What Dark Magician of Chaos called "a little time" turned out to be an entire afternoon, lasting until the sun had set.
This made Lucy wonder about the concept of time for magic explorers like Dark Magician and Dark Magician of Chaos.
Though Nirvana's magical core had been successfully changed from "inverting light and dark" to "detecting good and evil," the problems related to its massive size and power system had not yet been solved.
Considering that everyone in the allied forces was exhausted after fighting all day, Chase suggested they head to the southwestern corner of the Wise Woods, where the Nirvit tribe had once lived. It was now the location of Wendy's guild, Cait Shelter.
After all, since the Nirvit tribe had created Nirvana, it would be best to inform Robaul about this "recycling" project.
Even though Robaul, who had guarded Nirvana for over four hundred years waiting for someone to destroy it, would certainly not object.
At the same time, Chase could also obtain Nirvana's design blueprints and operating system from him. That would help perfect the new, weaponized version of Nirvana.
And while they were at it, they could also resolve Wendy's situation. It was killing multiple birds with one stone.
No one had any objections. If anything, they were more curious about how Chase knew the location of Cait Shelter.
Even Jura, as a Ten Wizard Saint, knew very little about this mysterious guild.
Not just him. Even Wendy, a mage of Cait Shelter, was completely confused to learn that her guildmates were actually the descendants of the Nirvit tribe who had created Nirvana.
"I met Master Robaul once during the Lullaby incident. Combined with some information I accidentally obtained during my fight with Zero, it should be correct," Chase explained.
Since Zero was long dead, any explanation would sound plausible.
Hearing this, Jura, Ur, and the others, who had been looking confused, suddenly understood.
After handing over the controls of Nirvana to Chase, Dark Magician of Chaos and Chaos Soldier, their work complete, returned to the card space.
And so, with Wendy guiding the way and Chase steering, the massive machine strode through the forest, kicking up clouds of dust and making an earth-shattering journey toward Cait Shelter.
After some travel, Robaul at Cait Shelter soon felt the violent tremors of the shaking earth.
He stepped out of his grass hut, which resembled something from an ancient tribe. Surrounded by his uneasy, restless Thought Projection mages, Robaul saw the familiar and terrifying colossal figure beneath the dark night sky.
Not knowing that Oración Seis and the dark guilds had already been flickered, the old man thought the legal guild alliance had failed. A look of resolvered in his eyes. He was prepared to go down with the guild and their ancestral land.
Then, he and the Thought Projection mages, who had looks of despair on their faces, saw a familiar figure speeding toward them through the air.
"Master! Everyone! We are back!"
Carla, with her Exceed wings spread, had arrived early with the excited Wendy. They landed in front of the Cait Shelter members.
"Wendy? Carla? What is going on?" Robaul frowned, completely confused.
"Master! We successfully defeated Oración Seis!" Wendy was as happy as a child who had just scored full marks on a practice exam.
Well, she was still a child.
"Then why is Nirvana here?"
Robaul sensed something was wrong. He looked up at Nirvana, which had come to a stop nearby. His tone suddenly changed. "Wait... this feeling... Something is very off!"
Even though it was activated, he could not feel any trace of its ultra-magic energy.
At the same time, the trembling ground fell silent. Nirvana had stopped.
From atop the highest building of Nirvana, Chase leaped out as a streak of golden light.
"Long time no see, Master Robaul."
Landing before Robaul, Chase greeted him, speaking in a rare, respectful tone. "You do not need to worry. Nirvana has been remodeled. It can no longer invert light, dark, good, or evil."
"Young Chase. I did not expect you to participate in this operation to subjugate Oración Seis as well..."
Robaul had met Chase before at a Council meeting. Back then, he had even asked Chase to take care of Wendy if he ever ran into her.
Later incidents, involving Phantom Lord and the Tower of Heaven, had only deepened the old man's impression of this outstanding young man.
"You mentioned remodeling Nirvana? What do you mean?" Robaul asked cautiously.
"Master! Mr. Chase is truly amazing! He not only defeated the real master of Oración Seis but also made Nirvana completely safe!" Wendy raised her hand and eagerly answered.
"Well, I suppose he is a fairly reliable man," Carla added.
For her, with her cold, tsundere personality, that was the highest level of praise.
Robaul scratched his head. He was still having trouble processing this.
If he understood correctly, in this very short amount of time, this young man Chase had dismantled and reassembled the magic he himself had poured countless effort into creating?
That was impossible!
Chase's explanation, along with the confirmation from Ur, Jura, and the others who arrived later, proved his guess was true.
Robaul, who had been unable to stop Nirvana and could only hope for its destruction, was utterly shocked. He stood frozen, unable to speak for a long time.
"Finally... this old man's mission... can finally end..."
Looking at the now calm Nirvana and the all-too-familiar city streets atop it, he finally accepted the fact that Nirvana was harmless. Two streams of tears flowed from his tired, clouded eyes.
The Cait Shelter mages around him also smiled, looking relieved.
This scene confused the allied forces, including Wendy and Carla. Even if they were descendants of the Nirvit tribe who had created Nirvana, this reaction was still far too strange.
"On behalf of the guild alliance, I express my sincere gratitude to all of you who fought so hard!"
Robaul quickly realized he had lost his composure. He quietly collected himself, placed a hand over his chest, and bowed deeply to everyone.
"If you do not mind, please stay in our village for the night."
His sudden change of topic successfully redirected everyone's attention.
Ichiya and his three disciples shamelessly took credit again, awkwardly dancing in the background.
Natsu and Happy wandered around the village, looking here and there, casually criticizing Wendy's guild.
Their rude, overly familiar behavior made Lucy's eyes roll. The little person inside her mind was going wild with complaints.
Erza and Ur, with their sharp eyes, noticed the hidden sadness beneath Robaul's smile.
But since Robaul did not want to talk about it, they were not rude enough to ask in such a setting. They simply thanked him for his invitation.
And so, the exhausted group was led to their respective guest rooms by the mages of Cait Shelter. They settled in for the night.
Chase, however, followed Robaul to the guild master's hut, which stood at the center of the village.
"I thought this thing would disappear along with this old man. I never imagined I would have a reason to take it out again..."
Robaul pulled an old, dusty magical book from a wooden box in the corner of the room. It was the architectural blueprint of Nirvana that Chase wanted.
After learning that Chase planned to remodel Nirvana into a harmless "good and evil detection" device, he thought it over carefully and ultimately decided to trust this young man who had light in his heart.
"Thank you, Master Robaul," Chase said, accepting the book.
Even without the blueprint, optimizing Nirvana would not have been particularly difficult. It would just take a little more time and effort.
The reason he was sincerely grateful was mainly for Robaul's trust.
After all, no one understood the danger of Nirvana better than its creator.
"Do not thank me. Perhaps this is a more valuable fate for Nirvana than destruction," Robaul said, waving his hand with a heavy sigh.
His original intention in creating this magic had been to quell the endless wars. He had simply overlooked the necessary balance between light and darkness.
Existing as a machine that detected good intentions and evil thoughts, Nirvana would only serve as an early warning system. It would cause no personality backlash and could prevent many unnecessary man-made disasters.
He agreed with Chase's idea. He also believed that Fairy Tail could put this improved version of Nirvana to good use.
This trust came not only from Makarov, who had maintained the stability of the magical world for years, but also from Chase's many previous acts of justice.
Chase stored the book away in a card. He looked at Robaul, a small, frail old man with a full white beard, and said heavily, "Master Robaul... so you really were the one who created Nirvana."
Robaul paused for a moment, then nodded.
Now that Nirvana could no longer harm the world, he, who had been "dead" for many years, had no reason to continue existing.
Wendy could not stay in a false guild forever. So he had already decided: come morning, he would reveal everything to everyone.
He just had not expected Chase to notice beforehand.
"Just as expected of the young mage that Makarov has placed so much hope in..."
With that, Robaul clasped his hands behind his back and turned around. He stood there, silently gazing at the guild emblem of Cait Shelter on the wall.
The matter now settled, he had no desire to ask how Chase had figured it out. He simply wanted, before leaving forever, to spend one last look at Wendy, to tuck her in one more time, and to watch her find the courage to walk toward a bright future.
That was the only thought left in the old man's mind. He had persisted for over four hundred years on just his remaining magic power.
Seeing this, Chase did not disturb him any further. He gave a slight bow to the old man's back and quietly left the room.
He held the ultimate card, Monster Reborn. But Robaul's actual death had occurred far too long ago. There was no possibility of revival.
And even if there were, Robaul's personality would never accept it. He simply did not belong to this era.
***
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