Jehfrit slowly walked over and sat beside Roya. "Thank you for sharing your knowledge," he said.
Roya, lying on the ground, gave a bitter smile. "Deception Magic... So that's how it works."
He looked at Jehfrit and continued, "I understand now. The terrifying thing has never been the demons behind you, but you—the you who could develop a deceptive magic to this extent."
"Thank you for the compliment," Jehfrit chuckled.
"But..." Roya hesitated. "Is this really okay? Continuing down this path, you've already seen the outcome. Are you going to turn back?"
The things Aftearali had said earlier might have been unclear to others, but Roya, who had spent his entire life studying demons, understood perfectly.
The endpoint of this path...
Was opposition to the gods.
Humans were not the beloved creations of the gods. Even those born with extraordinary talent, seeking truth and striving to approach divinity, would ultimately stray from their original intentions and be abandoned by the gods.
Back then, it wasn't just Zeref who was cursed... Was humanity as a whole the target of the gods' curse?
Acnologia...
Zeref...
And the demon behind Jehfrit...
Without exception.
Could it be...
That the gods weren't on the side of truth but stood against it?
"Hahaha—" Roya laughed, his emotions tangled in his laughter. When he finished, he looked at Jehfrit, waiting for his response.
Jehfrit remained calm, his resolve unwavering.
He raised one finger and said, "First, I'm different from all of you. I have no grand ambitions, no ultimate goal. Or rather, my only goal is to reach a comfortable place where I can relax and enjoy myself. That's all I need."
Roya's eyes widened slightly. At this point, there was no reason for Jehfrit to lie.
Had he... never strived or worked hard toward a goal?
Had he simply coasted along with an attitude of "If trouble arises, I'll put in a little effort to solve it," and reached this point?
What about his own persistence?
Roya had already been struck with enough blows over the past two days. The first came when he read Jehfrit's notes—he was shocked, sure, but he dismissed it with a simple "This guy's a genius." But now... he suddenly felt a sense of despair.
Was the reason he hadn't reached the end of his journey after a lifetime of effort simply because he wasn't worthy?
Did those who truly succeed possess this level of intellect?
Roya had always considered himself a genius. He didn't think he was inferior to Zeref or the goddess Kabbalah—just unlucky.
But now, he finally realized what he lacked... intelligence.
"Second," Jehfrit raised a second finger. "There's no turning back once you reach that point—"
"Mastery of truth."
"Eternal life."
"Ultimate power."
"All of these come at a price—not being human anymore."
"I'm unwilling to pay that price, so I'll never reach that height."
Jehfrit gazed into the distance. "The secrets of this world are like an ocean. I only want to catch enough fish. I'm not greedy enough to dive into the deep trenches to hunt sea monsters."
"In short," Jehfrit smiled, "I'm afraid of heights."
Fairy Tail's members watched Jehfrit. Natsu rested his arm on Lucy's shoulder, grinning widely.
Jehfrit said, "Being too high up might mean losing a lot of things. I don't want that. I'd rather stay with everyone."
"Jehfrit, you..." Erza gave a satisfied smile.
Yes.
Jehfrit.
No matter how powerful he became, everyone knew his true nature.
Lazy.
And—
With a sincere heart that loved and was loved in return.
Makarov looked at Jehfrit approvingly. This was why he admired him. Despite wielding the most deceptive magic and appearing completely untrustworthy on the surface, he maintained the purest and most genuine heart.
"Third," Jehfrit raised a third finger. "Be sincere in your pursuit of knowledge, Roya."
"...," Roya gave a bitter smile.
Why did he study knowledge?
Because he wanted immortality.
Why was Jehfrit better at it than him?
Because he genuinely loved learning.
This kind of motivational talk was something he'd grown tired of hearing as a child.
So while Jehfrit's first two points left him deeply reflective, he couldn't agree with this last one.
It was just the arrogance of a genius.
This guy...
Roya looked at Jehfrit, then suddenly felt at peace.
He wasn't omniscient or omnipotent. He had blind spots and limitations in his thinking.
And Roya had something that Jehfrit couldn't see.
A sly smile crept onto Roya's lips as he thought to himself: I won't tell Jehfrit about this. One day, he'll make a mistake because of this flaw.
"Ah—"
Jehfrit suddenly pointed at the sky and shouted, "Look at that giant cotton candy flying in the sky!"
"Where?!" Natsu immediately looked up.
Some fell for it, some didn't, but they all instinctively turned their heads toward the sky.
*Splat*
When Natsu lowered his head, he saw that Roya's body had been separated from his head.
"You bastard..." Natsu sighed in exasperation, walking over and punching Jehfrit lightly.
"Jehfrit, what about her?" Happy asked curiously.
Everyone turned to Miss.1.
Miss.1 stared at Roya's corpse, her expression complex. But she shook her head and looked at Jehfrit with anticipation.
"She seems to have a pretty good relationship with you," Natsu remarked.
"But she's an enemy," Gray interjected.
"It's up to Jehfrit to decide. We don't fully understand," Erza said.
"Jehfrit," Miss.1 ran over. "Wait a moment."
She turned and rushed back to the base, returning with a box.
It was the same box she had intended to give Jehfrit before running away.
She placed the box at Jehfrit's feet and said, "For you."
Then, without warning, she drew a knife and lunged toward Lucy.
"You bastard!" Natsu and Erza shouted in alarm, rushing to intervene.
Jehfrit narrowed his eyes, preparing to cast magic.
But in that instant, Miss.1 retracted her hand and stepped closer to Jehfrit.
*Splat*
She left some wetness on Jehfrit's face.
Everyone froze.
"Hahaha—Successful sneak attack!" Miss.1 laughed, retreating instantly and disappearing in the blink of an eye.
"..." Jehfrit pulled out a handkerchief, ready to wipe off the saliva.
"Cat Punch!!!"
Lisanna suddenly leapt out, delivering a punch to Jehfrit's face that sent him stumbling sideways, right into Mirajane's arms.
"Oh, sorry, Jehfrit-kun! I was planning to help you wipe your face, but I guess I used too much force, hehe!" Lisanna made a cute apology, her cat-claw fist raised by her ear, one eye squinted shut, her tongue sticking out.
"You clearly yelled 'Punch'..." Jehfrit muttered, reaching to rub his face. But before he could, a fragrant handkerchief covered his face.
"Lisanna, when wiping someone's face, be gentle," Mirajane said with a smile.
"I got it," Lisanna replied, looking relieved.
"..."
Mirajane cradled Jehfrit's face, gently wiping it with a handkerchief. Her expression was tender as she softly said, "Thank you, Jehfrit."
"..." Jehfrit smiled back, feeling the softness of her touch. Unconsciously, he leaned into it, only to be pushed out of her embrace.
"..."
"By the way... Is anyone going to save me?" Tiffany's weak voice came from the ground, her face pale.
"You guys are injured, but I've been drained of blood!"
"Twice!"
Tiffany complained.
"Sorry, Miss Tiffany, let me heal you," Wendy hurried over.
"Laxus-nii, are you okay?" Lisanna went to check on Laxus. "You were coughing up blood."
"I'm fine," Laxus waved dismissively, still sitting with his signature confident posture.
*Thud*
Emily slid down a wall, her head tilting to the side as her eyes closed.
"Emily!" Levy called out worriedly.
"Miss Emily is just exhausted and fell asleep. No need to worry, Miss Levy," Aza explained.
"By the way... Who are you?" Levy asked, looking at him.
"I'm a demon created by Master Jehfrit," Aza replied with a smile.
Laxus studied Aza's body thoughtfully.
"How do we handle this demon?" Makarov asked, looking at Jehfrit.
Tomon was still sprawled on the ground.
"Leave it to me. Everyone can rest assured," Jehfrit said.
How to handle it?
Of course, the same way as Ansa.
Miko would convert him, Jehfrit would infect him with his magic, and then send him back to Edolas.
This way, Edolas would have access to the magic of one and a half demons.
Enough to equip Mistgun's army.
The reason it was one and a half was naturally because half of it went to Azazel.
Now Aza possessed a superbrain, half a demon's magic, the ability to call upon more at any time, and a top-tier, formidable body.
Once he digested the knowledge from this battle, who knew how many times stronger the Mirror World would become?
From a small demon at the start to now—a boss-level demon.
Jehfrit was eager to see how far Aza could grow.
Could he reach Miko's level?
Today's news: Fairy Tail wipes out the Roya Organization, at the cost of destroying half the city.
The subsequent troubles left Master Makarov overwhelmed.
But it had nothing to do with everyone else.
Especially not Jehfrit.
Heh heh.
So why did he refuse to become guild master at all costs?
Jehfrit's will was too firm. Helpless, Makarov eventually decided to let Laxus assist him in handling matters, signaling something to everyone.
This time, however, no one objected.
Though Laxus had been hard to accept in the past, his actions since then proved that despite his pride, he was a good person.
Especially this time.
Facing such a terrifying attack, Laxus had pushed Natsu and the others away, taking the brunt of the damage to the point where he could no longer fight.
It was a life-risking act to protect his comrades.
As a result, most members no longer held any resentment toward Laxus. Even those who opposed him now observed him cautiously.
There weren't many candidates for guild master.
Jehfrit was the first choice—his strength, intelligence, and leadership were all sufficient. He even taught Emily, who this time perfectly took over his role as team commander during battle. Jehfrit was also a great teacher.
Aside from a few minor flaws, but everyone had those. Makarov himself was often inappropriate, frequently patting girls' butts.
All in all, the person everyone recognized the most was undoubtedly Jehfrit. Unfortunately, he refused to take the position.
Gildarts was incredibly strong, and his presence alone made everyone feel secure. But he had no strong desire for the position, his reasons similar to Jehfrit's.
Erza was a good choice—strong, upright, and fond of managing people.
Then there was Laxus. Though he had many flaws in the past, he had corrected them, and everyone thought he was acceptable now.
Erza would have been Laxus's toughest rival for the position, but in the end, she gave up her candidacy.
There were many reasons, but the most important one was...
Aside from Laxus, no one else had a strong desire for the position of guild master.
Makarov finally made up his mind to start grooming Laxus.
He was old, suffering from heart disease, and could collapse at any moment, perhaps even during a battle.
The next guild master needed to be carefully considered!
After Laxus took over, he began to understand why his grandfather had gone bald.
By the way...
Isn't Natsu a bit too rowdy?
And why is the guild so poor?!
A group of elite mages with incredible strength, yet when it came to taking on jobs...
Laxus stared at the towering stack of bills on his desk, taller than his grandfather, and at his grandfather's utterly helpless expression.
"Laxus, our guild is going bankrupt!"
"..."
Suddenly, a pair of book title brackets appeared in Laxus's mind, quickly pulling apart to reveal a line of text:
*Just Took Over the Continent's Strongest Guild and Now Facing Bankruptcy—Is Something Wrong Here?*
"The guild is going bankrupt?"
"Are we all going to be homeless?"
Jehfrit lifted his head from his book, looking at Ikuto, who was gossiping about the guild.
"Yeah, everyone's panicking. This time, we're going to owe a lot of money," Ikuto said.
"Master," Emily said tearfully, "I haven't learned many spells yet. If I become a street magician, will I be able to earn money?"
The little girl's mind conjured up some scenes.
The guild goes bankrupt, leaving them saddled with massive debts.
Jehfrit's shop closes down.
Under a bridge.
Ikuto wears a patched-up, tattered kimono, her face gaunt as she counts the few coins left, occasionally coughing. "Master Jehfrit, we only have a few days left, and we still haven't gathered enough to pay the debt. There's no rice left in the barrel. What will we do next month?"
Meanwhile, Emily, dirty and sniffling, stands in the cold wind, struggling to perform street magic.
"This is terrible!"
The audience turns and walks away.
"No!" Emily cries out in despair.
*Thump* Jehfrit taps Emily on the head. "Stop imagining nonsense."
"You need to know this," Jehfrit said seriously. "The members of Fairy Tail are strong, destructive, and fiercely protective of their own. If this guild were to disappear and they were to roam freely in society, the harm would be immense. Neither the kingdom nor the council would dare allow such a thing."
"Master Jehfrit, your explanation sounds a bit off," Ikuto said, feeling awkward about how he made everyone sound like villains.
"In short," Jehfrit concluded, "it's not a big deal. Just get used to it."