Before Makarov could have a full-blown heart attack, Lahar gave a small signal to the subordinate on his right.
The man promptly stepped forward, placed a small paper packet on the counter, and stepped back.
Seeing the confused looks from everyone, Lahar explained, "This is from the New Magic Council. A reward of five million jewel for apprehending the fugitive Erigor."
"Woooow~" Lisanna gasped softly in awe. But after thinking about the strength of her sister and brother-in-law, it didn't seem that surprising.
Makarov finally exhaled in relief. "Ah… so it was a good deed after all. That's more like it, that's more like it."
He carefully opened the paper packet. Inside were five neat bundles of 10,000-jewel notes, each bundle stacked with exactly a hundred bills.
Mira took charge of counting the money while Rhodes calmly stepped forward to sign the receipt.
Once the transaction was complete and properly recorded, Lahar finally got to the main reason for his visit: the mysterious disappearance of Magnolia.
Makarov found the idea of explaining the entire situation from start to finish incredibly tedious, so he passed the responsibility directly onto Rhodes with a grin and a slap on the back.
Left with no choice, Rhodes gave a quick and summarized explanation of the Anima Plan, how Edolas had attempted to absorb Magnolia into their own world, their eventual return, and the fates of the former king and his high-ranking ministers.
When Lahar heard that the dangerous individuals from Edolas had merely been imprisoned by the new king, he frowned slightly, feeling it was a bit too lenient, but he didn't voice the thought aloud.
After all, Fairy Tail had saved the entire city of Magnolia, while the Council hadn't even known what was going on. Speaking out of turn now would only put him in an awkward position, or worse, get him kicked out of town.
He quietly motioned for one of his subordinates to take notes while Rhodes spoke, occasionally interjecting to ask about Edolas's magic technology and weaponry.
"The magic in that world is slowly fading," Rhodes explained, "and the people there don't naturally have magic within their bodies. Still, we managed to bring back some samples of their equipment for study."
With that, he activated his re-equip magic and produced a few pieces of standard Edolas gear: a suit of armor that could generate a magic barrier, and a pair of long weapons, a spear and a sword, both imbued with capture spells.
Lahar's eyes lit up with interest. "This is incredibly helpful. Having these items will make our report much more credible to the higher-ups. Thank you."
Other worlds, Anima, and interdimensional portals, these were dangerous things. It made sense to bring back some artifacts for study. Gaining a deeper understanding could help prevent future crises.
Rhodes wasn't too worried himself. He had collected quite a few of those Edolas artifacts and planned to store them in the guild's warehouse as backup inventory.
He intended to let anyone interested study and replicate them. After all, Edolas's magical tool designs followed a completely different logic from those of Earth Land. Exploring those ideas could spark innovation.
The mayor of Magnolia had even mentioned that several hundred sets of militia gear had been salvaged and would be delivered later. But Lahar and his team would likely be able to obtain them more directly through official negotiations.
Rather than forcing them to pull strings and bargain later, Rhodes figured it was better to hand over a sample set now, it built goodwill and saved everyone trouble.
Among all the magical gear they brought back, the most high-end was naturally the Sugarboy's Blade that Lisanna now carried. That was hers to keep for self-defense.
The largest item by far, however, was the airship.
It was the same ship that Makarov and Lisanna had used when they went out searching for signs of Anima. They had encountered Mystogan mid-journey, and by the time Magnolia returned, the ship had been pulled along with it.
Now it sat docked in the lake behind the guild, awaiting a decision on its fate.
Makarov had big plans for it, he wanted to repaint it with the Fairy Tail emblem and convert it into the guild's exclusive vehicle. Something like Blue Pegasus's Christina.
While it looked like an ordinary ship, it contained unique Edolas technology, combat systems, day-to-day enchantments, and compact magical reactors. The research potential alone was staggering.
Whether they would share such tech with the New Council depended on how the Council handled things moving forward.
If they weren't too controlling or obnoxious, letting them study it to benefit Earth Land's magic development wouldn't be out of the question.
After Rhodes finished introducing the gear's functions to Lahar, one of the Council aides hurried back with an update: the interviews with Magnolia's citizens were nearly complete, and it was time to meet with the mayor.
Lahar naturally had to attend in person. Before leaving, he asked a few final questions, then gave a polite bow.
"Thank you for your cooperation, and for your brave contributions in defending against this external threat."
He added with a faint smile, "I believe that in due time, both the Council and the Kingdom of Fiore will formally commend Fairy Tail."
Bowing slightly again, he concluded, "Please excuse the disturbance. Until we meet again."
Makarov chuckled heartily. "You're always welcome here, just try visiting next time off-duty. It's a lot more fun that way."
Thank goodness he hadn't brought up that unfinished letter of apology.
And a commendation, no, two commendations? One from the Council and one from the Kingdom?
Makarov could hardly contain his glee. He rubbed his hands together.
It just so happened that the regular Council summit was coming up.
He was going to show off so hard.
Makarov leapt onto the nearest table and waved his hand with glee.
"To celebrate our upcoming commendation, let's have a party!"
"YEAH!!!"
Rhodes sighed with resignation. "Here we go again…"
Mira, wearing a radiant smile, added cheerfully,
"Well, everyone's in high spirits. It's also a great chance to give our new waitress a little more hands-on experience."
She found teasing Lucy in moments like these quite entertaining.
The guild quickly descended into chaos once more, laughter, clinking glasses, food flying through the air. It was lively, wild, and just so… Fairy Tail.
Thankfully, it only lasted for one afternoon. By the evening, everyone had eaten their fill, danced enough, and stumbled off toward their homes with smiles on their faces.
"Rhodes, should we take the night off from training?" Mira came over and asked gently.
"Yeah," Rhodes nodded. "We've been running on fumes these last few days. A break's overdue."
He gave her a reassuring smile. "You three go ahead. I'll close things up here."
"You've worked hard." Mira leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, ignoring Lisanna's amused stare.
Rhodes chuckled softly as he watched her walk away, dragging her younger siblings with her.
Elfman and Lisanna followed behind Mira like two helpless plush dolls, clearly drained from the party.
Rhodes couldn't help but smile inwardly.
'My fiancée… strong enough to shake mountains, and graceful enough to lead armies.'
He shook his head affectionately.
Just then, Wendy came over, cheeks slightly pink, accompanied by Carla.
"Brother Rhodes, we're heading home too. See you tomorrow!" Wendy said sweetly.
Carla threw a sharp look at Rhodes, clearly annoyed. Doing something that intimate in front of children? Really?
"Wait a sec," Rhodes called out, raising a hand.
Wendy blinked in confusion. "Huh?"
"I'm going to visit Porlyusica soon," Rhodes said. "Want to come with me?"
A few days earlier, all of Magnolia had been swallowed up by Anima. But Porlyusica, who lived alone in the forest and didn't possess magic within her body, had likely been unaffected.
Still, with the entire town vanishing, she'd surely been worried, even if she'd never admit it out loud.
Now that things had returned to normal, checking in on her wasn't just a courtesy, it was the right thing to do.
Rhodes didn't count on the other Fairy Tail members to remember such thoughtful gestures. After everything that had happened, they were still caught up in the excitement of being back.
So he figured he'd go himself. And bringing Wendy along would soften Porlyusica's mood a little.
Wendy's eyes lit up immediately. "Grandeeney? Yes! I want to go!"
"Alright then. Give me just a minute to shut everything down," Rhodes said, heading toward the light switches and windows.
"I'll help!" Wendy offered eagerly, stretching her arms to reach a high window latch.
Seeing Wendy struggle, Carla rolled her eyes but couldn't let her try alone. With a huff, she floated up beside her and helped pull the window shut.