Wendy Joins the Team

"Thank you for saving Wendy and Carla. I, Rob, express my sincerest gratitude to Fairy Tail! Nabra! Thank you!" Old Master Rob led all the members of the Cait Shelter in bowing to Eleven and the others in thanks.

Eleven in the center of the crowd, blushed deeply and scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly. Natsu, Happy, and the other more outgoing guys were already having a blast, beaming with pride.

Surprisingly, Wendy and Natsu seemed to get along quite well. Natsu excitedly ran around with Natsu, and the smile on her face never disappeared.

Gray's injuries had almost healed, and he was running around naked as usual, acting as if nothing had happened. It just goes to show that Wendy, who told him to rest more, didn't understand the constitution of Fairy Tail mages at all.

"Rob Master Robin, Wendy is in a really dangerous situation right now. She's been targeted by the Oración Seis of the Balam Alliance."

Ignoring Natsu and the others who had already begun planning their banquet, Eleven approached Rob and began reporting on some of the intelligence he had gathered during the mission.

Erik's ears twitched slightly upon hearing the words "Oración Seis," but he didn't pay much attention and went to a relatively quiet corner to close his eyes and rest.

"Sigh, the Oración Seis..." Rob sighed, his figure becoming more hunched as he looked at Eleven, "Lord Eleven, I'm entrusting Wendy to you and Fairy Tail."

After saying this, the old man sighed again, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, a mixture of melancholy and relief.

While the Oración Seis is indeed terrifying and one of the leaders of the dark guilds, Rob doesn't think they can cause much trouble for Fairy Tail. That guild is powerful enough to suppress an entire era.

Wendy is definitely best suited to stay with them!

"Yes, we'll take good care of Wendy." Eleven pursed his lips, then looked at Wendy.

The conversation between Eleven and Rob turned somewhat heavy, and even Natsu and the others, who were celebrating, quieted down and stared blankly in their direction.

Wendy were already brimming with tears, her big eyes looking like she might burst into tears at any moment.

"President... Grandpa President, Wendy doesn't want to leave you..."

Wendy wiped away her tears and sobbed as she ran to President Rob Lue's side, clutching his clothes tightly with her little hands, looking up at him with tear-streaked eyes and pleading.

Rob raised his aged hand, patted Wendy's little head, and gave her a gentle and kind smile.

"Wendy, I'm sorry, Grandpa has been lying to you all this time. I'm so sorry."

"Huh? What are you saying, Grandpa President?" Wendy clung to Rob's arm, a confused look on her face.

Rob sighed, looked gently at Wendy, and slowly said, "I'm sorry, Wendy, this isn't really a guild. The Cait Shelter and everyone in it are just illusions I created."

As Rob spoke, the members of the Cait Shelter standing behind him began to disappear one by one, turning into streams of pure magic and Spiritual Power that dissipated into the air.

Σ(Д;):"What did you say?"

Rob's words were so shocking that Natsu and the others couldn't help but gasp in astonishment. Watching the people who had just been partying with them disappear one by one, their mouths agape in disbelief.

Wendy and Carla were sobbing uncontrollably, covering their mouths as they watched their friends of nearly two years disappear before their eyes. The feeling was far too bitter for a seven-year-old.

Rob looked at Wendy calmly, his heart not stirred much. In truth, for him, who had lived through so many years, Wendy's appearance was merely a small interlude. Rather than letting this child keep dwelling on the illusion of the Cait Shelter, it was better to shorten the pain and forget about it.

"I was only here in this abandoned village because of my mission." When the phantom disappeared and only Rob remained, his aged voice drifted out once more.

About two years ago, a boy came to my residence and entrusted young Wendy to my care.

"The boy's clear eyes made me agree without thinking. Honestly, I had originally planned to live alone forever."

Jellal! Hearing this, Wendy shed tears again, a name rising in her heart.

"Wendy," Rob looked at the weeping Wendy and reached out a finger to wipe away her tears. "The Cait Shelter is nothing but an illusion I created for you; it is not your true home."

After saying that, she pointed in the direction of Elvin and the others, grinned, and said, "Wendy and Charlene, you don't need these fake friends anymore. Aren't your true friends, who would risk their lives for you, already behind you?"

As Rob's voice rang out, his body gradually became ethereal. His gaze fell upon Eleven and the others, and his tone was unusually gentle. "Fairy Tail members, I entrust Wendy and Carla to you."

"Grandpa President!" Wendy cried, trying to grab Rob who had disappeared, but she couldn't grab anything. Even the Cait Shelter's Lair mark on her shoulder gradually disappeared, as if the Cait Shelter had never existed.

Eleven gently stepped forward and embraced Wendy and Carla, who were kneeling there and wailing, letting their tears soak his clothes.

No words of comfort were offered; the bitterness of losing a companion can only be soothed by time, and any words at this moment seem pale and powerless.

After a long while, once Wendy and the others had calmed down a bit, Eleven grinned and whispered in Wendy's ear in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"Wendy, I have good news for you! Jellal, the one who sent you here, is also in Fairy Tail!"

"Really?" The seven-year-old girl's attention was immediately diverted, and her sadness subsided considerably.

"Yes, really. I'll take you to see him when we get back, okay?" Eleven smiled kindly.

"Okay!"

That's right, Eleven used mind reading! But it was just to comfort the grieving Wendy; he had no other intentions.

In Wendy's Memory, he saw a familiar figure, a mentally ill teenager who shouted "Anima" to the sky all day long.

Isn't that Mystogan?

That bastard actually entrusted such a young Wendy to some complete stranger, an old geezer! How could he be so heartless?! I'd better give him a good beating to vent my anger!

(╬￣俣)

Rob's figure slowly materialized in mid-air. Looking at Wendy others gradually disappearing into the distance, a look of melancholy appeared on his face. Although they hadn't spent much time together, he truly loved Wendy as if she were his own granddaughter.

However, his mission was not yet over, and his sins were not yet atoned for, so he was destined not to be able to accompany Wendy as she grew up.

Rob glanced once more in the direction Eleven and the others had gone, then shook his head. Fairy Tail wasn't up to the task yet; they were too young. Perhaps he could entrust them with their help once they grew up.

By then, this old man should be able to find peace.

"Hey! President Rob, I knew you were alright. Why did you treat Wendy like that? She was heartbroken." A cheerful voice came from behind.

Rob seemed to have sensed it beforehand and wasn't surprised. He slowly turned his head and saw Eleven floating behind him with a smile.

"Lord Eleven, what brings you back? Would you like to stay and keep this old man company?" Rob smiled at Eleven, but instead of answering Eleven question, he changed the subject.

"Hehe, this is just a Thought Projection!" Eleven didn't dwell on Wendy's problem; he understood the principle that a short, sharp pain is better than a long, drawn-out one. Looking at Rob's somewhat ethereal figure, Eleven's smile became even brighter.

"Um, Guild Master Rob, actually I came back to learn from you that magic that can materialize Thought Projection. Could you teach me?"

Rob looked at Eleven, who was rubbing his hands together with a somewhat obsequious smile, and couldn't help but chuckle. He coughed lightly to suppress his laughter before slowly speaking.

"Well, since Eleven wants to learn, that's fine with me. However, this magic is very difficult; first, one must be able to divide their Spiritual Power into smaller portions on their own."

"Huh? I can do that!" As he spoke, Eleven actually suddenly cut his Spiritual Power into countless small squares, which were neatly arranged in the sky.

Actually, this wasn't something Eleven was originally capable of; he only learned it after Gildarts cut off his body during the S-class assessment.

This actually troubled Eleven for quite some time. His Spiritual Power could be easily separated, feeling loose and unreliable.

Although it didn't seem to have much impact on his daily combat training, Eleven still felt like Gildarts had messed him up, and he had been bothering Gildarts for quite some time.

Unexpectedly, this ability has now become an advantage for Rob, Eleven is quite pleased with himself.

Rob looked on in disbelief as Eleven severed his Spiritual Power, speechless with shock.

Dividing one 'Spiritual Power should be even more difficult than multitasking. Take the simplest Thought Projection magic, for example; it's not something an ordinary mage can master because it requires actively dividing one's Spiritual Power. Even dividing just a small portion is extremely difficult.

However, Eleven's Spiritual Power was like a Lego toy, disintegrating in an instant into countless equal parts. Rob almost thought that Eleven would die on the spot.

"Sigh, as expected of Eleven!" After a long silence, Rob could only console himself with this thought.

The most difficult step was skipped entirely by Eleven, so Rob had nothing to say. He gradually passed on all his magical insights to Eleven, including his tricks for giving illusions a physical form.

That's right, it's just a little trick, not unique magic. It hardly uses any magic power; it's simply an application of Spiritual Power, which made Eleven very happy.

Finally, I don't have to go through the tedious process of simulating magic anymore!