After seeing who was laughing, Lyon's mouth twitched even more noticeably, but he couldn't act on it.
He couldn't possibly get serious with a cat, even if it was a strange, talking cat.
Lucy wanted to laugh too, but she was professionally trained.
She pressed her lips together tightly, forcing back her laughter until her cheeks puffed out slightly.
The heiress of the Heartfilia Conglomerate quickened her pace, jogging a few steps to Marco's side and deliberately putting some distance between herself and Lyon.
This way, even if she couldn't hold it in later, she wouldn't have to care about Lyon's opinion.
And so, in a slightly strange yet somewhat relaxed atmosphere, the group, led by Marco, followed a path clearly visible under the moonlight.
They passed through the silent woods and soon arrived back at the village where the locals lived.
The tall fence was still shut tight.
It wasn't until an impatient Natsu went to call at the gate that the "city gates" opened.
The village chief and a few others were there to welcome them.
Disappointingly, their bodies still had the appearance of demons; they hadn't reverted to their original forms with the disappearance of the barrier formed by the residual magic.
"Marco-san, Mages of Fairy Tail, thank you."
However, something even more surprising happened.
The village chief's first words were of gratitude, as if the problem had already been solved.
This left even Marco completely baffled.
"This..."
Marco opened his mouth, about to ask what was going on, but he stopped abruptly upon seeing a familiar figure beside the village chief.
The question he was about to ask changed.
"You're... Bobo the guide?" Marco's expression was odd.
Standing behind the village chief was clearly the guide who had brought them to Galuna Island.
Although the man now had the appearance of a demon, Marco still recognized him.
"Yes, it's me, Marco-san."
Bobo spoke with a smile, his voice the same as ever, though it sounded particularly strange coming from that demonic face.
He took a step forward into the moonlight, the gratitude on his face clearly visible.
"Thank you so much for helping us solve our problem."
With sincere gratitude on his face, Bobo bowed deeply and solemnly to Marco and the others.
The other villagers followed his lead and bowed as well.
"Eh?!"
Natsu, Gray, Lucy, and Happy all looked astonished, surprised by both Bobo's sudden appearance and the claim that "the problem was solved."
"What on earth is going on?" Lucy couldn't help but ask.
She was completely lost.
Was the problem... solved? It seemed their understanding of the problem was a little different.
Marco frowned, his eyes narrowed.
He didn't speak, waiting for Bobo to explain.
"It's like this... actually, we were demons to begin with."
Under everyone's gaze, Bobo began to explain. His very first sentence made everyone gasp in shock.
"What?!"
Natsu's mouth fell open, his jaw dropping in an exaggerated fashion.
It was clear this statement had shocked him deeply.
He wasn't the only one; Gray, Lucy, and Happy were the same. Lyon and the trio from Lamia Scale were equally stunned.
"So you're saying, this is your original appearance. But... what about turning into humans? Surely the side effect of the Moon Drip ritual isn't to allow demons to turn into humans, right?"
Marco rubbed the bridge of his nose, accepting this very strange truth.
But he pressed on, as this was a point he still couldn't figure out.
"Turning into humans... is actually our ability. Our only ability." Bobo explained with an awkward expression.
Although they had the appearance of demons, their strength, speed, and lifespan were no different from ordinary humans.
They didn't have powerful physiques or the magical ability to control elements.
The only ability they possessed, which could be called a "racial talent," was the ability to take on the appearance of a human.
"..."
Marco fell silent.
This rather nonsensical reason left him speechless for a moment.
The truth he had been unable to figure out had such an answer. It was truly a bit comical.
Who could have ever guessed?!
"So... the effect of the Moon Drip ritual was actually to cause an error in your self-perception? It made you mistakenly believe you were humans?"
After eliminating all other possible incorrect options, Marco, with a sense of incredible absurdity in his tone, arrived at the only remaining, and most unbelievable, conclusion.
"That's right."
Bobo nodded, confirming it.
His expression was also quite awkward; clearly, he also found the whole affair very dramatic.
"The reason I left was because I broke free from that mistaken perception. But I couldn't convince everyone. Instead, I was seen as having completely lost my mind, so I could only fake my death and leave Galuna Island..."
As Bobo spoke, he glanced at the village chief and the other villagers, his voice dropping, tinged with helplessness and grievance.
The expressions on the other villagers' faces naturally became even more awkward, because what they had called "completely losing his mind" and "fully turning into a demon" was, in fact, a sign of true clarity.
"..."
After hearing Bobo's story, the expressions on everyone's faces were a spectacular sight to behold, a mixture of shock, confusion, relief, and the kind of exasperated amusement that comes after being hit by a colossal misunderstanding.
An indescribable atmosphere, somewhere between an absurd comedy and a heartwarming drama, filled the air.
"This is a good thing... at least no one died because of it."
Marco took another deep breath, which finally turned into a helpless yet relieved chuckle.
Although the turn of events was ridiculously absurd, it was at least a happy ending.
He glanced around at the "demon" villagers under the moonlight, each with a different form but peaceful eyes.
At least no one had suffered any irreversible harm.
'This way, Lyon and the others' culpability is also greatly reduced.
At most, they'll just have to give these villagers some compensation.'
Marco glanced at Lyon, who had visibly relaxed, his shoulders slumping. Lyon had obviously realized this as well.
'They might not even have to pay any price at all.' Marco thought to himself.
Due to the special nature of this island's inhabitants, they might not even ask Lyon for any compensation.
The greatest wish of these villagers was probably to continue hiding on this isolated island, guarding the secret of their "demon race" and maintaining their hard-won peaceful life.
Sure enough, Bobo and the village chief then made a request to Marco.
"Marco-san, could we ask you not to report back that the problem has been solved?"
Bobo's face was full of pleading.
He knew such a request might be excessive, as it meant asking Marco to accept that the mission had ended in failure, which was obviously a stain on a Mage's record.
"We will pay the full reward!"
Bobo quickly added, proving that they weren't trying to skip out on the payment.
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