Wendy wailed loudly, her cries heart-wrenching to all who heard them.
Everyone stayed by her side, offering no words of comfort. As adults, they knew that sometimes, crying was the best medicine to relieve pain; if she didn't cry, it would be even more concerning.
Eventually, Wendy's strength faded and she fell into a deep sleep. Kael picked her up gently in his arms.
"Everyone, the Oración Seis has been defeated. We need to head back and report to our Master, so we must part ways here. If you ever have the chance to visit Fairy Tail, please come to my home. I will give you all a warm welcome."
Jura spoke up, "You are too kind, Kael. It was thanks to you that the Oración Seis was defeated. We, on the other hand, seemed to be more of a hindrance than a help."
"Please, don't say that. Everyone played a crucial role. In terms of pure magic power, I'm actually quite similar to the Oración Seis. I mostly just consume a vast amount of magic to gain a short-term advantage in power. If the battle had dragged on or if I had exhausted my magic, I would have been at significant risk."
Of course, this was just Kael's polite rhetoric. If he were alone, he wouldn't have attacked the enemy so openly; he would have hunted them down. It might have taken a bit more time, but he wouldn't have to worry about his safety. His combat mechanics were far superior to theirs.
"Indeed! We are the Allied Forces of Justice, and helping was only natural! I have deeply etched this camaraderie—of fighting side-by-side, sharing joys and sorrows, and facing life and death together—into my heart!" Ichiya said with a deeply moved expression.
"As expected of Ichiya!!" The Blue Pegasus trio chimed in with their usual flattery.
Lucy roasted them in her mind, "Where was any of that?!" Aside from seeing Ichiya at the gathering point villa and again after the initial surprise attack, the only other time was now that the crusade was over. In all three instances, she hadn't seen him make a single move. She still had no idea what his magic actually was.
"Kael, if you ever visit Blue Pegasus, we will host you properly and let you experience the hospitality for which Pegasus is famous," Ichiya added.
Kael smiled. "Alright, I'll definitely stop by if I have the chance."
Jura also said, "Lamia Scale also welcomes Kael and everyone from Fairy Tail."
"Then we shall surely trouble you then."
Soon, after exchanging farewells, the three guilds parted ways and began their journeys home.
Erza looked at Kael and said with a smile, "You're starting to look more and more like a Guild Master."
At this moment, she felt that Master Makarov's decision was correct. Kael truly was the most suitable candidate to be the next Master. Despite his terrifying strength, he wasn't arrogant; instead, he treated everyone as equals. This quality alone set him far apart from others.
"Don't say that! I'm not trying to 'look' like a Master. But since I am the successor, I have to do something for the guild. Those people are the elites of their respective guilds. When their Masters retire, the next leaders will likely be chosen from among them. Staying on good terms with them is necessary. I think that was one of the old man's goals in forming the alliance. This mission was essentially a showcase for the future landscape of the guilds."
While others might not know Kael's true limits, Makarov did. After all, whenever Kael completed an S-class mission, he had to report the details to the old man.
Erza was stunned. "This... I hadn't considered that at all..."
Kael smiled. He remembered the old man telling him that Erza was still young when he passed the Master's seat. Indeed, even though Erza usually acted very reliably, she was still just a 19-year-old girl. Their perspectives were different.
The Local Guild Alliance was not a loose organization, nor was it just a place for old men to drink and brag. Although it lacked strict regulations, it was undoubtedly a power structure.
Six years ago, Jose challenged Makarov. While it seemed like the behavior of a drunkard, a powerful Wizard Saint wouldn't truly get that drunk. Jose simply wanted to defeat Makarov to gain leadership within the alliance. He failed, and subsequently stopped attending the regular meetings.
This operation established the leadership status of the younger generation. Even as time passed, Fairy Tail would remain the strongest guild.
"What are you guys talking about? Why don't I understand a word of it?" Natsu was completely lost, failing to grasp anything in the conversation between Erza and Kael.
"It's nothing, and it doesn't concern you. Carla, pack your things. We're leaving."
"Okay!" Carla nodded. She was also saddened by Master Roubaul's disappearance, but having Wendy join Fairy Tail was undoubtedly the best choice now.
Happy immediately scurried over to her. "Let me help you, Carla!"
On a cargo ship at sea:
"Ahhh... the sea breeze feels amazing! Wow! Transportation is the best!!"
Natsu was running laps around the deck. After boarding, Natsu had been seasick as usual, but Wendy used her magic to alleviate it. Now, Natsu was shouting with excitement.
"Stop running! How many laps is that? You're being so noisy and annoying! Wendy, can't you just cancel that magic?" Gray said irritably. Just because he's not seasick, does he have to be this annoying?
"What did you say, you bastard?!" Natsu looked at Gray with horror. The suggestion to cancel the magic was, in his eyes, incredibly cruel.
"Haha!" Wendy couldn't help but laugh.
"Even though going on missions with Kael is dangerous, I guess the bigger the waves, the more valuable the catch," Lucy said, looking happily at the four keys in her hand.
Three were Golden Zodiac keys: Scorpio, Aries, and Gemini. One was a Silver key: Caelum. The latter was a powerful weapon-type Celestial Spirit with lethality that even surpassed some of the Zodiac spirits.
She had happened to run into Angel, who had been defeated by Kael, while escaping Nirvana and had taken her keys. Those spirits had already signed contracts with her. Now, she held nine of the twelve Zodiac keys, only three away from completing the collection.
"Wendy and Carla are really joining Fairy Tail, right?" Happy asked, staying close to Carla. He was the most excited about her joining. This was his first time meeting another of his kind—and a cute one at that. He wasn't about to miss this chance.
Carla said tsunderely, "I'm only going because Wendy said she wanted to go."
"I'm really looking forward to joining Fairy Tail!!" Wendy said with a bright smile. Although she had suffered the pain of parting, she was strong and had quickly cheered up to face her new life.
At the Fairy Tail Guild:
Wendy bowed deeply to the members.
"Hello everyone, my name is Wendy. This is Carla. Please take care of us."
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Sorry, everyone I had the posting schedule set up incorrectly over the last four days, which is why the latest chapters didn't go up. I apologize for the mistake, and thank you for your patience. The uploads should be back on track now.
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