"I've been scolded to such an extent.... Maybe it's the law that's wrong."
The Celestial Spirit King looked at Lucy, then at Natsu holding her protectively, Gray standing guard, and the Fairy Tail members surrounding them.
"Leo, who broke the rules to protect Aries. His dear friend who risked everything to save him. And all of you, bound together by such a powerful bond."
The Celestial Spirit King paused, then unexpectedly grinned.
"For the sake of that beautiful bond, I'll make an exception. Leo, I pardon your transgression. You are permitted to return to the Celestial Spirit Realm. You should thank the stars for guiding you."
"Your Majesty." Loke's voice trembled.
"If you still wish to atone, then I command this. Live on. With the strength of your friends, protect them even at the cost of your life."
With a flourish of his cloak, the Celestial Spirit King dissolved into a swirling river of stars and faded into the sky. The darkness lifted. Daylight returned.
Cheers erupted on the cliff.
Natsu grinned. "Wasn't that perfect? I really thought that old bearded guy was going to throw hands."
Lucy, still in his arms, chuckled faintly. "Yeah, he's the King of the Celestial Spirits, but he really is an old bearded man."
Happy popped up. "They're having an affair."
"Huh?!" Lucy jolted and immediately broke free from Natsu.
Loke gave a tearful smile. "Thank you, Lucy, and everyone. I…"
Gray clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Alright, get your health in order first. I've still got a bone to pick with you."
"Thank you." Loke's form shimmered as he prepared to return to the spirit realm. A gentle starlight flowed into a golden key, which floated into Lucy's hand.
"Please continue guiding me from now on," Loke said, bowing his head.
Lucy looked exhausted, but joy radiated from her expression. "Only if you promise to guide me too."
Mira tilted her head, holding her face with both hands. "What's with that line? It sounds just like a wedding vow."
"They're having an affair," Happy echoed with a chirp.
"No, we're not!" Lucy shouted, face flushed.
The crowd immediately piled on.
"Loke, you scoundrel."
"You went after Lucy too?"
"Let's beat him up again."
"I said no!" Lucy's voice boomed louder than all of them combined.
Then, unexpectedly,
"Getting married?" Erza, who had remained composed all this time, suddenly blushed crimson.
"Erza, snap out of it," someone cried.
The laughter and chaos were loud and comforting.
Lucy found herself laughing too. In this guild, you never had to feel alone.
"Perfectly resolved," someone announced.
"Let's go home," another shouted.
And so, the guildmates began the return trek, rallying around their hero Lucy. Along the way, they chatted excitedly.
"I can't believe Loke's a Celestial Spirit."
"I knew something was up with him."
"That old man in the stars was crazy strong."
In the midst of the crowd, a few suspicious types snuck off.
Mira noticed them but didn't follow right away. She looked around, expecting to gossip about her discovery, only to realize Rhodes wasn't beside her.
He was at the back of the group, riding his summoned Scuttle Crab, legs crossed and posture distant.
Mira quickly caught up and blocked the crab's path.
It stopped politely, lowering its claws so she could hop on.
Mira sat beside him, waving a hand in front of his face. "What are you spacing out for? Planning a secret trip to Blue Pegasus?"
"Me? Come on." Rhodes leaned back against her with a sigh, gazing up at the sky.
Normally, he'd come up with something witty or smug.
But this time, he simply murmured, "I just feel a little unnecessary right now."
Whether it was the Lullaby incident or the guild attack.
Although he had been involved in everything, Rhodes couldn't shake the feeling that things might have resolved more smoothly without him.
In fact, ever since he showed up, it felt like more unpredictable variables had entered the mix.
Take this latest situation for example. If he had found Loke first, knocked him out, and dragged him to Cait Shelter, Loke might not have made it there alive.
The same thing happened with the incident involving Grimoire Heart. Without him, Elfman might have untangled his inner struggle a little later, but perhaps he would've never been in danger to begin with.
Looking back, Rhodes had always been quietly proud of how much stronger he'd gotten, of the new titles he earned, of the progress he'd made with Mira.
But today, realizing how close they came to missing the window to save Loke, felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head.
If he came across another situation that looked like a major "plot" event, would he still throw himself into it so easily?
Mira patted the crab's back and told it to slow down.
Then, adjusting her seat, she pulled Rhode's head into her lap and gently massaged his scalp with both hands.
"You always overthink things. If you were more simple-minded, like the others, you'd have a much easier time."
"Loke almost died because of me. I have to take that seriously," Rhodes murmured as he turned over and wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his face into her lap.
"You're seriously upset about that?" Mira gave his head a light pat. "Did it ever cross your mind that if you hadn't shown up, without the Blue buff or the Red buff, Lucy might've collapsed from summoning all those Celestial Spirits?"
"I don't think it would've gone that far."
"And if you hadn't fought in the battle against Phantom Lord, what if one of us had actually been killed by Jose?"
"The Master probably could've beaten him."
"Then what kind of pain do you think I would've gone through if you weren't there?"
Rhode's arms tightened around her, and he didn't answer.
Mira answered for him. "You were probably thinking, 'Maybe she'd be okay. Maybe she'd get through it.' Right?"
She tapped him lightly on the head. "You always think of the worst-case scenario as something that might not happen. Like, maybe someone wouldn't really be cursed to death by Lullaby. Maybe the Phantom Lord's giant wouldn't end up hurting anyone near the guild. Maybe if you hadn't brought Elfman along, that village wouldn't have even a single ember left."
She paused for a moment, her voice softening.
"Maybe... I wouldn't be who I am without you."
"You're already an irreplaceable part of this guild, the one everyone trusts and depends on the most. And to me, you're more than that. You're the most important person in my life."
"I don't want to hear another maybe from you."
Thanks to Mira's request, the crab wasn't very swift anymore. It strolled leisurely behind the rest of the guild members.
Of course, it didn't take long before someone realized two important people were missing from the group.
"Hey! You two snuck off with the big crab! I wanna ride too!" Natsu turned around and started to bolt.
Gray immediately grabbed Natsu by his scarf, holding him in place as he ran in place like a wind-up toy.
"Let go!" Natsu shouted.
"Even if I don't know what they're talking about back there, I'm telling you now. Don't mess with them," Gray replied.
"That's right, Natsu," Lucy chimed in with a dreamy look on her face. "Rhodes and Mira might be whispering sweet nothings and doing something romantic, ahh~"
Natsu gave her a blank look. "So what? I just wanted to borrow Rhode's crab."
Lucy threw up her hands. "Natsu, you're completely hopeless."
"Then lend me yours."
"You can't ride Cancer!"
...
Bonus @2400
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