Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail
It had been nearly a month since the investigation into Fairy Tail first began. Now, the Council was demanding results. Normally, investigations such as this could take moths, if not years, to actually succeed. With so little information, Lahar was used to going down dead ends multiple times before finding the one clue that finally led him to success. However, there was something much different about previous investigations compared to this one. Those did not involve an entire guild's worth of missing wizards. As a result, the Council assumed it would be easier to find them in such a large group. They were wrong.
In his inn in Oshibana, Lahar sat at his desk and rubbed his forehead, placing his glasses on the desk. He was hardly getting any sleep these days. The rune knight captain would spend his nights reading over his notes from the case, memorizing details about Fairy Tail's wizards and the few clues he had gathered. Somewhere, there had to be a hint of where they had gone. He just didn't see it yet. With Gajeel's added confession, it made finding Fairy Tail that much more important too. As a result, Lahar was feeling the pressure not only from the Council, but from his own sense of justice.
Just this morning, Lahar had received the letter he was staring at on his desk. While he still had his communication lacrima installed for any contact from the Council members, they were now choosing to use notes instead it seemed. They took longer, which irritated Lahar, but it was still a method of communicating that he could tolerate.
After reading through it earlier, he had no idea what to do. Michello had been the writer, the 3rd seated wizard amongst the members of the Council. The man had stated that if Lahar didn't present them with at least a narrowed down location of Fairy Tail by the end of next week, he would be removed from the investigation and demoted for his inactivity and incompetence as a rune knight. The punishment was what shocked him the most. While ranks did often change amongst the competitive atmosphere of the rune knights, demotions were still rare. For failing to arrest a criminal in only a month, a rune knight shouldn't have even been pulled from the case.
Still, he couldn't fault their logic, either. A band of wizards meant they were traveling together. That would create attention, regardless of where they went and regardless of their appearance. While Lahar could at least pass along word that Phantom Lord believed Zeref was amongst the members of Fairy Tail, it wouldn't aid his case. The Council would be stubborn, refusing to see the truth and resulting in him being fired, rather than simply demoted. Disliking the idea of being labeled as a madman by the Council members, Lahar discarded that idea quickly.
It was simply a challenge, likely due to the wizard they were up against. Struggling to consider just what the black wizard was capable of, Lahar questioned if Zeref was the reason they could not be found. After all, it had been four hundred years since any word of Zeref had been mentioned. All he knew was that he was known for killing hundreds, probably even thousands, of people and creating demons with his magic. Death was his specialty, but never once had he heard just how that power worked. Considering the aftermath left behind in Fiore, Zeref was likely capable of killing directly with his magic. Even other wizards seemed to have fallen, before any signs of a struggle could be shown on the scene. It was unnerving to consider, but it was the reality of the situation.
Slamming his hands against the desk, Lahar scowled in irritation with himself. Something this important shouldn't be delayed, but he had absolutely nothing to use. Not a single witness would share news with him in Oshibana, and while he could travel to Clover, he was certain he wouldn't gain anything new. Before he left, Gajeel had added that Fairy Tail left town after defeating Zeref's demon, so it would be yet another dead end. Lahar simply wished these dead ends would finally stop. Oshibana refused to help, Clover would know nothing, and Fairy Tail had hidden any trail left behind in Magnolia.
Frowning, Lahar tried to consider a potential pattern emerging. Thus far, the path was random and unorganized. Oshibana was located north of Magnolia, and it was actually just a few minutes away by train. Clover, however, was further to the west of Magnolia, and a bit south of Oshibana, almost on the same latitude line as Magnolia on a map. It pretty much backtracked from where Fairy Tail had originally traveled, ending any hint he might have gained from it. At this point, he would have been more pleased to hear that they had gone to Hargeon. At least then the randomness would make some form of sense. A port town would be required to travel anywhere by sea, but none of the three cities mentioned thus far were near any body of water. Even the rivers running through the country were a distance away from Oshibana and Clover.
Sighing, Lahar leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. There was a weight within his eyelids, and a tenseness to his shoulders that wouldn't go away. Just between the blades of his shoulders, the pain was centered. Nothing seemed to stretch it out, and despite practically drowning in coffee all day, he could not keep his eyes open. His body was trying to tell him to rest, but it wasn't an option with the new deadline, and the new threat posed by the black wizard potentially leading Fairy Tail.
Suddenly, a light was emitted from the lacrima resting on the corner of his desk. Someone was trying to contact him, and he immediately sat up straighter and activated the device to see who it was. On the other end, Lahar was stunned to see the familiar face of Doranbolt. The telepath had vanished days ago, and Lahar was slowly becoming convinced that his partner would not be returning to the mission. Now, however, he seemed to be getting proven wrong.
Doranbolt looked decent, though his outfit had changed from the usual uniform of a rune knight. The robes had been swapped out for a plain orange shirt and black slacks, both of which seemed to fit his appearance quite well. The bright color made his tanned skin contrast much more, and it brought out the color in his eyes. "Finally, I was worried you weren't going to respond. I'm sorry it took so long, it was hard to establish communications without looking suspicious around here."
Nodding, Lahar smiled slightly at his partner. "It is fine. I cannot tell you how glad I am to be hearing from you. On my end, I haven't been able to learn much of use." Thinking back to what Doranbolt had missed, Lahar considered for a moment. "Natsu did return, but he seemed to be rather conflicted about our arrangement when he did. From what I can gather, he's encountered one of Fairy Tail's wizards, but they've deceived Natsu into believing they are friendly still."
The telepath frowned, looking worried. He seemed to be sitting in a plain room, with stone walls behind his back. It looked like something green was growing in the cracks behind Doranbolt, but Lahar couldn't be sure. "That doesn't sound good. Please tell me he hasn't abandoned our investigation. Surely, Natsu realizes that he will go back to prison if he refuses to cooperate." It was their arrangement, and Lahar couldn't help but mimic Doranbolt's concerned expression in response.
"He does, however, Natsu seems convinced he can find a middle ground. The dragon slayer is attempting to aid us, while also concealing the location of the single friend he made within Fairy Tail." Crossing his arms over his chest, Lahar gazed steadily into Doranbolt's gaze. "Actually, he did provide some information already. While I don't know the entirety of the details, there is something odd that Fairy Tail has been hiding, likely for years now. Underneath the guild, we found a hidden basement. It was sealed using powerful magic, hiding not only the entrance but any magical aura that may have been contained within."
Looking a bit alarmed, Doranbolt blinked at Lahar in surprise. "Did they really fall so long ago? I've only been here for a few days, but the few wizards I've met…" The telepath trailed off, looking away. "First, I met Loke. I'll admit, I didn't like him that much at first. He's a big flirt, and he isn't sincere about much of what he says, but there's something about all of them that feels…connected, in a way. Part of me understands why Natsu sympathizes with them, though I do know that they've broken the law and must face justice."
Trying to get back on track, Lahar cleared his throat slightly. Doranbolt shook his head, gazing back towards Lahar as the captain continued on. "Yes, well, there is more. The basement was guarded with more than just that enchantment. A misdirection in the actual building of the basement seemed to be included, with a hallway leading towards a trap that unleashed what appeared to be a demon that attacked us on sight." Doranbolt gasped slightly, his eyes bulging at the idea. Now, Lahar seemed to correlate the demon with Zeref, but back then, he hadn't even considered the Black Wizard actually being involved for a single moment.
When his partner didn't reply, Lahar continued. "Natsu then directed us back towards the main chamber, and informed us of how to open the true hidden room within. Another enchantment…supposedly opened by saying the name of what was held within." Leaning closer, Lahar made sure to speak quietly so no one walking by his room would overhear. "According to Natsu…the entire basement was a tomb, for Fairy Tail's first master."
The telepath seemed to relax after hearing this, grimacing but nodding in understanding. "Ah, yes. That is something I've come to realize after being here. I slipped up before, by being surprised when I heard that their mysterious master was away on some mission to 'save' Mavis. Unfortunately, that means I have yet to meet him and truly alter everyone's memories for my cover, but it will happen in time. At least I've managed to locate their guild hall, so I'd say this undercover operation was more successful than we had hoped."
Hearing that, alarms went off in Lahar's mind. From everything he had seen, Zeref was not an easy wizard to overpower with magic. Likely, Doranbolt's magic would fail to do anything to the black wizard. "If that is the case, I suggest getting out now. Based on the tips I've received recently….we don't stand a chance if we face off against Fairy Tail's master directly. We need to be discrete about this, and use his absence to our advantage."
"Wait, you've identified him from the outside? Who figured it out?" Doranbolt looked shocked, already trying to learn more. "More importantly, who is the guy?"
Scowling, Lahar glanced at the table holding the lacrima, rather than the image of his partner. "You won't believe me. In fact, I personally didn't believe it myself, not at first."
Chuckling, Doranbolt shook his head. "Yeah, well, I'll believe almost anything right now. We've got a guild that sounds like they're attempting to resurrect their former Master and who hides bodies in their basement. I mean, they've already shown their true colors, so whoever this dark wizard is, it can't be anyone unexpected."
The rune knight captain had not considered that possibility, but considering what he knew, there was probably no one else capable of accomplishing such an impossible task. If anyone could resurrect the dead, it would be the only wizard in history known to have created any form of life, Zeref. "If you insist, though I still find myself doubtful of your words." Lahar commented dryly, focusing back on him. "Based on a report from someone who was present in Clover during the Lullaby incident, Fairy Tail was present to stop them."
Doranbolt nodded, shrugging. "Yeah, I heard about that too. From what I understood, they had blocked the train station when Fairy Tail was trying to get out of town, so someone went to stop them." With that news, the detour to Clover made much more sense. It explained their connection to Eisenwald, even if it was an obstacle to the guild's attempted escape.
"Yes, well, apparently only a single guild that was present at the guild master's conference saw fit to share information with us about the event." Doranbolt raised his eyebrows at this, his concern quite obvious. "Based on that alone, it is certain that this wizard we are dealing with is a master of deception. If the rumor is to be believed, there is quite a valid reason as well. According to the informant from Phantom Lord, Fairy Tail's guild master is someone the Council believes to be dead. In fact, the entire world believes him to be dead."
This time, Doranbolt rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. "Stop dodging the subject, Lahar. We both know you're just trying to avoid looking foolish. Wizards have fooled us before by faking their deaths, this wouldn't be the first time."
He had a valid point, but Lahar was still shaken himself by this news and he disliked having to be the one to deliver it. "You may be correct, but this is the first time someone who has faked their death centuries ago is now being reported as alive." This time, Doranbolt froze, his eyes growing wide. "My source states that the Black Wizard Zeref was in Clover, aiding Fairy Tail in the killing of Lullaby. To be honest, I am slowly beginning to believe them. It explains many of the occurrences we've seen thus far, with the death magic in Magnolia and Fairy Tail's insistence that their second master wasn't dead in the first place. At the moment…I am fairly certain that the one they called Spriggan is not only Zeref, but also the Spriggan Emperor from Alvarez, providing an explanation into the false names provided within our investigations."
His partner seemed thoughtful for a moment, frowning as he leaned back in his seat. Lahar watched patiently, wondering if Doranbolt would reach the same conclusion. After all, it wasn't an easy jump to make. The only true similarity between Zeref and the Alvarez Empire at the moment was the name Spriggan, which seemed to link Fairy Tail's leader with their emperor. Maybe there was some deeper meaning to the name that Lahar didn't understand. He made a mental note to check on it later, considering it may provide useful insight into their target.
After a few more moments, Doranbolt slowly began to nod, rubbing the back of his head. "You might be on to something, but there isn't really any way to prove it. I mean, if you consider what I've learned personally while here, it doesn't make much sense. Why would the Black Wizard have any interest in some girl that founded a guild a little over a century ago?"
Thinking about Natsu's attitude was the only hint Lahar had. "I can't be certain…but based on how protective Natsu seemed to be of Fairy Tail's basement, I'd say it was a personal matter. Maybe she did him a favor before founding the guild. Not much is really known about Mavis Vermillion, if you look at the history books. Based on our records, she founded the guild when she was about thirteen years of age, but before that, it simply states that she grew up on Tenrou Island. The only records from that far back on the island are of an old guild that was destroyed in one of the wars between guilds before they were outlawed, and that was before Mavis left that island."
"It sounds like you've been doing your own research into this." Doranbolt commented.
Lahar nodded. "This is concerning news, and I had to work quickly to at least be able to present something to the Council. They've given us a deadline. We have until next week to locate Fairy Tail, or they plan on demoting both of us and having us replaced with a new unit for the investigation."
As expected, this got a reaction from Doranbolt. He sucked in a sharp breath, seeming to take a moment to calm himself before replying. "This isn't good. The Council never rushes us to this extent. There must be something else going on that they need us to help with, otherwise there wouldn't be this much pressure to close the case." Frowning in thought, Doranbolt placed a hand on his chin, shaking his head before smiling slightly. "Well, I suppose it doesn't matter either way. Fairy Tail is in Oshibana, taking up residence in the former guild hall of Eisenwald. Get here as soon as you can, and we'll rendezvous to come up with a capture strategy concerning Zeref and the rest of Fairy Tail."
This time, it was Lahar's turn to be surprised. "Oshibana? How convenient…with no more leads in Magnolia, I moved on to investigate a possible connection to Eisenwald." he mused, smiling in response to Doranbolt. "Just give me the time and place, and I'll be there. Soon, Fairy Tail will be brought to justice, and they'll begin to see the error of their ways."
I know, this chapter is really short compared to what I've been posting lately. However, it is also the last chapter in Lahar's POV for a little while, so I didn't really want to combine it with anything else. Feel free to review and tell me what you think!
