Hisui's side moved fast. By the very next morning, an official request from the royal family had already arrived at the guild. In the original story, the campaign against Element 4 had never come from the royal family or the Council. It had been a joint decision reached through consultation among the regional guild alliance, meaning the guilds involved hadn't even received a reward for taking Element 4 down, purely a labor of love. But in this world, with Hisui personally getting involved and taking the lead, things played out very differently.
As for payment, the royal family offered each participating guild a generous bounty of ten million per member of Element 4 captured. Of course, the crown couldn't foot the entire bill alone. The Council was the official governing body of the magical world, and reward money was something they'd have to shoulder half of no matter how they felt about it. As for this modest request, Council Chairman Crawford agreed to it almost without a second thought. A few tens of millions was nothing compared to the prestige and political standing he stood to gain from successfully hunting down and arresting Element 4, something money simply couldn't buy.
And so, the special operation, the Extermination of Element 4, officially began. As previously agreed, Kabe was to serve as overall commander for this campaign, doubling as the head of Fairy Tail's own squad. The moment he received the order, he immediately set off for the rendezvous point along with Natsu, Happy, Gajeel, Gray, Lucy, Ultear, and Yukino.
In a rural area surrounded entirely by forested hills, a luxurious four story villa stood out incongruously among the trees. This was the gathering point for the joint guild forces, generously sponsored by Blue Pegasus, and belonging to Guild Master Bob's private residence. By the time Kabe and his group arrived, Blue Pegasus's members were, unsurprisingly, already there waiting.
"Men~ It really has been too long, everyone from Fairy Tail~~"
A voice thick with practiced charm echoed through the villa's spacious hall, sending a shiver down the spines of the Fairy Tail members who had just walked in the door.
"Th, that voice..."
Just from hearing it, several of the Fairy Tail members had already guessed who it belonged to, an instinctive wave of discomfort washing over them. Only Lucy stood there looking around cluelessly, a starstruck expression on her face.
"Who, who's talking? That voice is so smooth."
But the moment the words left her mouth, a short figure appeared at the top of the staircase, shattering every positive impression she'd been forming about the voice's owner.
"Men, thank you for the compliment. You're quite the charming young lady yourself."
A man stood at the top of the stairs, a rose held delicately between his fingers, striking a pose he clearly thought looked dashing. With that, he leapt lightly onto the banister and slid all the way down in one smooth motion, landing gracefully in front of the group with an elegant flourish.
"I see a few new faces among you. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ichiya Vandalay Kotobuki, leading Blue Pegasus's team for this operation."
With that, he turned, pointing one hand at Kabe, who stood watching his performance in silence with arms crossed, and shot him a wink, sweeping his bangs back with the other hand as he added a compliment.
"And might I add, it's been over a year, Kabe, and your scent is still as manly as ever~~"
At that, the rest of the Fairy Tail group turned to stare at Kabe in shock, taking several steps back.
Kabe stayed silent, slowly lowering his crossed arms, and stared at Ichiya expressionlessly for a couple of seconds before suddenly breaking into a wide grin.
"Say something that weird again and I'll kill you right here, right now~"
Ichiya: ...
He cleared his throat lightly, the cold sweat running down his handsome face for a moment before he composed himself and turned around as if nothing had happened, clapping his hands.
"Alright then, our friends from Fairy Tail have arrived. The rest of you, come on out too, don't be rude."
The words had barely left his mouth when a woman's voice grumbled indignantly from somewhere else in the villa.
"Oh come on, Big Brother Ichiya, you're the one who told us to play along, or we wouldn't have kept hiding this long."
Another voice, distinctly male, chimed in as well.
"Master, maybe try acting a little more normal next time. I'd rather not have to bury you this early."
As they spoke, two figures came down the stairs. Everyone got a good look and realized, to their surprise, that both of them were familiar faces.
"Sister Karen! We meet again!"
Karen looked over at the blonde girl with a single ponytail, waving excitedly in greeting, and studied her for a few seconds before her eyes widened.
"You're... Lucy?"
"That's me, Sister Karen! I joined Fairy Tail!"
Lucy raised her right hand, showing off the pink Fairy Tail emblem on the back of it, her tone carrying a note of pride. Karen had always thought well of the girl, given her genuine talent with Celestial Spirit Magic, and seeing her again now, already a member of Fairy Tail besides, Karen felt a sincere flicker of happiness.
"I see. Well, congratulations, Lucy."
While the two of them caught up on old times, on the other side of the room, a figure with long, pale gold hair had already thrown herself unceremoniously into Kabe's arms.
"Ta-da~ Surprised to see us, aren't you~~"
"I really am. Didn't expect you two to be Blue Pegasus's representatives for this one."
The girl who'd arrived with Karen was, of course, another of Kabe's close acquaintances at Blue Pegasus, Jenny Realight. In truth, Kabe had already sensed both women's presence before he'd even entered the villa, though that didn't stop him from playing along and acting suitably surprised. Jenny, of course, knew him well enough to be fully aware of his absurd sensory abilities. But that was exactly why she was so pleased, taking it as a sign that Kabe still cared enough to play along.
"Hehe, this is what we worked hard to earn. Guild Master Bob's finally recognized our strength."
With that, she let go of him and turned to nod at Ultear, Yukino, and the others in greeting.
"It's been a while, Ultear, Yukino, and everyone from Fairy Tail."
At that, Ultear and Yukino returned the nod with barely a change in expression. Natsu and the rest, meanwhile, looked distinctly put out, not having expected to be lumped together and dismissed with a single passing greeting. Similarly, off to the side, thoroughly ignored by everyone, Ichiya looked just as awkward, unable to stop himself from muttering under his breath.
"If I'd known it would turn out like this, I should never have brought those two along."