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Tenrou Island camp.
"This is our Fairy Tail's First Master, Lady Mavis. Show some respect!"
By the roaring bonfire, Makarov solemnly introduced Mavis to the guild's youngsters. However, when it came to causing trouble, a certain someone never disappointed.
Natsu raised his hand to ask, "That's not right, Guild Master. She's about the same height as Wendy, clearly a child. How can she be the First Master?"
Mavis, who had been about to greet her juniors, stiffened upon hearing Natsu's words. The thing she hated most in her life was being treated like a child.
Even as a ghost, it was the same.
But as they were her juniors in the guild, Mavis, as an elder, could only comfort herself internally. Over eighty years separated her and Natsu, so it was normal for the youngster not to understand her.
Gildarts pulled Natsu aside. "You brat, you're even questioning the First Master's identity now? Even with me and the Guild Master as witnesses, you still can't shut your mouth."
Natsu naturally trusted Gildarts, but he couldn't help but mumble, "I didn't mean to, but the First Master is really tiny."
"How am I tiny?!"
Mavis pouted and retorted unhappily, "Look closely, I am an ad-ult."
Mavis emphasized the words "adult" heavily, raising her head and puffing out her chest, as if to prove she was an adult.
However, looking at Mavis's "unremarkable" figure, Natsu burst out laughing. Even Gildarts next to him couldn't help but turn his head away to snicker.
Makarov looked helpless. The First Master, rumored to be unparalleled in wisdom, didn't seem as intelligent as the legends claimed.
Compared to Mira, Erza, and Cana, who were tidying up the camp, Mavis was indeed a child. In terms of both figure and demeanor, they far surpassed the childish Mavis.
Mavis realized this at that moment and immediately flushed red.
Just then, Mira walked by with a bag of trash. Seeing Mavis's cute, flushed, and steaming face, she squatted down and asked curiously, "First Master, what's wrong?"
Mavis looked at Mira, then lowered her head to look at her own chest, which allowed her to see her toes. She said nothing, turned, and scurried off to find August for comfort.
Looking at Mavis who pounced on him, August felt a complex mix of emotions. He, an eighty-year-old son, had to comfort his eighteen-year-old ghost mother.
Why does it feel like a grandfather taking care of his granddaughter…
The reason was that August had truly lived for over eighty years, possessing a mindset commensurate with his rich life experiences.
Mavis, on the other hand, had stopped developing physically due to the Contradictory Curse, maintaining the state of a thirteen or fourteen-year-old body, which allowed her to retain the mentality of a young girl.
August took Mavis's hand. From his vast magical reserves, he found a spell that could temporarily allow him to touch a spirit body.
Mavis was stunned. Although she knew her son was powerful, she didn't expect August to effortlessly cast such a complex and mentally taxing spell as touching a spirit body.
Truly worthy of being my son!
After a brief moment of self-satisfaction, Mavis followed August's gaze toward the distant sea of Tenrou Island. "August, when do you think Zeref and Noah will return? Will their plan to seal the Contradictory Curse succeed?"
"Of course it can. It absolutely can!"
A confident voice replied, but it wasn't August's.
Mavis looked up at the sky, only to see a white-haired young man standing in the night sky. The gentle breeze lightly stirred his clothes, looking incredibly carefree.
However, Zeref's disheveled state was a stark contrast to Noah's. The white cloth that had originally wrapped his black robe was coiled into a rope, one end tied around his waist, the other held in Noah's hand.
Zeref's current appearance was very much like the pork belly hanging at a butcher's stall in the market.
Oh no, it was fresh meat.
August watched Noah slowly descend, eager to know if the sealing had been successful.
"Ask him."
Before August could speak, Noah preemptively threw Zeref to him, then left a dashing figure and returned to the camp.
However, Noah didn't go far, but instead gathered a group of people to enjoy "A Black Wizard's Family Affairs." Missing this family drama would be a lifelong regret.
As soon as Zeref stabilized himself, he saw the "audience" in the camp, led by Noah, sitting neatly in a row, almost complete with melon seeds and popcorn.
Although he had many things to say to Mavis and August, being watched like this made him feel a bit embarrassed…
Zeref took a deep breath. If I still worry about the meeting at this point, will I even have a family anymore?
Zeref turned around, opening his heart to directly confront August with his guilt. "I'm sorry, August. You were right beside me, yet I failed to recognize you…"
"I am an unfit father."
"Your Majesty… Father, you were simply unable to express emotions due to the Contradictory Curse. It's all that wicked curse's fault. I have never blamed you."
August was a magnanimous person. He would not blame or resent anyone for the suffering he endured, whether it was Mavis, Zeref, or Precht who abandoned him.
Seeing that his son not only harbored no resentment but even actively offered him a way out, Zeref was heartbroken, remembering how sensible August had been since childhood.
Other children, more or less, for longer or shorter periods, had a happy childhood, while his son first wandered and then spent his entire life striving for him, an unfit father.
August never considered himself…
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
Looking at August's now aged appearance, Zeref could only apologize repeatedly to barely alleviate a tiny bit of his guilt toward his son.
Although August was very happy to reunite with his father, he felt that Zeref was acting a bit overly sentimental. Perhaps it was because the Contradictory Curse had been sealed, and his suppressed emotions could finally be released.
"Father, Mother is still here. If you're going to cry, at least cry to the right person." August moved aside, revealing Mavis who had been hiding behind him.
After more than eighty years, this ill-fated couple finally met again. Black robe, white dress, their appearances still youthful, just as they were in the beginning.
Only now, one had become a mortal, and the other a ghost.
Zeref instinctively reached out, only to remember that the Mavis before him was an untouchable spirit body. He could only let out a self-deprecating bitter laugh.
He was once burdened by the Death Curse, afraid to touch.
Now, freed and turned mortal, yet… separated by life and death.
Fortunately, Mavis still had a chance to revive, otherwise, Zeref would never get over that hurdle in his heart.
"Mavis, once you're resurrected, let's start over."
Seeing the deep affection in Zeref's eyes, Mavis gave him a bright smile. "Hmph, my son is old enough to be my grandfather after I'm resurrected. Who wants to start over with you? I have August, that's enough. You go find somewhere to cool off."
Zeref's expression was mortified. "Don't say that. Please give me another chance to love you both, okay?"
"Well, that depends on your performance then~"
Mavis lightly leaped, and with August's magic, left a kiss mark on Zeref's face.