togophonebook Chapter 319 Two-Year Term
Chapter 319 Two-Year Term
Chapter 319 The Three-Year Term (Please Subscribe!)
"us..."
Caught in the intense sunlight of the crowd, Leon felt his cheeks instantly burn, as if being scorched by invisible flames. The silver-haired youth's clenched fist trembled slightly, his knuckles turning white from the force, and his whole being enveloped in a blushing embarrassment.
The sea breeze swept across the village's low stone houses, bringing a slightly salty and fishy smell, but it couldn't dispel the air that seemed to have frozen at that moment.
Although they had little contact with the locals, they were actually aware of each other's existence. The villagers knew that a guy called "Zero Emperor" had brought people to the island and settled in the ancient and majestic mountaintop temple.
Leon and his companions knew that there were native inhabitants on this island surrounded by dense forests and rocks, but the two sides kept to themselves and never interfered with each other. The natives never appeared on the steep stone steps leading to the mountaintop temple, nor did they ever approach the temple area.
Since the natives were so well-behaved, Leon and his group naturally wouldn't cause trouble for no reason. This delicate and fragile state of peace between the two sides lasted for three whole years.
"We...are sorry."
Leon took a deep breath, as if he had used all his strength to squeeze out the words. His voice was dry and filled with deep regret. The young man lowered his head slightly, his silver hair falling down to cover his flushed face.
Although the "turning into a demon" incident was a misunderstanding, the memory distortion and fear they experienced over the past three years are still their fault.
"You wanted to take revenge on Deliora, but you almost became Deliora yourselves."
Looking at Leon, Sherry, Yuka, and Toby, who were filled with guilt and at a loss, Moen's voice was steady and clear, echoing in the quiet night sky and reaching everyone's ears.
"What you've done is no different from what Deliora did, who destroyed your homes and killed your loved ones."
Moen's words were like a cold dagger, deeply wounding Leon and the others.
As Moen said, their actions did not treat the locals as human beings. They did not care at all whether the locals' homes and lives were destroyed. To the locals of Galna Island, they were the demon "Deliora" who appeared on Galna Island.
"I'm so sorry!"
Not only was Leon serious, but Sherry, Yuka, and Toby also bowed and apologized with sad expressions. They were not actually bad people, but were blinded by hatred and stupidity.
"6
'
Moen silently complained to himself, "I'm not afraid of bad people, I'm afraid of stupid people. The destruction caused by the scheming of bad people may not be as good as the sudden inspiration of stupid people. Their behavior is completely unpredictable."
Releasing Deliora, which his master had sealed away at the cost of his life, just to defeat Deliora and prove that his strength surpassed his master's, is something no normal person could do.
In contrast, the other victims' desire to completely eliminate "Deliora" seemed tragic. Having nothing left, they only wanted to completely destroy "Deliora" to avenge their loved ones.
"It's okay, at least we weren't really hurt."
Faced with the apologies from Leon, Sherry, Yuuka, and Toby, the demon villagers' expressions weren't exactly pleasant. But Bobo stepped forward, forcing a smile, and spoke magnanimously, and what he said was indeed not wrong.
On a subjective level, Leon and his group did not intend to harm these indigenous people; the indigenous people were not part of their plan.
So far, no indigenous people have been injured or killed in the three years since then, which has made reconciliation between the two sides possible.
"We will make amends. Although we don't know how to make up for the mistakes we made, we will try our best to do so."
Yuka raised her head, her voice hoarse and incredibly sincere. Sherry and Toby nodded vigorously beside her, their eyes filled with a longing for redemption. They had left "Snake Scale" to follow Leon, wanting to avenge their loved ones, but before they could even get revenge, they almost became "Deliora" in the eyes of others.
This was a huge blow to the "Snake Scale" trio. They wanted to do something to make up for their mistakes, but they didn't know how, since it had been three years.
"How about this? Three years to protect the safety of this island."
Moen made a suggestion, which was fair enough: if someone was driven insane for three years, then they should stay here and guard the island for three years.
"no problem."
Leon readily agreed, saying they were willing to pay the price, and Sherry, Yuka, and Toby had no objections either.
Actually, this proposal was somewhat biased towards Leon and his group. They were all young enough, eighteen or nineteen years old, or in their early twenties, that staying on the island for three years wouldn't have much of an impact.
It's just a repetition of the previous three years' life, even more relaxed, because I don't have to think about "Deliora" anymore.
"Three years from now, I will give you an explanation and completely destroy Deliora."
Moen's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable sense of power. He had just given them punishment, and now he was giving them a promise.
Moen understands their desire for revenge, but he cannot condone their foolish methods. Their mistake was that they dared to act recklessly without the necessary strength.
When Moen says he will destroy "Deliora" in three years, no one will take it as a joke, because Moen is strong enough.
Moreover, three years later, Moen will not be arrogant enough to face this demon alone. At that time, he will directly summon heroes from all over the world to witness the demise of the demon "Deliora" and launch a saturation attack.
"Really...really?!"
Moen's words made Leon, Sherry, Yuka, and Toby suddenly raise their heads. Their faces were full of disbelief. They almost thought they had just imagined it, but it was clear that it was impossible for all four of them to be imagining things at the same time.
This reality made all four of them gasp for breath. This was Moen's promise, and none of them thought Moen would joke with them.
"Of course, feel free to stay here."
Moen nodded, confirming that the promise he had just made was valid. This immediately cheered up Leon, Sherry, Yuka, and Toby. If they had known that Moen could handle this matter, why would they have bothered with all this trouble? They would have wasted three years of their lives!
"We will definitely protect Galna Island!"
Leon was very serious. They would all stay and fight to the death to protect the island and these demonic villagers.
"This...is not necessary, Mr. Moen. We can protect ourselves."
Bobo and the village chief immediately refused the offer, saying that they were a bunch of demons and didn't need anyone to protect them.
Putting everything else aside, they all have wings, so if there is any danger, they can simply flee as a whole and fly to a nearby island for refuge.
"What they call protection for you is actually their own act of atonement."
Moen waved his hand and explained to Bobo and the others with a smile that serving as a bodyguard on this island for three years was his punishment for Leon and his gang. They could be spared the death penalty, but they couldn't escape punishment. You always have to bear the consequences of your actions.
"Besides, using me as a shield might attract some dim-witted and overconfident individuals. With them here, at least most of them can be kept out."
Moen made this decision after careful consideration; he didn't just make it up arbitrarily.
Leon and his gang are quite strong. Having them stay here as bodyguards can not only protect them from those who overestimate themselves and cause trouble, but also help Bobo and his crew get more used to interacting with humans. This is a win-win situation.
"this....
'
Hearing Moen say that, Bobo and the others didn't say anything more.
After all, this is indeed a favorable arrangement for them. After three years, the hype surrounding this matter will probably die down, and then there will be no need for anyone to guard it here anymore.
"You can also see if there are any promising talents here. If you find a suitable candidate, they can come back to Fairy Tail with me to learn."
Moen had a good impression of these simple demons, so he didn't mind offering them more help.
Furthermore, recruiting demons into Fairy Tail sounds really cool and should make guild life more interesting.
"Really?!"
Moen's suggestion immediately excited the demon villagers, and Bobo's eyes widened as he repeatedly asked Moen for confirmation.
"Of course, you should have good magical talent. Your wings don't look like they can propel your bodies to fly. They must be relying on magic."
Moen pointed to the black wings on Bobo's back, wings that looked like bat feathers and were quite fragile. Scientifically speaking, it was impossible for someone of Bobo's height and weight to fly.
"This...is our instinct..."
Bobo paused for a moment. They thought their only ability that could be called magic was turning into a human, but upon closer inspection, the ability to fly seemed to be magic as well.
"Okay, let's test them one by one later."
Moen nodded and gave the order; he was serious about choosing one of these demons to bring back "Fairy Tail".
"no problem!"
Bobo excitedly agreed, then led everyone into the village. This large, circular village, enclosed by high walls, was quite extensive. The demon villagers' daily lives were basically confined within this area, consisting only of hunting...
The fishing teams would go out, and they basically achieved self-sufficiency.
The village chief first arranged accommodations for everyone, and then immediately organized people to come over and line up for a test with Moen, to see which lucky person could go to "Fairy Tail" with Moen.
The children were all at the front of the line, and since they were arranged in order of age from youngest to oldest, they naturally preferred to send younger people.
"Don't come if you're too young. You should be at least seven or eight years old before you come. I'm not responsible for taking care of children. They should at least be able to take care of themselves."
Seeing the demon villager carrying a baby approaching him, Moen was speechless. Although he used to be a leader among children, wasn't it a bit too much for someone who hadn't even been weaned to come over like this?!
Hehe~
The burly, devilish man holding the child chuckled sheepishly, scratched his head awkwardly, and quickly retreated back into the crowd with the child in his arms. Since Moen had spoken, they naturally didn't want to disobey.
"The child is too young to test. If he doesn't show any magical talent on his own, we'll have to wait until he's older before trying."
Moen smiled and explained to the villagers around him, who looked somewhat disappointed, that it wasn't that he found it troublesome and deliberately didn't want to test them; it was mainly because his testing method was rather special, and children who were too young were too fragile to even fly.
Few people are born with magical talent, and that's not necessarily a good thing. Being young and physically fragile, they may even face the risk of dying young.
In reality, those who have the opportunity to learn magic don't start too early. Most start at six or seven years old, or even older. There are quite a few who don't show their magical talent until they are ten or so years old. For example, Mirajane was twelve or thirteen years old when she awakened her magic, but this did not prevent her strength from reaching S-rank.
"Understood, thank you."
Moen's explanation made the demon villagers realize the truth, and they sincerely thanked him. Moen was really patient and friendly to them, which made them respect him even more.
Moen didn't care and began to test their magical talents one by one. His method was simple and crude: he made these demon villagers fly, even if they just hovered in front of him.
Then, Moen can use "Eye of X-ray Vision" to observe the flow of the opponent's magic power and the vitality of the target's magic source.
Having donned the [Aries Gold Cloth], Moen stretched out his hands and clasped them together in front of him, forming a triangle-like shape. His eyes surged with magic, instantly penetrating the demon villagers' bodies and clearly seeing the magical veins flowing within them and the active state of their magical sources.
The Aries Saint's eyesight, inherited from the Jamir clan, is stronger than that of other Saints. He can even see into the inside of the Saint Cloth, and seeing through the human body is a piece of cake, a basic skill for him.
In the world of "Aislandon", everyone possesses magic, the only difference being how much they can manipulate and whether they can actively mobilize their magic.
These demons are able to fly with those wings, which means they at least have the ability to manipulate magic, possessing the basic qualities to become mages. The vitality of their magic source and how easily they manipulate magic represent their most basic talents.
In a sense, flying fast, flying high, and flying smoothly means you have talent, and there's nothing wrong with that.
Soon, Moen scanned all the eligible demon villagers and came to the conclusion that these demons generally had mediocre magical talent, and they were indeed not quite "demon".
Moen thought to himself, if things continue like this, these guys might actually turn into humans in the end.
Of course, if you look at it from another angle, it's actually quite abnormal. All these demon villagers have magical talent, which is basically the same as the idea that all humans can become mages. Even a novice mage is still stronger than an average person.
"Let's choose this child."
Looking at the children who were nervously awaiting their verdict, Moen picked out an eleven or twelve-year-old demon girl. At least this child looked more pleasing to the eye. She had purple skin and a pair of long horns on her head. This demon form was somewhat similar to a famous "demon hunter".
"Lillian! You've been chosen! Quickly thank Mr. Moen!"
Amidst everyone's joyful blessings, the demon girl Lillian, nervously twisting her fingers, stepped forward and bowed solemnly to Moen.
"Thank you, Mr. Moen!"
Lillian spoke, her voice trembling slightly, clearly very nervous; she hadn't expected to be chosen.
"No need for that, we'll be guild partners from now on."
Moen smiled and shook his head, then instructed, "Pack your things and get ready. You'll be coming back with us tomorrow."
With everything settled here and all arrangements made, they plan to leave after attending the banquet tomorrow.
"Yes! We'll go pack it right away!"
The villagers of Demon Village excitedly embraced the nervous demon girl as they left. The children who were not chosen were somewhat disappointed, but they all offered their blessings to Lillian, showing that they had a very good relationship.