While Wally Buchanan hadn't returned to Magnolia yet, Raizel stepped onto the streets of Gazania Town, where Sabertooth was located.
This wasn't Raizel's first time visiting the city, though his last visit had been many years ago.
After all, the town had its own official guild, so local residents' requests and tasks rarely made their way to Fairy Tail's request board.
Sabertooth had existed for many years but had remained relatively unknown.
However, it seemed things had changed recently...
Walking through the busy streets, Raizel occasionally overheard residents discussing the local guild.
"Sabertooth has a new Guild Master..."
"Someone very powerful and authoritative..."
"And there are five other highly skilled mages now..."
Tasks that were once difficult for the local mages to resolve now seemed effortless.
'Interesting... A new Guild Master, new members—are they Rogue and Sting?' Raizel thought.
But to Raizel, this wasn't important right now.
That Guild Master, Jiemma, was nothing special, at best, he barely made it into the power level of the lowest seat of the Ten Wizard Saints.
"Time to get down to business..." Raizel muttered.
Unconsciously, Raizel arrived at the town center.
[Name: Yukino Agria]
[Appearance: Short white hair, height below 160cm]
Raizel tried to recall the canonical details he knew.
Currently, Yukino should only be twelve years old. He closed his eyes, and his magical vision gradually expanded, slowly encompassing the entirety of Gazania Town.
He had used tracking magic to search briefly before, but only managed to pinpoint a general location.
'Upper left corner... Not there. Upper right corner... Not there either... Found her!'
Dividing the area into four quadrants centered around himself, Raizel finally located Yukino's magical signature in the lower left quadrant, inside a local church orphanage.
However, he didn't head there immediately.
Instead, he first made a detour to the local bank.
...
"Hello. I'm Raizel from Fairy Tail. I'd like to speak with the orphanage director." Raizel showed his glowing guild emblem to the security guard at the orphanage entrance.
Nowadays, Fairy Tail was undoubtedly a recognizable name throughout the Fiore Kingdom.
There was no other reason—the title of the Number One Guild in Fiore was widely known and respected.
Though unsure why a famous S-Class mage had come to a rural orphanage, the guard complied and reported via walkie-talkie.
"Please come in. The director is waiting for you in her office," the guard said, opening the iron gate after putting down the device.
"Thank you." Raizel nodded and stepped into the orphanage courtyard.
He quickly noticed Yukino sitting alone under a tree with her knees drawn to her chest, lost in thought.
She stood in stark contrast with the other children playing happily in the distance.
As if sensing something, Yukino glanced over at Raizel.
Only after he entered the main building did she turn back to staring at the grass.
The director was a middle-aged woman in her forties, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, her hair neatly tied into a bun.
Her office was sparsely decorated—simple, yet impeccably clean.
"I'm Director Moana. To what do we owe the honor of a visit from a mage of Fairy Tail?"
"I'm Raizel. I'm indeed here on business."
After shaking hands, Moana gestured for Raizel to sit down. "Please have a seat."
Raizel went straight to the point: "Here's the situation. I came this time for a specific child—Yukino Agria. Her older sister, Sorano, has been searching for her for years, and I'm here at her request to find her."
"Additionally, I'd like to take Yukino with me to join Fairy Tail. She shows considerable talent in learning magic."
The second point was Raizel's spontaneous decision.
Yukino was quite good at learning Celestial Spirit magic, and it would be a waste not to nurture that potential early.
Moreover, seeing how she didn't fit in with the other children at the orphanage, it seemed she had significant psychological trauma from losing her family.
"I see. Yukino's sister?" Moana sighed. "I've heard her mention being separated from her sister when she was young, but we haven't seen any trace of her family all these years. Although Yukino isn't yet an adult, if it's for learning magic at an official guild... that might be acceptable."
Moana's tone shifted, becoming firm. "But I have conditions."
"Please state them."
"First, Yukino must be willing to go with you. If she doesn't agree, I won't let you take her under any circumstances."
"Second, if Yukino is willing, I need your signature and acceptance of follow-up welfare visits from our staff."
Moana extended two fingers as she spoke, her tone very serious.
These requirements weren't difficult for Raizel to accept at all.
He respected her dedication to the children.
Raizel agreed to everything. "Of course, these are incredibly reasonable requests. I accept them all."
"I'll go get Yukino. Please wait a moment." After saying this, Moana stood up and left the office.
Soon after, Moana returned holding the hand of a white-haired girl in plain clothes.
Raizel had overestimated her height—she wasn't even 150cm tall, probably due to insufficient nutrition during her early childhood on the run.
"My sister... do you really know her?" Yukino asked cautiously when she saw it was the tall man who had made eye contact with her earlier.
"Sorano Agria." Raizel smiled gently.
Raizel waved his hand, and a glowing yellow Archive frame appeared before Yukino, revealing a recent, moving image of Sorano within it.
"It really is my sister!" Yukino became very excited, tears welling in her eyes.
Though they hadn't seen each other for years, her sister's face remained vivid in her memory.
Yukino tried to touch her sister's cheek through the frame... but unfortunately, her hand passed through the light.
"I know exactly where your sister is. She asked me to find you," Raizel said, dispelling the screen.
"Where is she? Why didn't she come find me herself?" Yukino frowned, clearly puzzled and a bit hurt.
"She has her reasons. She made some mistakes, but you'll understand when you see her," Raizel said softly.
"I heard from the director that you want me to join Fairy Tail, is that right...?"
"Exactly. Are you willing to join our guild?"
"I'm willing!" Yukino didn't hesitate at all.
Aside from Moana, she wasn't close to anyone at the orphanage.
She couldn't blend in with the other children, so she had simply stopped trying.
Moreover, Fairy Tail was currently at its peak—what could be bad about joining them?
She could even learn real magic and become strong enough to protect herself!
"Since Yukino is willing to leave with you, I won't stand in the way. I'll process her paperwork now." Moana took Yukino's hand and gently patted it.
"Thank you, Director Moana!" Yukino said with tears spilling down her cheeks.
"No need for thanks, sweetie. If you still remember me, just come visit when you have time." Moana smiled warmly, stroking Yukino's small head.
"Of course! I won't forget you!" Yukino nodded vigorously.
"Two copies, you sign here and here." Moana quickly drafted the release document, magically duplicated it, and handed it to Raizel.
Raizel skimmed through it.
The document essentially required him to guarantee he wouldn't mistreat Yukino, would provide for her basic needs including food, clothing, and shelter, and would accept follow-up visits.
It resembled adoption papers but wasn't quite the same, since Raizel wasn't acting as a sole legal guardian, but as a guild representative.
Raizel took Moana's pen and signed, then after a moment's thought, stamped it with the glowing Fairy Tail Guild Mark.
Seeing the official guild seal made Moana feel much more reassured.
"Good. Once Yukino packs her belongings, you can take her with you."
"Oh, and please accept this." Raizel took out a 1,000,000 Jewel check and placed it on the desk.