But even knowing it was the world of Fairy Tail, Ankh's mood remained unchanged.
After all, his mental state had been unstable for years, and many memories of his past life had become hazy.
Makarov looked at the tense Ankh, casually raised his hand, and greeted him informally, "Yo, hello!"
Ankh did not lower his hand, his crimson eyes fixed on Makarov, remaining silent.
His incredibly dark experiences made Ankh deeply distrustful of all outsiders except Seram.
Seeing no response, Makarov awkwardly scratched his head, then asked with genuine curiosity, "Um, are you a boy or a girl?"
A vein throbbed on Ankh's forehead, and without a word, he lunged forward, trying to grab Makarov.
However, although Makarov was startled by his action, he nimbly leaped aside, dodging the attack and saying, "What's wrong? Don't be so hot-tempered!"
Ankh glared at Makarov, and Seram in his mind seemed to have discovered something very bad, saying with a headache:
"That old man has no fear of you in his heart; Terror cannot be activated!"
Well, Ankh had expected this.
After all, if the Destruction Demon members hadn't seen him "resurrected from the dead" before, they wouldn't have been afraid of Ankh.
As a Guild Master, Makarov was even less likely to feel fear towards a frail child without reason.
Makarov looked at Ankh seriously and said in a deep voice, "Child, I ask you, were those Dark Guild members at the entrance killed by you?"
Ankh admitted it without hesitation, whispering, "Of course it was me; they deserved to die!"
"Is that so..."
Makarov's emotions remained unperturbed as he looked at Ankh's tender face and said, "With so many souls on your hands, your heart will be restless..."
Ankh couldn't help but scoff, saying, "Don't spout platitudes if you haven't experienced what others have."
Makarov's old face broke into a smile, and he laughed, patting his bald head, "Alright then... child, are you interested in joining my guild?"
Ankh was stunned, joining Fairy Tail?
Makarov offering an olive branch so easily seemed too kind-hearted, didn't it?
Although Ankh somewhat knew that this Fairy Tail Guild Master was very tolerant of children, inviting a stranger to join his guild so casually seemed too rash.
Ankh's beautiful little face was cold as he said indifferently, "I'm not interested in your guild."
This kid, beautiful enough to make women jealous, has such a strong psychological defense.
Makarov clasped his hands in frustration, muttering to himself.
Originally, Makarov had just returned from a Mage Guild Masters' meeting, and before he could even enter the town, he felt a terrifying magical fluctuation.
It was a special magic Makarov had never seen before, but its type felt very similar to one of their guild's Three Great Magics—Fairy Law.
And this kid, despite using magic similar to a Super Magic, why does he not seem to have any exhaustion?
Were the corpses at the entrance all cursed to death by him using Super Magic... Although he had many questions, Makarov, seeing Ankh's miserable, blood-stained appearance, couldn't help but advise, "But... you are alone now, and you won't be able to survive."
"Tch..."
Ankh's bright eyes flickered, his gaze shifting slightly, and he secretly asked Seram, "How is it? Are there any other combat magics?"
"You don't have much magic power in your body; only 'Terror' is inherently our magic, which is why you could learn and use it instantly and freely."
Meaning, Seram would indeed teach other magic, but his current physical condition was too poor, and he couldn't learn it yet, right... Ankh lowered his fist, calmly looked at Makarov, and whispered, "I need a place to rest."
"Wait, are you really going to join this human old man's guild?"
Meeting Makarov's surprised gaze, Ankh calmly replied in his mind, "Finding a place to settle down first is the best strategy."
Ankh, who grew up in the misty chaos, and Seram, who knew nothing about the outside world, could not survive in this world by themselves.
"...I'll listen to you; after all, your physique is so poor it's practically from the underworld, truly a disgrace to us."
At Seram's words, Ankh's small face couldn't help but flush, his soft features appearing even more delicate, leaving Makarov momentarily stunned.
"Alright... you go solve the human body's sustenance issues; I'll think about what other secret arts there are..."
After some lingering, Ankh, unfamiliar with the place, inexplicably found his first refuge in this world.
Leaving the Destruction Demon, Makarov led the way, and Ankh maintained his distance from the old man, following him step by step.
In the forest outside the city, with the lively yet cautious breeze and the fluttering leaves dancing in the wind, Ankh walked on the soft earth, and the heavy burden in his heart lightened somewhat.
He had felt nothing for the outside world all these years, but now that he was free, he understood that simply being alive was such a blessing... Makarov led the way, turning his head to look at the child following far behind him, and an old smile couldn't help but appear on his face.
Perhaps he was getting old; he was easily moved by pity when he saw a poor child.
As a Guild Master, he should be more cautious... Ankh looked at his surroundings with a mix of curiosity and caution.
"Ankh... the human body is a bit troublesome."
Seram, who had been silent for a while, suddenly spoke, and Ankh asked in his mind, "What's wrong?"
"The human bodies in this world have a growth limit at each age stage... I wanted to boost your physique all at once..."
Ankh couldn't help but smile, comforting it, "It's okay, we'll take our time."
"Anyway, I'm free now, and with your help, I can still become stronger."
Seram fell silent again, Ankh tilted his head, and did not disturb it.
This guy, could it be shy... Ankh looked at the short figure leading the way, and suddenly, a thought stirred in his mind, he opened his mouth wanting to speak, "You..."
"My name is Makarov."
Ankh paused, then continued to ask, "Guild Master Makarov, what year is it?"
Makarov was startled, and said, "This year? X778."
Well, he didn't remember at all.
Ankh only remembered X777, repeatedly mentioned in the original work, which was the year the dragons who raised Natsu and Wendy disappeared.
While Ankh was deep in thought, the two had unknowingly walked out of the forest, and in the distance, the appearance of Magnolia gradually became clear.
As one of the top magical cities in the Fiore Kingdom, Magnolia now had only one legitimate Mage Guild within its walls.
That was Fairy Tail, currently the most renowned in Fiore, subtly holding the title of the strongest guild!