Fairy Tail's return to the guild inevitably caused yet another uproar.
No matter how chaotic the past few days had been outside, no tavern felt as comfortable as their own guild hall.
Besides, the building was scheduled for renovation anyway, so being a little too lively shouldn't be a problem, right?
When the city hall's designer arrived the next day to take measurements, he stared at the scene in confusion and asked,
"Are you certain this place is being remodeled, and not torn down and rebuilt?"
"Of course, absolutely." Makarov replied, though his tone lacked confidence.
Regardless, the renovation plans were officially underway, and the guild resumed normal operations.
Originally, everyone had planned a three-day, three-night celebration. Unfortunately, reality intervened.
There were simply too many requests.
Among those who had welcomed Fairy Tail back the day before, many had come specifically to see the champions, and to post new jobs.
Early that morning, Rhodes and Mira were already busy registering quests, even recruiting Lisanna, Laki, and Kinana as temporary helpers for the next two days.
The requests were as varied as ever: Monster extermination. Magic performances. Substitute instructors for magic classes. Caravan escorts. Ruins exploration.
There were even quests requesting Grand Magic Games recap commentary and behind-the-scenes stories from the contestants themselves.
All kinds of jobs, imaginable and otherwise.
Naturally, there were plenty of named requests, especially for Laxus, Erza, and Wendy. As star members, they were constantly being sought out.
Requests specifically naming Rhodes were far fewer, after all, commissioning a Ten Wizard Saint was prohibitively expensive.
There were some requests for Mira, but given how busy the guild was, and considering her fragile health, she either declined outright or recommended other suitable members.
For the next several days, the entire guild remained in a state of constant motion.
With emergency and named quests in abundance, members often grabbed a new job the moment they returned, then dashed off again without pause.
Watching the bustling younger generation, Makarov felt both satisfied and a little guilty about his own idle hands.
So he took on an emergency quest himself, claiming it was to "stretch his legs."
Rhodes watched him leave and nodded in approval.
Good. Very good. The old man had finally stopped thinking about retirement.
Suddenly, Mavis appeared at the counter, swinging her legs cheerfully.
"Even Makarov went out?"
Rhodes nodded.
"Yeah. The guild feels eerily empty all of a sudden. It's, unsettling."
At the moment, only Rhodes, Mira, Asuka, and Kinana, the kind of staff who almost never took quests, were still around.
Oh, and Bacchus.
Since everyone knew Fairy Tail was swamped with work, the tavern was unusually quiet. Bacchus, that shameless drunk, had been loitering here for nearly a week.
His tolerance was absurd.
On his first day, he'd drunk Cana under the table, along with several regular heavy drinkers.
Naturally offended, Cana waited until she finished her next quest and challenged Bacchus again that evening, drinking with him all night.
According to their agreement, the loser bought the next round.
As a result, Cana burned through her modest prize money in just two drinks and had to go straight back to work.
Bacchus didn't care about companionship. He unapologetically treated the tavern as his home, drinking when awake, sleeping when drunk.
At least now, he was spending his own money.
True to his status as an S-Class Mage, his savings were more than enough to sustain this lifestyle.
Mavis glanced around the empty guild hall, then at the quest board plastered with notices. Smiling, she hopped down from the counter.
"It looks like the guild's doing just fine," she said lightly. "I suppose it's about time I head back."
Mira, who had been playing with Asuka, paused.
"That's so sudden, don't you want to say a proper goodbye?"
"There's no need," Mavis replied. Everyone was busy, after all. And since they could meet again anytime, she felt no sadness.
"When I get bored on the island, I'll just come back again."
Asuka tried to hug her reluctantly, but couldn't quite reach. She whispered,
"Big sister…"
That odd nickname was something Mavis had taught her on purpose. Hearing it always made her smile.
She gently patted Asuka's head.
"It's alright. When you're free, you can come to Tenrou Island and play anytime."
After casually saying goodbye to the remaining staff, Mavis ran out of the guild like a little girl heading off to play, and gradually faded from sight.
Mira watched her go, then turned to Rhodes.
"About 'that'… did she disagree?"
Rhodes nodded.
"Mm."
Asuka tilted her head curiously.
"Huh, what?"
Mira quickly scooped her up and began telling stories about Bisca and Alzack, effortlessly diverting her attention.
He had tried proposing resurrection to Mavis before.
But she had refused.
Mavis's soul was in perfect condition, and her body, preserved by second-generation magic, was even stronger than it had been in life, with nearly limitless magical power.
If the right method were used to return her soul to her body, the chances of revival would be extremely high.
In fact, it might not even be accurate to call it resurrection at all, her body had never truly died.
Unfortunately, the curse remained.
The moment her soul and body fused, she would become just like Zeref, radiating death wherever she went.
The instant she felt love for the life around her, that very life would be stripped away.
By then, Fairy Tail would likely be the first to disappear.
For Mavis, such an existence was worse than death itself.
That was why, until a way to break the curse was found, she categorically refused any attempt at revival.
Rhodes lay staring at the ceiling, his thoughts turning over endlessly.
To lift a god's curse, there were only two possibilities.
Create magic powerful enough to override it...
Or, kill Ankseram.
But where would he even find the god of life and death? And even if he did, how could he possibly kill him?
As dusk settled in, a faint voice drifted in from the guild entrance.
"We're back."
It was Elfman and Lisanna.
Mira greeted them with a warm smile.
"Welcome back! How did the job go?"
Since Lisanna usually preferred staying behind to help at the guild, the siblings rarely teamed up for quests.
"Manly Man handled it perfectly!" Elfman declared proudly.
Rhodes looked up from the counter with a grin as he continued logging the paperwork.
"You didn't beat up the client this time, did you?"
"That was ages ago," Elfman replied sheepishly.
"I'm exhausted…" Lisanna collapsed face-first onto the table. "Hurry up, brother-in-law."
"Almost done," Rhodes said without looking up. "Lately, everyone comes back saying the same thing."
Mira poured them each a glass of water.
"Thanks for your hard work. Do you want to eat here, or go home and wait for me to cook?"
"I want Sister Mira's cooking!" Lisanna answered instantly.
Elfman hesitated.
"Should I cook instead? You should rest more, Mira."
'There'll be plenty of time for me to rest later,' Mira thought, smiling softly.
"But you can take tomorrow off."
"Really?" Lisanna's eyes lit up.
"It's true," Rhodes added. "Most of the urgent quests are almost cleared. Taking a few days off is fine. Also..."
He glanced up.
"It's about time for your surgery."
Lisanna's expression stiffened.
The operation to implant a Dragon Slayer Magic Crystal sounded terrifying.
But since the decision had already been made, whatever was meant to happen would happen.
..
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