Hayberion nodded: "You could say that. As a member of the Ten Saints, it's natural not to ignore a distress signal.
"Mr. Rent was both shielding those hunted mages and fighting monsters, but unfortunately sacrificed himself. In the end, only one mage survived.
"After this battle, the New School Mage Guild called Moonlight Watch lost two-thirds of its members, severely weakened, and even the guild master didn't return. Not long after, it disbanded."
At the mention of severe weakening, everyone present subconsciously glanced at Makarov and Rhode.
For Fairy Tail to last this long is a bit of a miracle; perhaps this is the foundation of a large guild.
Makarov felt a bit melancholic: "To be so tragic, even Rent couldn't handle the enemy… What kind of magical beast is this 'Water Monster'?"
Hayberion said: "The survivor mentioned that the so-called 'Water Monster' was indeed a monster, but likely not a typical magical beast.
"He doesn't know what it is, but I suspect it might be a demon. Most surprising of all, that demon might have companions, possibly related to the Gate of the Underworld."
"Hey, I've never heard of such a thing!" Uluvheim slammed a hand on the table, asking, "Did that secretive Dark Guild, Gate of the Underworld, resurrect demons from Jellal's Book?"
"I said it's just my guess." Hayberion calmly took a sip of milk and continued,
"After the incident, I went to investigate Belrum, only to find the 'Water Monster' long gone, but the battle traces did indeed carry the aura of demons from Jellal's Book."
"The last corner of the Balram Alliance, Gate of the Underworld?" Jura frowned.
He had participated in the war against Oracion Seis and had seen some Council-released information on the Demon's Heart.
Oracion Seis had the troublesome Nirvana and powerful Lost Magic from Demon's Heart. And Gate of the Underworld… is their trump card demons from Jellal's Book?
Sixteen years ago, there was the famous Dailola; around seven years ago, there was the famous Demon Canopus; what will it be this time?
"Where are those guys?" Uluvheim jumped off his chair, impatiently saying, "While everyone's here, let's solve this last piece!"
"Unfortunately, we don't know their whereabouts." Hayberion might have liked a big showdown, but it's a shame they couldn't find anyone.
Vorod said seriously: "For years, that guild has been shrouded in mystery, with an unknown location, unknown members, unknown motives… If not for occasionally causing one or two incidents, I would even suspect whether they truly exist."
Rhode pondered over the information he had about the Gate of the Underworld, realizing he only knew its name, knowing it's part of the Balram Alliance, and nothing more.
Thinking about this, he asked: "Would the other members of the Balram Alliance, Oracion Seis, and Demon's Heart, know anything about it?"
Hayberion, Uluvheim, and Jura considered this possibility, then looked uniformly at Vorod and Makarov.
Oracion Seis is easy to find; except for their president, everyone's locked up in prison. As for Demon's Heart, that's for Fairy Tail to answer.
Makarov, without hiding his guild's relation to Demon's Heart, boldly said, "President Precht never mentioned such matters to us, and now I don't know how to contact him."
Vorod chuckled, saying, "I've never heard him mention it either."
Hayberion and Jura felt they weren't lying, only Uluvheim watched Vorod with skeptical eyes as if about to say, 'Just kidding, he actually mentioned it.'
But the old man cheerfully unscrewed the shower head and poured water into his mouth like tea, saying nothing.
Hayberion said: "Hmm, later I'll attempt to consult with the Council to see if we can get information on Gate of the Underworld from Oracion Seis members."
A knock on the door diverted their attention to a man dressed as a waiter at the entrance, cautiously saying, "Excuse me, the meal is ready, may I…"
As the initiator, Hayberion said, "Bring it in, it's just about lunchtime."
"Right away." The waiter slightly bowed and exited, soon three people pushed the food cart inside.
The three seemed rather nervous, although they weren't mages, they had heard about the Ten Saints. Witnessing six members gathered together was something many couldn't imagine.
Hayberion introduced: "I specifically ordered Bosco Giant Lizard steaks, Valir smoked meat with bamboo shoots, Sterlim mushroom soup, these are the best combinations from this place. If you need other drinks, feel free to order."
Saying so, he shook the goblet in his hand, indicating he was drinking this.
Makarov decisively ordered the famous Bosco red wine.
Uluvheim asked for a strong drink; Jura asked for sake. Vorod wanted tea, but he drank the water from the shower with big gulps.
When it was Rhode's turn to be asked, he casually waved his hand indicating he didn't need anything, thinking it best not to drink while out, only soup would be fine.
Mushroom soup might be toxic, but drinking could lead to intoxication.
Enjoying the delicious lunch, Rhode quietly sorted through the topics discussed before the meal, then his mind started to drift, wondering what Mira was doing at home now.
...
The answer was taking care of a kid.
Alzack and Bisca, after a few consecutive days off, finally decided to head out for some work.
Asuka was still young, not convenient to bring along, so they entrusted guild companions for assistance.
And Mira seemed very free—she hadn't shown up at the guild until late the past two days, and today she wasn't either writing or drawing on some paper, just giggling.
Bisca leaned over for a peek, barely making out two figures on the paper: "What's this?"
The voice suddenly appearing beside her startled Mira into instinctively covering her 'masterpiece,' only to think there was nothing to hide.
With a sweet smile, she said: "I'm trying to design a dress myself…"
"Oh~~~" Bisca prolonged her tone, then looked complexly at the paper's tall and short humanoid figures, "So this is you and Rhode?"
"Yep." Mira nodded, considering the person in front married, asking, "What did you wear at your wedding?"
Bisca smiled: "Just a regular wedding dress and suit. I've got an album at home; I'll bring it tomorrow for you to see."
Saying it was regular, if it weren't pretty, she wouldn't have voluntarily offered to show it.
"Great!" Mira was quite interested in Bisca's wedding photos, then pushed her paper towards her, "How do you think my design is?"
"Hmm… drawn very well." Bisca hesitated a bit, recalling six years of reviewing the 'precious experience' of Erza's works.
Saying just that seemed insincere, so she added: "It feels as good as Erza's armor designs."
"Really, really?" Mira beamed, Erza's armor and clothes are all so pretty… Hmm, feels like Bisca was over the top in her praise.
Bisca's conscience ached slightly, but luckily, the bear grew so big she couldn't reach her conscience.
So she quickly took advantage of Mira's happiness and asked her to temporarily look after Asuka.
Mira agreed wholeheartedly.