"Get on the boat, get on the boat! We're taking you out of here!"
Warren, Joy, and Reedus organized the "laborers" to board the ships in an orderly manner at the shore.
They had been waiting on the island of the "Tower of Heaven" for some time for the ships to arrive and pick people up.
Actually, there were originally a few large ships on this island used for transporting supplies and replenishing personnel, but they had all been destroyed in the aftermath of the battle.
Reduced to wooden splinters, they naturally couldn't be used anymore.
Marco personally made a trip to the nearby country of Caelum and, simply by showing his face, requisitioned five large ships, more than enough to take everyone away.
Being an "Ishgar Superstar" had its perks; he could easily find people to help him in other countries too.
The people of Caelum gave him respect, unwilling to offend Marco over a small matter.
"Let's go, let's go, we're leaving this sad place behind."
The square-faced Wally was the first to board.
He looked back at the island, now a blank slate, and felt a moment of daze.
The towering structure they had painstakingly built was gone, and with it, a segment of their "lives" had also disappeared.
"What does the outside world look like? Meow~ I'm so nervous!"
Millianna also boarded the ship.
This "kitty" felt apprehensive, like a kitten taking its first steps away from home.
The outside world was now incredibly strange to them.
"We can use our own eyes to see this world!" Sho said earnestly.
His words made the usually silent Simon pause and look at him. Wally and Millianna also turned their heads to look at Sho.
"Nee-san... invited us to join 'Fairy Tail'... What do you guys think? Do you want to stay in 'Fairy Tail'?"
Seeing everyone looking at him, Sho asked the question he had been pondering.
"I don't want to stay."
Without hesitation, Simon was the first to speak.
The three of them looked at Simon.
They could all understand his reasoning. After all, Erza already had a solid enough person to rely on.
Staying in "Fairy Tail" would only make Simon uncomfortable.
"Don't overthink it; I just want to go find my little sister." Simon explained.
Clearly, the other three had misunderstood him. He wasn't leaving because of Erza and Marco. In his current state, he didn't hope to win Erza's favor; seeing that Erza now had someone to protect her, he was relieved.
"Then I'm going to find my brother too!" Wally also stated his goal.
He wasn't an only child either; he had a brother, though he didn't know his brother's current situation...
"That's so nice~ You all still have family."
Sho and Millianna both looked envious.
"No need to be envious; we are family. The four of us will move together!"
Wally put his arms around Sho and Millianna's shoulders, comforting his two companions.
Having gone through so much together, their bond was naturally deep, its no different from family.
"Then it's settled. We leave together!" Sho nodded, setting the plan.
They didn't intend to stay and join "Fairy Tail"; this was better for everyone.
"If we stay in 'Fairy Tail,' it will only make Erza constantly recall the past. But she already has a brand new life that belongs to her. She shouldn't be bound by the past anymore. And as for us, we also need to find our own lives, to see this unfamiliar world. Separating is the best arrangement."
Simon sighed with emotion.
Their appearance had actually affected Erza's life, so it was better to leave. It would be good for everyone to be well on their own.
The four of them quickly reached a consensus and prepared to lay their cards on the table with Erza.
They believed Erza would surely understand their thoughts.
Once everyone had boarded the ship, Simon and the others went to find Erza.
Erza was on the deck, and Marco was there too.
The two were talking about something. Seeing the four of them approach, they stopped, and both of them turned to face the group.
"Erza, there's something we want to tell you." Simon walked in front and called out to Erza.
Seeing Erza standing with Marco, Simon couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Handsome, powerful, talented, famous, not lacking status, or wealth... How could he possibly compete against a person like that?
"What is it? Just say it here?" Erza had a smile on her face and looked very happy.
With the destruction of the "Tower of Heaven," the vast majority of people had been saved.
Although things weren't perfectly resolved, a knot in her heart from many years ago had been untied.
For Erza, this was naturally something to be happy about.
This was already a very good outcome, much better than the best outcome she had imagined.
"NEe-san, we don't plan to join 'Fairy Tail' anymore."
Facing Erza, Sho stated their group's thoughts directly.
"..."
Erza was stunned for a moment, and the smile on her face disappeared.
Marco, on the side, didn't find it that strange.
In fact, Marco also felt this was a choice beneficial for everyone.
A separation of fully eight years was a bit long, especially since they were separated during the most critical period of growth.
Everyone changes. Eight years was enough to change too much. Reuniting now and being together every day might not be ideal; it could lead to conflicts and disillusionment.
It was better to keep some distance and preserve those sincere feelings from the past.
Of course, this was just one of Marco's speculations.
There was also another possibility: staying together might deepen their bond.
But friends are rare, and sincere friendship is even rarer. Separating now was actually a sign of cherishing this bond even more.
"Meow~ We want to go see the changes in this world for ourselves, to find the meaning of our lives and our future direction." Millianna spoke energetically about their thoughts.
It wasn't that they thought "Fairy Tail" was bad; they just had their own choices and weren't limited to only joining "Fairy Tail."
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