Magnolia, Fairy Tail Guild — underground library.
Mavis, Makarov, Ur, and Rob sat gathered around a table, while Arlen and Ultear stood quietly across from them.
"Are you certain? This isn't something we can afford to be careless about," Makarov said gravely.
"About eighty percent sure," Arlen replied seriously. "Ulthanos didn't say it outright, but his attitude and the look in his eyes were enough."
"Mavis, what's wrong?"
Ur turned her head, noticing that Mavis seemed stiff, her expression slightly unnatural.
"It's nothing. I just thought of something," Mavis said, quickly returning to her usual self with an innocent smile.
Ur wasn't some naïve little girl—there was no way she'd be brushed off that easily. Still, seeing that Mavis didn't want to talk, she didn't press further and instead added casually:
"I see. If you need anything, just tell us. If it's inconvenient, you can talk to me or Arlen privately."
"Mm, okay. I understand. Thank you, Ur." Mavis's eyes sparkled.
Rob stroked his beard, his expression heavy as he analyzed Arlen and Ultear's account.
"This is troublesome… I never expected that Zeref—the most brutal, powerful, and evil Black Mage in the history of magic—might still be alive."
"And worse, we don't know where he is, or how many mad mages like Ulthanos are out there," Makarov added with a frown.
"It's a pity Ulthanos had already lost his mind. He chose to self-destruct and tried to take me and Arlen with him. Otherwise, we might have captured him or gotten more information back at Maple Leaf Village."
Ultear sounded helpless. In a way, it might have been better not to know about Zeref at all. But now that they did, ignoring it was impossible.
"Makarov, what do you think? Should we report this to the Magic Council?" Rob asked.
Ur lightly tapped the table as she voiced her concern:
"Master, I fully trust Arlen and Ultear.
"But this matter is too important. We don't have concrete proof that Zeref is still alive.
"If we report it and the Council believes us, that's fine. But if they don't… those who already dislike us might use this as an excuse to cause trouble."
As soon as she finished, Mavis—now composed once more, the famed "Fairy Strategist"—spoke:
"There's another issue. If the Council leaks this information, the entire magical world will be shaken. Dark guilds and black mages who revere Zeref may come out into the open. Incidents like Ulthanos's could become more frequent."
Makarov fell silent, rapidly weighing the risks.
It wasn't that he feared the Council—he feared they might dismiss the matter as nonsense and casually ignore it.
And if the information leaked…
Those lurking in the shadows would undoubtedly spare no effort searching for Zeref. At that point, the entire continent of Ishgar could be thrown into chaos.
The underground library fell silent. All eyes turned to Makarov.
Arms folded, eyes closed, he pondered for a long while. Then suddenly, he opened his eyes and slapped his hands onto his knees.
"Alright, I've decided. We'll report everything—Maple Leaf Village and Zeref. As for how the Council handles it, that's their business. We'll just prepare for the worst-case scenario."
No one was surprised. Smiles appeared on their faces.
"That's right. No need to overthink it. We just do what we should," Rob said with a gentle smile.
"You two worked hard. Who would've thought a simple escort job would turn into something like this?" Ur said helplessly.
Makarov looked at Arlen and Ultear with warm approval.
"You've done well. Truly. You just went through a fierce battle, rushed all the way back, and didn't even get a chance to rest before being dragged here."
"Now that everything's settled, let's call it a day. I'll organize everything and submit it to the Magic Council. Arlen, Ultear—go get some rest. We'll have a banquet tonight."
With that, Makarov hurried out. Rob followed behind with his cane.
"We should go too, Arlen. Now that everything's reported, we can finally head home and rest," Ultear said, stretching slightly, fatigue showing.
"I wasn't that tired before, but now it's all catching up to me."
Seeing their condition, Ur gently pushed them toward the exit.
"Go on, both of you. Get some proper rest."
On the first floor of the guild hall, Arlen and Ultear exchanged a helpless smile as they watched Ur leave.
After greeting the other guild members, they headed home together.
Back in the underground library, Ur quietly returned.
Mavis sat frozen at the table, staring at a candle flame, her eyes filled with confusion and struggle.
Since meeting her, Ur had always known Mavis to be lively, childish, even a bit tearful at times—like a girl who never grew up.
This lost expression was something she had never seen before.
For a moment, Ur didn't know what to say.
But one thing was clear—she couldn't leave Mavis like this.
"Mavis, everyone's gone. Arlen and Ultear went home too. Let's head back—you said you wanted to finish your novel, right?"
"Ah?! Oh, Ur… you're still here? Did you say something? Sorry, I was thinking."
Mavis jumped slightly, rubbing her cheek awkwardly.
"I said, let's go back. You wanted to finish your book, didn't you?" Ur repeated patiently.
"So… I can finish the rest today?"
Mavis's eyes lit up instantly, the small wings on her head fluttering.
"Hey, don't look at me like that. I only said you can finish the one you're currently reading," Ur corrected, hand on her hip.
Despite Mavis being far older, Ur always acted like the dependable older sister.
"Hehe, that's fine too! Let's go!"
Mavis laughed and skipped upstairs.
Watching her, Ur smiled helplessly and followed behind.
As long as Mavis felt a little better, indulging her once in a while wasn't a problem.
—------------------------------
Pat reon Advance Chapters: patreon.com/FicWarden