Raizel and Ultear strolled through the quiet dirt roads of Rosemary Village.
The elderly villagers sitting on their porches watched the two strangers with mild curiosity but no alarm.
Raizel might have been tall for his age, but his face still held the softness of youth.
Ultear, small and dressed neatly, posed absolutely no threat.
To the locals, they looked like well-to-do siblings visiting from a city, perhaps relatives of a distant neighbor.
As the sun began to dip below the western hills, painting the sky in hues of orange and violet, a chorus of young voices echoed from down the road.
School was out. A group of children came running, their laughter and chatter filling the air.
From a distance, Raizel spotted her immediately.
Erza.
At this time, she still had short, chin-length crimson hair and bright, defiant brown eyes.
She wore a simple, tattered gray dress that looked more like a long shirt.
Despite her poverty, she walked with a natural confidence.
Trailing silently behind her was a boy with a square jaw and dark skin—Simon.
He didn't utter a word, seemingly content to exist in her shadow.
Kagura was nowhere to be seen, likely too young for the village school.
As the group passed by, Erza's eyes locked onto Ultear.
In a small, isolated village like this, outsiders were rare.
A girl her own age, dressed in fine city clothes with ribbons in her hair, stood out like a diamond in the rough.
"Is she the one you're looking for?" Ultear asked quietly once the group had passed.
She had sensed Raizel's attention fixating on the redhead.
"Yes," Raizel nodded, keeping his voice low. "But not just her. There's also the younger sister of the boy following her."
"What about the boy?" Ultear asked.
She had noticed Simon stealing glances at Erza. "Is he a target too?"
"His talent is average," Raizel admitted brutally. "His sister, Kagura, is the exceptional one."
Talent in this context referred to raw magical potential and container size.
Simon wasn't useless—in the future, he would be a decent mage—but compared to the monstrous potential of Erza and Kagura, he was ordinary.
"If possible," Raizel turned to Ultear, "could you try to approach Erza? It might be easier since you're a girl. Boys are stupid at this age; they just posture."
"Erza—is that her name? And what's the boy's sister called?"
"Kagura. But when you approach them, don't let on that you already know their names. It's creepy."
"I'm not that foolish," Ultear shot him an exasperated look, flipping one of her pigtails over her shoulder.
"And if you keep saying things like 'if it's not too much trouble,' I won't help you anymore. We're partners, aren't we?"
She walked off toward the village square, leaving Raizel standing alone.
Raizel blinked, a small smile forming on his face.
'She's growing up fast.'
Raizel didn't interfere with how Ultear approached Erza.
He trusted her intelligence. Instead, he focused on maintaining their cover: preparing daily meals and quietly training with Laxus.
Laxus spent most of his days deep in the mountains, hunting magical beasts to refine his Lightning Dragon Slayer magic.
He returned only to eat and sleep, usually covered in monster blood and smelling of ozone.
A week later, Raizel discovered Ultear's secret weapon: Sugar.
Whenever he or Laxus went to the neighboring town to buy supplies, Ultear would request extra sweets—cakes, candies, chocolates.
Raizel didn't think much of it.
The food in Rosemary Village was simple and bland; a kid craving sweets was normal.
Laxus cared even less—he was just the silent pack mule for the shopping trips.
But one afternoon, Raizel walked into the living room and froze.
Sitting around the wooden table were Ultear, Erza, and a tiny, black-haired girl—Kagura.
They were happily devouring a strawberry shortcake.
'So that was it', Raizel thought, amused.
'Bribery.'
In just over a week, Ultear had managed to win over the two most important targets.
Erza, initially wary, had bonded with Ultear over stories of the outside world (and cake).
Kagura, who usually hid behind Simon, had been lured out by the promise of chocolate.
Raizel didn't join them.
He quietly retreated to his room, letting the girls bond.
....
A month passed.
The bond between the girls deepened.
"Erza," Ultear said one evening, wiping crumbs from her mouth. "You have talent. I can feel it."
"Talent?" Erza blinked, looking at her hands.
"Magic," Ultear said simply. "You can start learning meditation with me. Kagura is still too young for mana control, but she can come over during the day. I'll teach her how to read and write."
"Can Simon learn with us too?" Erza asked immediately.
Her loyalty to her friends was already her defining trait.
"Sure," Ultear nodded. "Starting tomorrow, bring him along."
That night at dinner, Ultear informed Raizel.
"From tomorrow onward, prepare three extra servings for dinner. My students are staying late."
"Alright," Raizel nodded obediently. "But tell Laxus not to scare them."
"I'll try."
...
Three Months Later.
They had been in Rosemary Village for nearly three months.
Autumn had turned to winter, and the first snows were falling.
Raizel updated Makarov and Ur monthly via a long-distance communication Lacrima.
He told them they were "training in seclusion" and wouldn't be back for Christmas.
He hadn't mentioned Rob yet; he wanted to present the old man safely before raising hopes.
Inside the rented house, a small magical school had formed.
A clear gap in aptitude emerged quickly.
Erza awakened her innate magic—Requip: The Knight—almost instinctively.
Though she had no weapons or armor to swap into yet, she could store small items in a pocket dimension.
Her magic reserves grew daily.
Simon, however, struggled.
He sat for hours in meditation, sweating and straining, but couldn't feel the Ethernano.
His frustration grew as he watched Erza surpass him effortlessly.
Meanwhile, Kagura sat in the corner with a picture book, learning her letters under Ultear's patient guidance.
Raizel had successfully become the "cool older brother" figure to Erza and Kagura.
He told them stories of Fairy Tail, of flying dragons, and of a mage who shattered mountains with a punch.
Laxus remained an enigma to the village children.
They found him scary—the tall, scarred blonde who always frowned and crackled with static.
In reality, Laxus was just awkward with kids and preferred punching bears.
...
"Christmas is coming," Raizel announced one morning, looking at the calendar.
It would be their first Christmas away from the guild.
In Earthland, there was no New Year celebration; Christmas was the grand finale of the year.
"We should have a party," Ultear suggested. "Erza and Kagura have never had a real Christmas."
"Agreed," Raizel smiled. "I'll get a turkey. Laxus, you get the tree."
Laxus grunted from the doorway. "Fine. But I'm picking the biggest one."
Raizel looked out the window at the snowy village.
It was peaceful.
But he knew the peace was fragile.
The Cult was out there, searching for slaves.
'Come and get us,' he thought, eyes narrowing.
'We're ready.'