After burying the dead villagers in the hole, Ben and Mira treat the children's wounds. The children are dispirited so Ben and Mira remain silent while treating them. They just talk after the children calmed down a little.
"Kids, I know this is a difficult day for you but you need to stay strong. You still have a future ahead of you, so don't waste it." Ben said.
"Then what should we do? We can't do anything on our own because we are still very young." The oldest girl said. She appeared to be 9 years old.
"We could send you to an orphanage, but I have a better idea. The guys that attacked you were dark mages, people that worship Zeref. They must've had a reason to keep you alive. My guess is that you have a talent with magic, you can be mages." Ben said.
The children were surprised because they didn't know this. They weren't sure if Ben was telling the truth, but he isn't just making a wild guess. He had faced a lot of Zeref worshipers and there are a lot of records of their attacks.
Usually, they would just wipe out the villages or towns that they attacked. When they let some people live, usually children, it's because the children have a talent for magic. These children are potential members and test subjects for them.
"You doubt it, don't you? Well, no one will know for sure unless we put it to the test." Ben said.
Ben then asked Mira to help him inspect the children's talent for magic. Mira nodded and then they start their little test. The children were wary of them, but Mira and Bella calmed them down so they agree to be inspected.
The method of inspection they came up with was rather simple. They flow a small amount of their magic power into the children's bodies to see what their reactions are. If they have magic power, there will be a reaction like a resonance.
After inspecting all the children, they find out that the children really have talent for magic. Although Ben felt that their talent was ordinary, they still have talent. As long as they work hard, then they can be strong mages.
Mages are still not that common now. Only a small percent of people are mages. So finding seven children with talent for magic at the same time in a village like this is rare. Ben can't miss this chance because this is a rare opportunity.
"Kids, you all have talent for magic. That's why I have another option for you. You can join a guild instead of heading to a orphanage. In a guild, you can make money for yourselves while learning to use your magic and becoming stronger." Ben said.
He then explained what a guild is to the children. He told them there were three different kinds of guilds legal, dark and independent guilds. He told them what the difference is and advised them to join a legal guild because these guilds will offer better protection.
"Have you ever heard of a legal guild or maybe you have one that you want to join?" Ben asked.
"I-I know one, it's Lamia Scale. We hired their mages a few times, so I know their guild's name." A little boy said.
"Oh, Lamia Scale. It is a legal guild, so there is no problem. Do you want to join it?" Mira asked.
The children look at each other but they don't answer because they are still confused.
"Big brother and sister, are you from legal guilds?" A little girl asked.
"Fairy Tail!" Bella excitedly exclaimed.
"Yeah, we're from a legal guild known as Fairy Tail. This big brother over here is the guild master, you know." Mira said with a smile.
The children were amazed.
"Wow! So you are an important person." A boy said.
Ben just smiled.
"If you are from a legal guild, then why didn't you ask us to join your guild?" The oldest girl asked.
"Well, I don't want to force you to join our guild. You have the freedom to choose where you'll live. I will just help you find a good place. Lamia Scale is our guild's ally and it is a good guild, so I don't mind if you decide to join it. But if you decide to join a bad guild, then I will ask you to join a better one." Ben told them.
After hearing what Ben said, the children discuss it among themselves. Ben and Move step back to give them room to talk. But Ben can still hear them even from a distance because of his enhanced sense of hearing.
He can hear that they split into 2 factions. One group chooses Lamia Scale because they know about the guild while the other chose Fairy Tail because they were saved by Ben's group. They had a rather long discussion before they finally made a decision.
"So, what have you decided?" Ben asked.
"Um, we have decided that we will split up. 4 of us will join Lamia Scale and 3 will join your guild. Is that okay?" The oldest girl timidly asked.
"Of course that's okay. You can all even join Lamia Scale if you want, you know. There's no need to be worried about repaying us or something by joining our guild." Mira said.
"No, it's not like that. The 4 of them like Lamia Scale and always wanted to join the guild if they can become mages. But the 3 of us don't have any guild in mind. So we think that the best way is by following you because we know who you are." The oldest girl explained.
"Well, it's fine. But you all need to be ready to work hard and follow the rules in the guild that you join. Don't regret this decision, alright?" Ben asked.
"Yes!" The children shout.
Ben's group then took the children to the next town first using a carriage installed on Light Runner. They rent a big hotel room that can house all of them at once. Then Ben contacted Lamia Scale to pick the children that will join them up.
He also called Macao to send their men to pick the children that want to join them up. He can't take them there himself because he has business with the Magic Council. But Mira and Bella will stay with them because they still need guardians.
After resolving the matter with the children, Ben went to the Magic Council alone. It's better this way because he doesn't need to worry if there was a commotion there. Mira and Bella will be safe if something happened because they will be far away from there.
"A.I Chip, is everything ready?" Ben asked while he drove Light Runner.
[Yes. I've been collecting your memories and also your clones' memories. They have been collated in a file and are ready to be used. You just need to install it into a lacrima crystal. Just put your hand on the lacrima crystal and I will do the rest.]
"Alright, the weapon is ready. Now I just need to use it against the enemy. I hope the Magic Council is ready for this. I can't wait to see their reactions." Ben said with a smirk.
Ben took out a lacrima crystal and put his hand on it. Then the lacrima crystal shined as A.I Chip does it's job. Ben just provides the magic power and it does the rest, so he can focus on driving.
He drove through some forests, towns and even deserts. It took him almost 12 hours to reach the town where the new branch of the Magic Council was located because he didn't drive fast. Yes, it's a new location because the previous one had been destroyed by Jellal and Ultear.
It was night time when he arrived, so he rested in a hotel. He prepared a few more things while he was in the hotel. The next day, he finally went to the Council building. It's the day Jura set so he just needs to come out and start his plan.
While in front of the big building, Ben smirked.
"Damn bastards, here I come." He said.