In the neglected outskirts of Magnolia stood a shabby building, with the words "Fairy Tail" roughly nailed onto the entrance using wooden planks, appearing extremely crude.
The hall was completely visible upon entry. Macao's son, Romeo, had grown into a thirteen-year-old youth and had officially joined Fairy Tail.
Romeo sat at a table, mechanically flipping through a book with a numb expression, while Macao and Laki stood behind him looking incredibly worried.
"Romeo... are you really not going to check it out?" Macao asked his son nervously.
Romeo, like an emotionless robot, turned the pages mechanically and murmured:
"What's there to see? We've been searching for seven years and never found a single clue..."
Macao lowered his head and sighed. "This time... it's news brought by Blue Pegasus. They might have really found something."
Romeo's hollow eyes showed absolutely no light as he continued, "It's been seven years already..."
Macao had no response.
He knew exactly what his son was worried about.
At first, not being able to find everyone was truly despairing, but after so much time had passed, finding them now might... not be good news.
After all, the probability of anyone still being alive after seven long years was too small...
"Well, well, well... why are there even fewer people today?!"
Just as the atmosphere grew heavy again, the guild's creaky wooden door was kicked open.
Five oddly-shaped people swaggered in with their hands in their pockets.
The leader, an ugly man carrying a spiked club, loudly mocked as soon as he entered.
"Can this still be called a guild? It's more like a hobby club! Hehe..."
"Thibault! We agreed to pay you back next month!"
Macao immediately tensed up upon seeing the unwanted visitors.
Thibault sneered. "Can't help it. Our Guild Master isn't willing to wait~ Better hand over the money today."
Macao gritted his teeth hard, clenching his fists without speaking.
The Guild Master of Twilight Ogre was named Banaboster, a cunning merchant Mage.
With decent combat magic and ruthless business acumen, he had come to Magnolia early on to establish himself.
However, at that time, Fairy Tail dominated Magnolia completely, effortlessly forcing Banaboster to give up his plans.
But after the Celestial Spirit Mages disappeared, Fairy Tail's status declined steadily.
Catching wind of this, Banaboster immediately moved back into Magnolia, entirely replacing Fairy Tail's position in the city.
Later, seeing Fairy Tail's financial situation worsening, Banaboster schemed to have Macao borrow a large sum of money with completely exorbitant interest rates.
Unbeknownst to Macao, Banaboster had already bribed certain local connections.
Instead of getting more work to pay off the money, the guild was illegally burdened with compounding interest and various extortionate fees—like protection money—making their situation even more dire.
Unfortunately, Macao was unaware of all this for the time being.
Moreover, whenever Twilight Ogre's members came to collect debts, he felt too guilty to fight back due to their perceived moral disadvantage.
Otherwise, with the strength of those currently present, they wouldn't have been bullied by someone like Thibault.
Thibault, emboldened by his advantage, laughed arrogantly:
"What's with that look? Don't forget, you bunch of relics discarded by the times are no longer the strongest guild you once were!"
"Let me give you some advice. Why not just sell this guild? Maybe after paying off your massive debts, you'll even have some spare change left! Hahahaha!"
Macao's eyes nearly blazed with fury, but he instantly dismissed the idea of abandoning the guild.
Just as he was about to speak, Romeo, who had been sitting at the table nearby, suddenly sprang to his feet.
Romeo threw his book aside, his heart filled with pure rage, and strode toward Thibault.
Positioning himself directly in front of Macao, he shouted at them:
"We won't disband, and we won't let scum like you run wild here!"
Thibault looked down at Romeo and sneered, "What's with the attitude, kid?"
Purple flames ignited in Romeo's palm as he said solemnly, "If this continues, the name of Fairy Tail will be irreparably tarnished!"
"I don't want to be a coward! I want to fight!"
Thibault drew his spiked club and snorted coldly, "Your name is already mud."
Macao's eyes widened, and he rushed toward Romeo, shouting.
"Stop!"
Thibault mercilessly raised his spiked club and swung it violently down toward the crown of Romeo's head, jeering.
"Trash like you will always be beneath our feet!"
The club descended viciously, but Romeo's eyes showed absolutely no hesitation.
He stood his ground, refusing to dodge, bracing his slender frame against the lethal blow.
"Scum."
A cold voice suddenly rang right in Thibault's ear.
The next moment, he felt his club fly completely from his grasp, and his body was slammed heavily into the ground as if crushed by a massive steamroller.
In the next instant, raging flames, sharp ice shards, an extending iron rod, and a massive fist rained down upon the intruders.
The four ugly men accompanying Thibault were instantly defeated in a single, perfectly coordinated move.
Macao and Wakaba stood completely frozen in place, while Romeo stared dazedly at the large group of people who had miraculously appeared before him.
Laki, Nab, and Bisca, upon seeing those impossible, familiar faces, couldn't hold back their tears as they wept uncontrollably.
Ankh twisted his foot, violently grinding Thibault's face into the floorboards.
He looked at the stunned Romeo and chuckled softly, "That was brave of you, Romeo."
Romeo trembled all over.
The shocked cries of his father and the others echoed in his ears, and right before him were the familiar faces he hadn't seen in so long.
It felt as if his soul had just returned to his body, and his entire being was transported to another world.
Ankh, the Guild Master, Natsu, the strongest team, Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe, Gildarts and his daughter, Gajeel and Levy, the three Strauss siblings, Juvia, and the three Exceeds...
And... a few unfamiliar faces, along with certain companions who had gone out to search for Tenrou Island.
Romeo's soul returned to his body, the weightless sensation fading away as the feeling of solid ground beneath his feet became vividly clear.
He finally confirmed it—this wasn't a dream, but reality!
The warm, incredibly emotional atmosphere spread through the hall.
By now, no one cared whether Thibault and the others on the floor were dead or alive, as everyone rushed desperately toward the companions they had missed so dearly.
They embraced each other in tears, gesturing animatedly while sharing endless, overlapping stories.
After so many long years, lively commotion had once again become the main theme of this guild hall.
Natsu noticed Romeo still staring at him in a total daze and couldn't help but flash his familiar, sunny smile, sighing with genuine emotion:
"You've grown so much, Romeo!"
Immersed in the warm atmosphere where tears and laughter intertwined, and seeing the bright smile and hearing the words of the person he admired most, even though the building remained as dilapidated as ever, Romeo felt as if he had returned to the comforting, safe environment of his childhood.
Romeo could no longer contain his longing.
Tears streamed down his cheeks as a long-lost, genuinely happy smile spread across his face. His voice trembling, he responded.
"Natsu-ni... everyone..."
"Welcome home!"
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