About Malcolm

"Malcolm used to be an exceptionally warmhearted man. Almost everyone in this town had received his help before. Whether they were mages or ordinary residents, he always responded to every request with a bright smile and overflowing enthusiasm, as if helping others were the greatest pleasure in his life. He never refused anyone in need.

Not only that, Malcolm was also an extremely diligent and hardworking person. In his own words: 'I don't have much talent. If I want to become stronger, then all I can do is rely on unremitting effort and shed countless drops of sweat!' As it turned out, his persistence and sacrifice had indeed paid off. Three years ago, relying on his tenacious willpower and painstaking cultivation day and night, he successfully broke through his limits and advanced to become an A-Class mage! At that moment, the entire town erupted in celebration. Everyone congratulated Malcolm, because all of them had witnessed his efforts.

However, everything changed a year ago, when Malcolm returned from a mission. The once sunny, cheerful, and helpful man seemed to have suddenly become shrouded in a thick cloud of gloom. He had completely turned into another person. For an entire year, he didn't say a single word to anyone! Even in the guild, he would always curl up silently in a corner by himself, his eyes vacant and lifeless. No one could guess what he was thinking. Whenever someone approached him to ask, he showed no reaction. He wouldn't even raise his head, simply getting up and leaving on his own.

At first, everyone was deeply confused and worried by Malcolm's sudden change. No matter how they tried to communicate with him, however, they could never learn what had happened during that mission. It was only later that we finally figured out what had happened."

Harry paused briefly at this point. After organizing his thoughts, he continued, "That mission was an A-Class escort mission, so its importance goes without saying. At the time, Malcolm took on the mission alongside three other A-Class mages from our guild. However, no one expected a Dark Guild to suddenly appear and launch an attack on them during the mission! Although the four of them fought with all their might to resist, they ultimately couldn't withstand their powerful and ferocious enemies. After that battle, we lost two A-Class mages, while Malcolm and the other mage were both seriously injured and on the verge of death."

"By the time we received the news and hurried to the scene, it was already too late. Looking at the devastation and our companions' horrifying injuries, everyone's hearts sank. Fortunately, because we began treating them in time, Malcolm regained consciousness not long after returning. What puzzled us, however, was that no matter how desperately we questioned him about what had happened during the mission, he remained completely silent and refused to reveal even the slightest detail. His abnormal reaction filled us with worry.

"At the same time, the other seriously injured mage remained in a deep coma and never woke up. It wasn't until later, after that mage regained consciousness, that we learned what had happened back then."

"At that time, the Dark Guild members who came to attack them also numbered four, and the opponent Malcolm faced was actually a boy only in his teens. Shockingly, that boy already possessed A-Class magical power.

"During the battle, the boy constantly mocked Malcolm and repeatedly provoked him with his words. Although Malcolm fought with all his strength, he was ultimately defeated. Even worse, after the child successfully defeated Malcolm, he showed not the slightest hint of mercy. Instead, he humiliated him even more severely.

"The other companions wanted to go and help, but they were fighting powerful opponents of their own and couldn't break free to assist him. As a result, we paid an extremely heavy price in that battle. Two people died, and two others were seriously injured. The opposing side, meanwhile, hadn't even suffered a minor injury. There was no doubt about it—the mission had ended in failure.

"Afterward, we learned the name of that Dark Guild—Serpent's Lair! At that moment, rage filled everyone's hearts, and we all said we would find that Dark Guild and avenge ourselves. Just then, Malcolm, who had remained silent all this time, suddenly stopped us. It was the first thing he had said to us since the mission ended. With a solemn expression, he told us, 'Whatever you do, don't seek revenge against them. The gap between our forces is simply too great. We aren't even in the same league.' After saying that, he turned around and left without looking back. We never received any news about him again, until he suddenly returned to the guild a few days ago.

"Of course, we didn't believe what Malcolm had said. After all, none of us had fought those people ourselves. So afterward, we successively dispatched several powerful mages, hoping they could uncover definitive information about Serpent's Lair. However, either they found no information about Serpent's Lair, or they never came back.

"Faced with such a grave situation, the guild master eventually gave the matter serious consideration and reluctantly ordered that the mission concerning Serpent's Lair be put on hold for the time being. Thus, when Malcolm returned a few days ago, we were still wondering whether he had finally come to his senses. But no one could have anticipated what happened next. While everyone was completely off guard, he suddenly released an incredibly powerful magical fluctuation unlike anything we had ever seen.

"That magic surged toward us like a raging torrent, instantly sweeping over and enveloping us. We didn't even have time to make the slightest effective move of resistance. All we felt was darkness before our eyes, and our consciousness seemed to be torn away by an invisible hand before we fell into a coma.

"When we opened our eyes and regained consciousness, we finally learned what had happened."

After hearing Harry recount Malcolm's life, Allen and the others felt somewhat saddened. However, Allen and Yahar had caught a certain name in Harry's account—Serpent's Lair. The two exchanged a glance and nodded at each other, clearly identifying it as the target they would track down next.

Yahar then looked at the mages of the Foxes of the Forest and said, "You should be able to feel a form of magic power inside your bodies that doesn't belong to you. That is Asmodeus's magic power. The problem now is that this power has already fused with your own magic power. For everyone's safety, all of you will have to undergo a period of isolation. You can return only after we confirm that you're completely safe."

The mages of the Foxes of the Forest found Yahar's words difficult to accept for a moment, but their guild master, Nick, stepped forward. "Fine! We'll go! But you can't use us for any experiments. Once you've confirmed that we're truly safe, you have to let us return immediately!"

Nick clearly knew about some of the Council's darker deeds, which was why he wanted Yahar to give him a firm answer. Allen had warned Yahar about this long ago, so Yahar solemnly agreed to Nick's request.

Not long afterward, the Council's support troops arrived. After confirming with Yahar that he and Laxus no longer needed to remain there, Allen said goodbye to Harry and the others and prepared to continue north.