Makarov brought the three siblings into the guild.
"Little girl, this 'Demon's Curse' you mentioned—what exactly is it all about?"
At the mention of "Demons," one couldn't help but think of the demon guild "Tartaros," which was wiped out over ten years ago by the joint forces of the Magic Council and the "Seven Kin of the Holy Knights."
After all, that battle caused quite a stir back then and was known in the magic world as the "final swan song of the Seven Kin."
However, Makarov, like most people, only knew that Tartaros had been destroyed and that all the Books of Zeref had been confiscated and sealed by the Council; he was unaware of the subsequent "purification" of Zeref by Darwin.
Thus, hearing the girl speak of a "Demon's Curse" suddenly made his first reaction that there might have been a "fish that escaped the net" from that war—some demon that had luckily evaded the Council's pursuit and was now planning a comeback.
Fortunately, the girl's following narrative dispelled Makarov's worries.
"My name is Mirajane, and these are my younger brother Elfman and my younger sister Lisanna."
"In our hometown's church, it was said that a demon had been sealed there for many years."
"One day, I accidentally opened the church's seal, and the demon broke free because of it, then..."
The accidental breaking of the seal, the demon causing chaos, the brave fight against the demon, the "curse" cast by the demon before its death, the body becoming demonized, the rejection by the villagers, and the three siblings' helpless departure from their hometown...
Mirajane recounted the unfortunate events that had happened to her, one by one, detail by detail.
Having finished the story, she pulled back the black hooded garment covering her body, revealing the so-called "Demon's Curse"—
A demonized right arm.
This right arm was a size thicker and a few centimeters longer than a normal human arm; it was pitch black all over and covered in hard scales, and the five fingers had turned into hideous, ugly talons. It looked quite terrifying.
Makarov's breathing suddenly quickened, and his eyes widened: "This... this is..."
Seeing this, Mirajane's eyes dimmed.
She had seen similar expressions far too many times in the magic guilds she had approached before.
No matter how much pity the wizards of those guilds initially felt for her siblings, after seeing this right arm, their attitudes would always do a 180-degree flip, becoming fearful and disgusted.
It seemed she would have to move on to another place!
However, this seemed like a good place; at least she should ask them to take in Elfman and Lisanna!
Thinking of this, Mirajane bit her lip: "If you find it difficult..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Makarov suddenly let out a long sigh of relief.
"This old man was almost scared to death!!"
"I thought it was really some kind of demon's curse; turns out it's just this..."
Huh??
It seemed there was a turn of events?
Mirajane was a clever child; hearing Makarov's words, she knew the situation might not be as bad as she had imagined.
"Old Man, does that mean you have a way to break this curse?"
"Yes, yes..."
Makarov paused as he spoke, then corrected himself: "Ah, no, I should say no, because this isn't a demon's curse at all!"
"Not a demon's curse?"
Mirajane was stunned and subconsciously touched her right arm: "But my arm was indeed eroded by a demon!"
Makarov shook his head: "This is indeed not a curse, but a type of magic called 'Take Over'!"
Not a curse, but magic?!
Makarov explained: "The so-called 'Take Over Magic' is the act of attaching the 'soul' of a certain target to oneself, allowing oneself to obtain that target's abilities!"
"As far as I know, some wizards can Take Over living things like animals and plants, some can Take Over non-living entities like weapons and machinery, and some can even Take Over ghosts or imaginary creations. In short, there are many types."
"In your case, ten to one, it is a Take Over of a 'Demon'!"
Upon hearing this, Mirajane stood frozen on the spot: "Demon... Take Over?"
"Demons are very powerful creatures. Among all Take Over types, it is a quite formidable one."
Makarov used the cane in his hand to point vaguely at Mirajane's right arm and continued: "The fact that you could unknowingly Take Over that demon during your contact with it shows that you possess quite excellent magic talent!"
"If used well, you will surely become a wizard whose name rings across the country in the future!!"
For real?!
No, it must be true!
None of the wizards she encountered before could see the truth behind it; only this Old Man before her could explain the cause and effect clearly. Believing him was the right choice!
Mirajane tried her best to stay calm, but her voice couldn't suppress its excitement: "Then... then Old Man, do you have a way to make me return to my original appearance?"
"I can!"
"Breaking this kind of magic isn't hard for me."
Makarov spoke as he lifted his cane, tapping Mirajane's right arm and gently releasing his magic power.
With a "pa" sound, that hideous, ugly, and thick demon right arm that had troubled Mirajane for so long shattered and dissipated like bubbles, just like a snake shedding its skin. In the blink of an eye, it returned to a fair and smooth human arm.
"It... it really returned to normal!!"
With a trembling voice, Mirajane raised her left hand to stroke her right arm back and forth.
Whether it was the palm of her left hand or the sensation of her right arm, it felt so familiar, real, and warm.
She couldn't help but think of the bitterness and hardship she had experienced during this period; suddenly, a mixture of emotions flooded her, and two lines of tears slid uncontrollably from the corners of her eyes.
"Ah!! Big Sister's arm is back to normal!!"
"That's wonderful, Mira-nee!!"
Elfman and Lisanna by her side were also unable to contain their excitement, crying tears of joy.
The three siblings had depended on each other since they were young, advancing and retreating together. But when Mirajane was discriminated against and made things difficult for by outsiders because of the demon, they, as her closest siblings, were unable to do anything for her, so a thick sorrow always lingered in their hearts.
Now that the trouble was gone, they were naturally happy for her in their hearts.
A few minutes later, Mirajane and her siblings finally calmed their emotions.
"Um, grandpa..."
"This old man's name is Makarov!"
"Oh, Grandpa Makarov, can we join Fairy Tail?"
"You can!"
"Eh?! Is it that simple? Don't we need an entrance exam or something?"
Because she had heard from passersby about Fairy Tails" status in the Kingdom of Fiore and the magic world, Mirajane thought joining here would be extremely difficult.
When she asked this question, she had many possibilities in mind and was even mentally prepared to be rejected or have things made difficult for her.
The only thing she didn't expect was that Grandpa Makarov would directly agree to her request.
"If we must speak of an exam, your 'Satan Soul' Take Over magic has already proven your potential!"
"What about my brother and sister..."
"They can join too!"
Makarov chuckled: "As long as you aren't wicked people, Fairy Tail has always welcomed everyone!"
Mirajane was overjoyed to hear this, but she couldn't help but be confused: "But, doesn't agreeing to let people join the guild require the Master's approval? Or is Grandpa Makarov the Master of Fairy Tail?"
"About that, this old man was indeed the Master, but the previous one. The current Master isn't me."
"However, although I have stepped down, I am now specifically in charge of 'membership screening'."
"In other words, as long as I agree, you can join Fairy Tail!"
Makarov gave a slight smile as he spoke: "In the future, remember to get along well with everyone!"
"Yes!!" ×3