"Hah? Take the newbies? Is the old man blind? Aside from little Meredy, which one of you even looks like a newcomer?"
Looking at Ultear and the other three standing before him, Kabe wore an expression like he had just seen a ghost.
"Shut up, brat! Don't question the Master's decision!"
Makarov stood on the counter waving a bottle and roaring at him.
Kabe ignored him completely. After rubbing his chin for a moment, he shrugged indifferently.
"I'm busy. I've got something to do later. Ask them instead."
He pointed at Erza, Mira, and Cana, and the four girls immediately turned to them with pleading eyes.
Mira scratched her head and casually hooked a thumb toward the second floor.
"I did spot an S-Class job I kind of like. If your strength's good enough, I wouldn't mind taking you along."
But the moment she said that, Erza rejected it outright.
"No. Letting Meredy participate in an S-Class mission is too dangerous. I'll take them instead."
Hearing that, Cana lowered the hand she had just raised.
"If Erza's free, then I won't go with you either.
Otherwise, that little bit of mission money probably won't even be enough to split."
Naturally, the four girls had no objections.
Erza was always serious and meticulous in everything she did. With her leading the team, they could not ask for anyone better.
Kabe also felt Erza was the best choice.
After all, his own very first mission back then had also been done under Erza's lead.
The five of them hit it off immediately and once again went over to Makarov.
This time, Makarov no longer stopped them, and Laki smoothly registered the request they had chosen.
...
But just after Erza left, Sho and the others happened to arrive.
And with them came Jellal, the patient who had finally recovered enough to communicate normally again.
The five of them, who had been staying in the hospital all this time, were visiting the new guild for the first time.
Outside, they had almost thought they had come to the wrong place.
Only after seeing Fairy Tail's flag flying high above the castle-like building were they finally certain they had not mistaken the location.
Sho was the first to push open the door and walk in.
At a glance, he spotted Kabe in the hall, but did not see Erza, who was usually almost inseparable from him.
Kabe and Makarov also noticed the group entering.
"Sho, come sit."
Kabe raised his eyes and called to them.
The five politely nodded to Makarov, then walked over to Kabe's side, though none of them sat down.
"Brother-in-law, where's Sister Erza? We came today to say goodbye to her."
At those words, Kabe's smile faded. With a helpless sigh, he set down his wine glass.
"So you've decided? Have you figured out where you're going in the future?"
Sho scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed.
"Not yet. There are too many interesting places in this world, so I want to go see all of them."
As he said that, he turned and looked back at Jellal, who had been standing silently behind the group.
"Also, Jellal wants to form an independent guild and invite us sinners from the past to join him, so we can make up for the wrongs we committed before."
As those words fell, Jellal stepped forward.
At this moment, his eyes were clear, and there was a trace of release on his face.
"I'm sorry that I came to say goodbye the moment I woke up. I didn't even have the chance to properly thank you, my benefactor."
Kabe waved a hand and cut him off directly.
"There's no need for thanks. It was just comrades helping each other."
"Comrades..."
Jellal felt gratitude rise in his heart.
And precisely because of that, he knew he could not stay any longer.
No matter what, he had once done things that hurt Erza.
As her boyfriend, Kabe being able to forgive him already showed enormous generosity.
He did not want to remain here and force Erza to remember the painful parts of her past. Nor did he want to keep troubling them any further.
At the same time, he did not want to disappoint the comrades who still trusted him even now.
He wanted to take Sho, Simon, and the others with him to truly see this world and live freely.
Looking at the determination in their expressions, Kabe knew there was no persuading them now.
"It's a shame Erza just went out on a mission. She won't be able to see you off."
Jellal let out a breath.
There was relief in it, but also a trace of regret.
"That may actually be for the best. I still haven't figured out how to face her.
When she comes back, please tell her I'm sorry."
Simon, Sho, and the others also found it regrettable that they would not be able to see Erza one last time before leaving.
But Wally quickly adjusted his mood. Pretending to be relaxed, he flicked the brim of his top hat and said,
"Don't be sad. There will always be chances to meet again in the future. For men, a temporary parting between comrades is also a kind of growth."
"Haha. Wally, have you given up on just being smooth and started moving toward becoming a truly mature man?"
Kabe laughed and teased him.
Wally did not get angry. If anything, he rather agreed and nodded seriously.
But looking at Wally reminded Kabe of something.
"Speaking of which, Wally, you have an older brother named Richard, right?
He's one of the Oración Seis now. Sorano's former teammate."