Investigation

After hearing Allen's question, Harry answered, "Actually, right before I passed out, I used Communication Magic to send a distress signal to my companions in the guild, hoping they could come and support me in time. However, I never expected that I wouldn't be able to hold out until they arrived and would lose consciousness first. If I hadn't been lucky enough to meet you two, then by the time my companions got here, they probably would have found nothing but my corpse. Still, they should be arriving soon."

Upon hearing this, Allen exchanged a discreet glance with Laxus beside him before replying calmly, "In that case, we'll wait here for a while. We can talk after your companions arrive."

Not long afterward, a commotion suddenly came from outside the cave. It grew increasingly clear as it drew closer.

Harry, who had been sitting on the ground, pushed himself up against the wall. His face lit up with excitement as he said, "Haha, it must be my companions!" The moment he finished speaking, three men filed in through the cave entrance.

Like Harry, all three were ordinary-looking mages who would hardly stand out even among regular people. The moment they saw Harry covered in injuries, they were shocked and hurried over to him, asking anxiously, "Harry, what happened?"

After Harry briefly recounted the entire story, the three men immediately bowed deeply to Allen and Laxus without hesitation. Filled with gratitude, they said, "Thank you both so much for helping us. If you hadn't stepped forward at the crucial moment, our guild might have lost Harry, our good friend, forever. We'll never forget this kindness. We sincerely thank you!"

Seeing this, Allen and Laxus hurried forward and gently helped the three men back to their feet. Allen replied modestly, "There's no need to be so formal. It was only a small favor. We happened to be passing by and naturally couldn't stand by and do nothing when we saw what was happening. Besides, we also obtained some important information from Harry, so you could say we both gained something from this."

However, the three men still seemed eager to express more of their gratitude. Just then, Harry quickly stepped forward and raised a hand to signal them to stop for the moment. He then turned to Allen and Laxus and introduced them, "Come, come, let me introduce you to each other. This is Nal Sack, that's Josh Gilbert, and the one over there is Jim Ellis. They're all my brothers in all but blood! And these two here are Allen and Laxus. They're both from the Fairy Tail guild, and they came here mainly to cross Mount Hakobe."

Because the three men had been in such a hurry after entering the cave, none of them had introduced themselves. After Harry's introduction, they all wore astonished expressions upon learning that Allen and Laxus were from Fairy Tail. They had never expected members of the legendary guild to appear right before them.

Allen and Laxus were already used to people being surprised that they came from Fairy Tail. All they could say was that the guild's senior members had accomplished too many great feats. After all, no guild destroyed more things while carrying out missions.

After this brief introduction, Nal enthusiastically invited Allen and Laxus to return to their guild with them so that they could express their gratitude. However, faced with Nal's enthusiasm, Allen politely declined.

Allen explained with a smile, "Thank you very much for your kindness, but Laxus and I really can't return with you. We have matters of our own to attend to. As long as you can escort Harry safely back to the guild, that will be enough. As for the mysterious figures in the mountains, leave them to us."

Although Nal and the others tried repeatedly to persuade Allen and change his mind, they ultimately failed.

Seeing this, Harry and Nal could only stop insisting. They said to Allen and Laxus with complete sincerity, "In that case, you must come visit our guild when you have time! When you do, you have to let us treat you properly. Don't refuse us—consider it a celebration over this rare chance encounter." Allen looked slightly helpless, but in the end, he nodded in agreement.

After the four members of the Foxes of the Forest left the cave and disappeared from sight, Allen and Laxus, who remained behind, let out a long sigh of relief at the same time. To be honest, neither of them was particularly outgoing, and they felt somewhat uncomfortable—even troubled—in social situations like that. Only after spending a long time together and becoming completely familiar with one another could they truly relax and show their personalities.

After taking a short rest and adjusting themselves, Allen and Laxus quickly got to work. They methodically packed their belongings, and once everything was ready, they left the cave to investigate the origins of the Black Robed Figures.

Following the direction Harry had indicated, Allen and Laxus searched along the mountain paths for half a day. At last, their efforts paid off, and they detected traces of those mysterious Black Robed Figures.

It turned out that the group's base was cleverly hidden within a small and secluded valley. Powerful Magic Barriers tightly guarded the entire area, like an indestructible invisible shield. Ordinary people would find it impossible to notice anything unusual even if they entered the area, but mages with powerful magic could vaguely sense faint fluctuations of aura.

Several figures in black robes vigilantly patrolled the area surrounding the base.

Allen and Laxus cautiously drew closer, then held their breath and carefully observed their surroundings. Before long, Allen's sharp eyes discovered a concealed entrance. He secretly sensed the Black Robed Figures on patrol and found that the magical auras surrounding them were all very weak. Allen then used his magic to conceal his and Laxus's auras, after which the two slipped into the base as silently as ghosts.

The moment they entered the base, the sight before them left them stunned—the entire place was laid out like an enormous altar! Countless Black Robed Figures densely surrounded the altar, kneeling and worshiping devoutly while muttering something under their breath, as though chanting some ancient and mysterious incantation. Their deep, rhythmic voices intertwined and echoed through the air, creating an eerie yet solemn atmosphere.

Allen had already formed his own theory when he first heard about these people from Harry. The instant he saw the altar, his theory was confirmed. These people were followers of Zeref—the Dark Magic Group!

A Black Robed Figure beside the altar seemed to have received some kind of instruction. He suddenly shouted in the direction where Allen and Laxus were hiding, "Who's there?!"