It took Elfman a great deal of effort to finally barely receive the Beast King, but his condition wasn't much better.
As soon as the Receive magic succeeded, Elfman fainted.
There was nothing for it; Ankh carried the unconscious Elfman, leading Mirajane and Lisanna, safely back to the Guild.
The once tumultuous event of Lisanna's death was thus lightly brushed aside due to Ankh's intervention... Back at the Guild, the returning Ankh reported to Makarov and couldn't help but voice his confusion:
"Guild Master, how much do you know about the Dark Guild Tartaros?"
Makarov was stunned for a moment, then asked, puzzled, "Why, did you encounter someone from Tartaros on this mission?"
Ankh nodded, his expression grave, and said, "It was a woman. She claimed to be a demon, and she was very strong. If my magic hadn't countered hers, she would have been very troublesome."
Hearing his most trusted Mage say this, Makarov also became serious, lowering his head in thought, "Even you say so. Tartaros is indeed terrifyingly mysterious..."
Curiously, he asked, "That woman claimed not to be human, and Tartaros is the Dark Guild I know least about, so I wanted to ask you."
Makarov's expression was solemn. He slowly paced with his staff, saying, "There are many Dark Guilds, but the only ones that truly amount to anything are the Dark Guilds of the Balam Alliance."
"And one of the core members of the Balam Alliance is this Tartaros."
Ankh: ...I know all this. Can't we talk about something useful?
Makarov didn't notice Ankh's bored expression and continued in the unique low, deep tone of an old man:
"Among the three great Dark Guilds, Oración Seis is the most active, Grimoire Heart is the strongest, and Tartaros is the most mysterious."
"Our intelligence only indicates that Tartaros is an organization that extremely reveres Zeref and worships demons. As for their identities and the strength of their members, we know nothing."
"I didn't expect that a member of Tartaros would actually be a demon itself..."
Makarov was clearly quite shaken by this news, muttering to himself.
Ankh frowned and couldn't help but ask, "Are there no other intelligence reports?"
Makarov shook his head, regrettably saying, "No. Let alone the Guild, even the Council, with its eyes all over the continent, probably hasn't gathered much useful information."
Ankh pounded the corner of the table in frustration, muttering, "It seems we can only use the White Devil Cult's clues to find them."
"Don't be rash."
Makarov's old face showed a helpless expression as he stopped him, saying,
"Even if we find Tartaros, we cannot initiate a war."
"The Council has strict restrictions on Guild wars. We cannot casually go to war with the three great Dark Guilds, saying it would cause unnecessary casualties."
Ankh gritted his teeth fiercely. It's the Council again!
For some reason, Ankh always held a slight prejudice against the Council.
Coming from his previous life, he had his own unique views on various matters.
The Council's system might protect the lower and middle classes of the world, but in a war of nation-destroying—or even world-destroying—proportions, it was utterly useless.
And this was precisely the world of Fairy Tail, where battles of that magnitude could erupt at any time... Suppressing powerful Guilds with authority was not a long-term solution.
Under the leadership of those old men, the Magic World would at best stagnate, with no possibility of progress.
Makarov looked at Ankh's somewhat grim expression and helplessly comforted him, "We must catch the White Devil Cult, but we cannot easily provoke a fight with Tartaros."
Of course, Makarov's premise for saying this was that those Dark Guilds hadn't harmed his own Little Fairies.
If they really laid a hand on the Little Fairies... then... to hell with the Council, Old Makarov would call people out in minutes to fight those Dark Guilds, wouldn't he!
In fact, in the original history, Makarov did exactly that.
Leaving aside Fairy Tail's raid on Phantom Lord, let's talk about those Dark Guilds.
Of the Balam Alliance's three great Dark Guilds, two of them perished by provoking Fairy Tail... Except for Oración Seis, which was the only war the Council allowed, launched by a joint force of four Guilds.
Grimoire Heart's Guild Master Hades led his people to Fairy Tail's sacred ground, only to be counter-killed by the entire Golden Generation, directly leading to its disbandment and escape.
The Tartaros that Ankh is currently wary of is even more so.
The rampaging demons first blew up the Council, and Makarov remained calm; as long as his own people weren't hurt, he stubbornly refused to lead the Guild to fight them.
But then Tartaros struck back, almost killing Laxus. The old man couldn't take it anymore, stormed their base, and ended up defeating the demons again, causing them to disband... Fairy Tail's finest tradition is certainly protecting its own and immediately seeking revenge.
How Tartaros would be destroyed in the future, Ankh didn't know yet.
He simply believed that matters beyond his control needed to be understood more deeply.
Ankh pondered deeply. Suddenly, a person's image flashed through his mind.
Ultear!
As a member of the strongest Grimoire Heart, and the leader of the Seven Kin of Purgatory with a high status, how could she not know information about her allied partners?
She had just gained the opportunity to infiltrate the Council as a Council member, which, to Ankh, meant she was practically within reach.
"I can use Anselion's identity to inquire at the Council," Ankh said to Makarov.
Makarov was momentarily stunned, then nodded, "That's good. The Council always knows more than we do."
"As for the whereabouts of the White Devil Cult remnants, I will also send people to track them."
After explaining this matter, Makarov sighed in relief, looking at the Little Fairies playing not far away, and mused,
"Ever since you joined the Guild, Ankh, I feel like a lot of the burden on my shoulders has lessened..."
Ankh glanced at the short old man in surprise, then waved his hand, "It's nothing, it's what I should do."
When Ankh heard Makarov say this, he felt a deep sense of emotion.
Though in his previous life, when he watched the anime and saw Natsu, Erza, and the others causing destruction, and the Guild Master having to clean up their messes and write apologies, he found it comical and amusing.
But after truly joining the Guild, Ankh increasingly understood Makarov's hardships.
Externally, the Light and Dark Guilds of the Fiore Kingdom were eyeing them covetously, all wanting to replace and eradicate Fairy Tail's standing.
Even the Council wished nothing more than to disband the flourishing Guild.
Internally, not only did he have to handle countless affairs, but no matter what trouble the children below caused, Makarov had to bear it, never wanting to cause them any psychological pressure.
He wanted to relieve himself of the heavy responsibilities, but he couldn't find a suitable person.
Laxus was stubborn and arrogant, Mystogan was reclusive and unsociable, Gildarts couldn't even be found, and Mirajane had lost her magic at the time.
The only remaining option was Erza, and although she held great prestige within the Guild, something always felt missing.
Now, with the appearance of Ankh, who was steady, understood the bigger picture, and possessed enough strength to command respect, Makarov had naturally lived much more comfortably these past few years.
Recently, Ankh had even received the honor of being a Ten Wizard Saint, nominally on par with Makarov himself. While this made the Guild more conspicuous externally, Ankh's help internally had stabilized it considerably.
Ankh was lost in thought, a gentle smile unconsciously appearing on his lips.
"Guild Master."
"Hmm?"
"You've worked hard."
Makarov suddenly turned his head, looking at Ankh's gentle expression, and couldn't help but grin, his eyes glistening at some point... "You little brat! You don't need to comfort me!"
Although Makarov's old face feigned indifference, Ankh could hear the bitterness and pressure that had accumulated in his heart over the years from his hearty laughter.
A Guild passed down through three generations, and even reaching its peak in his generation—Makarov's efforts were immeasurable.
After a burst of laughter subsided, Makarov's eyes crinkled with a smile, his benevolent gaze fixed firmly on Ankh and the lively young men and women before him.
He felt a sense of relief once again in his heart.
As long as he could guide these children well and protect the family he cherished, what did all the hardships he endured matter?