Mavis was startled like a frightened kitten, clinging tightly to the tree trunk and frantically waving her small hands.
"Waaah! Don't touch me!"
"I'm a ghost, I don't have a physical body!"
However, the expected touch never came.
She timidly opened one eye and found that Hope's palm was merely hovering above her head, simulating a petting motion, but maintaining a subtle distance without actually touching her.
Mavis blinked, then belatedly looked down at her own body. "Oh right, I'm a ghost... I don't have a physical body."
Hope watched, amused, as the First Guild Master had this realization. "So what exactly are you afraid of? I can't touch you anyway."
"It's a conditioned reflex!"
Mavis puffed up her cheeks and angrily floated up to be level with Hope's gaze. "And your expression just now really looked like a villain from a storybook who specializes in catching children!"
"I apologize then."
Hope shrugged insincerely, the light of the Clairvoyance Magic in his eyes gradually faded, and the mischievous smile on his face disappeared, replaced by a look of curiosity.
Who would have thought that the blonde girl standing before him, who looked like a child, was actually an old loli who had been dead for nearly ninety years and possessed extraordinary intelligence.
"So, First Generation, what business do you have after eavesdropping for so long?"
Mavis floated beside him, her emerald eyes looking exceptionally bright in the nascent sunset: "I sensed a very strong Dark Magic power fluctuation, so I followed the source... and happened to see your fight with Zeref."
"Oh right, you also dismantled Tenrou Island!"
"Uh-huh..."
Hope guiltily looked up at the sky. "I just accidentally damaged a small part of Tenrou Island, and didn't I restore it using magic?"
"What do you mean 'accidentally'? Tenrou Island is the sacred ground of Fairy Tail, and many small animals live there."
Mavis put her hands on her hips, leveling her gaze with Hope's, trying hard to project the dignity of a Guild Master, but the effect was greatly diminished by her youthful face.
"However... I heard your entire conversation with Zeref just now."
Hope raised an eyebrow. "So?"
"So..." Mavis stopped in front of him, a serious expression on her small face. "The 'Curse of Contradiction'... do you really have the ability to kill Zeref?"
"I will be able to in the future, but my power isn't quite enough yet."
Hope turned his head to look at the sunset, which was gradually dyeing the sea surface red in the distance. "But in a year at most, I'll be able to break through the curse's immortality and allow Zeref to die in peace."
Mavis nodded contentedly. "Young people nowadays are truly amazing. That's the legendary Black Wizard, yet he was defeated by you."
Hope detected a strange emotion in Mavis's words. "First Generation, you seem very concerned about Zeref? Do you know each other?"
"Yes, a long time ago..."
Mavis's gaze drifted far away, as if lost in memory. "Back then, the four of us hadn't established the guild yet, and we were distressed about retrieving the Tenrou Orb from Blue Skull. Then, I met him."
"Zeref taught us magic and some Magical Theories, and that's how we defeated Blue Skull."
Hope was genuinely surprised now.
Hearing Mavis, it meant that the four Founders of Fairy Tail had all received guidance from Zeref before becoming strong—weren't they practically his disciples?
The guild's Patriarch is the legendary Black Wizard... No wonder the guild members are all battle maniacs, with a few violent destroyers among them. If you talk about Dark Guilds, Fairy Tail is the one with the purest lineage and darkest roots, alright.
Thinking of the Dark Guilds, Hope suddenly felt a shock in his heart.
The true identity of Demon Heart's Guild Master Hades is Precht, one of Fairy Tail's Founders and the Second Guild Master.
The true controller of Tartaros is the Underworld King, but the nominal Guild Master is the strongest E.N.D. Although it's just a banner to recruit demons, Natsu is technically affiliated.
Excluding the weakest of the Three Great Dark Guilds, Oración Seis, the other two have such a relationship with Fairy Tail... it wouldn't be wrong to call them Fairy Tail branches.
Doesn't that mean... his own guild is actually the strongest Dark Guild?
Hope took a deep breath. In the past, the Council always criticized Fairy Tail, and he thought those old fogeys were just stirring up trouble. Now, it seemed perfectly reasonable.
They hit the nail on the head by accident.
"First Generation, I have a question I'd like to ask."
"Hehe, it's good for young people to be eager to learn and ask questions. Go ahead," Mavis's eyes lit up. She could finally put on the airs of an elder.
"Then I won't be polite. How did you die?"
Hope's gaze sharpened. He continued, speaking clearly, "I have seen your remains. Like Zeref, you bear the 'Curse of Contradiction.' Logically speaking, nothing on this continent should be capable of killing you."
The excitement on Mavis's face instantly froze, followed by silent contemplation.
Although he didn't get an answer, just by watching her reaction, Hope had a guess in his heart. "The one who killed you... was Zeref, wasn't it."
His tone was declarative, as if he had already confirmed the truth.
After a long time, Mavis sighed and finally spoke, "How did you figure that out?"
"It wasn't difficult. A Goat-Bearded Old Man once said that only magic can counter magic." Hope smiled. "So I thought that the Death Power released by the curse might also be able to harm each other."
Mavis did not deny it. "Your idea is correct. Zeref and I did intend to trigger the curse simultaneously to kill each other."
"You saw the final result."
She pointed to her Spiritual Body, which did not exist in reality, and said with a wry smile, "I died, Zeref survived, but he has to endure even greater pain..."
Hope didn't care about Zeref, and continued to press the question: "The 'Curse of Contradiction' requires love to activate. I'm very curious what kind of 'love' was on your minds back then?"
As soon as he said this, Mavis suddenly blushed.
"Actually, you could call what happened that day a Lovers' Suicide..."
Hope: "..."
—
—
"That's the situation."
"Not only is Zeref the Guild's Old Patriarch, but he also engaged in a May-December romance with our First Guild Master Mavis, and ultimately, because his love was deeper, he 'loved' the First Generation to death."
Inside the Tenrou Island camp, when Hope dramatically revealed this chain of events—a plot twist worthy of an 8:30 Prime-Time Drama—everyone fell into silence.
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