu.
Even in her withdrawn state, she felt the two boys were unbelievably weird.
She even started doubting whether staying here was the right choice. Was it really okay to leave Elfman and Lisanna here?
With this doubt, Mirajane walked up to Moen, who was guarding the meditation room.
Because Moen's height was clearly not normal for someone his age, Mirajane had to lift her head slightly under her hood.
"Where are Lisanna and Elfman?"
Mirajane asked. She'd seen Elfman bring Lisanna to find Moen, and they hadn't come back for a long time. Anxiety inevitably built up in her heart.
"They're inside. I'm teaching them how to meditate to see if they have talent for magic. We are a mage guild after all."
Moen smiled warmly at her as he spoke.
He didn't plan to hide this. It couldn't be hidden anyway.
To learn magic, Lisanna and Elfman would have to spend long periods of time away from Mirajane's sight, so he needed a good explanation. Being honest would keep Mirajane from overthinking.
The only thing to hide was that they were learning "Take-Over Magic." That part was easy—Lisanna and Elfman only needed to say they were still meditating and hadn't started learning actual magic yet.
"Meditation… magic…"
Mirajane lowered her head, avoiding Moen's smile. She whispered the words to herself. Her demon arm clenched tightly, then loosened. Even though she hated "Take-Over Magic," she knew Moen was doing this to help them.
"Thank you…"
Mirajane shrank slightly, speaking in such a tiny voice that Moen thought it was an illusion.
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