Chapter 52: Mirajane, Lisanna, Elfman

Did Grandpa Macao pick up three more kids again?

Seeing the group of one old man and three children at the door, Mo En wasn’t surprised at all.

Half the children in the Fairy Tail guild were picked up by Grandpa Macao, including Mo En himself.

Today, Grandpa Macao was dressed relatively normally—in dark blue casual wear with a yellow training uniform underneath. Though still unusually short for a normal person, he no longer looked like a stage actor cast for a peculiar role.

Carrying the three children, Macao walked into the guild, introducing them to Fairy Tail as he went.

“This is Fairy Tail—a guild of mages, a warm family made up of many mages.”

Macao walked behind the bar, jumped onto it, and plopped himself down right on the counter.

There was no choice—he was simply too short; if he didn’t sit on the bar, he couldn’t drink or eat properly.

“Ero, bring a bottle of liquor.”

Macao called out to Ero, who had already begun working.

Then he pointed to the three chairs in front of him, signaling the new children to come and sit around him.

“Drinking this early in the morning, Guild Master? Itachi should take care of your health.”

Ero, who was cleaning the dishes, spoke up to advise Macao.

“Ero, why have Itachi become so nagging?”

Ero’s well-meaning advice earned him a grumble from Macao, but Ero only sighed and shook his head, placing a bottle of distilled liquor and a cup beside Macao, and pouring him a drink with thoughtful care.

“At eighty-two, it’s time to start watching your health.”

Mo En walked over and added his own advice, though he knew it was useless.

“My body’s still strong as ever.”

Macao retorted, ignoring them completely, lifting the cup, taking a sip, and letting out a long, satisfied sigh.

Thanks to his vast magical power, even at eighty-two, Macao could treat his body however he pleased—unless his magic ran out, he rarely even got sick. A little alcohol wasn’t a big deal, though it might cause trouble.

Mo En stopped Quan . He offered advice out of personal principle and as a gesture of filial duty; since drinking didn’t seriously harm his health, there was no need to force Grandpa Macao to quit.

“Who are these three children?”

Mo En’s gaze turned to the three newcomers—all had white hair, clearly siblings.

The girl, about the same height as Erza, looked like the elder sister. Her expression was gloomy; her thin frame was tightly wrapped in a cloak, especially her arms, completely hidden.

Mo En could sense that her right arm was emitting malevolent magical energy.

Beside her, the little girl in a pink dress was adorable, radiating an innocent, sweet charm.

As for the boy, he resembled his father more—he was rugged in appearance, his skin a stark contrast to the two pale girls. If not for their striking white hair, one would never guess they were siblings.

“I happened to see them outside the guild, watching Natsu and the others play around, so I invited them in.”

Macao answered while drinking.

This time, these three weren’t picked up off the street—he met them at the front door of Fairy Tail; they came to him on their own.

“Itachi look worn out—did Itachi run away from home? Did Itachi come here specifically to join Fairy Tail?”

Mo En asked them, wondering if Fairy Tail’s reputation as a mage orphanage had spread so far.

These three children were filthy, clearly having lived without a home for a long time—worse off than Mo En had been when he slept outdoors in the Wasu Forest.

Grandpa Macao brought them inside partly because of this—they clearly had no decent life.

“No, we just happened to be passing by.”

The girl in the cloak answered, her voice low, matching her gloomy expression—she radiated an overall aura of despair.

After saying that, she fell silent, shutting herself off completely—just like Erza had been when she first arrived at the guild, clearly carrying a whole story inside her.

“We were driven out by the villagers.”

Unlike her withdrawn sister, the younger sister and brother spoke up eagerly, taking turns explaining.

The three were the Strauss family: the withdrawn elder sister was Mirajane, the sweet younger sister was Lisanna, and the dark, rugged brother was Elfman.

They were driven from their village and forced into this homeless, wandering life because the eldest sister, Mirajane, had been possessed by a demon.

“Possessed by a demon? Probably not.”

Hearing their story, Mo En was startled—not by Mirajane being possessed, but by the girl’s magical talent.

A demon had appeared in their village church, and Mirajane, bold and kindhearted, had entered the church herself to drive it out.

During the battle, she absorbed the demon into her body, turning her arm into what it was now.

“Could Itachi show us that arm?”

Mo En politely asked the withdrawn elder sister, Mirajane.

Mirajane didn’t answer. Reluctantly, she pulled her right hand out from under the cloak, staring at it with clear revulsion.

Her right arm was entirely dark red, withered, covered in dense purple, crystal-like protrusions—so numerous they made one feel claustrophobic.

“Correct. It’s not possession—it’s Receive Magic, a magic that embeds a demon’s power within oneself.”

Macao swirled his cup, confirming Mo En’s assessment: Mirajane hadn’t been possessed—she had absorbed the demon.

During the battle with the demon, Mirajane awakened her magical talent: Receive Magic.

Had she not awakened Receive Magic, she could never have defeated the demon terrorizing her village.

“Magic Awakening” is an experience only exceptionally gifted mages undergo.

Ordinary mages must study and meditate to manipulate magic; true geniuses need only “Magic Awakening”—they instantly master magic without training.

The last person Mo En had seen undergo “Magic Awakening” was Erza, who said she suddenly burst with magical power and instantly mastered her “Exchange Magic: Knight.”

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(End of Chapter)