— — — — — —
"Why?" Roubaul was clearly confused. "Is it about the reward? Everything in this town, all the wealth we've accumulated over the years, I can give it all to you."
From his perspective, this shouldn't have been difficult for Kazuma. So why refuse?
"If I helped you achieve your goal," Kazuma asked calmly, "would your spirit even be able to hold on afterward?"
Roubaul opened his mouth, but no words came out.
"You wouldn't," Kazuma continued. "You're only still here because of your obsession. As long as that obsession exists, you can remain."
"But once it's gone, your soul won't have anything left to cling to. You'd vanish from this world almost instantly."
"I'm ruthless to my enemies," he said, voice steady, "but I don't hurt people who aren't my enemies for no reason."
"And I won't destroy a child's home without cause."
"But… but all of this is fake," Roubaul said, his voice trembling. "The guild, the companions, they're all illusions. Letting Wendy live inside a lie isn't right."
"I've been dead for a long time. One day, I'll disappear no matter what. I don't want to still be deceiving Wendy when that happens."
Fake was fake. No matter how kind the intention, it was still a lie.
If he could, he wanted to keep things like this forever. But they couldn't protect Wendy for her entire life.
"Real or fake," Kazuma said quietly, "at least it's something."
"Compared to children who are abandoned, rejected, with no one to protect them… Wendy is already very lucky."
"Don't you think she's happy?"
Kazuma looked straight at him. He had seen truly desperate children before.
Children whose eyes held no hope for the future, no desire to live. Just dull emptiness. Living, for them, was nothing more than continuing to exist.
At that point, even a fake home was priceless. Precious beyond measure.
"Wendy… is happy?" Roubaul murmured.
He froze.
He had given Wendy everything he could. Cait Shelter, that name alone represented his devotion.
Wendy wanted companions, so he used his power to create countless avatars, each with their own personality.
He built this town, wove fabrics, made this false guild feel as real as possible.
And yet… he still felt it was deception.
If Wendy ever learned the truth, wouldn't she be heartbroken? Wouldn't she hate them?
"Grandpa Master, I'm done packing!"
Wendy came running out with her travel bag, her small body struggling to carry something nearly as big as she was.
She staggered over to him, smiling brightly. "Grandpa Master, I'm heading out now. I'll miss everyone while I'm away."
"Wendy…" Roubaul hesitated, then asked softly, "Are you happy here at the guild?"
"Yeah! I'm really happy," Wendy said without hesitation. "I love the guild, I love everyone, and I love you the most, Grandpa Master!"
She gave him a cheerful, innocent smile. She knew nothing of the truth. This was her most honest answer.
"I see," Roubaul said quietly.
"Then you can stay out a little longer this time. Go learn properly from the strongest guild in Fiore."
"When I'm gone one day, this guild will be yours. You'll need to understand how a guild really works."
Hearing her words and seeing that smile, he felt just as he had the first time he met Wendy.
His heart softened.
Between his goal and Wendy, he chose Wendy.
Before he completely faded away, he would give her a little more time. Let her grow a bit more.
"Um… I'll study hard!" Wendy nodded seriously. "And Grandpa, you'll be fine. You're so healthy, you'll definitely live to a hundred!"
"Pfft."
Kazuma couldn't help laughing.
The Nirvit people had been destroyed around four hundred years ago. Which meant the old Roubaul was roughly four hundred years old already.
"..."
"Wendy, be careful on the road," Roubaul said gently. "Take good care of yourself."
"And Carla, you too. Look after yourself."
He understood the irony too, but faced with Wendy's pure gaze, there was nothing he could say. The bitterness could only be swallowed alone.
"Bye-bye, Grandpa!"
"Goodbye, Wendy. Goodbye, Carla."
Wendy left with Kazuma. This time, he didn't use shadow soldiers. Instead, he took her to ride a train.
"So this is a train? Wow, that's amazing!"
Wendy pressed her face to the window, staring at the passing scenery with wide eyes. This was her first real trip away from home.
She remembered a word she'd read in a book once: "travel."
So this was what traveling felt like.
"Hmph."
Carla ordered a cup of black tea and sat gracefully as she drank it, looking calm and mature on the surface.
But every so often, the curiosity in her eyes slipped out as she glanced outside.
"Kazuma-niisan," Wendy asked excitedly, "what's Fairy Tail like? Is it pretty?"
"It's nice," Kazuma replied. "Not long ago we held the Harvest Festival. That was something special."
"The streets were packed with decorations, people everywhere, lively beyond words."
"Our guild even held a Fantasia Parade. Everyone showed off the beautiful, fantastical side of their magic."
"That's what I'd call truly beautiful."
As he spoke, he formed a flower in his palm with magic, then handed the glowing blossom to Wendy.
"It's so pretty! You're amazing, Kazuma-niisan!"
Wendy stared at the flower, her eyes practically sparkling with admiration. She'd never imagined magic could be used like this.
"Wendy, you should be careful of this man," Carla said suddenly.
"I read in a book that men who are good at charming girls like this are usually scumbags. Bad guys."
(Scumbag Leo: "Ouch… I feel personally attacked.")
"Miss Kitty, you've got it wrong," Kazuma said with a chuckle. "I'm really not good at charming girls. I'm just used to taking care of kids."
He handed Carla a small top hat. Once she put it on, she looked like a tiny, proper lady.
"Do you like it?" he asked.
"I… I don't like it at all," Carla said stiffly.
But as she looked at her reflection in the glass, it was obvious she did like it. She just refused to admit it.
"It's yours," Kazuma said lightly.
He didn't mind her stubbornness. He knew kids like this well. One glance at her pout told him everything.
...
The train ride passed peacefully, and soon they arrived at the town where Fairy Tail was located.
And the moment they entered—
"Attention! Attention! Gildarts is back!!"
"Citizens, please move to your designated positions immediately!"
"Gildarts Mode is now active!"
.
.
.