Bzzz—
The freezing wind hit them head-on, carrying crystals of ice, while the glaring light of day replaced the suffocating yellow-green fog.
Everyone found themselves standing once more on solid snow.
If not for the lingering aftershocks of magic in the air, and the dust and blood still clinging to them, that vast, gloomy Victorian metropolis steeped in malice would have felt like nothing more than some absurd nightmare.
But beyond their amazement at such a world-shifting environmental change, none of them could calm their hearts.
Their thoughts were still tangled up in the unfinished story behind that killer, rising and falling without rest.
Those thousands upon thousands of abandoned children—why had no one taken them in? Why had they been left to wander?
Their desperate cries still seemed to echo in everyone's ears.
Shane stood off to the side in silence.
From the scraps of information the Department of Law squad had let slip, combined with his own knowledge of that era, he had already pieced together most of what had happened.
But he had no intention of explaining it out loud.
The underlying reality of that grotesquely "prosperous" age was simply too heavy.
The tragedies of the lower classes crushed under the gears of industry, the despair of countless unborn children…
There was no point forcing a group of guild mages raised in relative peace to dwell on it. It would only weigh everyone down for nothing.
Besides, his own mood wasn't exactly great either.
"Haa…"
Shane exhaled a cloud of white mist and cursed inwardly.
That arrogant Department of Law captain had caused the illusion to collapse early!
But at this point, the only thing he could do was comfort himself with the thought that, at least, the Book of Heroes still existed. There would be more chances to "mine gold" like this in the future.
Once he had steadied himself, he looked toward the edge of the snowfield.
That man was standing there alone with his hands in his pockets, his face cold.
"Laxus."
Shane walked over and looked him up and down curiously.
"I thought you'd be reacting a bit more strongly."
Ever since last year's S-Class exam, Shane had sensed an extremely powerful force hidden inside him.
If, earlier, when Jack had gathered all those children together, Laxus had chosen to go all out, he definitely would have had a chance to land that decisive hit before Erza.
But he had simply stood there and watched, making no move at all.
"Tch."
Hearing Shane's comment, Laxus turned his head slightly and shot him an extremely annoyed glare.
He had grown up without a mother's love, in a broken home—
caught in the middle between his father Ivan and his grandfather Makarov.
Because of that, seeing those children in Jack's illusion crying that they wanted to go home, wanted to return to the womb…
the shock it dealt him had hit far harder than anything he showed on the surface.
Which meant that even now, back in reality, his mood was still awful.
And looking at Shane, the examiner who had created this underworld-like illusion, only made him feel even worse.
"What a pain."
Laxus clicked his tongue irritably. Too annoyed to explain, he turned and started walking down the mountain.
"I'm going back."
He had only gone a few steps when he ran into Makarov and Ultear, who were hurrying over.
Grandfather and grandson met eyes for a brief moment as they passed each other.
Makarov had long since gotten used to his grandson's coldness and was just about to sigh when Laxus's steps faltered slightly.
"Hey, old man."
With his back still turned, his voice came out a little unclear:
"When we get back… call the old man too. Let's eat together at home."
"Huh?"
Makarov froze solid.
It took the little old man several full seconds to recover like someone waking from a dream.
By then, Laxus had already gone farther away, leaving behind only a back that looked broader with each passing year, yet also strangely lonely in the wind and snow.
"Th-this… this brat…"
The old man was trembling so hard his beard shook, and his eyes instantly went red.
Watching the scene from nearby, Shane simply shrugged to himself.
So he really did empathize with it after all…
That guy who always looked so violent probably wanted a whole family more than anyone.
Because he had witnessed that obsession—even souls vanishing still craving familial love—he had suddenly decided to try repairing his own broken family too?
"You all… what exactly happened just now? That enormous city just disappeared all of a sudden."
Off to the side, Ultear—now regrouped with them—asked in full confusion.
But before Shane could answer—
"Tiaaa!!"
Ur suddenly lunged forward like a wronged little girl and threw her arms around her daughter, tears in her eyes.
"I'm a terrible mother! Uwaaah…"
"I said something so awful to that poor child just now…"
"I'm the worst…"
In broken, illogical fragments, she poured out what had happened in the fog.
Ultear, nearly suffocated in the hug, stayed stiff for a long moment before finally piecing together the rough story from the chaos.
"So…"
Ultear sighed, helplessly patting her mother's back before turning to Shane.
"The one advancing in your exam… is Erza?"
"Yeah."
Shane sobered up. As examiner, he cleared his throat and announced formally:
"Although the target ultimately died from magical exhaustion and the collapse of its own self…"
"the one who suppressed it head-on in that final moment, and made the decision to 'cut it down,' was Erza."
"So I declare—"
"The winner of this S-Class Mage Exam: Erza!"
His voice echoed across the empty snowfield.
Silence followed.
No one objected.
Erza's performance just now had been genuinely outstanding.
In that hellscape, enough to break the mind of any ordinary person,
everyone present had seen her calm judgment under pressure, and the sword-light that showed not the slightest hesitation while still holding mercy within it.
Even Mira, who was usually at odds with her, couldn't find fault with a single thing.
More than that…
"Damn it…"
Mira was crouched in the snow nearby, irritably tugging at her silver hair.
Not only had she lost the exam, she had also been flat-out saved by Erza.
That was too big a favor to just ignore. Forget how she was supposed to repay it—how was she even supposed to keep picking righteous fights with her after this?
And as for the red-haired girl who had won, there wasn't much joy on her face at all.
Erza stood there quietly, head lowered, her eyes fixed on the flowing-water pattern along her sword.
The final thanks from the killer before she vanished—You're so gentle, just like a mother—had been too heavy.
Even now, it left her feeling strangely weighed down inside.
"Child, lift your head."
At some point, Makarov had walked over.
Whenever something serious was at hand, the guild master's voice always carried a grounding kind of strength.
"Just like Ur said… that child, in the final instant, truly felt the warmth in your blade."
The old man's gaze was warm and deep, as though he were looking beyond the snowstorm to someplace much farther away.
"Whether the living or the dead, no one wants to be left behind in a cold past."
"Once pain has been cut away, then those of us who still live in the present must carry forward the gentleness entrusted to us… and keep moving."
"That's what a Fairy Tail mage ought to be."
"Master…"
Erza raised her head, and the shadow in her eyes slowly faded.
"Yes!"
"That's more like it!"
Seeing everyone's spirits lift a little, Makarov nodded in satisfaction.
Then he clapped his hands loudly, and the kindly elder aura vanished from him in an instant.
"Alright, alright! The exam's over, so let's get back to the guild and announce the results already!!"
"Move, move! No dawdling!"
With that, the little old man charged off in front, his short legs moving faster than anyone's, and in a blink he was already hundreds of meters away.
"..."
Everyone stared at each other.
"This old man…"
Looking at that absurdly energetic retreating figure, Shane couldn't help muttering under his breath:
"It's just a meal with his grandson. Did he really need to get this excited?"
"Let's go too."
The others shook their heads helplessly and used their magic to follow after him.
…
…
Once everyone was gone, the wind and snow settled over the mountaintop again.
On another snowy peak far from the exam site, behind a snow-covered boulder, the air finally rippled faintly.
Because he had been wary of Makarov's presence as one of the Ten Wizard Saints, Rustyrose had stayed far behind the entire time. Only now did he dare reveal himself.
He walked to where everyone had been standing, his expression full of uncertainty.
"Unbelievable…"
"He just casually materialized a real city… with a scale of hundreds of square kilometers?!"
"What kind of magic was that?!"
"A higher form of Arc of Embodiment? Some kind of lost ancient super-magic?"
Because he, too, wielded materialization-type magic, he understood better than anyone how absurd and unreasonable Shane's feat had been.
Rustyrose felt like his entire worldview had just taken a direct hit.
And the thing he found hardest to accept of all was this—
a magic bordering on miracle had been used for nothing more than a mere S-Class exam for a bunch of guild brats?
"You've got to be kidding me!"
He shot to his feet, his face so dark it looked dangerous.
"If Ultear is mixed up with these people, and apparently this close to them…"
"then she has to be plotting something huge!"
Grinding his teeth, Rustyrose finally understood why Master Hades had specifically warned him before leaving to be extra cautious about Fairy Tail.
"No…"
He took a deep breath and finally cast aside the arrogance and underestimation he'd carried when he set out.
"I have to go back immediately! Everything that happened here…"
"I need to report every single word of it to Master Hades!"
~~~
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