"To be honest, I can't recall every detail now, but I still know the general story."
"Back then…"
Soon, one of the children began to recount the past to Yuri and his two companions.
In truth, most children struggle to remember things from their early years.
When Blue Skull invaded, the oldest of the kids in the guild was only ten, the youngest just three; remembering everything clearly was impossible.
But every year during Tenrou Village's anniversary, the adults retell the tale, reliving how lucky they were to survive, how hard rebuilding was, how precious life is now, and what the future might hold. After hearing it so many times, the children memorized it.
"I never imagined this island had gone through such things…"
Though they were Treasure Hunters, Yuri's group still had conscience; hearing Blue Skull's cruelty stirred pity for Tenrou Island's residents.
For a moment, their resolve to seize the tenrou jade wavered.
"…Later, the Guild Master used his magic to help the adults rebuild, taught us reading and magic, and founded Fairy Tail."
Listening to their story, Yuri's trio were shaken to the core.
After hearing that Weston had saved the villagers with magic, they'd braced themselves, yet still exclaimed "genius" at the feats of teaching magic and founding a guild.
"Is that kid the reincarnation of the God of Magic?"
"On the mainland, most Mages reach twenty—no, forty—without getting that strong."
Hearing Yuri's praise, the guild kids swelled with pride. "Of course! Our Guild Master's a genius among geniuses!"
"Right, a week after Tenrou Village's festival comes Fairy Tail's anniversary. Why not stay a few more days and celebrate with us?"
"Haha, we'd love to!"
Perfect—mission accomplished!
Yuri's admiration for Weston now came straight from the heart.
Yet admiration didn't stop him from having an ulterior motive.
He saw how much the children worshipped Guild Master Weston, so he piled on praise to win their trust and fish for information about the tenrou jade.
As it turned out, the plan worked like a charm.
These kids, green to the world's deceit, were easily swayed by sweet words and invited the trio to stay.
Now the three could linger on the island much longer.
Which meant more time to steal the tenrou jade.
"Honestly, someone with his Talent could probably become one of the legendary Ten Wizard Saints if he went to the mainland."
"But stuck on this remote island—it's such a waste!"
A careless remark can carry weight.
Yuri had meant only to praise Weston's genius, but his lament made the children freeze and fall silent.
Oblivious to the shift, Yuri continued, "By the way, with such an amazing Guild Master, you kids must be pretty strong too, right?"
"When we arrived we saw you hauling seven huge beasts."
"They said it was part of your magic exam?"
"Taking down beasts like that at your age—you've got bright futures!"
Yet this time the children didn't beam with pride; instead they hung their heads in shame.
"What's wrong?"
They mumbled, "We know our magic isn't anything special."
"It's not that the Guild Master can't teach; our Talent just isn't enough. No matter how hard we try, we can see our limits."
"Back then, over fifty of the seventy village kids awakened magical Talent. We were thrilled, sure we'd become great Mages and help the Guild Master and adults develop the village."
"But after a while excitement turned to disappointment."
Precht asked, "Why?"
"Because fewer than one in five got combat-suitable magic."
"Seeing others fight, protect the village, and hunt beasts, those with unsuitable magic felt bitter."
"Later the Guild Master tried teaching them combat spells, but—maybe due to poor Affinity or simply lacking the gift—progress was slow, and even their original magic training suffered."
"So eventually some 'faced reality' and gave up the warrior path."
The children before them looked crestfallen.
Precht realized these were the ones stuck with unsuitable magic.
Warrod interjected, "Magic isn't only for fighting; in the right place it can still shine!"
"We know that."
"Life on Tenrou Island is peaceful; no one's forced to fight."
"We're just sad to realize we're ordinary, worlds apart from geniuses like the Guild Master, Mavis, and Zera…"
Geniuses exist—just not us.
In every world, race, or age, accepting that truth is a heavy burden.
Yuri felt their pain keenly.
He'd always had strong empathy.
Precht understood their frustration too.
Gifted since childhood, hailed as a prodigy, he knew the sorrow of the average.
Warrod related even more.
Poor in combat, he often felt useless beside Yuri and Precht on adventures.
"Hey, Precht, Warrod."
"What?"
"We'll be staying here a while; wouldn't freeloading be bad manners?"
Years together had bred perfect teamwork.
So when Yuri spoke, the other two knew exactly what he meant.
"Don't tell me you're planning to…"
Yuri grinned at the children.
"If you'd like, how about we teach you how to fight?"