Thus, Gray successfully became Ur's disciple.
In just a brief conversation between Ian and Ur, Gray's entire life path had been set in stone.
This was also the beginning of the nickname he would carry for life—being labeled as a "pervert," also known as the "Ice Nudist of Fairy Tail."
"Since the demon Deliora, which ravaged the town, has been completely destroyed by Ian," Ur crouched down and looked at the young Gray with a smile, "and now that you've become my disciple, how about coming back to my home with me?"
"After all, you don't have anywhere to live now, right?"
Ur glanced at the vast, empty village surrounding them. Even the simplest of wooden houses would take at least two or three days to build with the help of magic, so bringing Gray to her home seemed like the most appropriate solution.
Although Ur's house wasn't particularly large, it had everything needed for daily life.
It was enough to ensure Gray's survival in the midst of the heavy snow.
"Speaking of which, I haven't had the chance to introduce myself yet," Ur continued, "My name is Ur, Ur Milkovich, and I'm just an ordinary Ice-Make wizard." Without giving Gray a chance to respond, she went on introducing herself and her abilities.
Then, as she instinctively turned her head to look at the white-haired boy standing next to her, she finally remembered someone important who had been with her the entire time.
Feeling a bit apologetic, she introduced the white-haired boy to Gray: "Oh, I almost forgot your senior brother! This here is Leon, Leon Bastia. He's your senior disciple. I hope you two can get along well from now on."
"Hello, Gray. I'm Leon," Leon said, offering his hand in greeting.
"Hello, I'm Gray, Gray Fullbuster," Gray hesitated for a moment before taking Leon's hand, mimicking the introductions Ur and Leon had just given.
"Hehe, it's nice to see brothers getting along so well," Ur smiled happily after watching the two of them shake hands. "By the way, Gray, I live in a town about thirty miles west of here. It's going to be a tough journey ahead, so don't slack off."
"Of course, if you ever feel unwell or exhausted, don't hesitate to let me know. I'm a kind teacher when it comes to my students," Ur said, giving Gray a playful wink.
"Hey! Don't underestimate me! I'm confident in my stamina!" Gray stubbornly replied.
"Well then, I'll be taking Gray with me," Ur said, now turning to Ian, preparing to leave with both Gray and Leon.
"Ur, we'll leave Gray in your capable hands," said Silver, Gray's father, as he and his wife, Mika, hurriedly approached, tears welling in their eyes as they sincerely entrusted their son to Ur.
"Your Gray?" Ur was a bit puzzled by this sudden remark.
"Yes, I'm Gray's father," Silver explained.
"And I'm his mother," Mika added, sobbing as she introduced herself.
"Wait, what?!" Ur was shocked by their words. She had originally assumed that Gray was an orphan when Ian had arranged for him to become her disciple. After all, if Gray had any living family, it wouldn't make sense for a stranger—let alone a Fairy Tail wizard—to make such a major decision for him.
But it turned out that Gray's parents were alive and well, and had been standing right there the whole time, watching as Ian took it upon himself to arrange everything.
This was absurd!
"Hey, Ian! You didn't tell me that Gray's parents were still alive!" Ur yelled, suddenly flashing in front of Ian and grabbing him by the collar, her voice filled with anger. "Since his parents are right here, what gives you the right to make decisions for Gray and make him my disciple?! You have no authority here!"
"I never said Gray was an orphan," Ian replied, looking slightly exasperated. "I saved Gray's entire family, so I figured they wouldn't mind me making this small decision."
"You figured? That's just your assumption!" Ur huffed. "I swear, you Fairy Tail wizards are all the same—whether it's you or Gildarts! You're all incredibly strong, but you have no sense of boundaries. Learn some common courtesy!"
She forced a smile and turned toward Silver and Mika, gently asking, "Now, as for Gray becoming my disciple and leaving his family to study magic with me, how do you both feel about that?"
"We'll trust Ian's judgment," Silver replied, smiling.
"Ian saved our lives. We have no doubt his decision is the right one," Mika added. "We also trust that since Ian believes in you, Ur, you must be a good person like him. So we feel reassured leaving Gray in your care."
"See? I told you it wasn't a problem," Ian said, grinning as he walked over to Ur.
"Shut up," Ur sighed, thoroughly exasperated by the Fairy Tail wizards.
"Gray, say your goodbyes to your parents," Ur said, patting Gray on the shoulder and urging him to bid his final farewells before they set off.
"Yes, ma'am!" Gray said, immediately walking over to his parents. Bowing deeply, he said, "Father, Mother, I will follow Teacher Ur and work hard to learn magic. One day, I'll become as strong as Ian and defeat any enemy that dares to threaten you."
"Go on, then!" Silver waved his hand dismissively, urging Gray to return to Ur's side so they wouldn't keep her waiting.
"I know you can do it," Mika said softly, patting Gray on the shoulder, her heart swelling with pride at her son's determination to protect them.
"Mm!" Gray nodded and, after saying his goodbyes to his parents, quickly returned to Ur's side. "Teacher Ur, I've said my goodbyes. I'm ready to go."
"Alright then, let's head out," Ur said, sounding a bit weary.
Ur swore to herself that she wanted nothing more to do with Fairy Tail wizards like Ian and Gildarts.
Unfortunately, the world doesn't always go as one wishes.
"Although I don't want to ruin this heartfelt moment…" Ian suddenly said, approaching Ur and the others. "Before we leave, we need to take care of a little tail that's been following us. After all, after observing us for so long, they ought to pay a fee for the show. Don't you agree?"
"Wait, hold on…" Ur's eyes narrowed as she realized something strange in Ian's words. "What do you mean 'we'? Hey, Ian, you better explain yourself—who exactly is included in this 'we'?"
Ian wouldn't be leaving with them, would he?
She definitely wasn't planning to take Ian to her hometown!
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"Come out! Or should I drag you out?" Ian coldly called toward the distant woods.
"Could there be an enemy over there?" Ur, quickly realizing something was wrong, clenched her right hand into a fist and prepared her Ice-Make magic, staying alert for any movement around them.
"Impressive. As expected of a Fairy Tail wizard, you noticed my presence," came a sinister voice.
As Ur tensed up, a tall figure emerged from the woods. Wielding a monk's staff and dressed in a tattered robe, the grotesque figure radiated an aura of fear and malice. This fearsome figure approached Ian and Ur.
"Who… who are you?" Ur's eyes widened in shock.
"Humans, it's our first meeting. Allow me to introduce myself…" the figure said in a deep, gravelly voice. "I am Keyes, the Dark Monk, one of the Nine Demon Gates of Tartaros. Though you may not have heard of me, all you need to know is that we are demons from the Book of Zeref."
"The Book of Zeref's demons?!" Ur exclaimed. "What's your connection to Deliora?"
"Ha! Deliora was once one of our esteemed members, one of the Nine Demon Gates of Tartaros. But unfortunately, you humans destroyed Deliora completely, leaving not even a body behind." Keyes sighed regretfully.
"What is your true plan?" Ur pressed, hoping to extract more information about Tartaros from him.
"Plan? You speak of plans? Ha!" Keyes sneered, his eyes flashing with mockery. "Our very existence is the greatest…"
"Boom!"
Before Keyes could finish, a massive force of gravity pressed him to the ground.
"Ugh…" Keyes, caught off guard, was instantly pinned by Ian's gravity magic.
"Why waste time talking? Just send him to meet Deliora," Ian said, raising his finger slightly, increasing the pressure on Keyes.
"Humans! Tartaros will not forgive you! Master Mard Geer will avenge me!" Keyes screamed as he struggled under the immense weight.
"Dark Paradise: Confinement Space!!" Ian conjured, creating a massive gravitational vortex before him. The gravity was so intense that it distorted light and shadow, pulling everything into its crushing center.
"Not good!" Ur quickly erected an ice wall to shield Gray and the others from the aftershock of Ian's magic.
"Ahh! Nooo…" Keyes, whose curse magic was ill-suited for direct combat, could do nothing against Ian's overwhelming power. His body was sucked into the dark vortex and disappeared without a trace, as though he had never existed.
"So strong!" Ur muttered, lowering her ice wall. "Even now, I can't come close to such power." She turned to Ian. "But you killed him so quickly! We hadn't even learned why he was here."
"He's not completely dead," Ian replied calmly. "I merely destroyed his physical form. His demon soul is now imprisoned in my Dark Paradise along with Deliora. So don't worry, it's handled."
Ian was always one to be resourceful—how could he waste such valuable demon souls? After all, Zeref had worked hard to create them.
These high-quality demon souls would be the perfect nourishment for Mirajane when she eventually joined the guild!
"Gray, Leon," Ian continued, turning to the two boys. "This is your first lesson: never show mercy to demons. Mercy will only get you hurt."
"Demons don't feel pain, "Ian explained. "They won't show fear or weakness when attacked. They are relentless, unlike other creatures that react when wounded".
With both Keyes and Deliora now out of the picture, the incident surrounding Gray was finally resolved.
However, Ian noticed that his simulation hadn't yet ended. After bidding farewell to Silver and Mika, he decided to follow Ur, Gray, and Leon on their journey.
"Stop following us!" Ur sighed, exasperated.
"I'm Gray's guardian now," Ian shrugged. "His parents entrusted that responsibility to me."
And so, under the guise of being Gray's guardian, Ian tagged along to Ur's house, shamelessly enjoying the free meals.
"Let's go on a trip of our own, Mika," Silver said softly, watching his son walk away.
"Anything you say, dear," Mika replied, snuggling into Silver's arms.
Gray's presence was just a small hiccup. Silver and Mika's love was the real story here.
Looking in the direction Gray had gone, Silver silently vowed, Gray, as your father, I won't place all the burden on you. Go, live your life. I'll protect both Mika and you.
Meanwhile, in the dark guild Tartaros, known as Zeref's Library…
"Keyes and Deliora have both been destroyed?"
"Was it a powerful human who did this?"
"It seems I'll have to remind these humans who really rules this continent…"
In the shadowy depths of the guild, a young man with long black hair, clutching a magic tome, sat quietly on his throne, seemingly asleep. Suddenly, as if sensing something, he opened his sharp eyes.
Just as the young man was about to act, he noticed his magic tome heating up.
"No! Wait…"
"These humans are trying to lure me out."
"After all these years, their goal hasn't changed! They still want to steal the book of END."
"Ha, good thing I realized in time…"
"You filthy, cunning humans, I won't let you succeed."
"I, Mard Geer, will guard the Book of END with my life!"
The young man muttered to himself, gripping the book tightly in his arms, his eyes filled with a cold intelligence as if he had already seen through everything.
If Ian were there, he would have pointed right at Mard Geer's nose and laughed, saying, "Mard Geer, did you know? Your guild master END (E.N.D, a.k.a. Natsu Dragneel) calls me Big Brother Ian all the time at the guild!"