After settling the most important matters, Rhodes summoned his creatures to escort a dozen more prisoners.
These were Erigor and the remnants of the Eisenwald that he had reorganized.
"This is Erigor, along with the new members he's recruited," Rhodes explained to Lahar, handing him a completed bounty form. "Not sure if the Council still honors the rewards it issued before."
"This… should still be valid," Lahar replied. "But I'll need to check with headquarters. The New Council's finances are still getting sorted out, so the bounty payout might take about a month."
The Council had issued several bounties before the reorganization. Reneging on them now would look bad, it was just a change in leadership, not a total reset.
"Then I'll leave them in your hands," Rhodes said, unconcerned. He trusted the Council wouldn't default, and a month's wait was fine by him.
Now that he had a bit of a nest egg, it was finally time to look into buying a home. This mission had paid off nicely.
Still… he wondered if the guild alliance would offer compensation. He wasn't officially part of their group, so he wasn't expecting a share of their reward. But that didn't matter. Rhodes had one goal in mind now: a peaceful life with Mira and their future children.
After a quick exchange with Master Roubaul, who had come to oversee the scene, Lahar departed with his men. They needed to regroup with their squads still tracking down the remaining members of dark guilds.
He also wanted to revisit the battlefield to better assess the strength of Rhodes's two summoned dragons.
Lahar hadn't expected Rhodes to be this powerful. It was shocking, Rhodes had kept this hidden all along…
No, wait.
Lahar suddenly remembered something.
Hadn't Rhodes and Elfman been forced to flee from two of Grimoire Heart's top members just six months ago?
If he could summon dragons back then, he definitely wouldn't have been that helpless.
Which meant… this summoning power must be new.
The speed of Rhodes's growth wasn't just impressive, it was alarming. His potential was sky-high, and the dragons represented terrifying destructive force.
There were still open seats among the Ten Wizard Saints. Could Rhodes be a candidate?
The thought stunned Lahar. Witnessing the rise of a future Saint Wizard was rare, but he quickly dismissed the idea.
After Jose and Jellal lost their titles, the requirements had become far stricter. Immense magic power was no longer enough. Now, character, reputation, and contributions to the continent of Ishgar mattered just as much.
It had become much harder for someone so young to reach that level.
"Captain!"
A shout snapped Lahar out of his thoughts.
"What is it?"
"We can't find it!"
"Can't find what?"
"Nirvana! The earth barrier built by the dragon, it's all gone!"
"What?" Lahar's eyes widened. "That's impossible."
Even if a dragon had burned the city to the ground, something should be left behind.
But when he personally went to inspect the area, all he found was a wide stretch of barren mountain. If he hadn't seen the place from afar the day before, if the burned trees hadn't been proof, he wouldn't have believed Nirvana had ever been there.
Had the guild alliance cleaned up the entire battlefield?
…
Meanwhile, as soon as the Council troops disappeared from view, Natsu jumped up, brimming with energy. "Finally! They're gone!"
Gray remained more composed, holding back a cheer, but Happy had no such restraint.
"Gone!" he declared gleefully, though when he noticed Carla's unimpressed glare, he instantly clammed up and tried to look mature.
Lucy chuckled and patted Happy's head. "Looks like there's a little chemistry brewing."
Happy rummaged through his pouch and pulled out a small fish. "Lucy, can you give this to Carla for me?"
"Eh? Didn't you get that fish from the Cait Shelter kitchen?"
"But it's not like it was at Carla's house."
"No way. This kind of thing should be done by yourself." Lucy rejected Happy's request with a serious tone and started lecturing him with a bunch of romantic advice.
Of course, she had never actually been in love, everything she knew came from romance novels.
Ichiya dramatically crossed his arms in front of his chest, striking a pose he clearly thought was charming. "MEN—since everything's been settled, that means the next order of business is obviously…"
The three "Trimen Squad" members echoed behind him in rhythm, "Obviously it is…"
Ichiya threw out the declaration with flair, "A banquet!"
"Banquet!!"
The cry was echoed by Natsu, Gray, and Lucy, who had somehow been swept into their rhythm.
Rhodes watched Lucy twisting into some sort of strange pose and couldn't help but laugh quietly.
This girl constantly complained that everyone else was weird, as if she were the normal one. But whenever something weird actually happened, she was always the first to dive in.
Wendy stood off to the side, enjoying the energetic scene but not quite ready to join in just yet.
Ichiya, clearly pleased with the impact he was having, turned to the villagers and called out grandly, "Everyone from Cait Shelter! Join us!"
Unnoticed until now, the villagers had quietly gathered behind Master Roubaul. But despite Ichiya's enthusiastic invitation, no one stepped forward. The silence was awkward.
Then, Master Roubaul stepped forward and spoke gently, "Thank you all for defeating Oración Seis, for destroying Nirvana, and… for putting up with us. Truly, thank you. But I must confess something… We are the Nirvit who created Nirvana."
Worried they would misunderstand like Rhodes had the night before, he clarified quickly, "I'm not a descendant of the Nirvit, I am Nirvit. I… am the one who created the magic of Nirvana four hundred years ago."
"What?!"
"Four hundred years ago?!"
"What are you talking about?!"
Everyone was stunned. Roubaul looked old, sure, but nowhere near four hundred.
"Master!" Wendy's voice was trembling, as if she didn't want him to continue.
"I'm sorry, Wendy," Roubaul said softly. "But please let me finish. My mission is complete now."
Wendy looked up at him, her eyes shining with unshed tears. She clearly knew she couldn't change his mind.
"Four hundred years ago…" Roubaul began, launching into the same story he had told Rhodes.
"Darkness engulfed us. The Nirvit tribe turned on one another… and in the end, we were wiped out. I was the only one left… No, even that isn't quite true."
Roubaul's voice was calm, almost detached.
"How could that be?" someone muttered, confused.
"What do you mean you're not alive?" Lucy asked, blinking rapidly.
As if anticipating the question, Roubaul explained, "My physical body has long since vanished. What you see now is… something like a soul. Or perhaps a lingering thought, an echo that hasn't faded."
Wendy stood frozen, tears already streaming down her cheeks. Her head hung low, small fists clenched tight, her shoulders trembling.
"To atone for my sins, I've remained here for 400 years, watching over this place… waiting for someone who could destroy Nirvana. Now that it's been destroyed, my mission… my 400-year-long penance… is complete. The time has come for me to disappear."
Everyone stood in stunned silence, mouths agape.
"You're saying… you're already gone?" Gray asked.
"But how could you survive like this for four hundred years… in just spirit form?" Mira whispered.
"And the villagers?" Erza looked around, bewildered.
"They're illusions," Roubaul admitted gently. "Every person in this village was a projection I created. Wendy… I'm sorry. I lied to you."
He turned his gaze toward Wendy, who was sobbing quietly now.
"Seven years ago, a brave young boy entrusted you to me while you were still sleeping. He told me that when you awoke, you should be sent to a place called a 'guild.'
"But you were too small, too lonely, too fragile. So I gave you companions, an entire guild of illusions, to keep you company."
"No… please… don't say anymore!" Wendy cried out, her voice trembling. Tears streamed down her face like pearls falling from a broken strand. She wiped them with both hands, but they wouldn't stop.
The others stood frozen in disbelief.
They had stayed at Cait Shelter for days. They had talked to people, shared meals… and never once suspected that the villagers weren't real.
Every illusion had its own personality, its own warmth. They laughed, they chatted, they lived like normal people, just so Wendy and Carla wouldn't feel alone.
Roubaul smiled gently, his voice kind and soft. "But you're a clever child… and kind. You noticed something was off some time ago, didn't you? But you said nothing. You just smiled and focused harder on your training, learning old Nirvit crafts that didn't interest you before."
Wendy bit her lip, trying to keep from sobbing louder, but it was no use.
Roubaul continued, "I always feared this day. What if you discovered the truth, that we weren't real? What if I lost the strength to maintain this place, and couldn't look after you any longer? What if, when Nirvana was destroyed… my time would run out?
"You're so young. Even with Carla by your side, I worried you'd be lonely again."
Carla, too, lowered her head. She always claimed to care only for Wendy… but how could she not have grown attached to the companions they'd shared for years?
But as he spoke, the villagers standing behind Roubaul gradually began to fade, their bodies turning translucent, vanishing one by one.
Wendy could no longer hold back. She lifted her head, tears pouring down her face, and screamed at Roubaul, "If you're so worried about me… then stop talking! Don't disappear! You're not fake! Magna! Pepel! Naochi!"
She called out the names of each villager she'd known, names forever etched into her heart, as she sobbed, "If you're going to lie to me, then just keep lying! As long as I believe, then none of this is fake! Please… don't disappear! Don't go! Keep lying to me!"
Desperately, she tried to reach out to the vanishing villagers, her small hands grasping at empty air, unable to catch even a flicker of their fading light.
Mira, Lucy, and Sherry had already covered their mouths, their eyes brimming with tears. And as Wendy's raw, hoarse cries echoed across the clearing, tears silently rolled down their cheeks.
Even Erza, the ever-composed and steadfast Titania, was visibly shaken.
The villagers, though only illusions, smiled warmly and reassuringly at Wendy before continuing to fade, one by one, into starlight.
Roubaul turned to glance at Rhodes, a subtle look in his eyes, reminding him of the promise they'd made earlier.
Then he looked back at Wendy, offering her his final words: "Wendy… you've grown so much. You've ventured out, and now you stand as a strong, capable mage, one who can walk forward on her own.
"And most importantly… you and Carla no longer need imagined companions. Because now, the friends truly worth cherishing… are right here by your side."
Wendy froze, her lips trembling. "No… I don't want that…"
She had once longed to leave the village, to explore the outside world and join a real guild like the ones in the stories she read. But now… she just wanted to stay in Cait Shelter forever.
Roubaul gave her a warm, gentle smile and shook his head, as if to say, 'You can't be selfish anymore, my child.'
His body began to shimmer and blur like stardust in the wind.
"Go now. Our story ends here. But your journey… your future… it's only just begun."
As his form dissolved completely into the light, he turned one last time to the mages standing behind Wendy.
"Everyone… I entrust Wendy and Carla to your care."
Carla bit her lip, her eyes red. "Master…!"
Wendy screamed, heartbroken, "Master——!"
On her right shoulder, the blue emblem of Cait Shelter flickered with a gentle glow. Then, like starlight breaking apart in the night sky, it slowly dissolved… and vanished.
"Ahhhh—!"
The sudden turn of events happened so fast, no one had time to react. The heart-wrenching cries of the young girl and the soft sobs of the little white cat pierced through the silence.
Mira stepped forward and gently knelt down beside Wendy, wrapping her in a warm embrace and letting her cry her heart out.
After a while, Mira slowly pulled back and smiled softly.
"Master Roubaul has watched over you for four hundred years. It's time he finally rested." She reached out and touched Wendy's head.
"But we're still here, aren't we? Right here… in your heart."
Wendy's cries softened into quiet sobs, her small shoulders trembling.
Erza knelt behind her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"The pain of losing those dear to you… let your new comrades help heal that pain. Come with us, to Fairy Tail."
Mira added warmly, "Come to Fairy Tail."
One by one, Natsu, Gray, and Lucy stepped forward and stretched out their hands toward her with bright, welcoming smiles.
"Come to Fairy Tail," they said in unison.
Wendy wiped her tears with her sleeve, though they still flowed freely.
But… the master had said she was a strong child.
She sniffled hard and nodded firmly. "Yes!"
Off to the side, Rhodes remembered what Master Roubaul had told him just the day before:
"If the day ever comes when Cait Shelter can no longer go on… I leave Wendy and Carla in your care."
So that was what he meant. Even then, the old man had been preparing for this moment—quietly, gently, with a heart full of kindness.
But why had he needed to say that at all?
Today's events had shaken Rhodes more than he wanted to admit. Somewhere inside, something had shifted, leaving him stunned and thoughtful.
He quietly sat down beside Carla and gently stroked the top of her small white head.
Carla turned her face away, eyes wet with tears… but she didn't push his hand away.