Raizel and the others stayed in Sun Village for the entire night, spending it with the giants singing, dancing, rapping, and playing baske—
Ahem.
They laughed and celebrated with the giants until the following morning, so much so that for a while, it almost made them forget all the ominous things they had heard.
Succubus Eye, Tartaros, Devil Slayer Magic, Zeref, and the Black Dragon...
In the end, Flare chose to remain in Sun Village.
She had felt the villagers' genuine love for her.
All this ti, she had only believed that because she looked different from them, she did not truly belong there.
But if the villagers already saw her as their daughter, then why should she leave?
When the ti ca to say their goodbyes to the giants, Ultear looked toward Flare, who was peeking out from the side, then raised her arm to show the guild mark and said with a smile,
"But what I said yesterday still stands. If you ever feel like joining a Mage guild, then co to Fairy Tail!"
"Joining Fairy Tail doesn't an leaving ho. It ans gaining another one."
"And don't forget to tell Laxus to co by for drinks and at when he has the ti!"
"Of course—and the sa goes for all of you! You're welco anyti!"
Amid the giants' warm send-off, the group set out on the return journey.
...
The trip back was simple enough.
Raizel constructed a teleportation magic circle and brought everyone straight back to Warrod's cabin.
"Hahaha! I knew entrusting the job to all of you was the right choice."
"You did wonderfully—truly wonderfully!"
Warrod was grinning like a child despite being well over a hundred years old.
Natsu, as carefree as ever, waved it off. "It was nothing!"
Erza nodded. "Still, being able to complete the task entrusted to us by Master Warrod is a relief."
"As for the follow-up investigation, we can leave that to the Magic Council for now," Warrod said.
"More importantly, I should pay you your reward."
Raizel stepped forward at once. "No, no, Warrod-senpai. We can't accept paynt."
Warrod really had issued the request, yes—but given his seniority, there was no way they could simply take money from him.
"Here, then." Warrod reached down into the soil and pulled sothing out before handing it to Raizel.
"Potatoes harvested from my field! Hahaha!"
"Well... if it's this, then I suppose I can accept it." Raizel held out both hands, ready to receive the potatoes.
"I'm joking. These are actually potatoes I bought from the next village over!"
"..."
Raizel fell into a long and aningful silence.
"It doesn't make any difference where they ca from!" Natsu blurted out exactly what Raizel had been thinking.
In the end, Warrod gave them their real reward: he directed Ur and the girls to a hot spring rich in magic power, one that could soothe both body and mind.
As for Raizel, Natsu, and Gray, Warrod kept them behind.
They built a campfire, prepared the ingredients, and started grilling skewers.
Precht still could not quite bring himself to sit together with Raizel and the others.
Or rather, he did not have the shalessness to do so yet, so he chose to remain inside the cabin and not co out.
Perhaps only when Fairy Tail truly needed him, and he had done everything he could for them, would he finally be able to find peace.
"The girls get to go soak in a hot spring while I'm stuck here grilling at... sigh," Gray muttered as he turned the skewers.
Natsu rcilessly exposed him. "Oh, give it a rest. Look how many skewers you've already eaten. Besides, would you even want to soak in a hot spring?"
Gray, who complained about the heat even in the dead of winter, would only be torturing himself if he went.
...
About an hour later, Ur returned to the cabin with the others.
"Sorry, we're late."
The hot spring had been farther away than expected, and the walk back had taken them nearly an hour.
"I knew they'd start eating first," Lucy said from a distance, already spotting Natsu and Gray greedily stuffing themselves while balancing plates in their hands.
"Looks like everyone was pretty hungry," Wendy said with a cheerful smile, narrowing her eyes.
"Oh! Now everyone's here." Warrod returned after brewing tea and set it down in front of them.
"Here, try so of this."
"Warrod-sama, you've really gone to a lot of trouble."
"Not at all. I'm happy too."
Lucy had only just lifted the cup when the fragrance reached her. "It slls amazing!"
"It has the scent of the forest," Erza said, breathing in deeply.
Ultear, anwhile, seed more interested in the cup itself. "Even the handle has little branches growing out of it."
Happy looked utterly speechless. "Really? Then why does mine have mushrooms growing on it...?"
Carla glanced at him sidelong. "At this rate, you might have mushrooms growing on your head before long too."
Natsu sniffed the tea twice and asked curiously, "What is this thing that slls so much like leaves?"
Warrod proudly raised his cup. "It's tea brewed from dicinal herbs, full of fragrant aroma and gentle sweetness. It quickly wipes away fatigue. One of my proudest creations!"
Hearing that, everyone lifted their cups and took a sip.
"Then we'll gratefully accept—"
"I'm joking!"
The next mont, everyone who had been tricked into drinking it could only sit there in speechless suffering.
The tea slled wonderful, but once it touched the tongue, it was unbearably bitter.
Raizel found it almost impossible to describe.
It felt as though his sense of taste was being erased on the spot.
About the only thing he could say for certain was that it was even more bitter than coptis.
"But it really does get rid of fatigue," Warrod added.
The mont Lucy heard that, she forced herself to swallow.
"Th-this isn't too bitter?" Natsu asked, staring at the cup with a pale face.
"It's... a very unique flavor..." Erza and Kagura both trembled as they drank, their expressions strained.
"I rember you saying you've been getting tired very easily lately, right? Here, you drink it."
"I never said that! I'm not tired at all!"
Natsu and Gray displayed an admirable spirit of self-sacrifice, each trying to make the other drink his share of the tea.
"Cut it out! That's incredibly rude!"
"Then you drink it," Natsu and Gray said in perfect unison as they thrust their cups toward Erza.
"Hahaha! Companions really are a wonderful thing."
Watching Natsu and Gray squabble as always, Warrod smiled from the bottom of his heart.
"Seeing a group of young fairies like all of you... it truly makes happy."
"Fairy Tail, the Mage guild founded upon the harmony Mavis cherished, bound together by a love deeper than blood—love that cannot be severed, cannot be cast aside, emotions too precious to abandon."
"And even now, after so many years have passed, that spirit has been passed down firmly into your hearts."
"That much, whether the mission succeeded or not, I could already feel the mont I saw you."
"Mavis once said that a companion is not rely a noun. A companion is soone you can trust sincerely, and unconditionally."
Not only did the guild mbers smile as they sank into their mories, but Warrod—and even Precht, who was leaning silently against the doorway—also recalled the words Mavis had once spoken to them.
In that mory, Mavis wore a gentle smile and said with complete sincerity:
"Please, rely on as much as you can, because one day, I know I will rely on you too."
"Whether you are in pain or drowning in sorrow, I will stay by your side."
"You are never alone."
"Every star shining in the sky is a hope, and the wind brushing against your skin is a promise of tomorrow."
"So co—let us keep moving forward, together with the song of the fairies."
---------
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