Meanwhile, Magnolia was bathed in the warm morning light.
The Fairy Tail Guild's doors were wide open, and inside, the usual bustling scene unfolded.
"Man! Your punches must be steady! Your power must be fierce!" Elfman was instructing several newcomers in physical training. His voice was loud and confident, no longer just shouting slogans as in the past, but truly teaching by example.
His instruction even drew Natsu's attention, though Natsu mainly wanted to find an opportunity to fight.
Thanks to the development over the past two years, Fairy Tail's reputation had improved several times over, and with a long-term strategic cooperation agreement with Lucy's family, commission income was exceptionally stable.
As the only Magician Guild in the entire city, Fairy Tail's reputation in Magnolia was exceptionally good. Aside from the younger generation causing some mischief when they were little, the change in Fairy Tail's atmosphere over the past two years was evident to all town residents.
Therefore, after the beginning of the year, some Magnolia residents were also attracted to send their age-appropriate children to the Guild to learn magic or to help out with odd jobs.
The idle Mages in the Guild would occasionally guide these newcomers.
Elfman, who had just returned from Galuna Island and was recuperating, was ordered by Mira to stay in the Guild and not go out for a short period.
On one hand, it was for better recovery; on the other hand, Mira was also afraid that Elfman would suffer retaliation from Grimoire Heart.
But Elfman, unable to stay idle in the Guild, volunteered to instruct the newly joined children.
"Big Brother Elfman really seems different..." a newcomer whispered to his companion.
"Yeah, he feels so much more reliable!"
Mira stood behind the bar, skillfully wiping glasses while smiling as she watched her transformed brother.
Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating her gentle profile.
Watching Elfman, full of confidence and sweating, seeing him truly emerge from the shadow of Lisanna's tragedy, becoming a reliable Mage who could stand on his own and mentor the younger generation.
The deep-seated fear and gloom in Mira's heart, born from losing her sister and her powers, seemed to dissipate little by little under the sunlight.
She unconsciously raised her hand, looking at her fair palm.
Once, these hands could easily cast powerful Take Over magic, transform into a demon, and contend with Erza... Perhaps... it was time?
A tiny, almost imperceptible magic fluctuation flashed at her fingertips—a faint, almost forgotten... demonic aura.
Though weak, it was truly present.
Mira's eyes shifted slightly, a hint of surprise and... anticipation?
She gently clenched her hand, making no sound.
Near the bar, Lucy was frowning over an open ledger and a pile of request forms, with a nearly untouched glass of juice beside her.
"Argh! Why is this month's paper consumption over budget again? And repair fees... Natsu! Gajeel! You two kings of destruction!" She cast a resentful glance at the two of them.
Wendy sat beside her, nibbling on a piece of cake, softly comforting her: "Sister Lucy, take your time..."
Carla elegantly groomed her fur with her paw, and upon hearing this, she glanced at the pile of bills and remarked sarcastically: "Hmph, expecting those two single-celled organisms to have any sense of proportion is like expecting Happy to suddenly stop loving fish."
"Aye—! Carla is so mean!" Happy protested, his fish tail wagging in his mouth.
Yuumi was lazily curled up in the sunniest spot on the windowsill, dozing, her small tail swaying slowly from side to side.
From the direction of the warehouse came Laki's clear chanting and Max's lazy response.
"Wood Make Magic: Mortise and Tenon Workshop!"
Laki's hands glowed with a soft emerald magic light as she waved them in the air over several large logs on the ground.
The logs seemed to be manipulated by an invisible skilled hand, floating up automatically, and accompanied by pleasant cutting sounds and a faint woody aroma, they were quickly shaped, polished, and assembled!
Almost in the blink of an eye, the prototype of a brand new, sturdy, and smoothly designed long dining table was perfectly pieced together, settling firmly on the ground, every mortise and tenon joint fitting perfectly, as if meticulously crafted by a master artisan.
"Done!" Laki clapped her hands, looking at her creation with satisfaction, the emerald magic light gradually fading.
"Wow! Sister Laki is amazing!" a new child helping to hand over small pieces of wood nearby exclaimed, his eyes shining.
"Just basic operations~" Laki smiled a little proudly, then turned to look at Max, who was leaning against the wall, sculpting intricate figures with gold sand, "Hey! Max! Stop playing with your sand art! Come help enchant it with strengthening and fireproof runes! The Master requested it!"
Max didn't even lift his head, focused on the extremely detailed miniature model of the Fairy Tail Guild made of gold sand in his hands: "Just a moment, Miss Laki, my 'Eternal gold sand Sculpture' is just missing the last roof tile... This is art, it requires inspiration!"
"Art? When Natsu or Gajeel burn or smash the new table with one punch, I'd like to see how artistic you'll be then!" Laki put her hands on her hips in exasperation, a faint green light glowing at her fingertips again, and a slender vine appeared out of thin air, gently flicking Max's calf.
"Ow! That hurts!" Max jumped exaggeratedly, the gold sand model in his hand wobbled, almost falling apart, "I'm practicing magic micro-control! Micro-control, understand? It's good for your precise control of Wood Make Magic too!"
"Is the 'good' part just letting you slack off faster?" Laki retorted, but couldn't help a slight smile curving her lips.
The green light at her fingertips flashed again, and several emerald leaves appeared out of thin air, playfully landing on Max's hair.
"Hehe..." Max finally put away the gold sand, the exquisite model transforming into flowing sand and returning to the small pouch at his waist.
He stood up, brushing the leaves from his hair, "Alright, alright, I'll help you enchant it. But Laki, next time, can the chair you make for me be a bit cooler in design? Preferably with some flowing gold sand effect..."
"So many demands! The Master didn't pay for 'cool designs'! And your gold sand and my wood attributes don't completely match!"
Laki grumbled, but still extended her finger, emerald magic flowing out, guiding the golden sand particles appearing in Max's hand, uniformly and finely integrating them into the new table's wooden grain, outlining simple yet sturdy magic runes.
Although the two bickered, their cooperation was exceptionally tacit agreement, their magic lights intertwining like a small dance.
In a relatively quiet corner of the Guild, the sisters Yukino and Sorano sat together.
Yukino had a thick Celestial Spirit Magic book open before her, studying intently, occasionally tracing complex star maps in the air with her finger.
Her expression was focused and serene.
Sorano simply sat quietly beside her sister, holding a cup of hot tea, her gaze gently resting on Yukino. Occasionally, she would look up and scan the lively hall, her eyes complex, but no longer holding the gloom and detachment of the past.
Being able to quietly accompany her sister like this was the greatest salvation for her.
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