Chapter 309

Chapter 309: Chapter 309

Marshall had never imagined that he would encounter the other three founders of Fairy Tail at this particular point in history.

He had seen a photograph of the founding members before.

Standing alongside the First Guild Master, Mavis Vermillion, were Fairy Tail’s future Second Master, Precht Gaebolg; Makarov’s father, Yuri Dreyar; and the veteran Wizard Saint, Warrod Sequen.

Now, all three men had arrived on Tenrou Island.

In a sense, this was probably where everything began.

The seemingly ordinary arrival of three treasure hunters might very well mark the beginning of a series of events that would eventually lead to Fairy Tail’s founding.

Marshall had never questioned Makarov in detail about the older generation’s history, so he didn’t know exactly how those four people had come together.

Nevertheless, seeing the three newcomers on Tenrou Island allowed him to piece together a fairly convincing explanation.

Apparently, their first meeting had taken place here.

And considering how persistently Mavis had been talking about leaving the island lately, Marshall could already imagine how the story would unfold.

He turned toward Zera.

"Zera, I think it’s finally time for us to say goodbye."

"What?"

Zera stiffened.

"Marshall, what are you talking about all of a sudden?"

She immediately caught his hand and began shaking her head.

"I’m not leaving Tenrou Island! Absolutely not!"

"Some outsiders have arrived, and I suspect Mavis will end up leaving with them," Marshall explained patiently.

"She’s already made it clear that her heart isn’t really here anymore. She wants to see the world beyond this island, and honestly, she deserves the opportunity to experience something more than this little place."

"I don’t want to go! I don’t care about the outside world!"

"But you can’t move too far away from Mavis, remember?" Marshall reminded her. "Besides, leaving Tenrou Island might be good for you too. You should have the chance to see what the real world is like. If you spend your entire life following me around, you’ll never learn to stand on your own."

"Then I don’t have to grow up!"

Zera threw herself against him, wrapping both arms tightly around his waist.

"I don’t want to leave you, Marshall!"

Her voice trembled, and tears were already gathering in her eyes.

Marshall sighed helplessly.

She really was still just a child.

He gently patted her head, trying to think of a way to make the separation less frightening for her.

"All right, all right. Don’t be so stubborn. How about I make you a Magic Item that lets you contact me whenever you want?"

Zera looked up.

Marshall continued, "You’ll be able to talk to me at any time, even after leaving the island. And if you and Mavis ever get into serious trouble, I can teleport over and help you immediately. Wouldn’t that make things a little easier?"

"..."

Zera didn’t answer. She simply tightened her arms around him, looking thoroughly miserable.

Marshall considered the problem for another moment.

Then he added, "And I’ll only give this Magic Item to you. Mavis won’t get one."

Zera’s expression finally changed.

"R-Really?"

Marshall blinked at how quickly she’d reacted.

’Seriously? Where did all that loyalty to your best friend go?’

Sometimes, he genuinely wondered whether the two girls’ friendship was quite as unbreakable as they claimed.

"I figured you two would leave the island eventually, so I already prepared something."

Marshall reached into his belongings and produced a small magical ring.

"Here. This is a communication ring. As long as you wear it, you’ll be able to talk to me whenever you want."

He placed it in Zera’s hand.

"I can also supply you with Magic Power through the ring, so you won’t have to worry about your manifested body disappearing just because you’re far away from me."

"A... a ring?!"

Zera stared at the object resting in her palm.

Her eyes widened, and a faint blush spread across her cheeks.

For several seconds, she seemed to forget that Marshall had said anything else.

In truth, the ring was simply a simplified version of the magical communication terminal Marshall had developed in his original era.

Because of his limited materials, this version supported only a direct connection between two designated users.

It didn’t possess a dialing function or the more advanced capabilities of his ordinary terminals.

Then again, there wasn’t another compatible terminal anywhere in this era, so including those features would have been rather pointless.

Marshall had chosen the ring design primarily because it required fewer materials and was convenient to carry.

Unfortunately, Zera seemed to have completely overlooked the technical explanation.

All she could think about was the fact that Marshall had given her a ring.

A ring!

Her imagination immediately carried her somewhere entirely different, and by the time Marshall finished explaining how the device worked, the little girl was so flustered that she barely seemed capable of forming a coherent thought.

Eventually, Zera wandered away to find Mavis, still clutching the ring and looking as though she were walking through a particularly wonderful dream.

Marshall watched her leave with a faintly puzzled expression.

He couldn’t quite understand why she’d become so excited, but at least she seemed to have accepted the situation.

That was one problem settled.

As for the three newly arrived treasure hunters, Marshall had absolutely no intention of introducing himself.

He wasn’t even willing to accompany Mavis and Zera when they left the island.

Why would he deliberately seek out three additional people whose actions were closely tied to Fairy Tail’s history?

The more historical figures he became involved with, the greater the risk of accidentally changing something important.

Marshall hadn’t forgotten why he’d traveled into the past in the first place.

He was here to become stronger.

Everything else was secondary.

Rather than wasting time getting acquainted with people who would eventually become legendary Mages, he had far more practical matters to consider.

For example, how was he supposed to accumulate Inspiration Points after Mavis and Zera left?

That was becoming an increasingly serious concern.

Strictly speaking, Marshall didn’t need to spend time around girls to earn Inspiration Points. The system had never imposed such a strange restriction.

He simply needed experiences that genuinely excited him or stimulated his mind, causing his thoughts and emotions to become more active.

It just so happened that enjoyable social interactions had always been one of the most efficient ways for him to accumulate those points, which made his system seem rather less respectable than it actually was.

There were plenty of alternatives.

A brilliant new idea, for instance, could produce a significant amount of Inspiration Points if it excited him enough.

Unfortunately, Marshall had been suffering from a rather severe shortage of inspiration lately.

He suspected Acnologia was largely responsible.

Ever since witnessing the Black Dragon’s overwhelming strength, Marshall had been living under an enormous amount of pressure.

His mind remained focused on growing stronger, finding ways to defeat Acnologia, and preparing for whatever disaster might await him when he returned to his original era.

With those worries constantly occupying his thoughts, it had become increasingly difficult to relax and develop genuinely exciting new ideas.

Even knowing that Acnologia was still somewhere in this historical era, roaming freely through the world, was enough to make Marshall uncomfortable.

The damned dragon could appear almost anywhere, and there was very little Marshall could currently do about it.

Still, more than two years had passed since the incident on Tenrou Island.

Marshall’s strength had improved considerably during that time, and perhaps it was finally time for him to stop letting Acnologia dominate his thoughts.

After all, he was immortal.

Even if he couldn’t defeat the Black Dragon right now, he could theoretically outlive the monster if necessary.

And he wasn’t exactly an ordinary Mage himself.

He had a system, extraordinary magical abilities, and the advantage of having traveled through time.

Why should he spend the rest of his existence hiding from one overgrown lizard?

’That’s ridiculous.’

Marshall’s expression gradually grew more determined.

’I’m not going to spend my life running away from a dragon. If I’m not strong enough to beat him now, then I’ll keep getting stronger until I am.’

There was no reason to let fear dictate every decision he made.

Perhaps Mavis and Zera leaving Tenrou Island would even turn out to be a good thing.

Without two little girls frequently visiting his house, Marshall would finally have the freedom to attempt some of the more dangerous experiments he’d been postponing.

He wouldn’t need to worry quite so much about accidental magical outbreaks or the possibility of endangering his companions.

Yes.

That was definitely a positive development.

At least, that was what Marshall kept telling himself.

...

Meanwhile, at the former Red Lizard guildhall, Mavis had encountered one of the three treasure hunters in the library.

His name was Yuri Dreyar, and he was not yet twenty years old.

Naturally, Mavis had no idea that the young man standing in front of her would one day become the father of Fairy Tail’s Third Guild Master.

Nor did Yuri know that the barefoot little girl he’d encountered in an abandoned guildhall would eventually become one of the most important figures in the history of Magic.

Their initial conversation soon developed into an entertaining contest of wits.

Yuri had apparently assumed that an ordinary child would be easy to outsmart, but Mavis’s intelligence was anything but ordinary.

After a series of clever moves and counterarguments, Yuri found himself completely defeated.

The outcome was rather embarrassing for him, especially considering how much younger his opponent was.

During their exchange, Mavis also learned why Yuri and his companions had come to Tenrou Island.

The three of them belonged to the same treasure-hunting guild, Sylph Labyrinth.

Yuri, Precht, and Warrod had traveled to the island in search of a legendary S-Class treasure known as the Tenrou Jade.

That revelation immediately made Mavis wary.

Until now, Marshall had been the only outsider she’d encountered in years, and he’d treated her and Zera with remarkable kindness.

He’d even taught them Magic without demanding anything particularly valuable in return.

But these newcomers were different.

They hadn’t arrived merely to explore the island or make friends.

They wanted something.

And the treasure they were seeking belonged to Tenrou Island.

Mavis was beginning to understand that not everyone from the outside world would be as easy to get along with as Marshall.

She firmly rejected Yuri’s request, explaining that the Tenrou Jade was a sacred treasure belonging to the island and couldn’t simply be handed over to strangers.

Yuri naturally refused to give up so easily.

Before long, the two were engaged in another battle of wits, challenging each other with increasingly elaborate puzzles and games of strategy.

Unfortunately for both of them, their little competition was becoming rather pointless.

While Yuri was busy trying to outsmart an eleven-year-old girl, Precht and Warrod had already completed their investigation of the island.

And they’d discovered something rather important.

The Tenrou Jade was no longer there.

For generations, the inhabitants of Tenrou Island had protected the precious gemstone, keeping it hidden deep within the heart of the enormous Tenrou Tree.

But during Blue Skull’s attack on Red Lizard seven years earlier, the invading guild had taken the treasure away.

The Tenrou Jade had been missing ever since.

In other words, the sacred treasure Mavis had been so determined to protect wasn’t actually on the island anymore.

She had spent years living beneath the Tenrou Tree without ever discovering that it had been stolen, yet three outsiders managed to uncover the truth within a few hours of arriving.

For someone as intelligent as Mavis, that was a rather embarrassing oversight.

Then again, she had been a little girl struggling to survive on an abandoned island, so perhaps expecting her to monitor the security of an ancient magical treasure was somewhat unreasonable.

Nevertheless, once Mavis learned the truth, she immediately reached a decision.

"Please take me with you!"

She looked toward the three treasure hunters with fierce determination.

"I want to recover the Tenrou Jade from Blue Skull!"

...

By the time Zera returned to the abandoned guildhall, that was exactly what she heard.

Her cheerful expression immediately vanished.

Marshall had been right.

Mavis really was planning to leave Tenrou Island.

Zera stood silently near the entrance, feeling as though something inside her had suddenly sunk.

’Why?’

She couldn’t understand it.

’Why does Mavis have to leave?’

The three of them had been living happily together on the island.

Mavis visited Marshall to learn Magic and play games, Zera helped around his house, and whenever Marshall had free time, they could all spend the afternoon talking or exploring the forest.

For the first time in years, Zera had felt that her life was genuinely peaceful and fulfilling.

So why did Mavis have to change everything?

’We were happy here...’

Zera lowered her gaze.

’The three of us were finally happy together. Why can’t things just stay like that?’

"Zera!"

Mavis noticed her friend and hurried over, looking excited and anxious at the same time.

"Something terrible happened! The Tenrou Jade was stolen from our island!"

She grabbed Zera’s hand.

"We have to get it back! We should ask Marshall to help us!"

Zera looked at her without answering.

’No.’

’I don’t care about the Tenrou Jade.’

To Zera, the island’s sacred treasure meant almost nothing compared with the peaceful life she’d finally managed to obtain.

All she wanted was to remain beside Marshall, spend her days with Mavis, and continue enjoying the ordinary happiness that had become so precious to her.

She didn’t want to chase after treasure hunters.

She didn’t want to fight a dangerous guild.

And she certainly didn’t want to leave Marshall behind.

But Zera couldn’t bring herself to say any of that aloud.

At that moment, for the first time, she genuinely began to resent the nature of her own existence.

She was bound to Mavis like a ghost tied to the person keeping it in the living world.

No matter what she wanted, her continued existence depended on Mavis.

If Mavis left Tenrou Island, Zera couldn’t simply remain behind and live independently with Marshall.

She had to follow her.

The realization filled her with an unfamiliar bitterness.

’If only I hadn’t died...’

’If only I didn’t have to depend on Mavis anymore...’

For a fleeting moment, some rather dark thoughts passed through the little girl’s mind.

But in the end, she kept them to herself.

She couldn’t bring herself to hurt Mavis, even when her own wishes seemed completely incompatible with her friend’s dreams.

After a long silence, Zera finally shook her head.

"There’s no need to ask Marshall."

Mavis blinked.

"Huh?"

"He already told me that he’ll respect whatever you decide, but he won’t leave Tenrou Island with us."

Zera tightened her grip on the communication ring he’d given her.

Then she forced herself to look up.

"So if you really want to leave, Mavis..."

Her voice was quiet but steady.

"Let’s go. We can leave now."