There were four Dragon Slayers in the guild.
Natsu had suffered from motion sickness since childhood. Laxus had always tried his best to hide it. Gajeel, meanwhile, had only started getting sick a few days ago.
According to Sting, only those who experienced motion sickness could be considered true Dragon Slayers.
As for Wendy, she hadn't felt any discomfort at all, until the day before yesterday, when she took an airship to the finals' starting point.
Rhodes had previously assumed that Wendy was immune thanks to the special nature of her Sky Dragon Slayer Magic. But now, it seemed that wasn't the case.
More accurately, she simply hadn't reached a certain threshold yet.
Logically, such a change shouldn't occur without reason. There had to be something they'd overlooked.
And the biggest event of the past two days;
Could it be that participating in an actual Dragon Slaying battle had triggered a change in her body?
Although Wendy had fought dragons before, those encounters were training exercises, not true life-and-death struggles.
If there was a cause, it was probably that.
"Should I be congratulating you at a time like this?" Rhodes squatted down and gently patted Wendy on the head. "You've probably gotten stronger in ways you haven't noticed yet."
"Stronger?" Carla asked, confused.
Still dazed, Wendy lowered her small hand, patted her chest, and protested with a wronged expression,
"Brother Rhodes is lying..."
"…"
This child was hopeless. Why was she worried about that at such a young age?
Rhodes sighed helplessly.
"I mean in terms of Dragon Slayer Magic. You must have made some kind of progress. If I had to guess, you might even be able to use Dragon Force, or something close to it, in the future."
"R-really?" Wendy looked uncertain. She thought about it seriously for a moment, then her face suddenly turned green.
"Ugh… I feel awful…"
"Let's talk about it after we get back," Carla said, half worried and half amused. She shifted into her humanoid form and gently patted Wendy to comfort her.
"If Wendy has undergone this kind of change…" Rhodes glanced at Natsu and Gajeel, who were desperately trying to jump off the airship, "then you two probably have as well. Never mind, we'll discuss it later."
The airship was fast, and the Dragon Slayers didn't suffer for long before Magnolia came into view.
Alzack, acting as lookout, reported,
"Master, someone below is signaling with flags. They're requesting that we land outside the West Gate."
Magnolia lay in the eastern part of the kingdom. Returning from Crocus, entering through the West Gate was only natural.
Normally, though, the guild would fly straight to the lake behind Fairy Tail. An early landing request like this was unusual.
Makarov didn't hesitate.
"Land as requested."
Lisanna acknowledged the order and guided the airship down to the designated area outside the West Gate.
Everyone disembarked quickly. The Dragon Slayers were slower, but still managed to catch up.
The person who had been signaling with the flags smiled and gestured for them to enter the city.
Though confused, the group followed.
They immediately saw that the streets were already packed with people. At a glance, it was even livelier than the capital at its busiest.
This was without a doubt, a triumphal welcome.
"Welcome back, champions of the Grand Magic Games, Fairy Tail!"
The moment the announcement rang out, thunderous applause erupted from the crowd.
"Rhodes!"
"Mira!"
"Laxus!"
"Erza!"
The names of the outstanding competitors were shouted again and again.
Even though Team A hadn't won the championship, they received the same treatment. After all, losing to their own guildmates hardly counted as a defeat.
Both teams had crushed powerful guilds all the way through the tournament. This wasn't just Fairy Tail's glory, it was the pride of all Magnolia.
It was an achievement that Twilight Ogre, another guild based in Magnolia, had failed to accomplish in seven years.
The cheers acted as a signal.
Fireworks burst into the sky. Ribbons fluttered through the air. Congratulatory banners were raised, alongside signs supporting individual members and teams.
Rhodes glanced around and spotted seven or eight banners with his name written on them, along with placards plastered with Mira's photo.
Erza was just as popular, some people were even holding posters depicting her battle in the Demon Subjugation Hall.
Amid the celebration, Bacchus shuffled along awkwardly.
"Your guild is certainly… popular."
"Of course," Cana replied proudly. "Why don't you just join us?"
Bacchus burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! That would give the old man a splitting headache."
Facing the warm welcome from the townspeople, everyone waved back enthusiastically.
Rhodes immediately took out the trophy and handed it to Asuka to hold. Makarov then lifted her up and spun around, proudly showing it off to the crowd.
The cheers gradually quieted as two figures approached from the far end of the street.
One was the Guild Master of Twilight Ogre.
The other was the Mayor of Magnolia.
Although the two guilds had long been rivals, the master of Twilight Ogre wore a broad, genuine smile.
It was easy to predict that Fairy Tail's future request volume would skyrocket. Since both guilds were based in the same city, the overflow, especially from the flood of new commissions, would inevitably be shared with Twilight Ogre.
In fact, Twilight Ogre had already benefited over the past few days, while Fairy Tail had been away competing.
The master had long since decided to maintain friendly relations with Fairy Tail.
The Fairy Tail members quieted down, and Makarov stepped forward to greet them in a rare moment of formality.
"Ahem." The mayor cleared his throat and spoke solemnly.
"First, allow me to congratulate Fairy Tail on winning the Grand Magic Games!"
"For many years, Fairy Tail has made outstanding contributions to the development of Magnolia. This championship is not only your honor, it is also the pride of our city!"
"On behalf of all Magnolia's citizens, I extend my heartfelt thanks to every member of Fairy Tail. Thank you!"
"Well… this is really too embarrassing!" Makarov scratched the back of his head, looking genuinely flustered.
And he truly was embarrassed. While the guild had certainly contributed to the city's prosperity, they had also caused their fair share of trouble.
Moreover, he was rarely praised so openly, especially in front of the entire city.
Still, Makarov couldn't stop grinning.
Rhodes also felt oddly surreal, as if he'd returned home after winning an Olympic gold medal.
At that moment, he realized he had underestimated just how significant the Grand Magic Games truly were.
The mayor warmly shook Makarov's hand and asked whether Fairy Tail needed any assistance from the city.
Makarov briefly considered asking the city to help him draft self-reflection reports, but that would absolutely ruin the guild's image, so he dismissed the thought immediately.
Instead, he answered honestly,
"We've just received the prize money and are planning to renovate the guild properly. Could you recommend some skilled craftsmen?"
"Of course," the mayor replied readily. "I'll personally arrange for the finest craftsmen to assist you. Not only that, all related costs will be covered by City Hall."
"Oh my, this… thank you very much!"
Once the mayor departed, Rhodes immediately sidled up to Makarov and began showering him with praise.
"That was amazing! With just a few words, you saved the guild a massive amount of money! As expected of the Master!"
Makarov laughed heartily.
"Hahaha, you're exaggerating."
"How could I be?" Rhodes continued without missing a beat. "We still have so much to learn from you! The guild's success today is entirely thanks to your leadership! Please continue to guide us and set an example for us younger members!"
"Hahaha...of course..."
Makarov was laughing happily when a sudden sense of unease crept in.
Wait a second.
Did this kid have some kind of ulterior motive?
...
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