Compared to the heavy casualties in the original storyline, this time not a single person was lost. Everyone lived to see a future without demons.
Once Muzan was slain, every demon under his control perished with him.
At the word of Kagaya Ubuyashiki, whose illness miraculously faded, the Demon Slayer Corps—after a thousand years of fighting—was disbanded, and the swordsmen began new lives.
Perhaps in time, breathing techniques will become legend, and the battles between swordsmen and demons will be forgotten.
No one will complain. A world without demons is the happiest outcome for them.
Charles said goodbye to no one and simply continued traveling with Stella.
The two returned to the world of Mage-Knights, which had found peace again thanks to Charles's prior exploits and the fall of the Great Professor.
It was only a return to a balance of power among the factions, but at least the upheavals had died down.
They visited friends like Ikki Kurogane, then went back to Shinryuji Temple to call on the Grand Elder, and finally completed their engagement ceremony with Stella's parents as witnesses.
It was something planned long ago—get engaged after Stella finished her studies.
Hagun Academy had long since been rebuilt, but Stella hadn't gone back to school because she had been traveling worlds with Charles.
Even so, Stella's strength had reached Hagun's graduation standard ages ago. Kurono Shinguji had Stella's diploma ready well in advance.
The two, who had officially evolved from boyfriend and girlfriend to fiancés, spent a sweet stretch of time together and then returned to the world of Fairy Tail.
They came back because seven years had passed since the Tenrou Island incident, and the Fairy Sphere's seal was about to be lifted.
To be honest, when Charles realized this, he felt a moment of daze.
It was joyous to reunite with everyone, but it also meant the major events of the original plot were about to unfold.
The war with the demons from the Books of Zeref of Tartaros, the oncoming Acnologia, and the day he had long prepared for—seeing Igneel through.
You could say all his work across worlds had been to meet that war and fulfill that wish.
And now Charles was confident he could achieve all his goals.
The moment they returned to the guild, Wiene rushed over and hugged Stella.
Charles hadn't known what the next world would be like, so he'd left Wiene at the guild for everyone to look after.
The Dungeon world is not friendly to Wiene; her kind's treatment in that world made it clear enough.
Though she received the gods' designation as a Druid by race, the relationship between the Xenos and the adventurers could hardly be called harmonious.
There's a saying: human prejudice is a mountain; no matter how you try, you cannot move it. Not everyone is as open-hearted as Bell and his friends.
Because the Druids were once "monsters," most adventurers did not trust them. Add in the jealousy of adventurers toward Druids, who boast standout stats and unique skills, and the two sides could never get along.
The gods could do nothing about it either. They follow the principle of not overly interfering with their children's will and cannot force their followers to change their minds.
Adventurers reject Druids, and Druids hardly like adventurers who show them malice.
The dark factions, battered by the allied familias Charles rallied but not destroyed, also stayed restless; they struck at the Druids and the Xenos more than once, keeping the conflict simmering.
Foolish human merchants and nobles bore blame as well. Without their constant manipulation from the shadows, things would have gone much better.
Thus the present impasse. It will take real work for Ouranos and Fels to bring the sides to reconciliation.
Charles didn't want Wiene growing up in that kind of environment. Compared to that, the Fairy Tail family was far warmer.
It had been a long time since Charles last came back. Everyone treated Wiene like family, but she missed Charles and Stella the most.
Wiene had grown up, though. The girl who once seemed like Stella's daughter now looked like Stella's sister.
While Stella and Wiene chatted with everyone, Macao came over to Charles.
Seeing the stack of documents in Macao's hands gave Charles a headache.
Sure enough, he was right. They were all reports from the Magic Council explaining the latest damage caused by Fairy Tail and notices of fines.
Macao also told Charles that these were only the cases he couldn't possibly deflect. Seeing the grey at Macao's temples, Charles felt deep sympathy.
Those problem children… When Charles left last time, he warned them a thousand times, and they thumped their chests and promised him. Not the least bit of restraint in the end!
(╯‵□′)╯︵┴─┴
He suddenly worried about Master Makarov, who was about to return. The original handful of problem children were hard enough—now there were even more troublemakers. Could the old man's body take it?
Charles completely forgot who had specifically recruited those problem children and cheerfully decided to organize the paperwork and deal with it when Master Makarov got back.
Who knew, once he learned of this, if the old man would still be willing to leave Tenrou Island.
Thinking of this, Charles looked up and said, "Speaking of which, the seal on Tenrou Island is about to be lifted. It's time we brought them home."
Macao nodded. "I'll contact Master Bob of Blue Pegasus right away to borrow their ship and bring everyone back from Tenrou Island!"
At that, Charles couldn't help sighing. For a top-ranked national guild, Blue Pegasus not only had a ship—they could even afford something like the Magic Bomber Christina.
Fairy Tail, on the other hand, ran in the red year-round. The difference was a bit much.
A big part of it was Master Bob's good management. Beyond normal job requests, Blue Pegasus's handsome men and beautiful women graced countless magazine covers. Their popularity was sky-high, and naturally so were their earnings.
Another part was that Blue Pegasus didn't pay nearly as many fines. Not every guild is saddled with so many problem children.
Charles nodded. "Then I'll trouble you to handle it."
Macao smiled. "Seven years—everyone is finally coming back! When they do, they'll make it just in time for this year's Grand Magic Games. Looks like the championship is ours again!"
Charles also remembered the Grand Magic Games—and this year was the most special one.
The Eclipse Gate's magic had almost fully accumulated, and Lucy would bring back the golden Zodiac keys. Everything needed for the Kingdom of Fiore's plan would be in place.
Charles also wondered if future Lucy and Rogue would time-travel back to now again.
That aside, once the Tenrou team returned, Fairy Tail would have to think about how to field the teams.
Other than the first Grand Magic Games, Charles hadn't competed, but thanks to Sting and the others' efforts, they'd never fallen out of the top three and still held the most championships to date.
The Tenrou team, with a seven-year gap, would need special training to compete. Deciding who to send was a real headache.
But that was Master Makarov's headache. Worst comes to worst, Fairy Tail tradition would settle it—with a brawl.
…
A few days later, every member of Fairy Tail gathered at Magnolia's port. Sails had just appeared on the horizon.
On that ship were the Tenrou team—newly freed from Fairy Sphere.
______
(≧◡≦) ♡ Support me and read 20 chapters ahead – patreon.com/Mutter
Every 100 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter on Saturday.
Every 5 reviews = 1 extra chapter on Saturday.