A few days later, the five people and one cat who had enjoyed their brief vacation finally returned to the guild.
Ken pushed open the door, his usual enthusiasm filling the air as he exclaimed, "We're back!"
But there was an eerie silence.
Ken paused, confused. What's going on? Did I open it wrong?
He looked around the guild hall. Everything seemed normal—Mirajane sat at the front desk, Makarov lay lazily beside her, and everyone else was in their usual spots. Yet, something felt off.
No one spoke.
Finally, Ken realized that every single person's eyes were fixed on him. The intensity of their gazes made him uneasy.
"Wait... why is everyone staring at me? Is there something on my face?" Ken asked, growing increasingly uncomfortable.
He lowered his body slightly and walked forward, trying to sneak by like a thief. But wherever he moved, the stares followed.
"Ahem..." he cleared his throat.
Ken quickly grabbed someone for help. "Macao? What's going on here?"
Macao, trembling, reached for a magazine from the side and handed it to Ken without breaking eye contact.
Ken flipped through the Wizard's Weekly, his curiosity growing, but he was utterly caught off guard by the headline:
"The Senate was attacked a few days ago, and the Holy Ten Great Wizard Siegrain turned out to be the thought-body of Jellal, the ruler of the Tower of Paradise..."
He read on, stunned:
"After investigation, it was found that Jellal and Ultear colluded to steal the magical elf power. Their real purpose was to activate the dark ritual of the Tower of Paradise."
"After stabilizing the situation, Lahar, the captain of the Fourth Forced Supervision Force, led the army to the scene, only to find the Tower of Paradise had just collapsed."
"Two flying magicians were photographed at the scene; it is inferred that these two were most likely the destroyers of the Tower of Paradise!"
Ken's heart sank. There, in the blurry photo, was a figure that clearly had dragon wings. The posture... it was unmistakably him.
Ken stared at the page, his face turning red with embarrassment.
"This... Um..."
He muttered under his breath, realizing that the Senate's army had been positioned just out of sight, and he hadn't noticed them due to his magic power loss at the time. If Simon and the others had been spotted, they would've been in trouble.
Erza, seeing Ken's discomfort, walked over and took a look at the photo.
"Is this really you?" Natsu asked, flipping through the pages with Gray and Happy, scrutinizing the picture and then looking back at Ken.
Ken sighed, activating his Storm Dragon-slaying Magic, summoning his wings to mirror the photo.
"See, I told you it was Ken," Makarov said proudly from the counter, a grin on his face. "I recognized his wings right away."
The guild members, previously quiet, suddenly erupted with excitement.
"So, the Tower of Paradise was destroyed by Ken and Erza?" one asked.
"I heard from the President that you two were strong, but not this strong..." another muttered in awe.
"But how did you defeat Jellal?" Lucy asked, her wide, watery eyes filled with disbelief. "I thought his strength was on par with the Holy Ten? Wasn't he invincible?"
Ken hesitated, not wanting to bring up painful memories. "It happened on the first day of our vacation. I'm sorry I didn't tell you all sooner. We planned to explain everything when we got back."
Erza, who had been silent, finally spoke. "It's true. Ken and I destroyed the Tower of Paradise, but... it wasn't easy."
Ken glanced at her, then reluctantly admitted to the guild, briefly describing the events. However, he deliberately left out Jellal's name, not wanting to revisit that painful chapter for Erza.
But the guild members noticed a key detail in his explanation.
"Wait, Ken..." Lucy began, puzzled. "Did you just say you used Dragon-slaying Magic? Like Natsu and Gajeel?"
"Is it fire or iron magic...?" someone else asked, looking confused.
Ken smiled awkwardly and replied, "I have eight different types of dragon-slaying magic."
"Eight types?!" Natsu gasped. "That's impossible!"
The guild members were floored. Natsu and Gajeel had mastered one type of Dragon-slaying magic, and that alone made them powerful. But Ken had mastered eight?
The realization hit everyone. Ken wasn't just strong. He was on an entirely different level.
Makarov watched the scene unfold, his pride for Ken evident despite his usually calm demeanor. "What excites me the most isn't the noise you've made or the success you've achieved, Ken. It's that you've already learned how to protect your companions after such a short time in the guild."
"At this rate, we'll have an S-Class mage among us before long," Makarov continued, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
The guild buzzed with energy, discussing the possibility of Ken's power.
"I wonder how he stacks up against Gildarts, who's been gone for three years?"
"I think Ken could be one of the top ten magicians in the world!"
"But the Holy Ten... it's just a title for magicians who've made a name for themselves. There are many powerful mages who don't care about that title."
"Next master... Ken should be the next master!" one of the guild members joked, earning a loud laugh from the group.
Makarov, who had been casually sipping his tea, suddenly spat it out in surprise. "I'm not dead yet! You can go do whatever you have to do!"
The guild erupted in laughter, returning to their usual lively chatter.
But amidst the commotion, a blond young man, dressed in a black coat, stood quietly on the second floor. His lightning-shaped scar on his right eye made him seem almost intimidating as he observed the scene.
"Ken... interesting," he muttered to himself, a sly smile crossing his face.
The Aftermath of the Tower of Paradise brought Ken two valuable realizations.
The first was mastering the secret of Dragon-slaying Magic and gaining direction in his future training.
The second was understanding the full extent of his power.
While he may not have completely surpassed Jellal's magical strength—especially given Jellal's connection to the elf magic—Ken knew he was at least on par with him.
And in terms of raw magical power, Ken was already stronger than Makarov, the guild's esteemed master.
(Next Chapter: The Challenge)