Orga was straightforward enough. His lightning-based god-slaying magic was rare, volatile, and worth studying. Having him inside the guild meant access to a branch of lightning magic Rowan hadn't fully explored yet.
Rufus was more interesting. His ancient memory make magic allowed him to materialize spells and objects he had memorized, even reshaping them through personal interpretation. It wasn't raw power that made him dangerous, but flexibility. In the right hands, it could grow into something frightening.
Yukino rounded out the trio. Like Lucy, she was a Celestial Spirit Mage, but she already possessed two Golden Keys. Her current strength lagged behind the others, but her foundation was solid.
That detail mattered.
To activate the Eclipse Gate, twelve Golden Keys were required. According to Macao, Lucy already held ten. With Yukino's two, the set was complete.
Rowan instructed Minerva to take the three of them to Macao and finalize the paperwork. Once that was done, he headed straight for the Magic Development Bureau and disappeared into its archives.
The Bureau's collection dwarfed Fairy Tail's own library. There was no chance of reading everything on-site, so Rowan used duplication magic to create complete copies and stored them away. He had promised the king he wouldn't remove the books, not that he wouldn't copy them. The originals remained untouched.
By dusk, Rowan returned to the guild's lodgings. Macao was waiting.
"Master Rowan," he said, holding a stack of forms. "Aside from the four you approved earlier, a lot of people applied today. Independent mages, mostly. I registered them all. Want to take a look?"
Rowan wasn't surprised. The tournament had drawn more than guild members. Plenty of unaffiliated mages had come to the capital, and after seeing Fairy Tail's dominance, many wanted in.
"Let me see."
He skimmed the pages quickly. Most applicants were unremarkable, which was expected. Truly strong mages rarely stayed independent for long.
Then two entries caught his eye.
Both were twelve years old. Both listed their magic as Dragon Slayer Magic.
Sting Eucliffe, light-based.
Rogue Cheney, shadow-based.
"Bring everyone who applied," Rowan said.
Dragon Slayers were long-term investments. Even if their current strength was limited, their potential ceiling was high. At minimum, they would reach the upper tiers of combat mages.
What intrigued him was their background. Both were listed as orphans.
From what Rowan knew, Dragon Slayer Magic came from two sources: direct instruction from dragons, or artificial implantation using Dragon Lacrima. If these children had learned from living dragons, that raised questions. If not, then who had implanted the lacrima, and why?
Macao led Rowan to the rented hotel where Fairy Tail had gathered the applicants.
"It's him!" someone whispered as Rowan entered. "I still can't believe he's that strong."
The room buzzed with restrained excitement. After the Grand Magic Games, Rowan had become an icon not just to civilians, but to mages who wanted something to believe in.
Rowan scanned the room once.
There.
Two children. And in their arms, two small, winged cats radiating a faint draconic aura.
Exceeds.
Rowan hadn't experienced the Edolas incident himself, but Macao had told him enough. This world wasn't singular. Other parallel realms existed. The Exceeds originated from one such world, sent here as eggs long ago to preserve their race.
Wendy's companion, Carla, Happy, and even Rowan's own body had come from that event.
Which meant those two cats likely had the same origin.
"Quiet," Rowan said.
The word carried weight. Sound vanished from the room.
It wasn't a simple silencing spell. Rowan had combined layered runic magic with experimental sound-nullification theory, creating a localized zone where vibration itself was suppressed.
He spoke calmly.
"I know you all want to join Fairy Tail. But being the strongest guild means we don't accept everyone."
Tension spread through the room.
"Strength matters," Rowan continued, "but it's not the only thing. Potential and character matter too."
He explained the process briefly. One by one, applicants would enter a separate room for evaluation.
The silence lifted. Macao organized the line. Rowan entered a side room and began.
The test was simple.
A paw to the forehead.
Memory told him everything he needed.
"Accepted."
"Rejected."
"Rejected."
"Rejected."
"Accepted."
Half an hour passed before the two Dragon Slayers stepped inside.
Rowan examined their memories carefully.
"Accepted."
The boys left, barely able to contain their excitement.
Rowan remained still for a long moment after they were gone.
"So that's how it happened," he murmured. "No wonder Natsu couldn't leave that barrier."
The truth settled heavily in his mind.
Those children weren't twelve years old.
They were over four hundred.
And that realization opened the door to something far larger than he'd expected.