"It was Natsu and Gray. Those two little rascals got into a fight this morning and this is how the dorm ended up."
Reinhardt, who was laboring to repair the damage, explained when he noticed Marco.
"Reinhardt? You know how to do this?!"
Only when Reinhardt spoke did Marco realize the worker was actually the guild's defense magic array master, Reinhardt.
"Hey, in our line of work, you gotta have some survival skills." Reinhardt laughed heartily.
It wasn't entirely a joke—weaker Mages did need alternative means to make a living, or they might struggle to support themselves.
Marco rolled his eyes, ignoring Reinhardt's nonsense.
The man was far from weak; if he was skilled at this, it was purely out of hobby.
The members of Fairy Tail did have... eccentric hobby.
Looking up, Marco confirmed the massive hole in the dormitory was indeed where Natsu and Gray's room had been.
"Is it always this dangerous?" Elfman gulped nervously, his face etched with concern.
A fight that could punch a hole through a building? Was this place really suitable for him to live in?
"Don't worry. They know their limits. You won't get caught up in it." Seeing Elfman's unease, Marco quickly reassured him.
The last thing he wanted was to scare the kid off.
"I'm not afraid, Marco." Despite his worries, Elfman didn't back down.
As a proper man, he couldn't let himself be intimidated so easily.
He wanted to learn magic—so next time someone fought, he could step in and stop them!
"That's the spirit!" Marco gave Elfman a thumbs-up.
This Little guy had a fearlesness in him too.
Carrying his bag, Elfman followed Marco into the dormitory building.
Although Natsu and Gray's room had a huge hole in it, this didn't affect the normal use of the other rooms.
Soon, Marco settled Elfman in and didn't leave immediately.
Instead, he stayed in Elfman's room to chat with him.
"Your sister Mirajane—has she always been like this?" Marco asked, actively gathering information about his mission target.
Knowing yourself and your enemy ensures victory in every battle.
To make Mirajane accept this power, he needed to find out why she was unwilling to embrace it.
"No... Mira-nee used to be very brave and lively." At Marco's question, Elfman's expression darkened slightly.
He spoke slowly, his tone filled with helplessness.
It was clear that he had been deeply troubled by his sister's change.
"At first, after awakening Take Over Magic—no, after awakening the 'demon's power'—she wasn't like this. It was only after the villagers turned against us, after they started despising us, that she became like this... broken and dispirited."
Elfman looked at Marco as he recounted their family's story.
There was a glimmer of hope in the boy's eyes—he clearly wished Marco could find a way to solve this problem.
Elfman couldn't think of a solution.
Neither could Lisanna.
During their time wandering, he and Lisanna had both heard Mirajane stifling her sobs at night.
Both of them knew their sister was suffering, tormented by her emotions.
It worried and pained them deeply.
If someone could find a way to bring back the old Mira-nee, he would be endlessly grateful—even if it meant doing anything in return!
"So that's how it is." After listening to Elfman, Marco narrowed his eyes.
It seemed he had grasped a crucial point—a key to breaking through this deadlock!
The current Mirajane wasn't her true self.
She was a girl being constantly tormented by guilt.
The targets of her guilt were Lisanna and Elfman.
The reason she despised the 'demon's power' was also because of Lisanna and Elfman.
The three siblings—older sister, younger brother, and younger sister—had relied on each other to survive.
Only Lisanna and Elfman could affect Mirajane this deeply.
She wouldn't care so much about what others thought.
She hated her own recklessness—for insisting on hunting demons, only to end up gaining this 'demon's power' by accident.
She hated this demon's power because it had caused Lisanna and Elfman to be despised alongside her.
She believed everything was her fault.
That her willfulness had changed everything, robbing her younger siblings of their once difficult but peaceful life.
"I-Is that really it?!" Hearing Marco's analysis, Elfman looked shocked.
But upon further thought, the explanation made perfect sense.
Given his sister's personality, it was entirely possible she would think this way.
"But Lisanna and I don't blame Mira-nee at all!" Elfman grew agitated.
He stood up abruptly, wanting to go explain this to his sister.
The three of them had grown up relying on each other—he and Lisanna didn't care whether others liked them or not.
As long as they were together as a family, that was enough.
Even though the three of them wandered together, enduring hardships and sleeping rough, they never felt it was difficult nor did they blame Mira.
"You really need to do something." Marco nodded.
Now that the crux of the problem had been identified, all that remained was to prescribe the right remedy.
This matter could only be resolved by Elfman and Lisanna themselves.
"I'll go talk to Mira-nee right now!" Upon hearing this, Elfman anxiously wanted to leave immediately.
But Marco stopped him, believing that words alone were too feeble and might not necessarily sway Mirajane's mindset.
To ensure the mission's ultimate success, Marco felt they needed to strike decisively, aiming to achieve their goal in one attempt if possible.
"Are you willing to learn Take Over Magic?"
After some thought, Marco asked Elfman.
"Huh? Yes, I am!" Elfman was momentarily stunned but quickly responded.
The boy wasn't foolish—he immediately grasped Marco's intention.
If he learned Take Over Magic and Lisanna did too, it might make Mira stop believing that her own uniqueness was the reason the three of them had been forced onto the streets.
If both he and Lisanna mastered Take Over Magic and came to enjoy it, perhaps Mira would no longer reject it either.
"It's a feasible plan, but it depends on whether you and Lisanna have the talent." Marco was quite satisfied with this approach.
It would undoubtedly have a significant impact on Mirajane—the question was whether they could pull it off or not.
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