"Gray!" Natsu shouted.
Gray immediately cast his magic, creating an inclined pillar of ice that shot straight into the sky.
Natsu ran up along the ice pillar and grabbed Jellal, who had fallen into a deep coma.
"Phew—" Gray sighed in relief.
The battle was over, and he could finally rest.
"It's over." Natsu tossed Jellal onto the ground and grinned brightly at Erza.
"It's over." Gray smiled as he looked at Erza.
"It's over." Jehfrit gave a gentle smile.
"You..." Tears streamed down Erza's face as she reached out and embraced all three of them.
"Thank you..."
When Jehfrit and the others returned to the dock,
the ship had come back.
"Natsu, Erza, Gray, Jehfrit!" Lucy waved happily.
"Gray-sama!" Juvia was also excited.
"Erza, sister!"
"Erza!"
Sho and the others called out too.
Once the ship docked,
"Jellal..." Everyone looked at Jellal—carried on Simon's back.
Simon said earnestly, "Jellal must be held accountable for what he has done. I will take him for treatment and then deliver him to the Magic Council for trial."
"...," No one objected.
"What about you?" Erza asked Sho and the others.
"Sister, we want to go on a journey, to see the outside world," Sho said seriously.
"Mm, if you ever want to join a guild, come to Fairy Tail," Erza replied.
"We will!"
Erza and the others chatted.
Jehfrit glanced at the ship, placed a decoy where he stood, and walked along the beach toward the distance.
It didn't take long.
He met someone leaning on a stick, struggling to walk.
That person heard footsteps and stopped.
Ikuto turned around, looking at Jehfrit with a complicated expression.
Her feelings were very complex.
She had already prepared to die here.
But she was saved by Jehfrit.
Now, if asked whether she still wanted to die, honestly, her desire had faded considerably.
Because she now had some... reasons not to die.
But if she didn't die here, the new guild master would surely not let her off!
She didn't want to die, didn't want her younger siblings threatened, and definitely didn't want to implicate Jehfrit—the new guild master was vengeful and ruthless. Although Jehfrit was powerful, the underhanded tricks of mages were numerous!
After much thought, she finally came up with a plan—
To leave, far away from everyone!
Pretend she was dead!
And carry some beautiful memories, living in a foreign land until the day she felt like dying again!
Jehfrit tossed over a card—a communication crystal inside.
Ikuto caught it and nodded slightly at Jehfrit, apologizing, "Thank you..."
After a brief pause, she added, "I'm sorry."
"Mm." Jehfrit's figure vanished.
Ikuto sighed and turned to leave.
After resting at the inn for a few days,
though not fully recovered,
she was almost there.
Simon took Jellal to turn himself in.
After explaining all misunderstandings and events of those years, Sho and the others officially bid farewell to Erza.
Everyone stayed another day and then set off back to the guild.
On the mountain road,
a group of Magic Council mages escorted two prisoner carts, moving slowly forward.
Sounds of discussion came from afar.
"Is that them?"
"I heard Jellal's voice."
"Let's move."
*BOOM BOOM BOOM*
A powerful magic attack suddenly struck the convoy.
The attack came so suddenly that everyone was caught off guard; in an instant, some died, others were injured.
*RIP*
The prisoner cart was torn open.
"Jellal, you look terrible."
Hearing the voice, Jellal struggled to open his eyes, but against the light, he couldn't make out the person. Still, he knew who it was.
A brand-new, magnificent guild stood before them.
"So this is the new guild..." Lucy was astonished, "It's beautiful!"
"Love!" Happy responded.
"Not bad at all," Gray remarked after examining it thoroughly from all angles.
"Gray-sama, your clothes!" Juvia reminded him, her cheeks red but unable to tear her eyes away.
"Eh? Where are my clothes?!" Gray suddenly realized.
"Hmm, good," Erza nodded in satisfaction.
"...," Natsu remained silent, his mouth hidden behind his scarf, seemingly uninterested.
"Alright, let's go inside," Jehfrit said.
Everyone entered the guild.
It was very spacious; the first thing they saw was an open-air café—no more fighting confined to small spaces.
Jehfrit thought he'd become a regular here.
There was also a shop nearby.
"Max, what are you selling?" Happy flew over, curious.
"Ah, Happy, welcome back." Max said, "Selling some clothes, cups, and such. Oh, and figurines!"
Max proudly pointed to a cabinet displaying many figurines, each labeled with a price.
The most expensive ones were on the top shelf.
"Pfft." Happy laughed at once, "Lucy's figurine is so cheap."
*Whimper*
"..." Lucy wanted to cry but couldn't, feeling very conflicted.
Isn't she supposed to be a beautiful girl!
Why is hers at the bottom?!
By the way,
"Why is Jehfrit's figurine on the top shelf?!" Happy was very surprised, "And the price is the highest! Even twice as much as Erza's!"
"Ah, that's not a figurine, it's a voodoo doll, you can stick needles into it," Max explained with a laugh.
"...So scary." Lucy couldn't help but say, "But... it makes sense somehow."
"Love!" Happy agreed.
Voodoo doll, huh?
No one noticed,
Jehfrit was in the store, found a ledger, and began reviewing transaction records.
Entering the interior of the guild,
"Wow—" Lucy exclaimed, "Much more spacious than before!"
Levy walked over smiling, "And there's even a pool inside!"
"Great!" Lucy cheered.
"There's an arcade underground." Levy introduced, "The biggest change is on the second floor!"
"Now anyone can go upstairs, but to take S-class missions, you still need an S-class mage with you."
"Hmph." Natsu snorted.
"What's wrong, Natsu? You've been acting strange since earlier," Lucy asked.
"It's different from before," Natsu said, dissatisfied.
"You'll get used to it," Gray consoled.
"Welcome back." Guild Master Makarov approached.
"Master!" Everyone looked over.
Makarov waved to everyone and said to Juvia, "Juvia, you can officially join the guild now!"
"Great!" Juvia was delighted.
"Congratulations, Juvia!" Lucy said.
"Welcome, Juvia," Levy didn't hold grudges.
"Thank you everyone, I'll get along well with everyone!" Juvia quickly said.
"Congratulations, Juvia," Gray said with a smile.
"Gray-sama..." Juvia blushed, saying, "I am unworthy, please guide me in the future!"
"???" Gray found the sentence odd.