Before taking Lucy to meet them, Rhodes had her summon Loke to confirm things.
After conforming with Loke, Lucy went forward confidently.
The contract signing process went so smoothly it was enough to make anyone jealous.
At this point, Lucy now possessed nine of the twelve Zodiac Golden Keys.
Six of them had been collected in just the few months since she joined Fairy Tail.
Only Capricorn, Libra, and Pisces remained. Honestly, calling her "lucky" no longer did it justice.
Who else manages to get three Zodiac keys at once?
Even if the current mission had no reward, Lucy had already struck gold. Blue Pegasus had lost an extremely expensive Magic Bomber during the operation, while Lucy walked away with three Golden Keys.
Her fortune was the kind you couldn't explain with logic.
Gemini and Scorpio signed their contracts first and returned to the Celestial Spirit Realm.
Due to her timid nature, Aries was a little slower and signed her contract just after them.
"Wait a moment," Rhodes said, stopping Aries before she vanished.
Aries flinched slightly. "I—I'm sorry! Did I do something wrong?"
Lucy sighed, exasperated. "Why are you always apologizing?"
"I'm sorry! I'll try harder next time! I'm really sorry!" Aries bowed frantically toward her new summoner.
"N-No, I didn't mean it like that…" Lucy said awkwardly. She figured Aries must've been mistreated by her former masters and felt a wave of sympathy.
After Lucy gently reassured her, Rhodes asked softly, "Forgive me, Aries. I'd like to ask something about your former summoner—the one from the Oración Seis. The Angel."
"I'm sorry… I can't share too much…" Aries's voice trembled, eyes brimming with tears. "I'm too useless… I'm sorry…"
"I see." Rhodes thought the Celestial Spirits truly had some eccentric personalities.
He softened his tone. "I don't want to pressure you. I just want to confirm something that happened about two months ago…"
He briefly recounted the moment when he and Mira had been helped by a mysterious cloaked woman. Then he asked, "Was that person Angel? Does she often do things like that? If you can't answer, that's fine too."
Aries lowered her head. "Yes… that was her. She does things like that sometimes… but… she usually does much worse things… I'm sorry! As a Celestial Spirit, I had to follow her orders, I couldn't stop her! I'm so sorry!"
She bowed repeatedly, so quickly and so low that Lucy worried she'd hurt her back.
"That's not your fault," Lucy quickly said, rushing to comfort her.
"Thank you," Rhodes said sincerely. "That's all I wanted to know. Your answer was helpful, thank you."
He planned to write a report for the Magic Council later, not out of obligation or sentiment, but for the sake of the children who had been saved. It was something that needed to be documented.
"N-No… you're welcome… Then… goodbye, Mr. Rhodes, Miss Lucy…" Aries stammered, then turned into starlight and vanished, as if fleeing in embarrassment.
Lucy waved after her, then looked down at the three new Golden Keys in her hand. They sparkled in the sunlight, and she beamed at them like a kid with new toys.
Rhodes glanced at her. "You've been working hard."
Lucy blinked. "Huh?"
"I mean dealing with all these eccentric spirits isn't easy," he said. "Plue and Sagittarius are still kind of normal, but the rest? Let's see—lustful, hot-tempered, lazy, masochistic… You've got a real variety pack."
"..."
Lucy wanted to argue, but every adjective Rhodes listed lined up perfectly with one of her Celestial Spirits...
She groaned and covered her head. "Now that you put it that way... why do I always attract weirdos? Even in the guild!"
Rhodes chuckled inwardly. She clearly had never heard the saying birds of a feather flock together.
After thinking for a moment, he added, "Out of the three new ones, Scorpio and Aries seem fine, but I've got a feeling Gemini is going to be a handful. Brace yourself."
"No... It's fine!" Lucy said quickly, though her voice betrayed doubt. "Anyway, I rarely hang out with the more troublesome spirits..."
She trailed off mid-sentence.
Because during the fight with Angel, she'd realized something important, improving her magic power wasn't enough. A Celestial Spirit Mage also needed to truly understand their spirits.
And understanding required time. Time spent talking, training, and bonding. No matter how strange or difficult they were, she couldn't just avoid them.
She wanted to build a real relationship with them. That's what being a Celestial Spirit Mage meant to her.
Lucy let out a tired sigh. "Mr. Rhodes, do any of your summoned creatures ever give you trouble?"
"Oh, absolutely," Rhodes said instantly—then paused, thinking of the Mountain Dragon.
He used to think the dragon was just a bit tsundere, but lately he'd realized... it was probably just lazy. Too lazy to help, too lazy to talk, too lazy to even respond to summons unless absolutely necessary.
Lucy caught on from his expression and smirked.
They exchanged a look and sighed in perfect sync. "Aaaahhh..."
…
Another day passed.
All of Wendy's affairs had been settled.
The houses in the village now sat quiet, their windows shut and doors closed. The flap on the old guild tent had been rolled down and tied shut.
As for the flag bearing the Cait Shelter crest that once fluttered proudly above the entrance, Wendy carefully took it down and folded it with great care.
She tucked it away like a sacred treasure.
A memorial now stood in the heart of the village, engraved with the names of every villager, a list Wendy had carved herself, name by name.
President Roubaul had called them illusions.
But to Wendy, they were never fake.
They had been her family.
And she would never forget the warmth and kindness they had shown her over those seven precious years.
"I'm sorry to have kept everyone waiting for so long. Thank you all for your concern!" Wendy bowed politely to the group the moment she had a free moment. She followed it with a soft, sincere smile, as if to reassure them all—'Don't worry, I'm okay.'
She really was a child who always thought of others first.
"In that case," Jura said with a warm smile, "it's about time we take our leave. Please give my regards to Master Makarov."
He truly wished he could bring such a sweet, considerate child back to Lamia Scale.
Erza gave him a firm nod.
"MEN~ As much as it pains me, farewells must come eventually." Ichiya struck a dramatic pose, full of flair. "Miss Erza, Miss Lucy... I shall miss your exquisite fragrance~!"
Lucy nearly lost it. "Please don't miss that!"
She couldn't understand it. Ichiya was obviously a good person, so why did he always have to act so bizarrely?! With a personality like that, he'd fit right in at her guild...
"!" Lucy caught herself. Wait, what am I thinking!?
Meanwhile, Rhodes found himself gaining a bit of respect for Ichiya. At least he didn't flirt with Mira, Wendy, or Sherry. The man clearly had boundaries.
Hibiki and Eve played their usual supporting roles, gallantly inviting all the ladies to visit Blue Pegasus someday.
Importantly, they added, "Guys don't need to come."
The moment that slipped out, Ichiya rebuked them with flair: "That's unacceptable! I can sense the fragrance of friendship among all of us! When inviting friends, why should there be any distinction between men and women?"
"Worthy words, Ichiya!" Hibiki and Eve praised in unison, immediately correcting themselves.
Ren, meanwhile, had betrayed his two good brothers and wasn't standing with them. He was too busy saying an awkward goodbye to Sherry.
'Don't drag it out,' Rhodes thought as he watched them. And then he wondered... 'When I flirt with Mira back at the guild, do others want to punch me too?'
Should he step it up? Or tone it down? A troubling question.
Elsewhere, Lyon and Gray were at it again, standing shirtless, arguing over who wore fewer clothes.
'How did their master even survive training this duo?'
Soon, it was time for everyone to go their separate ways. With the three guilds heading in different directions, traveling together wasn't an option.
Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus took the land route, while the members of Fairy Tail would be traveling by water.
Before leaving, Wendy stood before the memorial stone at the heart of the village. She bowed deeply, a final farewell to the place and the people who had been her home.
Then, with a deep breath, she turned and followed her new companions down the road.
There was excitement in her eyes... but also a flicker of anxiety.
'Will everyone at Fairy Tail really welcome me?'
...
Bonus Chapter