Even after leaving the village, Juvia's thoughts continued to churn endlessly in her mind. The village chief's words had affected her far too deeply.
Along the way, dark clouds gathered and dispersed intermittently, and the rain alternated between heavy and light. The weather was extremely unstable, clearly reflecting how complicated Juvia's emotions were.
Walking out of the village, there was naturally no carriage to take, so the two of them walked all the way back. After walking for several hours, they finally encountered a caravan heading into the city. After paying a little money, they managed to hitch a ride.
Juvia's body was exhausted to the extreme, but in her heart, she did not feel it was hard at all. On the contrary, she felt somewhat excited. The child stayed tightly by Moen's side the entire way, matching his every step, almost wishing to follow him even to the restroom. Everything outside filled her with both curiosity and fear.
"Come on, Juvia, get on the train."
Moen led Juvia onto the train heading back to Magnolia. Looking at Juvia, whose emotions had yet to settle, there was a smile on his face.
After the village chief's guidance, it seemed as though a crack had been torn open in the dark clouds shrouding Juvia's heart. Everything she had suffered in the village had originally been an important part of how those clouds had formed.
Along this opening, perhaps the future could completely dispel those clouds.
Once all the passengers had taken their seats, the train slowly began to move. Juvia looked out the window, her expression filled with both timidity and curiosity.
"So this is a train?"
Juvia found it very novel. This steel box could actually move on its own!
Moen had said they would take the train back, but Juvia had never ridden one before, nor had she even heard of it. There was no helping it, she had never even left the village before, and no one in the village ever played with her.
This was her first time leaving the village, her first long journey, her first time entering a city, and her first time riding a train. So many firsts, everything in the outside world felt new to her.
After entering the city, the dark clouds thinned out, and raindrops only fell sporadically. This undoubtedly proved that Juvia's mood was actually quite good.
"That's right, this is a train. Have a good rest—before long, we'll be back at the Fairy Tail Guild."
Moen smiled as he gently patted Juvia's sea-blue hair, signaling for the little one to rest properly. She had relied entirely on sheer willpower to make the journey and was already exhausted.
Juvia had been forced to be a shut-in for a long time, so her physical condition was naturally quite average. Jumping straight into high-intensity activity was bound to be hard on her. Mental excitement alone could not keep her going forever.
"Mm!"
Juvia nodded seriously and decided to listen to Moen. She was obedient the entire way—doing whatever she was told, following every instruction, showing extremely high compliance, afraid that Moen might abandon her.
The little girl was truly tired. Before long, she fell asleep in her seat, but even while sleeping, she stayed tightly leaned against Moen.
Looking at the sleeping Juvia, Moen reflected on this mission.
The person who left the deepest impression on him this time was probably the village chief.
Was the village chief a good person? It seemed so.
He had taken care of Juvia and had not allowed her to suffer too much persecution.
But there was also a reason for this—because the village needed the "Rain Girl," needed Juvia's ability as a protective barrier.
In fact, the legend of the "Rain Girl" was something the village chief had vigorously promoted and spread. He was indeed a very clever person. He made good use of Juvia, who could not actually use her abilities for combat, to protect the village.
Whenever bandits came, the village chief would notify Juvia immediately. Once the fearful and anxious Juvia activated her power, the bandits would instantly be drenched and flee in panic. One could say the village chief fully understood how Juvia's "mechanism" worked.
Seen this way, to Juvia, the village chief could not really be considered a "good person." He was, in fact, also using her.
However, the village chief never intended to use Juvia forever. He had always been thinking of ways to solve the problem and had been raising funds the entire time.
Those mission rewards were money he had painstakingly gathered over the years. The village chief had emptied his own savings and contributed the majority of it, all to resolve the issue and free Juvia.
Using Juvia was merely a stopgap measure born of necessity. The village chief did feel guilt toward Juvia, believing that her current situation was something he had caused.
This was somewhat overthinking things, and also a sign of high moral standards. Because even without the village chief's influence, Juvia—who constantly caused rain over the village, would not have ended up well. Without his protection, she would have suffered far worse.
Human nature is very complex.
If Moen were to judge, he was still willing to give the village chief the evaluation of a "good person," and moreover, a clever and responsible one.
That haggard middle-aged man had done his utmost to protect everything he could, and he was also trying to make up for what he owed Juvia.
In the end, Moen did not accept the mission reward. He treated it as a moral bonus for the village chief. He admired people like him.
Being able to make good use of limited abilities and resources without resorting to underhanded tactics was far more impressive than simply playing a good hand well.
Of course, Moen did not intend to tell Juvia any of this. Let the past remain in the past. Just as the village chief had said, the present Juvia could now pursue her own happy life. Everything in the past could be treated as a nightmare.
The train continued forward and arrived in Magnolia in the afternoon.
"Juvia, Juvia, we're here."
Moen gently shook Juvia, who was sleeping soundly against him. The train had arrived at the station. The girl had slept the entire way.
"Brother—"
Juvia rubbed her eyes, looking completely dazed.
It wasn't until Moen led her off the train and into the bustling Magnolia Station that her brain finally finished rebooting.
"Splash—!"
Magnolia, which had just been sunny moments ago, was instantly shrouded in dark clouds as torrential rain poured down. Many people were drenched like drowned rats, throwing the station into chaos. Citizens cursed as they fled in all directions, though fortunately the rain itself posed no real danger.
"Don't be nervous, Juvia."
Moen smiled as he comforted her. Once her brain finished rebooting, the child immediately became tense, clearly feeling at a loss over what was about to happen at Fairy Tail.
"Mm."
Juvia responded softly, but the rain outside showed no sign of stopping.
Moen felt a little helpless, but he knew exactly what Juvia was worried about, she was afraid that she would also be unwelcome in Fairy Tail, or worse, not even be allowed to join at all.
She knew very well how disliked someone like her could be. She was afraid that all those beautiful expectations would come to nothing, and afraid that brother Moen would be affected because of her.
'And of all people, this power had to be given to such a sensitive girl.'
Moen sighed inwardly. He only hoped that the atmosphere of Fairy Tail could gradually change her personality.
Thinking about it, she probably wasn't born this sensitive. Her childhood experiences had shaped her current temperament. Fortunately, she was still young and could still change.
"Moen! You're finally back!"
Just as Moen was comforting Juvia, quite a few people noticed him and rushed over, their faces full of excitement.
Moen didn't find it strange. He had been gone for a week, and by now The Great Detective Folmos had already been successfully released. His fame had risen to an entirely new level. He had already learned this while riding the train.
Along the way, many passengers had asked him for autographs. With the boost of massive attention, The Great Detective Folmos, which already had excellent quality, sold explosively without any doubt. In just a few short days, it had become the best-selling book of the year, breaking record after record.
With something this popular, it was only natural that everyone in Magnolia felt proud. It was perfectly normal for them to be excited upon seeing him return.
Just when Moen had already prepared himself to sign a mountain of autographs before being able to leave, the words spoken by the excited citizens surrounding him made him freeze.
"People from Phantom Lord have come looking for revenge?"
Moen blinked, his tone filled with disbelief. Was Jose Porla really that bold? Was he planning to launch a full-scale war against Fairy Tail? That… really wasn't necessary, was it? Had that guy gone mad?
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