Marco and Erza exchanged a glance.
In the end, they decided to tell her. At the very least, Wally deserved a clear answer.
"There is something," Marco said. "We found out what happened to Wally's older brother."
The news made Millianna's eyes widen at once.
"Really?! You actually found him?!"
Her face filled with disbelief.
Finding one person among the endless sea of people in the world was incredibly difficult. She had never expected Marco and Erza to truly uncover anything.
As expected of Fairy Tail. As expected of a superstar!
Their connections were on a completely different level.
In Millianna's mind, only someone like Marco could have that kind of influence.
"But... it isn't good news." Marco paused briefly before continuing. "His brother has already passed away."
It was a lie, but one he chose to tell.
After all, Hoteye himself did not want his younger brother to be dragged back into his affairs, and as far as the world was concerned, that man was already dead.
How he had died no longer mattered.
"Ah..."
Millianna let out a quiet sound, then fell silent.
Beside her, Kagura also said nothing.
It seemed that the reunion she had experienced with her brother would not happen for Wally.
Fate was simply cruel sometimes.
"It's all right," Erza said, trying to ease the atmosphere. "At least now Wally won't have to keep wasting his life searching."
Though for Wally, he might very well have preferred to spend more years searching rather than be handed a death notice and have even his last hope taken away.
"I guess..." Millianna said softly.
Then she asked, "But how did Wally's brother die?"
The news had come too suddenly.
Millianna had not been one of the children chosen by the Oración Seis, so naturally she had never received Brain's instruction.
She truly knew very little about any of this.
"He was... killed by the Oración Seis."
Marco's tone turned heavy.
Strictly speaking, that was not entirely a lie.
In a certain sense, the Hoteye who might have become a good man had indeed been killed by the Oración Seis.
Brain had raised them personally, and of course he would never have allowed them to grow freely.
He had naturally worked to erase the "goodness" in their hearts.
"The Oración Seis... I see!"
Millianna froze at first, then immediately understood.
The Oración Seis had been defeated by Fairy Tail.
No wonder Marco and the others had discovered information about Wally's brother.
In other words, it all made sense. Millianna had connected the logic on her own.
"Marco-san, you already avenged him."
Millianna let out a long sigh.
In that case, there was nothing left for Wally to avenge either. His life had been completely freed from that burden.
"I'll go call them!"
Without hesitation, Millianna darted off at once.
Now that she had heard the whole story, it was time to bring the person directly involved over.
She felt that Marco and Erza should personally tell Wally about this.
"That girl..."
Watching the cat-loving girl scurry away on all fours with astonishing speed, Erza couldn't help smiling and shaking her head.
Millianna really was like a cat.
There was no stopping her.
The moment she thought of something, she ran off to do it.
"Let's go in and wait. We can introduce everyone while we're at it."
Marco gestured for the members of Mermaid Heel to enter Ryuzetsu Land with them.
Aside from Kagura and Millianna, the other Mermaid Heel contestants had also come along.
"I'm Risley! Marco-san, I'm a huge fan of yours!"
A plump girl with black wavy hair had been holding herself back for quite a while.
The moment she found an opening, she immediately introduced herself to Marco.
"You're so excited today. That's not like you."
Seeing Risley so worked up, Kagura smiled and teased her.
Ever since her brother Simon had returned, Kagura's smiles had become noticeably more frequent.
"Hehe, I can't help it. I'm standing in front of my idol!"
Risley grinned.
She was round and full-bodied, with slightly dark skin, giving off a steady, grounded, reliable impression.
When she smiled, she seemed friendly and warm, like a gentle older sister.
In truth, however, Risley was only one year older than Kagura.
One was sixteen, the other seventeen. Neither of them was particularly old.
Among the Mermaid Heel members who had come this time, Millianna was actually the oldest.
"Thank you for that."
Marco smiled and greeted Risley.
"Could I... maybe get an autograph?"
Looking at Marco's gentle expression, Risley pressed her fingers together and made the request in a small voice.
"Of course."
Marco naturally would not refuse a request like that.
Unfortunately, Risley had not brought any paper or a pen.
After all, they had come to Ryuzetsu Land to play in the water and swim.
They had only brought swimsuits with them. Naturally, they had not specifically prepared stationery.
"It's all right. The Grand Magic Games will last a while."
Seeing Risley's disappointed expression, Marco smiled and comforted her.
It was clear that this girl really was his fan!
"Mm! I'll bring them next time!"
Risley nodded seriously, deeply moved by Marco's attitude.
Marco was a true superstar, a top figure among both ordinary people and mages.
More than that, he was someone with strength, status, and talent all raised to the highest level.
He was powerful in every possible sense.
For someone so blessed, someone who had become famous so young, to have no airs about him and treat everyone so kindly was truly rare.
"We're going to change into our swimsuits."
After chatting for a while, Kagura and Risley headed off to the changing rooms.
They were a little surprised that Marco, Erza, and Mirajane had not changed into swimsuits, but once they learned the reason the three had come, both Kagura and Risley looked at them with deep respect.
Everyone else had come to play, but Marco, Erza, and Mirajane had come to ensure everyone's safety.
Was this the social responsibility of Fairy Tail?
It was truly worthy of respect.
Of course, they were thinking too much.
This had nothing to do with "social responsibility."
Marco and the others had come only because they did not want those troublemakers causing a scene in the royal capital.
"From the look of things, everyone is having fun so far."
Marco swept his gaze across the entire area and locked onto several targets.
Natsu was naturally one of the main observation targets.
That kid was currently sitting on a little water train, looking as though he was about to vomit.
Dragon Slayers really were something.
They could even get motion sick from that kind of thing.
"Hm?"
Light flickered in Marco's eyes as his vision threaded through the crowd.
His perception ability was not particularly overwhelming.
He could not see things tens of thousands of miles away, but seeing everything happening inside Ryuzetsu Land was easy enough.
Rather than calling it clairvoyance, Marco preferred to think of it as an expanded awareness.
The effect was roughly the same anyway.
Once that awareness reached the level of a Gold Saint's Seventh Sense, one could stay at home and observe the entire world.
Add teleportation, spatial abilities, and light-speed fists to the mix, and Gold Saints really could carry out global strikes with ease.
And while observing the whole of Ryuzetsu Land, Marco saw something surprising.
He couldn't help turning to look at Mirajane.
"What is it? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Mirajane immediately noticed that something was off with Marco and asked in confusion.
That hesitant expression on his face was genuinely intriguing. What could possibly make Marco look like that?
"Mira, do you know about Elfman's situation?"
Marco hesitated for a moment, but in the end he asked.
An elder sister was like a mother.
As the oldest sister who had raised her younger siblings, Mirajane had the right to know about this.
At the very least, she had the right to be informed.
"What situation?"
Mirajane looked puzzled.
Marco's question had come out of nowhere, which only made her even more curious.
It sounded as though it had something to do with Elfman.
Had that brat caused some kind of trouble?
"He... seems to be in love?"
Marco did not sound entirely certain.
Because what he had seen was Elfman and Evergreen together.
The two of them looked as if they were on a private date, and they were even avoiding everyone else.
Anyone who didn't know better might think they were having an affair.
Marco himself was confused too.
When had those two gotten that close?
He had never noticed it before.
"What?!"
Marco's words made Mirajane cry out despite herself.
And it wasn't only her. Even Erza, standing nearby, had her mouth open in shock!
"Elfman is in love?!"
"With who?!"
Mirajane and Erza asked at the same time.
Sure enough, when it came to gossip, everyone became excited.
Especially when it concerned someone close to them, it became even more gripping.
"Evergreen..." Marco said the woman's name.
Mirajane and Erza were stunned all over again.
After all, those two had never seemed particularly connected.
In their impression, Elfman and Evergreen barely had many chances to interact.
Evergreen had always been a member of the Thunder God Tribe and had not gathered tightly around Marco like the others.
"How could that be...?"
Mirajane looked genuinely shocked.
She really had not expected it.
"Evergreen is a good girl."
Erza gave an objective assessment.
Evergreen was strong, and her personality was not bad either.
She and Elfman were actually a fairly good match.
"I'm not saying Evergreen is bad," Mirajane explained. "I just think it's strange."
She also knew Evergreen was quite good.
It was just that this whole thing was far too sudden.
"Let me guess," Marco said, rubbing his chin. "Maybe it started during the Grand Magic Games over the past few years, when the two of them kept facing each other. And during Laxus's incident, they fought once too. Maybe they got to know each other through fighting? Maybe feelings grew from there?"
Although it sounded unreliable, those were the most frequent intersections between the two that they knew of.
Of course, it was also possible that they had interacted privately. This was a personal matter, after all.
There was no need for everyone to know.
"This is really... unexpected. Elfman, that boy..."
Mirajane pressed a hand to her forehead and laughed helplessly.
Her younger siblings had grown up. It was not strange for something like this to happen.
She was not planning to interfere.
Romance was an extremely private matter.
No matter how good the relationship or how close the family bond, no one had the right to meddle casually.
"Marco-san! Erza-nee! Mira-san! I brought them here!"
While Marco, Erza, and Mirajane were still reeling from the news, the highly efficient Millianna had already returned with Wally, Sho, and Simon.
"Erza... is what Millianna said true?"
Standing before Marco and Erza, Wally's expression was pained.
His voice trembled as he asked the question, desperately hoping for a different answer.
"...It's true."
Erza clenched her teeth and finally nodded.
This was already a kinder version of the truth for Hoteye.
Let everything about him be buried in the past.
The Oración Seis had been completely destroyed, along with a large number of their subordinate guilds. No one would ever expose this lie.
"How... how could this happen...?"
After receiving Erza's confirmation, Wally could barely stay upright.
Sho and Simon hurriedly supported him, their expressions also serious.
This was definitely not good news for Wally.
Simon and Kagura's reunion had given Wally a great deal of encouragement. He had believed that he would surely be able to find his own brother too.
Unfortunately, reality often ignored personal wishes.
"Try to think of it this way. At least Marco-san and the others avenged him for you."
Sho tried to comfort him from the side.
He thought this was already a good outcome.
Otherwise, with their strength, how could they possibly take revenge on the Oración Seis?
"..."
Marco said nothing.
He felt that from now on, it would be best to mention this matter as little as possible.
Very few people knew that Wally's brother was Hoteye of the Oración Seis, and ordinary people would never make that connection.
Let Wally forget all of this completely.
"I... need some time."
Wally steadied himself and spoke in a hollow voice before lowering his head and walking away.
"We'll watch over him."
Sho and Simon immediately followed after him.
In Wally's current state, there was no way they could let him run off alone.
"Ah..."
Watching that scene, Mirajane sighed softly.
Once again, she thought of the Beast King incident.
If not for Marco, she might have experienced what Wally was going through now—and her family would have died right before her eyes...
Because of that, Mirajane did not truly blame herself for being unable to let go of her feelings for Marco.
They had gone through so much together.
Marco had saved her more than once. He had saved her younger brother and sister too.
How could she possibly let go of her love for him?
"Did Wally leave?"
Kagura and Risley came running over.
They had noticed the situation here and hurried over, but they were still a step too late.
"Mm. I hope he can accept reality soon." Millianna answered.
She hoped Wally could escape the shadow of this as quickly as possible.
The dead were already gone, but they still had a long life ahead of them.
"He definitely can!"
Kagura and Risley both sounded certain.
Wally was usually such a cheerful person. He would definitely be able to adjust his emotions soon.
"You two already changed into swimsuits!"
After they finished talking about Wally, Millianna's gaze landed on Kagura and Risley.
Both girls had already changed into swimsuits.
Kagura's swimsuit was more conservative, but it was still obvious that she had a very good figure.
Risley was plump, so there was no need to say much about her figure.
"Risley, why aren't you using your magic?"
Millianna looked at Risley curiously.
Risley's magic could change her body type, allowing her to transform into a slim, model-like beauty.
"What's wrong with me like this?"
Risley did not care at all.
She herself liked her current full-bodied figure very much.