Not only had Sorano failed to get any information about her sister from Gemini, she had even learned that Kabe had been thinking about her stocking clad thighs.
All that frustration just sat there, burning in her chest.
"Damn it… Gemini, turn into that guy again. I want to look for weaknesses on him properly."
"Eh, you can transform into him again?"
Lucy looked at Gemini in surprise, with a hint of anticipation.
But Gemini quickly poured a bucket of cold water over both of them.
The two little ones scrunched up their faces, exerting themselves as they tried to transform back into Kabe.
They strained and strained…
Nothing happened.
"Eh… it failed. Transformation is invalid now.!"
Gemi blurted out his catchphrase in shock.
Mini just stared blankly, his bead sized eyes wide, completely unable to understand what was going on.
Sorano sucked in a sharp breath. For the first time, she felt this strong a sense of defeat from someone.
"Enough. You did well, Gemini. Go back and rest."
She waved her key and sent the guilty looking twins back to the Celestial Spirit World.
Then she lowered her head, voice listless as she said to Lucy,
"Let's go. Take me back. I need some rest…"
Seeing how badly Sorano seemed to have been hit, Lucy did not dare say much. She hurried ahead to lead the way and brought her back to the manor.
...
At the same time, Kabe had followed Jude up to a small tearoom on the third floor.
The room was not large, but that only made it feel more private.
Once the two sat facing each other, the atmosphere seemed to shed a layer of distance all at once, giving a subtle sense of calm.
Kabe glanced at the tea set already prepared on the low table and could not help smiling a little wider as he opened his mouth to apologize again.
"This really was an accident. I did not expect that even holding back this much, I would still accidentally blow up the hill in your back garden, Uncle."
Jude shook his head, showing no intention of blaming him. In fact, there was even a hint of amazement and humility in his tone as he asked,
"You were holding back just now?
Kabe, I would like to trouble you to tell me frankly… in concrete terms, what level your strength is at.
Are mages of your level common across the continent?"
"Me? I am just a newcomer to the magic world. There are plenty of people stronger than me. The Ten Wizard Saints are the best examp…"
He paused mid sentence.
"If it were anyone else asking, that is what I would say."
Kabe stopped there, letting the suspense hang just long enough for Jude's curiosity to spike. Then he smiled and continued.
"But Uncle Jude, you are family, so I do not need to be modest with you. I will give you my honest view.
As far as I am concerned, across all of Ishgar, there are at most five people stronger than me."
"Five? You… are that confident?"
Jude was genuinely surprised. He could not help feeling a bit skeptical.
As far as he knew, the Ten Wizard Saints were officially recognized as the strongest mages on the continent.
If Kabe really had the power he claimed, he should already be among the Ten.
Jude did not hide his doubt and asked directly.
Kabe took a sip of tea, then posed a question in return.
"Uncle Jude, in your opinion, what are the Wizard Saints? Just a title?"
Jude frowned and kept silent.
With his shallow understanding of the magic world, he almost wanted to say, "Is that not exactly what they are?"
But he was not stupid. Since Kabe had phrased it like this, clearly there was more to it.
So he waited patiently for the explanation.
"On the surface, yes, the title of Ten Wizard Saints is granted by the Magic Council to the ten most outstanding mages on the continent.
It is meant to honor their contributions to Ishgar and acknowledge their magic, which is powerful enough to warp the heavens and earth."
Hearing that, Jude swallowed nervously.
Magic so strong it could change the world around it… how overwhelmingly powerful did one have to be?
"But in reality, the Wizard Saints are not just a flashy title. They represent a status far above ordinary S Class mages of regular guilds.
You know what S Class means, right, Uncle Jude?"
"I have looked into it. S Class is the symbol of a guild's top mages.
Usually, only S Class mages can accept S Class missions."
On this point, Jude was clear. The Heartfilia Company had often needed to hire mages in the past, after all.
"Exactly. The Wizard Saints are a group of monsters whose power far exceeds that of normal S Class mages.
Because of that, even the Council members must treat them with respect.
And even for kings, the Wizard Saints are people who stand on equal footing, ones they need to draw to their side."
Kabe spread his hands slightly.
"Putting all that together… do you think a young brat like me is qualified to become that kind of figure yet?"
Jude understood.
The young man in front of him was not lacking in strength. What he lacked was seniority and the kind of reputation that could convince the entire continent.
"And beyond that, I am a mage of Fairy Tail. Our guild already has two Wizard Saints.
Even just for the sake of 'balance,' the Council is not going to casually let a single guild occupy three of those seats."
"Wait, two?
Aside from Master Makarov, your guild has another Wizard Saint?"