With the Tenrou Team's miraculous return to the guild, the reunited members laughed heartily and drank freely in the hall, as if trying to reclaim all seven lost years in one go, indulging in pure, unadulterated enjoyment.
The all-night revelry left the guild in complete disarray.
Many lay drunk on the floor, while others had collapsed from sheer emotional exhaustion and fallen asleep right where they were.
In the chilly late night, the guild hall was filled with people sleeping soundly side-by-side.
Under the moonlit, starry sky, the guild returned to tranquility, leaving only the unattractive sleeping postures and the rising and falling chorus of snores.
Ankh carefully stepped over several people lying on the floor, gently placed Erza—whom he had been carrying—beside Mirajane, and covered them both with a thin blanket.
"They really went wild..." Ankh looked up at the sleeping crowd and murmured softly to himself.
"They've endured too much hardship and only managed to persevere through their longing for everyone," Alzack said as he approached hand-in-hand with Bisca, a little girl walking between them.
Ankh looked at the little girl who was staring at him with a mix of curiosity and hesitation and couldn't help but laugh.
"I even missed your wedding. Congratulations on finally marrying Bisca and having such a beautiful daughter."
The little girl, holding her parents' hands, grinned proudly upon hearing Ankh's praise.
Bisca covered her mouth, laughing as she teased Ankh. "You know, Ankh, I was the one who had to propose to Al."
"Really now..."
Even as a husband and father, Alzack still scratched his head somewhat shyly.
"We're heading home now. Are you staying here tonight, Ankh?"
The couple, finding it inconvenient to sleep on the hard floor with a child, prepared to leave.
Bisca asked curiously.
Ankh nodded and patted a thick stack of old account books on the counter, saying, "I need to thoroughly review the guild's situation over the past seven years."
Alzack sighed, his eyes dimming. "That's actually our fault. We didn't take good care of the guild, letting it fall into such a terrible state..."
"Not at all," Ankh immediately interrupted, patting his shoulder. "Thanks to you protecting the guild, we who were lost in time could finally find our way home."
"Don't worry, I'll get the guild back on track."
Alzack's eyes grew moist as he chuckled wryly. "Your words are still the most reassuring, after all."
"Well, we should be going now."
"Take care on your way."
As they stepped out of the guild, little Asuka, held tightly by Alzack and Bisca, kept looking back at the guild with reluctance.
In her soft voice, she asked, "Mommy, is that big brother really strong?"
Bisca gently patted her daughter's head and replied tenderly, "Of course. Not just that big brother, but all the brothers and sisters sleeping on the floor are very strong too."
While proudly boasting about her most cherished companions to Asuka, Bisca turned to see Alzack lost in thought.
"What's wrong, Al?"
Alzack shook his head and sighed, "I feel like Ankh is putting entirely too much pressure on himself."
...
After seeing Alzack's family off from the guild, Ankh found a quiet place to settle down and began reviewing the guild's accounts and records from recent years.
As the one shouldering the massive burden of the collapsed guild, Macao, despite being under immense pressure, had meticulously documented everything that happened over the past seven years.
"Twilight Ogre... and several other Magic Guilds trying to establish themselves in Magnolia... even remnants of Phantom Lord..."
Ankh rested his chin on his hand, rapidly flipping through the pages to analyze the situation.
Macao, being far too close to the situation at the time, might not have seen it clearly, but it was incredibly obvious these guilds were organized and had planned their entry into Magnolia with ulterior motives.
As a Magic City in Fiore second only to the capital, Magnolia could provide substantial commercial benefits and reputation boosts to any Magic Guild that controlled it.
Aside from pure revenge-seekers like the Phantom Lord remnants, the other guilds likely recognized Fairy Tail's severely weakened state and sought to aggressively carve up its position in the city for their own gain.
The guild had been treated like a piece of cake to be divided, with Twilight Ogre ultimately becoming Magnolia's premier Magic Guild, fully replacing Fairy Tail's status and driving them completely out of the city center.
Moreover, Twilight Ogre seemed to have won the favor of the new mayor, collaborating closely on numerous highly lucrative magical commercial activities.
'The mayor... Twilight Ogre... plus the Council's tacit approval.'
Ankh tapped the table, contemplating these three names before turning his attention to another aspect.
After Fairy Tail's sudden decline, many outside forces had come to their aid.
Quatro Cerberus and Blue Pegasus went without saying—their Guild Masters were former members of Fairy Tail and had frequently assisted guild members over the seven grueling years.
Lamia Scale was no different, with both Jura and Lyon firmly choosing to help the guild stay afloat.
And then there was the Ram Company.
This entertainment company, which Ankh hadn't paid much personal attention to in the past, had consistently provided secret funds to maintain the guild's operations during his absence.
They had even considered Macao and the others' self-esteem, discreetly using backdoor methods to secure many high-quality, high-paying commission requests for the guild.
'Typical Frey, always handling matters perfectly.'
Frey probably already knew that Anselion was Ankh's Thought Projection.
Perhaps she had always deeply known Ankh wasn't truly dead, which is exactly why she never abandoned their collaboration.
Still, this boundless support was a great kindness that Ankh would keep firmly in his heart.
Grudges must be repaid, but kindness must be heavily repaid too.
Whoosh!
Ankh casually raised his hand and caught the liquor bottle Laxus suddenly tossed his way, helplessly said.
"So you weren't asleep."
Laxus sat down beside him with his own liquor bottle and said, "Just woke up."
"What are you frowning at?"
Ankh sighed and closed the thick ledger he had nearly finished reading.
"The guild's affairs over these past seven years are a complete, utter mess," he said.
Laxus curled his lip and pointed at Makarov, who was slumped drunk over the counter and said.
"Shouldn't that be the old man's job?"
"Let the old man rest for a while."
Ankh gazed at the bright moon outside the window, taking small sips of his drink as he murmured softly.
"One failure has brought everyone so much pain."
Laxus snorted and said, "I don't understand why you're taking the sole blame for what happened on Tenrou Island. If we're talking about failure, we all failed miserably."
"At least you nearly killed that infamous Black Dragon. We didn't accomplish anything."
Laxus spoke with a look of open disdain:
"Worrying about things like that when you're not even the Guild Master—Grimoire Heart, Alvarez, Acnologia, and I heard the Magic Council is causing trouble too. If you could figure all that out on your own, what would you even need us for?"
Ankh clinked glasses with Laxus, listening to his friend's blunt words that sounded like complaints but were actually disguised concern, and retorted.
"I don't plan on becoming Guild Master. You'd be more suitable than me."
Laxus pursed his lips and completely rejected the idea. "I'm not cut out for that. Don't set me up."
"You won't know until you try."
Ankh smiled slyly and added, "By the way, how about accompanying this injured guy somewhere tomorrow?"