Time flowed once again, and in the year X783, Acnologia finally woke up once more.
He didn't move from his spot, but his body felt an unprecedented exhaustion, as if he had been exercising for several years.
Irene Belserion stood at the doorway watching him tenderly, smiling as she said, "Welcome back."
"Irene Belserion..."
Acnologia stood up and looked at the woman suspiciously. "You look a bit guilty. Did you do something?"
They knew each other inside out, so Irene Belserion's calm expression was clearly abnormal, as if it were deliberately put on.
Irene Belserion was speechless; he could even see through that.
Seeing signs of Acnologia waking up a few days ago, she had rearranged him back into position; she hadn't moved for several days herself.
"Alright! Since you're awake, let's eat first, and I'll tell you about what's been happening in recent years."
"Mm, remember to make some of that restorative soup. Maybe I've been sitting for too long, but I have no strength in my body."
"No problem. My cooking skills have improved tremendously over the last few years!"
Soon, the table was covered with all kinds of delicacies. Acnologia listened to Irene Belserion's narration while eating, quickly gaining an understanding of this era.
However, what Acnologia didn't expect was that Irene Belserion could actually bring herself to send Little Erza to Fairy Tail.
Of course, he would never have guessed that Irene Belserion and Little Erza had gotten into such a fierce conflict after only two months together that she sent her away overnight.
Acnologia thought to himself: it's X783 now, so Little Erza should be seven years old. If it followed the original plot, she should be sixteen this year and would have already become an S-Class Mage three years ago.
So, things have changed after all.
"How is Little Erza doing in Fairy Tail?"
Hearing this, Irene Belserion gave a light huff. "That brat is living more happily every day than her own mother."
Although she had sent Little Erza to the Fairy Tail Guild, she still kept an eye on her every day. She thought Little Erza would cry and scream for her mother, but to her surprise, the brat hadn't even mentioned her once over there; she might have even forgotten she had a mother.
I don't know who she learned that annoying personality from; she's not cute at all.
"Uh... that's good then..."
Acnologia gave her a strange look, feeling that her relationship with Little Erza wasn't as harmonious as he had imagined.
So, what exactly happened while he was in seclusion?
Acnologia stood up and stepped out of the room, looking at the blue sky and sea. He felt relaxed and happy, as if a heavy burden from many years had suddenly vanished.
"Irene Belserion, this is the era I've been looking forward to the most. Let's go to Fairy Tail together and see the prosperity of the world. I believe it will be an interesting journey."
"Sure!"
...The port of the Kingdom of Fiore is Magnolia Town. It has an excellent location and a floating population of about sixty thousand. There are many Mage guilds here, and Fairy Tail is the most famous among them.
Of course, this isn't to say how strong the Fairy Tail Guild is, but rather that this guild is far too destructive. If a fire breaks out somewhere or buildings are smashed one day, you don't even have to think—it's definitely that group's doing.
Acnologia and Irene Belserion walked through the bustling streets, watching the crowds and the many small shops and vendors hawking their wares. It was very lively.
Seeing Acnologia's steps become much lighter, Irene Belserion chuckled. "I haven't seen you this happy in a long time!"
Acnologia said with some amusement, "If you changed 'you' to 'Young Master,' you could be an excellent butler in an Overbearing President novel."
"I don't want to be a butler; I'm a Queen!"
"A down-and-out Queen, more like."
"You're the bastard!"
He suddenly looked at a dessert shop nearby, eyeing the various treats through the glass window. He remembered that Little Erza seemed to like eating desserts.
"Let's buy some gifts for Little Erza and her little friends."
"That little girl doesn't even remember you're her father. Buying for her is worse than buying for me."
"Are you calling me Daddy?"
"Daddy!"
Acnologia looked at Irene Belserion's shameless behavior with a helpless expression. He remembered that four hundred years ago, Irene Belserion was still a proper young girl; how did she change so much?
Perhaps without the pressure of kingdom subjects, she had completely released her nature and let herself go.
The two bickered all the way into the dessert shop. A clerk walked over with a cheerful step. "Hello, what would you like to buy, guests?"
After glancing around, Acnologia said, "Pack it all up!"
The clerk was stunned. "Pack what up?"
"Pack up every type of dessert in your shop, ten of each!"
"Uh... are you sure?"
The clerk looked incredulous. Ten of each would be at least five hundred portions; they wouldn't be able to finish them even if they ate until they expired!
"I'm sure. Go get it done quickly, the extra is your tip!"
Acnologia casually tossed a bag of money onto the table. With so many big eaters in the Fairy Tail Guild, there was no need to worry about waste.
Just Natsu, that beast, could probably finish half of it by himself.
"Go buy some other gifts for Little Erza. I'll wait here."
He nudged Irene Belserion, who was standing aside holding her magic staff, and urged, "These are the ones I bought; I'm not sharing the credit with you."
"It's already enough. Can that little girl even finish it all? What if she gets fat from all these desserts..."
Even as Irene Belserion said she wouldn't buy anything, her body honestly walked out.
Since the dad bought something, it would be a bit inappropriate if she, the mom, didn't buy anything.
An hour passed, and soon the two met again. Looking at the gifts behind each other—wrapped in magic and standing as high as a two-story building in total—they both froze for a long time, and a thought occurred to them simultaneously.
Is this a bit too much?
Being stared and pointed at along the way, the two felt slightly embarrassed. Why did this feel like an old country couple coming to the city to visit their daughter?
Dammit!
They were the world-ending dragon king and scarlet despair, hey!
After much hardship, the two finally arrived at the Fairy Tail Guild.
It was originally noisy inside, but everyone was suddenly startled when they felt a massive shadow loom over them.
What's going on?
Who blocked the front door?
Could it be those bastards from Phantom Lord again?
While everyone was buzzing with discussion, a man and a woman who looked to be in their twenties walked in, greeting them with a smile: "Hello, friends of the Fairy Tail Guild!"
Makarov pushed through the crowd in front of him and stepped to the fore. "Hello, I am the Master of the Fairy Tail Guild, Makarov. Who are you? And why are you blocking our entrance?"
Acnologia kept peering inside but didn't see any scarlet-haired child. Hearing Makarov's words, he replied, "We are Erza's parents. Behind us are the gifts we bought for Erza and all of you!"
"Huh! Parents?"
A burst of exclamations erupted from the crowd, everyone greatly surprised.
Mirajane, the guild's beauty representative, leaned in, very surprised. "Erza actually has parents? She never mentioned them to us."
"She did!"
Cana said while clutching a barrel, "Erza mentioned it once when she joined the guild, but she never brought it up again after that."
She remembered even while drunk; as expected, she was the only one in the entire guild with a brain that actually works.
Many were shocked. Since these parents hadn't visited Erza for six or seven years, they had all assumed Erza was an orphan.
Makarov invited them in, "Since you are Erza's parents, please come in."
He also remembered Erza saying she had relatives. Although he didn't know the reason she was sent here, he cherished the days with Erza; she was an indispensable member of his family.
----------------------------------
I've already posted 40 new chapters on Patreon!
If you like the story and want to reaad more, please visit my patreon. Every support is very meaningful!
[patreon.com/Kazenova223]
Thank you very much!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"