Chapter 27
Elior POV
The next morning, I woke up feeling refreshed.
After having breakfast with everyone, I got ready to head to the guild.
I had to submit my quest report anyway, and since Cana and Aunt Cornelia were officially joining Fairy Tail, it was the perfect opportunity to introduce them to everyone.
Erza decided to come along as well.
Luna was perched comfortably on my shoulder, her fluffy tail occasionally brushing against my cheek as she curiously looked around.
She had become surprisingly comfortable traveling with me.
"Enjoying the view?"
"Kyuu~!"
She nodded enthusiastically.
We soon reached the guild.
The moment I opened the door…
Something came flying toward me.
I calmly raised my right hand.
Thud!
I caught the person by the face.
Everyone behind me froze.
I had already sensed the attack through my magical perception, so it wasn't exactly a surprise.
"Seriously?"
I sighed.
I then casually threw him back into the guild.
"Try not to break anything."
The people behind me stared at me.
Cana's mouth was slightly open.
Cornelia looked surprised.
Luna simply tilted her head.
Erza, however, didn't react much.
She had already seen this kind of thing happen far too many times.
"Brother…"
"What?"
"Did that happen often?"
"Pretty often."
I smiled.
"Welcome to Fairy Tail."
Erza sighed.
We made our way through the guild and headed toward the master's office on the first floor.
On the way, we ran into someone familiar.
"El!"
I looked up.
"Laxus!"
We fist-bumped.
He grinned.
"Hey, El. I heard you went out to do some quests."
He looked me over.
"When did you get back?"
"Yesterday evening."
I pointed toward Erza.
"What about you? What have you been doing?"
"Nothing much."
He shrugged.
"Just training."
"Nice."
I nodded approvingly.
Then I looked toward the stairs.
"Is Gramps in his office?"
"Yeah."
Laxus paused.
"Oh, I forgot to ask."
He looked toward the two people walking behind me.
"Who are they?"
"New members."
I smiled.
"You can come with us if you want to know more."
"Sure."
He shrugged.
"I'm free anyway."
I turned toward Cornelia and Cana.
"Aunt, Cana, this is Laxus."
I pointed at him.
"He's my friend and also the guild master's grandson."
Laxus looked slightly embarrassed.
"You don't have to make it sound so important."
I ignored him.
"And this is Cana and her mother, Aunt Cornelia."
I smiled.
"I met them during my quest, and we're pretty close now."
Laxus stepped forward first.
"Nice to meet you, Cornelia-san."
He looked at Cana.
"And you too, Cana."
Cornelia smiled.
"Nice to meet you too, Laxus."
Cana gave a shy little wave.
"Nice to meet you."
"Kyuu~!"
Luna suddenly made a pouty sound.
I looked at her.
"What?"
She stared at me.
Then at Laxus.
Then back at me.
Her expression practically screamed,
'What about me?'
I laughed.
"Oh, come on."
I gently patted her head.
"Yes, yes. I didn't forget about you."
I turned toward Laxus.
"This is my new companion, Luna."
I lifted her slightly.
"She's a Moon Fox."
Laxus's eyes widened.
"A Moon Fox?"
"Yep."
"You actually found one?"
He looked at Luna in amazement.
"And you got her as your companion?"
I nodded proudly.
"On my first quest."
Laxus stared at me.
"Tch."
He clicked his tongue.
"Your luck is seriously ridiculous."
"I know."
I smirked.
Laxus rolled his eyes.
"Narcissist bastard."
"Jealous."
"I'm not."
"You sound jealous."
"I'm not!"
Cana giggled.
Cornelia covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.
Even Erza had a small smile on her face.
We eventually reached the master's office.
I knocked.
"Come in!"
We opened the door and entered.
"Morning, Gramps."
Makarov looked up from his desk.
"El!"
He smiled.
"You're back."
"Yep."
I gestured toward the others.
"And I brought some guests."
Everyone entered.
Makarov looked at Cornelia and Cana.
His eyes then moved to Luna.
His eyebrows rose slightly.
"A Moon Fox?"
"That's right."
I nodded.
"I'll explain everything."
We sat down on the couches.
Laxus joined us as well.
I began recounting the entire journey.
The material gathering.
The Light Foxes.
Meeting Luna.
The bandit village.
The massacre.
The women being kidnapped.
The fight against Rashkel.
His transformation into a demon.
The Book of Zeref.
The curse in Cranks Town.
And finally, how I had met Cana and healed Cornelia.
I didn't leave anything important out.
When I finished, Makarov leaned back and sighed.
"Sigh…"
He rubbed his forehead.
"I knew there was something wrong with that bandit mission."
He shook his head.
"But I didn't expect you to encounter a demon from the Book of Zeref."
His expression became serious.
"And apparently, I still underestimated you a little."
He looked at me.
"To defeat an S-rank monster at your age is truly remarkable."
"Well, that's obvious."
I leaned back casually.
"After all, I'm the greatest genius this world has ever seen."
Silence.
Everyone stared at me.
Even Luna looked at me.
I smiled confidently.
Nobody said anything.
Because…
They couldn't really argue.
Laxus finally muttered under his breath.
"Narcissistic bastard."
I heard him.
"Hey!"
He smirked.
Makarov chuckled.
But his expression soon became serious again.
"A curse affecting an entire town…"
He crossed his arms.
"Dark guilds are certainly up to something."
His eyes narrowed.
"And whatever they're planning, it definitely isn't anything good."
He looked toward me.
"Don't worry, El. I'll discuss this with the other guild masters and see if we can figure out what they're planning."
"That's good."
I nodded.
I trusted Gramps to handle it.
He had far more experience dealing with the political side of the magical world than I did.
Makarov then turned his attention toward Cornelia and Cana.
"I've already heard everything from El."
He smiled kindly.
"But I'd still like to ask you personally."
"Are you certain you want to join Fairy Tail?"
Cornelia nodded slightly.
"We do."
She hesitated.
"But I'm afraid we might become a burden."
She looked down at her hands.
"Neither Cana nor I can use magic."
Makarov immediately waved his hand.
"You don't have to worry about that."
He smiled.
"Fairy Tail isn't only for people who can fight."
"There are many tasks within a guild that don't require magic."
He pointed around the office.
"Everyone contributes in their own way."
I gave Cornelia a look that clearly said,
'I told you so.'
She noticed it.
A small smile appeared on her face.
"Then…"
She looked at Cana.
"I think we're sure."
Cana nodded enthusiastically.
"Yes!"
Makarov smiled.
"Good."
He stood up.
"Then welcome to Fairy Tail."
The guild marks were prepared.
Cana received hers on the left side of her waist.
Cornelia received hers on the back of her right hand.
They both stared at their marks for several seconds.
Cana touched hers with a small smile.
"It's real."
Cornelia's eyes became slightly watery.
She looked at Makarov.
Then at me.
Then at everyone else.
Makarov smiled.
I smiled too.
Laxus gave them a small nod.
Erza stepped closer.
Luna wagged her tail.
"Welcome to the family."
We said it almost together.
Cana's eyes immediately filled with tears.
Cornelia's did too.
"Please…"
Cornelia smiled through her tears.
"Take care of us."
Cana nodded.
"Please take care of me too."
Makarov laughed warmly.
"Of course."
I smiled.
"Welcome home."
For some reason, those two words felt especially important.
Cana had lost the security of a normal childhood.
Cornelia had spent years watching her own health deteriorate.
Now they had a place where they could start again.
And this time…
They weren't alone.