As soon as Ultear and Erza returned, they took Kagura and Ur out shopping.
There were quite a few places to explore in Magnolia.
After buying items on the commercial street, everyone enjoyed themselves in the food court, indulging in snacks and sweets, savoring their leisure time.
Cardia Cathedral and South Gate Park were also nice spots to visit.
At the food court, Kagura was eating a donut.
Ur had brought her here before, and she had taken a liking to them immediately. When they passed by the food court again, she couldn't take her eyes off them, so Ur bought her another one.
As for Erza and Ultear, they had their own money from completing missions and could buy whatever they wanted to eat without Ur having to worry about them.
Back at the guild, both Laxus and Gildarts were out on missions.
Wakaba and Macao were making a fuss over the latest issue of Weekly Sorcerer Magazine, while Nabb was still browsing the quest board, trying to pick a job.... that suits him.
Raizel found Makarov to get an update.
"We've already destroyed five R Systems, but we still don't know exactly how many there are. We might not be able to keep searching like this indefinitely," Makarov said, taking a sip of his beer.
Raizel had also tried to search for clues while out with Ultear and Erza, but he couldn't venture too far and hadn't found anything.
Most R Systems were built in remote areas, and their recent missions had been around cities and mountains.
"By the way Gramps, when are you planning to promote Laxus to S-Class Mage?" Raizel felt that Laxus was strong enough.
During his meditation in Rosemary Village, Raizel had sensed Laxus's immense magic power, which had improved significantly compared to the previous year.
"Soon, either this year or next," Makarov replied after taking another drink. "I don't really want him taking on S-Class missions too early. Gildarts is enough to handle those for now. It would be better to wait until he turns 15 and becomes an adult."
In Earthland, 15 is considered the age of adulthood, meaning that's when one is allowed to drink alcohol.
Originally, Cana started drinking at 13, so becoming a heavy drinker gave her a two-year head start over others.
"So, you're planning for next year then?" Raizel took a sip of his tea.
He wasn't fond of alcohol or juice, preferring tea instead—whether it was black, green, or oolong, he could enjoy any of them.
"Pretty much," Makarov nodded after a moment of thought.
"Leave Laxus's S-Class exam to me when the time comes. It's not like there will be anyone else eligible to participate anyway."
Ultear, Erza, and Cana were still too young, Kagura was even younger than them and the others stood no chance at all.
"If Laxus is the only one taking the exam at that time, then I'll leave it to you," Makarov agreed.
For him, it wasn't a big deal.
Given Makarov's nature, he would only allow Laxus to take the S-Class exam if he fully acknowledged that Laxus was ready.
In other words, as long as Laxus didn't perform poorly during the exam, he would pass easily.
Unlike others who might be given the opportunity to participate but not necessarily pass.
"How has the Council been evaluating Fairy Tail lately?"
"Much better. With Ur becoming one of the Wizard Saints, plus Yajima in the council, I finally don't have to listen to their constant nagging."
Makarov chuckled and took a sip of alcohol before continuing, "But I don't really care about those Council members' opinions anyway. Some of them have nothing but outdated ideas in their heads. The most important thing about magic is freedom."
"Hahaha, well said." Raizel raised his black tea in a toast to Makarov.
"I heard you got into a fight with Jose Porla during the last meeting?"
They'd heard about it while eating at a restaurant when returning to the guild.
People in restaurants were always discussing things, and this had spread quite widely.
Makarov nodded, his smile stretching wide across his face.
"I won by the way!"
Raizel wasn't surprised.
Jose was still quite young, only slightly older than Gildarts, and had originally been the gatekeeper among the Wizard Saints.
When Raizel last saw Jose in Crocus Town, he only observed from a distance and didn't know his exact strength.
To compare him with Ur, they'd have to actually fight.
Raizel actually didn't know Ur's current true strength either - since coming to Fairy Tail, he'd never seen her take action.
What she presented to Raizel was often the image of a housewife - taking care of Ultear, Erza, and Kagura, though she frequently went to Mount Hakobe for training.
Overall, she should have made progress.
...
Meanwhile—
Ur brought the three girls to a restaurant. This particular restaurant was quite unique in Magnolia as it had no menu.
All the ingredients were displayed at the entrance, including various seafood and already-prepared cooked dishes.
The cooking methods were decided on the spot.
Ur let the three girls order themselves while she found a table for four, sat down, took tissues from her pocket, and meticulously wiped the table surface.
Ultear had been to this restaurant with Ur several times and was quite familiar with the process.
She ordered two dishes that she and Ur liked, then asked for Kagura and Erza's opinions before ordering one dish each.
Since they were all girls, four dishes were enough - no need to order too much.
The three found where Ur was sitting, letting Kagura sit beside Ur while Erza and Ultear sat opposite them.
The three young girls had spent over half a year together in Rosemary Village and were very familiar with each other.
They chatted about topics common among young girls while Ur listened with her chin propped in her hand with a smile on her lips.
She felt these were the best days - no war, no battles, staying with her daughter, watching her daughter grow up with friends.
She would crush any factor that threatened her peaceful life with her daughter!
Kagura was seven years old this year.
Based on her life experience in Rosemary Village, she was very well-behaved and could completely take care of herself.
She didn't need any supervision during meals either - this was Ur's impression from spending time with Kagura recently.
As for Erza, Ur felt she had the potential to become the leader among the girls in the future.
She always seemed to treat everyone equally and consider others' feelings, which was particularly evident in her treatment of Simon.
During the time when Raizel was out on missions, whenever Simon encountered setbacks during training, Erza would always pat his shoulder to encourage him.
Combined with the natural authority that came with her growing abilities, even Wakaba and Macao, who were much older than her, were completely under her control.
Gray also got beaten up by Erza when he took his clothes off.
Her daughter Ultear was also a very gentle person, though a bit cold on the outside but warm inside.
She presented completely different faces to friends and strangers.
"How was your experience on this mission, Ultear, Erza? I was quite worried when you were gone for several weeks." Ur's lips curved slightly into a gentle smile.
"You clearly weren't worried at all with Raizel accompanying us." Ultear tugged at the corner of her mouth, unsure whether to be annoyed or amused.
"I felt very happy—both when we helped the client complete the mission and when I saw the children from our first task return to their homes."
Scenes from the past weeks with Ultear flashed through Erza's mind.
"I want to go on missions too." Kagura didn't actually know what missions entailed, having not even begun meditation training yet—she simply didn't want to fall behind.
"It's still early for you, Kagura. How about waiting until you're Ultear's age?" Ur smiled and ruffled Kagura's hair.
"Remember to prioritize safety above all when you go on missions in the future."
"Mhm."
Though not fully understanding her words, Kagura nodded along with Ultear and Erza.