A disheveled Ankh crouched in the corner of the alley, staring at the two rescued children—Kira and Kage—as he fell into wild thoughts.
Although the names sounded quite... ordinary on their own, Ankh couldn't help but make associations from his previous life's memories.
Kira... and Kage.
Kira Yoshikage?
Ankh rubbed his chin, looking at the innocent boy.
That name sounds so cool, and... why does it feel so JoJo-esque? Just stepping out for a bit, and I've stumbled into an anime nest...
And then there was Kagura, this girl whose name sounded so familiar.
Despite possessing Magic Power no less than that of the S-Class candidates, Ankh had never heard of her in the magic world.
Though still very young, if Kagura were in an ordinary guild now, she would undoubtedly be an A-class Mage, bordering on S-Class purely on swordsmanship potential.
Of course, if she were in the current Fairy Tail... who knows where she'd rank.
The power scaling in his guild was getting ridiculous.
After calming the two children and checking them for injuries, Ankh stood up.
He looked at Kagura, who was sheathing her broken hilt, and asked, "You seem to have quite a bit of magic power. And that Gravity Magic... it's rare. Have you joined a guild?"
Kagura shook her head, her expression cool and guarded as she replied, "A few guilds have invited me, but I haven't joined any."
Not in a guild?
Ankh's eyes lit up.
This was a free agent!
She was a promising talent, so Ankh decided to push a little further.
He raised the back of his hand, showing his Fairy Tail Guild mark stamped clearly on his skin.
"I'm a Mage from Fairy Tail," Ankh said with a confident grin. "We're the best in Fiore. Interested?"
Ankh had expected the girl to show some admiration or excitement upon hearing the renowned Fairy Tail name.
Most rookies would jump at the chance.
But instead, Kagura didn't hesitate at all.
"Not interested," she said flatly.
"Eh?" Ankh was taken aback, blinking.
He wasn't particularly upset—no matter how promising she was, Fairy Tail was filled with experts.
They didn't need Kagura. But the immediate rejection was a blow to his guild pride.
"Why?" Ankh asked, genuinely curious. "Don't you like our guild? We have good benefits. And a pool."
"It's not about liking or disliking."
Kagura shook her head, adjusting her hood. "I just don't want to be in a guild full of men. They are noisy and barbaric."
Ankh looked at Kagura with confusion.
Was this girl some kind of extreme feminist?
She didn't seem like it.
And besides... Fairy Tail had plenty of beauties!
Ankh thought defensively.
Erza, Mira, Lucy, Cana, Levy, Juvia... cough, which of them isn't more... developed and feminine than you?
Seeing Ankh's hesitation, Kagura explained, "Don't misunderstand. I just prefer being around girls. It is more... peaceful."
'Isn't that the same thing?' Ankh thought.
"Alright, suit yourself," Ankh said, coughing lightly to hide his amusement.
He took the hands of the two timid children. "I'm going to take these two to the security office. You coming?"
...
Arriving at the Magnolia security office, Ankh handed the pitiful-looking children over to the security officer on duty to help find their families.
Under Kira Yoshikage's reluctant gaze (Ankh still chuckled internally at the name), Ankh waved goodbye and prepared to leave to reunite with Erza and Mirajane.
But when he turned around to head back to the street, Ankh saw Kagura still hesitating in the same spot outside the office.
Ankh looked at her curiously. "The matter with the children is settled. Why are you following me? Changed your mind about the guild?"
Kagura hesitated for a moment, gripping her scabbard, before looking up seriously.
"You're a Mage from Fairy Tail," she stated. "So you must be quite familiar with the people in Magnolia, right?"
Ankh raised an eyebrow, then said without any modesty, "I don't know everyone, but everyone know me. Are you looking for someone?"
Given Ankh's reputation as a Wizard Saint and the top mage of Fairy Tail, this statement wasn't exaggerated at all.
But to Kagura's ears, it sounded somewhat boastful and arrogant.
She ignored his tone and continued. "I heard there's going to be a big parade in Magnolia these days—the Fantasia. There will be dense crowds, so... I wanted to come look for my brother who went missing years ago."
"Brother?"
Ankh immediately nodded in understanding. "How did he go missing?"
"He was taken by someone. A cult."
Kagura's expression clearly turned sorrowful.
Her cold mask cracked slightly as she whispered, "If he managed to escape... he would definitely come looking for me. I believe he is alive."
Ankh wasn't surprised.
This girl's circumstances weren't particularly unusual in this world.
In this era, to ordinary civilians or those in high positions in the Council, it might seem like a peaceful and prosperous time.
However, from the perspective of ordinary combat personnel in the Magic world, this wasn't the case.
Whenever Magic touched one's childhood, misfortune always seemed to outweigh happiness.
Only top guilds like Fairy Tail, possessing enough strength to face crises, could enjoy this kind of "finding joy in hardship" lifestyle.
"So what about now? Have you found him?" Ankh asked quickly, seeing the girl lost in sorrow.
Kagura shook her head. "No... I've already been staying here for many days. I haven't seen him."
Ankh sighed and advised, "The big parade will be held in a few days. At that time, more people than the entire city's population will come to watch. It's a good opportunity. You should wait a bit longer."
Just then, Ankh suddenly had an idea.
He pointed toward the Fairy Tail guild hall visible in the city center, smiling.
"Or, you could post a commission on our request board. Have the guild members help you search. We're good at finding people."
Hearing his suggestion, Kagura forced a faint, bitter smile and nodded helplessly.
"I know."
She had indeed asked guild members for help before in other towns.
But Kagura found that even if she offered all her possessions, she couldn't attract capable Mages.
With low rewards, the Mages who came forward naturally had lower abilities or gave up quickly.
Plus, Kagura had to pay for travel and food...
Now, she was so poor she only had a broken sword and worn-out clothes left.
Where would she get the money to post a commission at the number one guild in Fiore?
But... since this prominent member of the guild had suggested it kindly, Kagura didn't want to reject his good intentions or admit her poverty.
So she simply replied, "Alright, I understand. Thank you."
Having said all this, Ankh felt he had said everything he needed to say.
He had no obligation to help her further right now, and Erza was probably worried.
So he waved at her. "Good luck, kid."
He turned to leave.
"Brother!"
At that moment, a crisp, familiar voice rang out from down the street, making Ankh instinctively turn around.
He saw Erza, still in her Gothic Lolita dress, pulling Mirajane along as they sprinted toward him from a distance.
"There he is!"
The two girls rushed up to Ankh.
Without a word, they immediately began patting him down from head to toe with their "magic claws," checking him over thoroughly.
They pinched his arms, checked his face for cuts, and Mirajane even lifted his shirt slightly to check his ribs.
The thorough inspection left Ankh feeling ticklish all over. He swatted their hands away, asking with a mix of amusement and exasperation.
"Hey! What are you two doing? In public?"
Seeing that Ankh appeared unharmed and energetic, Erza finally relaxed.
She let out a long sigh of relief, clutching her chest.
"You suddenly disappeared!" Erza scolded. "You scared us to death! You're still recovering!"
Mirajane quickly nodded in agreement.
She puffed out her cheeks angrily, putting her hands on her hips like a young wife scolding her wayward husband.
"What if the Etherion had some aftereffects? What if you fainted in an alley? We can't be careless with your health, Ankh!"
Ankh spread his hands helplessly. "Relax. They were just a few human traffickers. Even Mira could have taken them out with a fart."
"Ankh!"
Mirajane made a disgusted face, blushing furiously, and lightly slapped Ankh's shoulder.
"Eww! That's disgusting! I don't do that!"
Seeing that her unreliable brother was fine and making jokes, Erza completely relaxed.
She smiled, shaking her head.
However, as Erza turned to lead them back, she accidentally noticed the hooded girl standing beside Ankh.
Kagura, who had heard Erza's shout of "Brother!" earlier, had already been standing there stunned, staring at the scarlet-haired woman.
That voice.
That red hair.
That call from Erza seemed to awaken a vague, buried figure from Kagura's chaotic childhood memories.
Erza...
That's right!
Back in Rosemary Village, when the cult attacked... it wasn't just her brother Simon who protected her.
There was a girl from the village who hid her in a box and saved her life.
Looking at Erza's noticeably matured face, Kagura felt waves of emotion surging in her heart.
Her hands trembled.
Forgetting her usual cold demeanor for a moment, she took a step forward.
She couldn't help but blurt out, her voice trembling:
"Erza-nee?!"
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Ankh only watch fairy tail till tenrou island so he didnt know kagura in case you forgot