Ben was surprised by what he saw. The villagers transform into demons when the purple moon shined down on them. He had never heard of such a thing happening during the Moon Drip ritual.
The Moon Drip ritual's effect shouldn't be this, it is affecting their mind. It can alter or erase their memories slowly. It can also make them go crazy and berserk and attack other people.
As far as he knew, there was no side effect like demonization involved with the Moon Drip ritual. It might be a side effect of Devil Slayer Magic, but surely not the Moon Drip ritual. That means something else caused it to happen.
"I want to investigate it, but that can wait. I need to finish my job first and make sure those guys are safe. Hmm? That pink hair, isn't he that little Dragon Slayer? So he's the one that stole the S-Class job? He also has a cat like me and Wendy. Then there's a blonde girl and a shirtless black-haired guy. Wait! Didn't Makarov send Erza after them? Where is she?" Ben asked.
He looked around and didn't see the scarlet-haired woman at all.
"Strange, didn't the old man say that Master Makarov sent Titania after these guys first? Then she should've gotten here before me?" Ben was confused.
Ben forgot that he had a super-fast car that can move on any terrain while Erza needed to drive the old model car and steer the old model ship to get here. Of course he would arrive first.
"Well, she will arrive sooner or later. I'm curious about her title Titania. Let's see what's capable of after she comes here and a problem surfaces. It's also a good chance for me to see that little Dragon Slayer's power. For now, I need to determine if the reason for the Moon Drip ritual is really Deliora." Ben said as he stroked his chin.
Ben looked around the island to see where the ritual was taking place. The ritual should be held now because the moon was in the sky. He found it easily from his high POV as the Moon Drip ritual created a tall pillar of purple light that can be clearly seen.
The ritual was being commenced on the other side of the island shaped like a crescent moon. It's quite far, so Ben immediately went there to stop it as soon as possible. The ritual could end at anytime and it would be big trouble.
Ben ran to the ritual site as fast as he can while still hiding his presence. He doesn't want to alert the enemies as he wants to gather information first. Information in this kind of job is very important.
He soon arrived at the ritual site and hid behind a tree. The ritual took place on a old temple that looks like it will fall apart at anytime. On the temple's roof, Ben spotted a dog man performing the ritual.
He ignored the man and searched for a door or hole to enter the temple. After finding a door, he transformed into a small lizard and crawled through it. He entered the temple and started to explore it.
The temple was very big and it took time for him to find what he was searching for. He found out where the Moon Drip was directed and was surprised. Makarov's assumption is correct, Deliora was the target of the Moon Drip ritual.
'What a scary old man. He knew what was happening before it actually happened.' Ben thought.
Deliora was covered in thick ice which was the result of Iced Shell. This ice has someone's soul trapped inside it because it cost the user their life. That's why this spell is forbidden and only used as a last resort.
Ben thought about what he would do with the sealed Deliora. He can sense that this monster is still alive and it had a strong life force. If the Iced Shell melted, Deliora would likely go on a rampage.
As he was thinking about that, 2 people came into the room. One was a man with thick eyebrows and the other was a woman with pink hair. They talked to each while they approached Deliora.
"The ritual is moving a little faster than predicted. It will be completed tomorrow." The woman said.
"It's just a day faster, it's not something that's out of our prediction." The short man said, sweat dropping.
"But it's still faster than our previous prediction that it would be completed in 2 days." The woman persisted.
"Compared to the 3 years since the ritual started, a single day is minuscule." The man said.
The 2 kept arguing about it while walking towards Deliora. Ben ignored their scuffle and thought about the fact they had been performing this ritual for 3 years.
'To perform this ritual for 3 years, it indicates they haven't succeeded and they're incompetent. Although they seem to have a little knowledge about this ritual and don't have enough people to help them. After all, a ritual requires a lot of people to carry it out.' Ben thought.
Ben then looked at Deliora.
'But 3 years, huh? That seal must have been significantly weakened. If I stop the ritual now, the seal might break anytime in the future. If I let them finish it, Deliora will be released now and I need to fight it. But that will endanger the villagers who live here and the Fairy Tail mages. Hmm, what should I do?' He thought.
As Ben thought about what to do next, 2 other people walk into the room. One was a man with a metal helmet and the other wore a tribal mask. They approach the other 2 and the woman was excited to see the man with the helmet.
The man with the helmet asked about the ritual and the woman filled him in. She said the same thing that she told the short man with a flirty tone. The man ignored her attempt at flirting and just focused on Deliora.
"It will be completed tomorrow, huh? That's good, let's prepare for it." The helmeted man said.
The others nod before they leave the room and go to the ritual site. Ben was now alone and wondered about the group.
'That man with the tribal mask is stronger than the others. Why would he follow the helmeted man's orders? He must be involved somehow.' Ben thought.
Ben makes a clone and the Sloth clone appeared in front of him in lizard form. He sent Sloth to follow the man wearing the tribal mask and find out what he's up to. As for the others, he could care less about them, they're weak and not a threat to him.
After Sloth left, Ben approached Deliora and climbed the ice. He learned more about Iced Shell and the demon contained within it. As he predicted, Iced Shell had gotten weaker over time but it was still tough enough to avoid being destroyed by magical attacks.
However, Ben was sure he could melt the ice with his magic. It would take some effort, but it's not impossible. He wouldn't be able to do this 10 years after Iced Shell was first cast, but now it would be easier to melt.
Ben then thought about something.
'It seems I can't stop the Moon Drip ritual. I need to let Deliora escape and kill him here. If I stop the ritual now, Deliora will be released anytime in the future. That will be trouble because he will have time to recover. But if I fight him after he's released, he won't be able to recover and won't be in the best shape to fight.'
Ben decided to fight Deliora after careful consideration. It's better to know when and where he'll fight Deliora rather than waiting for an unknown time and place to do it in the future. He chose the option that will give him a chance to prepare, not something with too many unknowns.
'Alright, let's come up with a plan tomorrow.' Ben thought as he left the temple.