Makarov raised an eyebrow in discontent as he said, "The Magic Council headquarters' academy? Isn't that supposed to recruit students from all over the continent? So what does it mean that these children are being sent in directly to study? Don't they need to be tested? Is it merely because they're children of council members? Those guys…"
Yajima sighed helplessly, "Hey, hey, hey, even my grandson was sent in. And now you're dragging me into the criticism."
Makarov snorted, "Then you're not exactly blameless either."
Yajima shrugged, "There's nothing I can do. After all, it started with the Magic Council, and then became the academy. Council members all want to secure some benefits for their children, so it's almost become an unspoken rule that's lasted for years. Moreover, children born to council members receive top-notch nurturing from the start—their talent and strength far exceed that of ordinary kids. Just look at those brats outside, assaulting Siegrain. His father is the Finance Minister of the Helen Kingdom, his mother is a secondary council member of the Magic Council, and he himself wields the rare Celestial Magic. Even the Chairman couldn't stop praising his magical talent, boldly predicting that in less than ten years there will be another one of the Ten Wizard Saints on the Ishgar Continent. With talent like that, why would he need to compete with commoners? On the contrary, if he were forced to compete with ordinary children lacking background and proper training—having only raw talent—that would be the greatest injustice, because Siegrain has been leagues ahead of them since birth."
Among the brawling children outside, a blue-haired Siegrain appeared, calm and graceful. With a casual gesture, he released his magic and effortlessly drove back the incoming gang, despite still being just a kid.
Judging solely by his elegant combat, it was clear why the Chairman marveled at his magical talent; his battle intuition was far beyond that of a typical child.
Combined with his exceedingly rare Heavenly Body Magic and his prestigious background, the title of Ten Wizard Saints might not be just empty words.
Makarov, having listened, was rendered speechless and could only nod in resignation, "In that case, it seems about right…"
Preventing these second-generation kids from entering early and forcing them to compete with common children—who have no privileged background or proper guidance—Makarov could only imagine the disastrous outcome.
Perhaps it was because the academy's system was different from that of the Guild. Makarov still couldn't bring himself to endorse this cronyism, though he found no argument strong enough to oppose it.
Meanwhile, the airship had lifted off from Magnolia Town—not flying east towards the heart of the Ishgar Continent, but continuing west toward the capital of the Fiore Kingdom to pick up other noble offspring, as there was still some time before the negotiations began.
***One week later.***
At Fairy Tail's Guild Headquarters, the hall lay unusually quiet. Cana, who had even run out of glasses to polish, sat idly propping her chin and yawning.
Because of the Pokemon craze sparked by Gaal, guild members were either off in the West Forest searching for a Pokemon they liked or wandering the town's streets and alleys in pursuit of that mysterious Dratini. The once lively guild had grown strangely silent.
Accustomed to the constant clamor since joining Fairy Tail, Cana found this stillness oddly unsettling.
At that moment, a "sigh-ha" sounded at the doorway, and the trio of Mirajane and her siblings walked in.
Lisanna, sporting a precocious look beyond her years, chided Elfman, "I told you, Elfman, don't challenge Primeape again. Isn't that enough already? It's happening again!"
Elfman, one hand pressed against his battered, swollen head, mumbled, "But Primeape is really formidable. Look—none of the other Pokemon even dare mess with him. I want to be that strong too, so I can protect all of you better."
Mirajane led the two over to the bar, saying, "Thanks a lot, Cana."
Cana, clearly in her element, had already lined up some ice cubes in a cup and slid it over to them, "Just a little something. Did Elfman go looking for another fight?"
Mirajane shook her head in resignation and reached out, taking an ice cube from the cup and nudging it into Elfman's hand, "That Primeape's strength is just too overwhelming. With so many other Pokemon out there ready to be captured, why does he keep choosing the toughest one?"
Not only is Primeape powerful, but his volatile temper only makes things worse.
Elfman had spent five days in the West Forest and ended up getting beat up eight times—four of those fights coming on the first day, and on the following days he could only manage one fight a day as he grew too exhausted.
Determined, Elfman proclaimed, "Because I have to protect my sister, Lisanna, and everyone at the guild. That's why I must take on the strongest!"
Cana couldn't help but give him a thumbs-up, praising, "Getting beaten so many times and still not backing down—you've got some serious perseverance. You're going to succeed for sure!"
Elfman grinned confidently, "That's exactly what I believe!"
Buoyed by Cana's encouragement, Elfman immediately perked up. Mirajane, exasperated, picked up the cup of ice and handed it back to him with a grumble, "Keep the ice on, then."
Soon after, Mirajane ordered three glasses of juice and, looking around at the unusually quiet guild, she sighed, "It's so peaceful—perfect for a nap at times like these."
Cana, lounging over the bar, mused, "I wonder how long this calm will last. This kind of silence is a rarity. You know, the guild is normally a noisy mess—give it time and you'll see."
Mirajane nodded in agreement, then wondered aloud, "Where's Gaal? Didn't he say he'd be stationed at the guild?"
Cana lifted her head thoughtfully, "He's probably at his shop. With no enemies around, there's no need for him to be here. I haven't seen him for days—must be busy researching some bizarre stuff again."
Mirajane's curiosity peaked, "Bizarre stuff?"
Magnolia Town.
At Gaal's Magical Cottage.
In the Basement.
Kyoka and Seilah—those two demonic bodies—lay among heaps of materials.
After the previous battle, although the souls of these demons had managed to escape, their bodies remained behind and Gaal had stored them away.
He originally intended to find time to reforge them into a powerful demonic body through fusion, but he'd been too busy.
Just the day before yesterday, Gaal had perfected his Magic Circle for charging Magic Crystals, applying an ancient sealing technique he had deciphered.
He'd buried three thousand Magic Crystals beneath the guild, and set up conversion arrays throughout town to start charging the huge Magic Crystal below the guild. Right as he was about to acquire more Magic Crystals for expansion, a communication arrived from Gildarts bearing troubling news.
Gildarts was hurrying back; since it involved the old man, he didn't delve into details—only mentioning that they would discuss it once he returned, and he warned Gaal to keep an eye out for any recent anomalies in the town.
Though Gaal assured him that nothing unusual had been noticed, the gravity in Gildarts' tone compelled him to deploy a large defensive formation over the town's skies, covering the entirety of Magnolia Town. To be on the safe side, Gaal pulled out the two demonic bodies.
Upon inspection, both had been in use for years—the only flaw being the absence of souls. Once their souls were reinserted, they would immediately wield a demonic power almost equivalent to that of a slightly lesser Nine Demon Gates.
However, Gaal had no intention of proceeding that way. No matter how fine someone else's body might be, nothing compared to the reassurance of a body forged by one's own hands.
Both demonic bodies exhibited a purple hue—a result of an overdose of Curse Particles.
Their internal structures were partially damaged, but since they were to be reforged, combining 1+1 would birth a demon even more powerful than the originals.
Using his Psychic Power, Gaal positioned the two demonic bodies at the center of the Magic Circle and began casting his magic.
The Magic Circle began to glow, and the overall purple tint of the bodies faded swiftly, unveiling their original pale white skin, while the deep purple energy concentrated in their hands.
He gathered all the Curse Particles from within both demons into their hands. Seilah's hand still resembled that of a human, while Kyoka's arm was clad in armor with claws as sharp as demonic talons.
At Gaal's command, both demons' arms detached and floated toward the center of the Magic Circle. The left arms fused with each other, and so did the right arms.
Moments later, two tender white demonic arms floated in the air—bearing Seilah's human-like form yet sporting deep purple, razor-sharp nails that testified to their lethality, infused with compressed Curse Particles.
Moreover, since they were a fusion of two demons, the new formation could wield Kyoka's incantations. Kyoka's self-enhancing curse allowed those nails to extend indefinitely.
Gaal stepped forward and pressed his hand against the two arms. After giving them a gentle squeeze, he discerned that their texture was markedly different from human skin.
At his will, the skin on the demonic arms was instantly overtaken by bony demonic armor.
Pleased, Gaal nodded—now, with enhanced defense, offense, and an impressive appearance, he set the arms aside.
Then he turned his attention to the two long demonic legs. The Magic Circle pulsed with light, and moments later, two pristine white thighs—exactly one meter in length—floated before him.
Gaal reached out, grabbed one ankle, and tugged it slightly closer. As he examined the small foot, he began to muse over how best to decorate it.
After all, as a demon he wouldn't need to wear clothes, but key parts of the body could be shielded with demonic armor.
And then… suddenly, Gaal's eyes lit up.
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Hey guys!
Quick update from me.I haven't completely finished what I wanted to do (I added more stuff in the meantime — I'm not great at staying on track…), but I've made really good progress.
So I'll be getting back to uploading, but a bit less than before — probably around 3–4 chapters per week.