The feeling of "the enemy lurking in the shadows while we're exposed" was truly irritating.
No matter how time-consuming or labor-intensive it might be, Marco was determined to dig out those hidden insects, ensuring they wouldn't think they could act without consequences.
These insects lacked the courage to confront them directly, resorting only to despicable sneak attacks—utterly contemptible.
Of course, it had to be admitted that this particular insect had some tricks up its sleeve.
At the very least, the "Exchange Magic" of the Ancient Wimpera Language held some substance—a genuinely unexpected move.
"In a world with magic, it's always like this. You never know what unconventional tactics your enemies might employ, so even a lion must use its full strength when pouncing on a rabbit."
Having grown up in a Magic Guild and witnessed all sorts of bizarre spells, Marco had always firmly believed in this principle.
Unless one were truly impervious to all magic, capable of nullifying any spell, it was essential to remain cautious when facing opponents with unknown abilities.
Therefore, when sending people to investigate the dismissed employees of the Magic Council, Marco emphasized "safety" as a top priority—insisting that teams of at least three members set out together.
Even Erza, an S-class Mage, was not permitted to go alone.
In a head-on, straightforward fight, Marco had no worries about Erza—few could reliably defeat her.
But when it came to dealing with all kinds of strange and unpredictable magic, she too had to exercise extreme caution.
Makarov fully supported this approach.
With his years of experience, he was more than qualified to speak on the matter.
They had nearly been defeated multiple times by inexplicable and bizarre spells, which proved far more challenging than facing powerful enemies head-on.
Following Marco and Makarov's instructions, everyone formed teams and set out to search for the targets, while Marco himself took charge of locating them.
The crows circled overhead, scanning for the figures on the list.
Each time a target was found, a team was dispatched.
Soon, another crow delivered a message.
Surprisingly, many of those individuals were located near Magnolia, leading Marco to suspect they might be operating as a group.
With many teams already dispatched to investigate the earlier discoveries, only a few members remained in the guild.
Without hesitation, Marco decided to take action himself.
"I'm heading out now," Marco said, turning to Mirajane behind the counter.
"Shall I come with you?" Mirajane tilted her head slightly, her tone full of concern.
Since everyone else was going in teams of three, it made no sense for Marco to venture out alone.
"In that case, could Lisanna take over your shift?" Marco replied with a smile.
He didn't refuse the offer, but the work had to be properly arranged.
Fortunately, Lisanna was in the guild and could easily cover for her.
"What?! Why?! I could go with Marco-nii too!" Lisanna immediately raised her hand in protest upon hearing this.
She had wanted to take part in the mission—why was she being assigned to stay behind and work instead?!
"Not until your strength surpasses mine," Mirajane said with a laugh, responding to her younger sister's protest.
That single remark left Lisanna speechless, as she simply wasn't as powerful as her sister Mirajane—their abilities were on completely different levels.
"Being weak really means having no rights!" Lisanna walked behind the counter with a mix of grief and indignation, taking over the shift from Mirajane.
She could only helplessly accept reality.
The demon girl Lillian stood nearby, covering her mouth while secretly laughing.
When she wasn't tending to her own small stall, she would help out at the guild counter, mixing drinks and preparing fruit beverages.
Marco and Mirajane paid no attention to Lisanna's grumbling and set off directly.
There was no need for preparations anyway, since their target was located near Magnolia.
"The target is hiding deep within a manor outside the city. He barely ever steps out - my crows have been flying around there for days without spotting him. It seems our precise investigation is finally paying off. He might have already received word about us."
On the way, Marco briefed Mirajane about the target's situation.
The reason he decided to take action personally was because this target was clearly unusual - likely a leader type.
Other discovered targets often wandered around outside, but this guy had been hiding consistently, suggesting a special status.
"Finally found them? As expected, it's them..."
Mirajane's expression turned serious, feeling quite angry inside.
These former Magic Council members, after being dismissed, instead of causing trouble for the Magic Council, came to Magnolia to harass them.
What did they mean by this? Did they think Fairy Tail was easy to bully?
"Probably they see us as the root cause of all their troubles, and also think we're easier targets. Compared to the more formal, tightly-organized new Magic Council, our guild is indeed more vulnerable to their schemes."
Marco smiled, understanding the likely reasons.
These people lacked real strength and could only resort to such cunning methods.
Under Gran Doma's leadership, the new Magic Council maintained strict internal inspections, determined to prevent another "Jellal incident" from occurring.
These dismissed members would find it extremely difficult to infiltrate the Magic Council again, while Fairy Tail was relatively more accessible since magic guilds need to remain open to receive commissions.
"Hmph! They picked the wrong opponent."
Mirajane snorted lightly, not believing those people could actually defeat them.
At most, they could only pull some petty tricks to annoy them.
"If this guy uses Ancient Winperla magic again, that would be quite troublesome." Marco said with a laugh, making Mirajane's face stiffen.
She couldn't help but roll her eyes at him, recalling what happened just days ago, feeling her face temperature rising.
"But if he uses the exchange magic again, we don't need to worry because I've already memorized that spell."
Marco continued speaking as if completely unaware of Mirajane's rapidly heating state, appearing fully confident of victory.
"..."
Mirajane bit her lip and rolled her eyes at Marco again, knowing full well he was bringing this up intentionally.
"If we really get swapped again, I'll beat you to death if you dare to grope around!"
Looking at Marco who was suppressing his laughter, Mirajane waved her small fist and said fiercely, though she couldn't help laughing herself right after.
"Don't worry, I definitely won't grope around."
Marco nodded seriously, giving his promise.
"This time we need to be more serious."
Before Mirajane could react, Marco had already abruptly accelerated and run off, leaving behind the second half of his sentence.
"Ah! Don't talk nonsense!"
Mirajane froze for a moment, her face instantly flushing red.
She let out a cry and chased after him in flustered irritation.
Though she appeared angry, the smile at the corner of her lips betrayed her true feelings.
After the previous minor misunderstanding, Mirajane felt that her relationship with Marco had grown closer.
Now they could even joke about such matters—things that should have been utterly embarrassing.
The two bantered and played along the way, their figures swiftly weaving through the deepening twilight outside the city and the forest paths.
Without wasting any time, they soon arrived outside the city and reached the estate.
It was a somewhat aged manor, its walls covered in creeping vines.
The tall iron gate showed signs of rust, and the overall atmosphere carried a hint of eeriness.
At that moment, their target was already outside the main gate, having boarded a carriage.
"It seems we've arrived just in time."
Marco's expression turned serious as he blocked Mirajane's attempt to pinch him with one hand while keeping his eyes fixed on the carriage at the manor's entrance.
"Let's intercept him directly."
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