Deliora was dead, Lyon had been defeated, the "moon" had been shattered, the villagers' memories restored, and the village chief's son, Bobo, had returned.
With that, the mission officially came to an end.
It was nighttime.
The villagers invited everyone to stay overnight and hosted a grand feast.
Under Natsu's invitation, Lyon's team reluctantly joined in as well.
"Mister Mage, you're so handsome!"
"Do you have a girlfriend?"
"Can you accept me even in my demonic form?"
"Even if you can't, would you like to spend a passionate night together?"
"..."
At the banquet, it was clear who the most popular guest was—Jehfrit.
The female demons made no effort to hide their admiration for him.
"Jehfrit!" Erza noticed one of the demon ladies holding a wine glass and about to bring it to Jehfrit's lips. "Come over here!"
"Haha, got it," Jehfrit quickly stood up and moved to sit beside Erza.
Erza's commanding presence scared off the demon ladies.
They then turned their attention to Gray.
"Gray, your clothes!" Erza reminded him.
"Wha—?" Gray suddenly realized he wasn't wearing any clothes!
"Hahaha, Gray, you exhibitionist!" Lyon burst out laughing.
"Lyon-sama, your clothes..." Sherry hesitantly reminded him from the side.
She wanted to admire his body but was jealous of other women seeing it.
"What?!" Lyon also realized what had happened.
"Hahaha, idiot!" Gray mocked.
"How dare you! It's time you remembered how formidable your senior is!" Lyon fumed.
"Anytime!" Gray shot back defiantly.
And just like that, the two began a drinking contest.
"Natsu, try this—it's delicious!" Lucy, having found a tasty dish, eagerly shared it with Natsu.
"Hmm?" Lucy had intended for Natsu to use his chopsticks and pick from the plate. But before she could react, Natsu leaned over and bit directly onto the half-eaten portion still on her chopsticks.
"You brute!" Lucy blushed furiously, torn between anger and embarrassment. She playfully smacked at Natsu, though her blows didn't even make him flinch. He simply grinned widely, showing his sharp teeth. "Delicious!"
Such was the lively atmosphere of the banquet.
Everyone enjoyed themselves thoroughly.
---
The next morning.
After bidding farewell to the villagers and Lyon's group, they boarded a ship and departed.
In the town of Hargeon, the group stopped to rest and grab lunch.
As they were eating...
A conflict arose between two tables nearby.
At table 7 sat a couple—a man and a woman—enjoying a peaceful meal. Their affectionate demeanor made it clear they didn't want to be disturbed.
At table 9 sat three men, one of whom had multicolored hair. This man stared lecherously at the woman's waist and lower body for some time before finally rising from his seat.
He moved to sit beside his companions, positioning himself back-to-back with the woman. Then he deliberately dropped a chopstick.
"Oh, it fell."
Pretending to bend down to retrieve it, he instead pressed his face close to the woman's chair.
"Ah!"
The woman let out a startled cry, feeling something inappropriate. She quickly turned around and saw a strange man.
"Sorry, I was just picking up my chopstick and accidentally touched you," the rainbow-haired man explained, rubbing his nose innocently.
"Be more careful," the woman's boyfriend said, clearly annoyed.
"I said it was an accident! What's with your tone? Are you accusing me? Thinking I did it on purpose?!" The rainbow-haired man suddenly exploded in anger, glaring at the boyfriend.
"I didn't say anything," the boyfriend replied, bewildered.
"Don't insult me, you bastard!" The rainbow-haired man shouted, his two companions immediately standing up to glare menacingly at the boyfriend.
"Fine, fine, I don't want any trouble," the boyfriend said, sensing he was outnumbered. He grabbed his girlfriend and prepared to leave.
Though the trio didn't stop them, they waited until the woman passed by before reaching out to grope her private areas!
Just as it seemed they would succeed—
Jehfrit pulled out three card-shaped objects, ready to intervene.
"Waaah, don't fight!" Suddenly, a crying voice rang out near Jehfrit's ear. A strong sense of danger made him instinctively turn to defend himself.
There stood an old man—beardless, with messy white hair, dressed in a white priest's robe and carrying a coffin taller than himself. His weary appearance suggested he'd traveled far.
In his left hand, he held a book; with his right, he wiped away tears while walking and sobbing.
"Ahh!"
While Jehfrit was momentarily distracted, the woman screamed—she had already been violated.
"Hahaha, so soft!"
"So smooth!"
The three men laughed triumphantly.
"You bastards!" The boyfriend couldn't contain his rage and clenched his fists, ready to strike.
"Waaah, no fighting! Love peace!" The old man took a single step, crossing several meters in an instant, and grabbed the boyfriend's wrist.
"They were the ones harassing my girlfriend!" the boyfriend protested angrily.
"But fighting isn't allowed!" the old man cried.
"Who are you? What does this have to do with you?!" The boyfriend's face darkened.
The old man's grip was terrifyingly strong. No matter how hard the boyfriend struggled, he couldn't break free. In fact, the pressure increased, making his wrist feel like it might snap!
"Hahaha, thanks for stopping him, old man," the trio jeered, unconcerned. Having gotten what they wanted, they prepared to leave.
"Bastard, let go of me!" The boyfriend, enraged, tried to kick the old man.
'Clang'
Erza raised her sword scabbard to block the kick.
"Who are you? Another one trying to meddle?!" the boyfriend yelled furiously.
"I'm saving you," Erza stated calmly.
"Calm down," Jehfrit stepped forward to explain. "I'll deal with those three, but don't attack this person."
As he spoke, Jehfrit drew three cards.
"No fighting!" the old man pleaded, attempting to stop Jehfrit.
'Whoosh'
'Boom'
'Crack crack crack'
Erza unsheathed her sword, flames gathered in Natsu's hands, and Gray unleashed his icy magic.
The old man froze mid-motion.
Protected behind his friends, Jehfrit ignored the elder's angry glare and launched the three cards.
The spinning cards struck the trio precisely, knocking them unconscious. They then transformed into black streaks of light laced with golden threads, returning to Jehfrit's palm.
From the crowd, a few good Samaritans rushed forward, beating the three men mercilessly until they were bruised, bloody, and wailing in pain. Someone brought ropes, binding the trio tightly.
"The three of them are tied up now. You can take them to the authorities. Leave the rest to us," Jehfrit announced.
"Alright... thank you all!" the boyfriend said, still confused but sensing something amiss. Without lingering, he quickly led his girlfriend away, and together with the kind-hearted citizens, delivered the trio to the local law enforcement for judgment.