Mirajane gave Marco's arm a sharp pinch, venting her frustration, before immediately moving to intercept the man.
"Hmm, let's stop him."
Marco thought it over and saw no need for further tracking.
It would be better to apprehend the man directly for interrogation.
With so little information to go on, capturing him first was the priority—they could deal with the rest later.
"Hurry, hurry!"
Outside the manor, Karel incessantly urged the coachman.
This place was no longer safe.
The Fairy Tail mages were far more troublesome than he had anticipated, having pinpointed them with unimaginable speed.
They hadn't even had a chance to strike again, and already some of their people had been captured.
"Giddy up!"
The coachman cracked his whip against the horses, but to his dismay, the two steeds remained frozen, rigidly rooted in place.
"What's going on?!"
The coachman's voice was filled with shock and fear.
He lashed out with the whip once more, but the horses still didn't budge, only pawing the ground anxiously with their hooves.
This scene made Karel's heart sink with dread.
And sure enough, the next moment, a young voice rang out.
"Mr. Karel, please step down on your own."
Hearing this voice, Karel instead calmed down.
He took a deep breath, straightened his slightly disheveled bowtie and collar, struggling to maintain his last shred of dignity, then pushed the carriage door open and slowly stepped down.
The fading glow of the sunset cast upon his somewhat pale face, revealing a flicker of despair in his eyes beneath his forced composure.
Looking at the handsome man and beautiful woman before him, Karel gave a bitter smile.
What had he done to deserve being captured by two S-Class Mages?
"Mr. Marco, Ms. Mirajane, what business do you have with me?"
Karel steadied his emotions, striving to maintain the demeanor of a gentleman.
"I think you know very well in your heart."
Marco stepped forward leisurely with a smile, casually patting the two rigid horses.
A gentle surge of magical power instantly released the bindings, and the horses immediately neighed "Hee-haw!" before bolting away with the carriage, leaving a cloud of dust in their wake.
"Have I... done something?"
Karel forced a puzzled expression onto his face, spreading his hands in a gesture of bewilderment.
Then, without waiting for Marco and Mirajane to respond, he abruptly shifted his tone, his eyes turning sharp.
His lips moved rapidly as he uttered an incantation originating from the same source as the previous "exchange" spell.
"Hum!"
A visible, pale golden magical ripple, carrying an ancient and obscure aura, instantly emanated from his mouth, directly assaulting Marco and Mirajane!
The magical wave surged, but this ancient language spell failed to take effect.
Instead, it collided with an invisible wall, producing a dull "pop" as the magic dissipated like ripples, blocked right in front of Marco and Mirajane.
Not even the hem of their clothes stirred.
"How?! When?!"
Karel's composure shattered instantly, replaced by disbelief and horror.
He staggered back a step, staring fixedly at the invisible barrier before the two.
He hadn't even seen Marco or Mirajane make a move.
"So it is you, Researcher Karel."
Marco spoke with a smile.
When he had reviewed Karel's profile, he had strongly suspected this guy.
His hunch had been right.
"It makes sense for an archaeology researcher to be able to use Ancient Wimpera language."
According to Karel's profile, he belonged to an archaeology team under the "Magic Council."
Perhaps his research focus was "Ancient Wimpera," which explained his proficiency in the ancient language.
"Correct, I specialize in studying Ancient Wimpera culture."
When Marco revealed his identity, Karel didn't deny it.
Having already spoken in Ancient Wimpera, denial would be pointless.
"Why were you laid off? Didn't you submit your research findings? Surely you've made some contributions?" Marco asked curiously, genuinely puzzled.
How could Gran Doma's massive layoffs dismiss someone with actual skills?
Or were people like him considered useless within the "Magic Council"?
Is he not valued enough?
Marco found this Ancient Wimpera language quite intriguing.
"Text Magic" involved casting spells by writing ancient characters, while Ancient Wimpera language required chanting ancient words to activate magic—this was true "words becoming law"!
"It's all because of your Fairy Tail!"
Karel's face instantly turned ashen, suppressed fury blazing in his eyes as his voice rose sharply, filled with resentment.
He had wanted to submit results, but these weren't their original discoveries—they were legacies from predecessors.
Their team hadn't produced new breakthroughs building on existing knowledge.
He admitted they'd wasted considerable funds, but researching ancient scripts and languages wasn't something that yielded immediate results!
How could they achieve anything without persistence?!
"All because of Fairy Tail! All because of Gran Doma! If not for you, our research team wouldn't have been dissolved!"
Karel was nearly roaring now, trembling with agitation as he completely lost his composure.
"You certainly don't internalize anything—never considering your own faults! So it's everyone else's mistake, and you're completely blameless?"
Marco was genuinely exasperated by Karel's attitude.
While Marco agreed with some of Karel's points—like needing patience for archaeological and ancient language research, since such things couldn't be deciphered quickly—
"But it was Gran Doma who dissolved your team. Instead of targeting him, you come after us. Don't blame us for fighting back."
Shaking his head, Marco lost interest in further argument.
Moving like lightning, he appeared before Karel, his right fist enveloped in faint purple magical light.
With a direct strike using [Illusion Demon Emperor Fist], he seized control of Karel, whose eyes instantly turned vacant and confused.
"Who ordered you to do all this?"
To prevent further complications, Marco immediately began interrogation, his voice carrying the pressure of mental magic that pierced deep into Karel's disordered consciousness.
"No one ordered us. We just wanted revenge."
Karel replied in a monotone, like a marionette.
The answer didn't surprise Marco.
"How did you plant the request form?"
Mirajane interjected from the side, genuinely curious since she was certain she'd never stamped that particular request.
"I placed it there at night using invisibility magic to sneak in." Karel answered mechanically, his response drawing Mirajane's gaze toward Marco.
"Show us."
Marco furrowed his brow slightly and commanded in a low voice, wanting to witness the invisibility effect firsthand.
"Alright." Karel replied, then his lips moved again, chanting ancient syllables.
After Karel recited the incantation, his figure began dissolving into the air like mist, his outline rapidly blurring and distorting until he vanished completely.
Only a faint disturbance in the dust where he had been standing remained.
Both Marco and Mirajane widened their eyes, focusing intently to perceive the extremely faint magical residue in that space and the nearly imperceptible presence.
"This... this ancient Wimpera language magic has some substance to it."
Marco couldn't help but click his tongue.
It was no surprise this ancient Wimpera language invisibility magic could fool crows.
Even he, at this close distance, could only vaguely sense someone's presence in that spot - the concealment effect was truly remarkable.