Reuniting with old friends—though it was a pity that Grandpa Rob and Millianna weren't there—did nothing to dull the joy of being together.
Over the next few days, with Jellal's warm hospitality, Shane and Erza stayed at the Tower of Paradise for a while.
The tower that had once been filled with blood, tears, and despair had been remodeled by the kids into something that finally felt like a real home.
The biggest surprise to Shane was Kagura, the shy, introverted girl.
She still avoided Shane, but she seemed intensely interested in Erza's daily morning practice—Erza's routine that never changed, rain or shine.
At first, Kagura only watched from the sidelines. Later, after Erza noticed her, the girl finally worked up the courage to run out and ask for instruction—face blazing red.
In the morning sea breeze—
"Hah! Ha!"
Erza, dressed in a fitted training outfit, swung her sword on the beach. Her movements were sharp and clean, yet graceful.
Beside her, little Kagura held a wooden sword that was heavy for her and tried her best to copy Erza's form.
Her cheeks were flushed, her arms trembled slightly, but her wide eyes were full of determination.
"Lower your hips. Your strike needs to be straight."
Erza sheathed her sword, stepped behind Kagura, and corrected her stance by guiding her hands.
"Yes! Erza… Master!"
Kagura's voice rang out bright and clear.
In just a few days, her address for Erza had changed—from the shy "red-haired big sister" to the reverent "Master Erza."
Shane sat to the side with an apple in hand, watching the pair—one tall, one small—and couldn't help admiring it.
"This kid… she's got talent."
She might still be small, but her imitation, her focus—everything about her showed potential for swordsmanship.
"Someday, let Mira spar with Kagura," Shane murmured to himself.
During a break, Erza wiped Kagura's sweat and half-joked to Shane:
"One day, we should see whose student is better—yours or mine."
"Spare me."
Shane took a crunchy bite of his apple and didn't rise to it.
No joke—Mira's personality had zero respect-your-master energy. If Erza's student sparred with Mira…
With how obsessed Mira was about "surpassing Erza," the moment Shane mentioned it to her, she'd probably lunge and bite someone on the spot.
…
Happy days always pass too fast.
A few days later, with Kagura staring at them like she was about to cry, Shane and Erza waved goodbye to Jellal and the others.
"We'll see each other again, Kagura."
Erza crouched and patted the girl's head, making a promise.
On the way back through the seaside city, Shane stopped by the merchant guild.
"Master Shane!"
Master Nuso was already waiting, and he brought good news.
"The magic sword you entrusted to us—after a few days of promotion, the response has been incredible! The auction date is set for next week."
"Once it's over, after subtracting basic material costs, I'll have someone deliver the full proceeds to Magnolia immediately!"
"I told you we should split it…" Shane said helplessly.
"No, no, no! You refused to take a cut before—this time, absolutely not!"
Nuso shook his head like a rattle drum, stubborn as ever.
"Without your techniques, our guild wouldn't be what it is today. If we take that money, we'd be shameless!"
"From now on, for your work, we won't take a single coin—earning reputation and traffic is enough!"
"…Fine."
Seeing that Nuso was as stubborn as a mule, Shane tried a few more times and gave up.
Back on the road again.
High in the air, Erza curled up in Shane's arms—partly to block the wind, partly because she didn't want to let go of the warmth she'd just left behind.
"By the way—right before we left…"
Erza's lips curved as she remembered.
"Sho and Wally swore that one day their 'Scarlet Dawn' would surpass Fairy Tail."
"That won't do."
Shane leaned in close to her ear with a mischievous grin.
"To avoid 'funding the enemy,' why don't you just go recruit Kagura instead?"
"Jellal and the rest are all guys. Who's better suited to take care of a girl than you?"
"…."
Erza turned her face away and stared down at the clouds, suddenly silent.
"Hm?"
Shane immediately sensed something.
"Wait—did Kagura actually say something like that to you already?"
Erza's eyes flickered. She pressed her lips together, looking a little embarrassed.
She still didn't understand what kind of charm she supposedly had.
They'd only met a few times, but that shy little girl didn't want to join her own brother's guild—she wanted to come to Fairy Tail someday, just to find Erza.
"I… turned her down," Erza said softly.
"I told her Fairy Tail is a very strong guild, with a high entry bar."
"And that she should come find me after she gets stronger."
"Tsk tsk."
Shane's eyes gleamed with teasing as he poked her slightly warm cheek.
"So you've learned to lie now, Erza."
"What entry bar? Our guild's only requirement is being able to cause trouble."
"Mm!"
Erza looked wronged and glared back at him.
"What else was I supposed to do? How could I take her with me right now? She just found her family—she needs to stay with Simon for a while."
She liked Kagura a lot, but she wasn't about to be the kind of person who tore apart siblings who'd just reunited.
"Yes, yes. You're the thoughtful one."
Watching the usually serious girl get flustered and pouty with that hint of genuine sweetness, Shane couldn't help laughing. He deliberately teased:
"But what if Kagura really does come someday—and she clings to you every day calling you 'Master'… wouldn't you have no time for me?"
"Don't say stupid things!"
Erza pinched his side, embarrassed and annoyed—she wanted to bite him for being shameless, but couldn't bring herself to.
…
They bickered their way through the sky. Just as Magnolia came into view—
Shane suddenly felt something stir.
Deep in his mind, the Book of Heroes flipped a page on its own.
A dark-gold glow blossomed.
[Trial: Shadow of the Church — Complete!]
[Evaluation:]
[In a village shrouded in prejudice and fear, a kind-hearted girl imprisoned a violent demon within herself—only to be misunderstood by villagers who were as cruel as demons.]
[Under your influence, those "demon-like" villagers gained nightmares and fear that will follow them for life.]
[Under your forceful guidance, the once "ugly demon" was fully accepted and became power the girl could control.]
[Your actions were unconventional, but carried strong personal will throughout.]
[Based on your performance, this reward is upgraded!]
[Reward: "Summon" Depth Increase ×2]
[Reward: "Trait-filtered Summon" Authorization ×2]
"—Hiss!"
Shane's eyes widened.
"Just a few days, and Mira mastered perfect full Take-Over?!"
"And… a double reward for the first time in ages?!"
The joy hit so hard his arms tightened around Erza without thinking, making her squirm in protest.
"What is it?" Erza looked up at him, puzzled.
"N-nothing—just thought of something good," Shane said, forcing down his excitement.
This trip was absurdly lucky.
A solid business channel—financial crisis solved. Old friends reunited—Jellal's "Companion" progress advanced.
It felt like seeds he'd struggled to plant finally blossomed all at once.
But…
As Shane descended, the excitement faded into confusion.
"Why was it a double reward this time?"
He replayed what he'd done in that village.
Even with a thick face, he had to admit it wasn't exactly "heroic."
He'd bullied the villagers, forced Mira forward, stuck his nose in someone else's family business in the most shameless way…
"I just did what I wanted," he muttered, walking toward the guild in thought.
"So what's the Book's real criteria?"
He remembered that first prompt in the Tower of Paradise prison: help me walk the path of heroes.
And slowly, a realization formed.
"Heroic Spirit… doesn't mean 'good person.'"
Whether it was Arash's self-sacrifice, saving his homeland—
or Muramasa's relentless devotion to the forge—
the common thread was the same:
An unshakable personal value system. A will that wouldn't bend.
"So…"
Shane tapped his palm lightly.
"Instead of 'hero' or 'great man,' maybe the truest definition is—"
"One who carries their will through to the end."
His eyes brightened.
"The key is: be true to yourself—and so strong about it that people can't ignore it."
If that was the Book's logic, it was huge for him.
It meant he didn't need to restrain himself just to "play nice" for trials.
As long as his thoughts were clear and his actions matched his will, the evaluation would rise.
"Heh… that's a scary rule."
Shane laughed under his breath.
And thank goodness he was lazy by nature—because if a true villain had a system that encouraged that kind of willpower…
who knows what monster it would create.
"What are you smiling about?"
Erza tucked her wind-tossed hair behind her ear and gave him a puzzled look.
She had no idea what he was happy about.
She was still quietly worried about how she was supposed to handle her overly clingy "little student."
~~~
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