"Actually, Ryuzetsu Land can be considered a fairly new project. It wasn't especially famous before. Its reputation only began to rise over the past few years, and because of the Grand Magic Games, it was renovated properly again. That's how it reached its current scale."
At the entrance to Ryuzetsu Land, Hisui patiently explained everything.
Now that the princess had returned to Fairy Tail, she was simply an ordinary participating mage again.
The development of Ryuzetsu Land had been heavily influenced by Fairy Tail.
Without Fairy Tail's rapid rise and the popularity of the Grand Magic Games, it probably would have taken several more years for Ryuzetsu Land to grow into what it was now.
"To make sure the capital leaves a better impression on everyone, King Toma really worked hard. Though honestly, this is a good thing for the people of the capital. His Majesty finally became willing to put some effort into his own country, even if it was only to satisfy his personal hobby."
Marco couldn't resist making a comment.
After it was decided that the Grand Magic Games would be held in Crocus from now on, King Toma had carried out sweeping reforms across the Flower Blooming Capital.
And he had taken it seriously.
Far too seriously.
He worked so hard that he practically forgot to eat and sleep, asking about minor progress every few days and major progress every other day, as if he wanted to chase the schedule personally every morning.
It was enough to make the entire court weep with relief.
Their king, who had always been obsessed with magic and adventure stories, had finally started doing proper work.
Even if he only cared about matters concerning the capital, that was already extremely rare for King Toma.
"Father... really has been very focused on it."
Hisui smiled helplessly.
In the long term, it was naturally a good thing for Crocus.
But over the past two years, the citizens of Crocus had also been put through quite a lot.
There was no helping it.
If a city wanted to develop and rebuild, someone had to pay a certain price.
Fortunately, compensation had been handled properly, so even the royal capital had not fallen into disorder.
"Come on. Let's go in and have a look."
Marco did not continue dwelling on it.
A ruler like King Toma was not bad at all.
At least for the current Fairy Tail, he was an extremely convenient king.
King Toma's laid-back nature and his love for magic and adventure had given Fairy Tail plenty of convenience.
Of course, even without those conveniences, Fairy Tail would still expand when it needed to expand and develop when it needed to develop.
After all, Mage Guilds were managed by the Magic Council and held a special status of their own.
But if the king had refused to cooperate and constantly made trouble, that would have been quite annoying.
The royal army might not be particularly powerful, but it still had some combat strength. They couldn't exactly spend every day guarding against them.
In short, the current King Toma was the king best suited to Fiore's national conditions.
That was also why such a hands-off king could still sit firmly on the throne.
The great Kingdom of Fiore had its own circumstances, after all.
If anyone wanted to stir up trouble, Fiore's alliance of Mage Guilds would never allow it.
Thinking about it that way, good grief.
So everyone was actually part of the royalist faction.
...
Under Hisui's lead, Marco, Erza, and Mirajane entered Ryuzetsu Land together.
The place really was huge, a very standard water park–themed resort.
"This feels wonderful."
"It's so spacious."
Erza and Mirajane both sighed in admiration.
The inside of Ryuzetsu Land was brightly lit, making people feel as if they had stepped onto a seaside resort in the middle of summer.
There was just the right amount of sunlight for sunbathing, along with a cool sea breeze that felt extremely comfortable against the skin.
"This place is so nice that I almost want to change into my swimsuit. My legendary swimsuit was meant to shine in moments like this!"
Erza spoke with clear regret on her face.
"Then wear it. There's really no need to be so tense."
Marco spread his hands helplessly.
Even if something unexpected happened, he alone would be enough to handle it.
There was no need for Erza and Mirajane to help.
If Natsu and the others dared cause trouble, he could suppress them with one hand.
"..."
Erza hesitated.
She looked at Mirajane, then at Marco. Finally, she gritted her teeth and activated her Requip magic.
"Legendary Swimsuit!"
With a faint hum, Erza changed into a swimsuit.
"..."
Marco fell silent.
He didn't quite understand why this swimsuit was called legendary.
The yellow-and-black color scheme looked a little like leopard print, and he truly could not see anything special about it.
"Well? This legendary swimsuit has both beauty and shine, while also possessing enough durability to handle sudden combat. I went out of my way to find it, specifically for moments like this."
Erza looked down at the swimsuit with a rather proud expression, introducing it as if she were presenting one of her armors.
"To be honest, you should change back. It's really pretty average. Not just the style, either. Your so-called legendary swimsuit is already coming apart at the seams..."
Marco mercilessly began criticizing it, even pointing it out with his finger.
This "legendary swimsuit" was actually fraying already. He had no idea where its supposed ability to handle sudden combat came from.
And what kind of "sudden combat" was it meant to handle, exactly?
Was it even a serious kind of combat?
Thinking about that, the corner of Marco's mouth twitched.
Erza couldn't have been scammed by some unscrupulous merchant, could she?
"Huh? What?!"
Marco's words left Erza shocked.
She looked down and, sure enough, the right side of the "legendary swimsuit" really had come loose at the seam.
She had not noticed it at all.
"Pfft—hahaha!"
Mirajane couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing beside them.
Erza had insisted on showing off her swimsuit, only for it to backfire spectacularly. This "legendary swimsuit" really was legendary in its own way.
That said, Erza's figure truly was excellent. Full where she should be full, curved where she should be curved, with a slim waist and fair skin. She was far too alluring.
And Marco's eyes were far too sharp.
Even Mirajane had not noticed that the right side of Erza's swimsuit near her chest had come loose, yet Marco had spotted it in a single glance.
That bastard.
Just where had his eyes been looking?
As that thought crossed her mind, Mirajane puffed out her cheeks slightly.
If she had known this would happen, she would have changed into a swimsuit too.
Erza really was going to become a traitor sooner or later.
"You should change back."
Hisui covered her mouth, her eyes curving with amusement as she also reminded Erza.
Hum.
Erza did not hesitate.
She immediately changed back into her armor and wrapped herself up again.
At that moment, she even wanted to put on a helmet.
There was no helping it.
It was just too embarrassing!
She had originally wanted to show off the legendary swimsuit she had gone out of her way to find, only for it to turn out like this.
"It's all right, it's all right. We'll go settle accounts with the seller later. How dare they cheat our Titania?"
Marco laughed and patted Erza's hair, comforting the deeply embarrassed girl.
He knew exactly why she felt so awful.
This girl loved collecting armor, clothes, and things of that sort.
Showing off her "legendary swimsuit" was like a figure collector showing off a rare limited-edition figure, or a model enthusiast showing off the model they had painstakingly built.
But in the end, what she had shown off turned out to be a counterfeit or defective product. Of course she would feel humiliated.
"Right! I have to find him! Maybe it's my fault for not being professional enough to notice the problem, but that doesn't mean he can sell fake goods and pass off defective products as treasures!"
After Marco comforted her, Erza quickly regained her spirit.
This matter could not be allowed to end like this.
After all, Marco had discovered the swimsuit's problem in advance. If he had not noticed it, she might have embarrassed herself even more badly.
She absolutely had to go demand an explanation from the seller.
"To think someone would even dare scam a member of Fairy Tail, and not even spare the famous Titania. That merchant really has courage."
Mirajane sighed beside them.
"Though there is another possibility," Hisui added. "Precisely because Erza is Titania and an S-Class Mage of Fairy Tail, those dishonest merchants might have dared to scam her. They may have thought that with your wealth and status, you wouldn't care about something so minor. Or perhaps they assumed you value your reputation too much to make a fuss over it, which is why they felt so fearless."
That was another way to interpret it.
In fact, it was quite possible.
No matter how famous Fairy Tail was, and no matter how famous Titania was, not everyone had seen them in person.
Not everyone understood their reputation either.
Some people may have only heard the name and assumed that, since she was a leading figure of the foremost righteous guild, she must be someone who cared deeply about maintaining appearances.
"Good people are always the ones held at gunpoint..."
Marco shook his head.
Things like this really were nothing new.
"Hahaha... then he picked the wrong person!"
Erza laughed.
Her smile looked just slightly dangerous.
After making such a huge fool of herself, she had decisively darkened inside and was ready to teach that young crooked merchant a lesson.
Did he really think Fairy Tail cared that much about reputation?
Besides, what was there to care about when dealing with a dishonest merchant's reputation?
Would anyone seriously speak up for them?
"All right, all right. We can talk about that later. Let's not think about it for now."
Mirajane smiled and soothed the angry Erza.
Then her eyes shifted toward Marco, turning ever so slightly as her mischievous side resurfaced.
"What I'm more curious about is how you noticed the loose seam at a glance, Marco."
In the end, Mirajane still could not resist bringing it up.
She was going to expose Marco's falsely dignified face.
His eyes had clearly been extremely honest.
The moment Erza changed, he had locked straight onto her chest.
As soon as that question came out, Erza fell quiet as well.
She started thinking about it, and then her face turned bright red.
"..."
Hisui, standing nearby, swallowed quietly and took several steps back, already preparing to slip away.
Although selling out her master like this felt a little wrong, what came next was definitely not something she should be involved in.
It would be far too easy to get caught in the crossfire.
After all, she was wearing a swimsuit too.
It was a fairly conservative one-piece skirt swimsuit, but she still did not want to get dragged into this.
"Is that really strange? I've always been someone who pays attention to details."
Marco's expression remained perfectly calm, his tone completely natural.
In truth, it really had just been a matter of angle.
From where he stood, he had happened to see a single thread sticking out from the side of the swimsuit.
It absolutely had not been because his eyes had been drawn to her impressive assets.
"R-Really?"
Erza's temperature seemed to drop a little as she asked in a complicated tone.
Did that mean her figure had not attracted Marco at all?
That made Erza feel slightly disappointed.
Although she had not changed to show off her body just now, only to display the swimsuit itself, if that was really the case, she still felt a little hurt.
"How could that be?! You actually believe that kind of excuse?!"
Before Marco could answer, Mirajane spoke first, looking utterly shocked.
She looked at Erza and silently thought that this woman was truly ridiculous.
The moment the topic shifted in this direction, Erza became like a completely different person, practically letting Marco lead her around by the nose.
"Whether you believe me is up to you. I can guarantee it really was an accident.
Of course, I won't deny that I do have a pair of eyes capable of appreciating and discovering beauty. It's only natural to be drawn to beautiful things."
Marco smiled as he explained.
His words made both Mirajane and Erza fall silent.
What exactly did he mean by "beautiful things"?
Erza blushed again.
Mirajane thought to herself, 'Is he talking about the two of us?'
Their silence did not last long, because members of another guild had arrived.
It was a group of girls, led by a black-haired beauty with long, straight hair.
"Erza, Marco-san, and Miss Mirajane too. Are you here to play?" Kagura Mikazuchi asked curiously.
Her gaze toward them was filled with gratitude.
She had already met her older brother Simon and learned the truth behind the Tower of Heaven incident.
Toward Fairy Tail, who had saved her brother—especially Marco—her heart was full of thanks.
"Kagura, you're here too. And Millianna."
Erza's face returned to normal, and she smiled as she greeted Kagura and Millianna.
Millianna, one of her former companions and the cat-loving girl of their group, had eventually chosen to join Mermaid Heel.
Simon, Sho, and Wally had not joined, because Mermaid Heel did not accept male mages. It was a true all-women guild.
"Mm! This place is really fun!"
Millianna answered Erza with full energy.
She seemed to be living quite well.
She also looked much more polished than before, clearly someone who had begun to truly enjoy life.
She no longer seemed as weighed down and repressed as she had been back in the Tower of Heaven.
"Simon, Sho, and Wally didn't come with you?"
Marco also spoke with a smile, asking about the other three.
Wally was especially important, because they had found Wally's older brother, though his brother's ending had not been a happy one.
Of course, it was best not to tell Wally too much about Hoteye's situation.
That was Hoteye's own choice as well.
They only needed to tell Wally that his older brother had passed away.
"They came to Crocus with us too. They just didn't come to Ryuzetsu Land to play with us. Why? Marco-san, do you need something from them?"
Millianna answered, then asked Marco curiously.
She still respected Marco deeply.
After all, it was Marco who had changed everything and saved their lives.
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