Aftermath Summary

Laxus carefully supported the somewhat drained Allen as they slowly walked out of the base, which exuded an eerie atmosphere. Not far away, they spotted a cave that seemed relatively safe and concealed.

Laxus first gently helped Allen into the cave, then followed him inside. He found a relatively flat spot where the two could sit down and rest properly.

After a brief moment to catch his breath, a hint of guilt surfaced on Laxus's face. He spoke to Allen beside him with a trace of apology, "Big brother, I'm sorry. I didn't find any other survivors. It looks like they were all used as sacrifices for that Theodore."

Hearing this, Allen, who had already recovered somewhat, gently shook his head, indicating he didn't mind. "It's alright, Laxus. Although that remaining person got away for now, I can find him. When I fought him just now, I planted my own magic mark on him. With that mark, no matter where he flees, I can clearly sense his location. So, we can track him down once we're in better shape."

At this point, Allen's previously relaxed expression suddenly turned serious, even showing a hint of gravity. "However, regarding this Dark Magic Group, I think we need to inform Grandpa as soon as possible and ask him to notify the Council to take action. After all, if we let an evil organization like this continue to grow and develop, who knows how many terrible disasters they'll cause. It's a good thing we discovered this early; otherwise, the consequences would be unthinkable."

Laxus still felt a chill down his spine thinking about the scene of the cult members being sacrificed to Theodore. If just a few people with a bit of magic could summon such a powerful demon, then if the Dark Magic Group had made full preparations, they might really cause a massive catastrophe. Thinking this, Laxus felt an increasing urgency to grow up and get stronger quickly; otherwise, the next time something like this happened, he'd still be holding Allen back.

At that moment, Allen had no mind to ponder Laxus's inner thoughts, because he had already decided to inform Makarov of the situation here. Allen then found a Communication Crystal from the backpack behind him. Concentrating, he continuously infused his own magic power into the crystal, which was clear and sparkling.

As the magic power was steadily channeled in, the originally dim and lusterless Communication Crystal began to gradually shine with a bright light. In no time, a clear image appeared above the Communication Crystal—it was Makarov's familiar and kind face.

"Hm? Allen? Why the sudden contact? Did you run into some trouble over there?" At first, Makarov's face was brimming with joy, but when he focused and saw the disheveled, bedraggled state of Allen and Laxus, his expression instantly turned serious, his eyes showing concern.

Seeing this, Allen quickly explained, "Grandpa, don't worry. We're both fine. It's just that during this time away, we kind of missed you and Grandma, so we thought we'd check in on you! Laxus, come say hello to Grandpa!" With that, Allen turned and waved at Laxus beside him.

Laxus dawdled for a long time before stepping forward. With a face full of embarrassment, he softly greeted Makarov in the Communication Crystal, then, as if he could barely control his own expression, he hurriedly stepped back to the side.

Makarov was a shrewd man. Just from seeing this, a vague sense of foreboding rose in his heart. However, on the surface, he still nodded calmly and replied, "Mm, mm. You're both good kids. Grandpa misses you too. If there's nothing important, let's end the call. Keeping the communication going consumes quite a bit of magic power!"

Seeing that Makarov seemed about to actually hang up, Allen quickly said, "Wait, Grandpa! We did run into some things."

Then Allen recounted in detail their encounter with the Dark Magic Group and Theodore to Makarov.

As Allen narrated, Makarov's expression grew increasingly grave. When he heard the part about Theodore, his thick brows furrowed tightly, and his eyes flashed with anger, as if they could spit fire. By the time Allen finished the whole story, Makarov could no longer contain his fury. He stared straight at Allen with a stern gaze and scolded, "Such a dangerous situation, and you two just charged in alone? Didn't you even think about whether the other side might have hidden powerful mages? And what's more ridiculous is that you ended up fighting a demon? You've really gotten bold, haven't you! Why didn't you think to notify me first? If you had been seriously injured or even lost your lives, what would your grandmother and I do?"

Faced with Makarov's questioning and reprimand, Allen lowered his head in guilt and said quietly, "I'm sorry, Grandpa. It's all my fault. I was too impulsive and too arrogant. At the time, I only thought about solving the problem as quickly as possible and didn't consider everything thoroughly. If something like this happens again, I'll report to you immediately and let you handle it! Please don't be angry; it's bad for your health. And don't tell Grandma about this; I'm afraid she'll worry."

Makarov said irritably, "Do I need you to tell me that? If Polyushika found out about this, she'd probably rush straight over from home to drag you back. But this time, you really were a bit impulsive. I believe you had your own reasons when you started fighting those cult members, but fighting that demon in the end was unwise. However! I still have to give you credit—you did a good thing! It's just as you said: if you hadn't stopped it in time, who knows how things might have turned out. Next time, be more careful. We'll let it slide this time. Alright, I'll talk to the Council about the Dark Magic Group and the demon."

Seeing that Makarov was about to hang up, Allen said a bit sheepishly, "Ahem... Grandpa, one more small thing. During the fight with Theodore just now, we blasted a big crater into a nearby mountain. I'm not sure if the Council will want us to pay for it."

Makarov, who had been sitting on the bar counter, nearly fell off. A loud roar came through the crystal: "You're already learning to cause destruction at your age?!"