As for the mess of Edolas's future regime change and how Mystogan would deal with it, that was no longer something Shane needed to worry about.
The instant they crossed the world barrier and returned to Earth Land, Shane moved his thoughts, and his mountain-like dragon body rapidly contracted in midair like rippling water. In the blink of an eye, he had returned to human form.
Unlike Edolas, this place was not suited for letting loose.
He was no fake dragon like his counterpart. Beneath this sky truly lurked a black dragon so terrifying that even the Fire Dragon King Igneel feared it deeply.
That thing was extremely sensitive to the scent of dragons. If Shane got even a little carried away, he might draw it over.
"I wonder if this Albion dragon body could actually go head-to-head with that guy?"
Shane muttered inwardly, feeling a little curious and eager to test it.
Curiosity was curiosity, but reason still made him keep a low profile.
He began quietly sensing the changes in his body.
With the end of the fourth vision, Lancer's three true names had become completely clear.
Not only had he gained the ability to transform into the "Perfect Dragon," Albion, but the true Noble Phantasm belonging to Albion had also been unlocked.
Unlike the simple and brutal Arondight, which was meant purely for direct bombardment, this new Noble Phantasm was on a completely different level.
Even though he had not yet used it, just from the vague information coming through the Class Card, Shane could tell—
its destructive range had already crossed directly from "anti-personnel" to the terrifying level of "anti-world."
That single classification alone was enough to give a glimpse of its absurd power.
What annoyed Shane, however, was that this powerful ability was similar in nature to Arash's Noble Phantasm.
It was an extreme ability where, once released, the user's own body would collapse and perish with it.
That created a very awkward situation.
His strength had clearly leapt forward, but because of that fatal mechanism, it had become a trump card he could look at but not actually use.
Fortunately, Shane was fairly open-minded. Just being able to transform into Albion, the Perfect Dragon, and uncover Lancer's true name was already an enormous profit.
"Still, it really is a pity… Next time I summon, it'd be great if I could pull a Heroic Spirit who ignores bodily collapse and use them as a 'plug-in' to make up for this weakness."
Shane's thoughts were flying everywhere, but his flight speed did not slow at all.
Unlike the false, oppressive dusk that had overflowed from the fourth vision, Earth Land's sky was now dyed by a real sunset into a brilliant spread of fiery clouds.
They had set out in the morning, caused an enormous ruckus in Edolas, and by the time they returned, evening had already fallen.
"Take us straight home first."
Mira looked down at the increasingly familiar outlines of the mountains and forests below and spoke softly.
"It's already so late. Elfman should be home by now. I want him to be the first to know Lisanna came back safely."
"Oh?" Shane raised a brow and turned his head to tease her. "Lisanna, look at her. She can't wait to go back and put on her big-sister act."
"Um…"
Unexpectedly, Lisanna, who had been chattering like a little sparrow earlier, now lowered her head guiltily.
"What's wrong?" Shane found it strange that the girl had suddenly gone quiet.
Smack!
Mira's finger had already mercilessly flicked Lisanna on the forehead.
The white-haired girl bared her little canine teeth, pretending to be fierce as she scolded,
"Now you know how to be embarrassed? Acting behind my back, and even daring to take an S-Class job with Elfman… I'll slowly settle that account with you two idiots later!"
"Ugh… that hurts."
Lisanna wanted to lift her hand and cover her head, but unfortunately, Shane currently had her firmly tucked under his arm like a briefcase. Her arms couldn't move at all.
She couldn't move freely like Mira on the other side, who was steadily holding onto Shane's neck and had plenty of "riding" experience.
She could only pitifully take the lecture.
Seeing Lisanna's miserable little expression, even Shane felt a bit unable to keep watching.
"Speaking of which, now that we're back in Earth Land, your magic should have recovered, right? Why don't you transform and fly back on your own?"
"Didn't I injure my arm? Flying by myself would be very inconvenient."
Mira raised her right arm, which was still wrapped in bandages, and said it with perfect confidence. "My balance is bad. It's inconvenient to fly."
"…"
The corner of Shane's mouth twitched. He honestly had no idea what necessary connection there was between an arm injury and flying.
But to spare poor Lisanna a little more of her sister's "brutal oppression," he silently sped up.
The wind roared past.
Before long, the three of them descended steadily at the end of a Magnolia street amid a surge of air.
"Alright, delivery complete."
Shane put the two sisters down and turned to slip away. "I still have something urgent to do, so I'm heading out."
He was still thinking about the flowers in his yard. Kagura spent all day disliking him, so relying on that girl to help look after them was completely unrealistic.
"You're not allowed to leave."
Mira frowned, somewhat dissatisfied.
They had all moved together this whole time. What kind of logic was there in turning around and leaving alone right at the front door?
Without letting him object, she dragged Shane toward the house.
"At least stay for dinner. We're celebrating Lisanna coming home!"
"What's the rush? Lisanna and I disappeared for so long and finally came back. Once we go to the guild tomorrow, there'll definitely be a big feast."
That was what he said, but Mira clung to him too tightly. Shane had no way to deal with her, so he could only accept his fate and follow her inside.
…
"Mira-nee, you're back already?"
Hearing the front door open, Elfman, who had been sitting blankly on the living room sofa, quickly stood up.
"Mm."
Mira's voice was unusually gentle.
Elfman turned his head and was about to say something, but his gaze suddenly moved past his sister and landed on the petite figure who followed her inside.
That signature short silver hair.
That bright smile, vivid enough to sweep away every shadow.
The burly man froze completely.
"Ta-da! Elfman-nii, I'm back!"
Lisanna jumped out from behind Mira.
"Li… Lisanna?"
Elfman rubbed his eyes in disbelief, afraid this was another hallucination caused by missing her too much.
Once he confirmed it wasn't a dream, he suddenly bounced up from the sofa and charged over like a clumsy bear, pulling his little sister into his arms.
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry!"
He sobbed uncontrollably. The nightmare in his mind—the one where he had become the Beast Soul and struck his sister away with his own hands—finally shattered completely at that moment.
"Alright, alright. Crying so loudly is embarrassing…"
Lisanna patted her brother's back, her own voice beginning to choke.
Mira watched quietly, a brief mist flashing through her eyes.
"Alright, Elfman. Didn't I tell you a long time ago that Lisanna was still alive? Was there any need to be that surprised?"
Only after the siblings had poured out their emotions for quite a while did Mira step forward and drag the still-sniffling pair back onto the sofa.
"It's been a long time since I cooked for you two. Let me handle dinner today."
As she spoke, Mira walked skillfully to the wall, took down an apron, and tied it on.
But in the next second, she turned around, and that gentle smile instantly switched into a terrifyingly "kind" one.
"As for the punishment for you two acting behind my back… you can spend the time while I cook looking forward to it properly."
"Wait! Sister!"
The moment she heard "settle accounts," Lisanna's earlier emotion flew straight into the clouds. "Didn't you already lecture me in the sky earlier?"
"Did I?"
Mira smiled sweetly as she adjusted her sleeves. "I suppose there was something like that."
"But for the sake of family education, I have to make sure you two remember deep in your bones just how serious the consequences are when you recklessly take jobs beyond your ability!"
With that, she gave a light snort, ruthlessly ignored the wails of her younger siblings, and turned toward Shane, who was watching the show from the side.
"Hey, my arm is injured. Come help me in the kitchen."
"What kind of logic makes the guest work in the kitchen…"
Shane had just found a comfortable position on the sofa and collapsed into it. Hearing that, he could only accept his fate and mutter as he climbed back up.
The moment he stepped into the kitchen, Shane raised a brow.
At the cutting board, Mira held a kitchen knife. The blade turned into a crisp blur over the board.
With each rise and fall, the vegetables were sliced into even pieces. Her movements were smooth and practiced, carrying a domestic feel completely at odds with her usual image.
"I heard from Lisanna before that you're good at cooking. We've known each other this long, but this is the first time I've actually seen it."
Shane leaned against the counter, casually picked up a washed cucumber, and bit into it with a crunch.
"Hmph. I can't say much about anything else, but I'm definitely better than Erza at cooking."
Without looking up, Mira pointed with her chin toward the basket of vegetables beside her.
"Don't just stand there eating. Work. Peel those heads of garlic."
Anyone who had cooked before knew that peeling garlic was a uniquely inhumane kind of tiny chore.
Not only did it leave a smell on your hands that wouldn't wash away, but the thin film stuck tightly to the clove was especially good at wearing down one's patience.
"You clearly know Erza is the kind of person who's too serious about everything…"
Shane shook his head helplessly. He couldn't be bothered to pick at it bit by bit with his fingers, so he pulled out a wide-backed kitchen knife.
Smack! Smack!
His hand rose and fell. The flat of the blade struck the cutting board cleanly twice, and those stubborn garlic cloves instantly split open.
"So why are you always thinking about competing with her over everything?"
Shane skillfully peeled off the garlic skins and casually complained.
"What do you know? Erza actually enjoys it too."
Mira expertly stir-fried the ingredients in the wok. As smoke and steam rose, a sly smile curved her lips.
"In front of others, she's not nearly as obedient as she acts around you. Deep down, she's very combative."
"…"
Shane naturally knew that very well.
He had simply always chosen to wisely ignore it in order to avoid inviting trouble upon himself.
Since he couldn't answer, Shane simply shut his mouth and found some work to do. He reached into the cupboard, took out a clean white porcelain plate, and handed it over.
"By the way… thank you for this time. Really."
Mira poured the stir-fried dish into the plate. Her movements paused slightly.
"Help me think about how I should thank you."
"Didn't we already agree? This counts as repaying the favor you did for me before," Shane answered casually.
"That was obviously a joke."
Mira rolled her eyes at him. "I'm not thick-skinned to that degree."
"Really?"
Shane curled his lip, clearly reserving judgment.
Seeing his punchable "I don't believe you" expression, Mira took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the urge to smack him over the head with the spatula in her hand.
"Forget it. Discussing this with you won't get anywhere. If you won't say it, I'll decide myself."
With that, she turned away in a huff, swinging the spatula in her hand a little more forcefully than before.
Because Shane was quick and efficient at cutting vegetables and preparing ingredients beside her, in less than an hour, a simple homemade dinner of four dishes and one soup was steaming hot on the table.
Under the warm yellow light, the atmosphere at the table was especially cozy.
Surprisingly, Elfman, who usually just buried his head and ate, became the one who spoke the most today.
While shoveling food into his mouth, he kept thumping his chest and swearing that he would become a true man and never let his family be hurt again.
Lisanna chewed on her chopsticks.
Although she felt a little bad thinking this, sure enough, this world's Elfman-nii looked more familiar and comforting to her.
Mira, as the head of the family, was unusually quiet at that moment.
She slowly poked at the rice in her bowl, her gaze wandering, who knew what she was thinking about.
…
After dinner, everyone sat in the living room and chatted for a while to digest.
Seeing that the sky had gone completely dark, Shane stood up and once again said he was leaving.
"I'll see you off."
Hearing that he was leaving, Mira, who had been staring into space, seemed to suddenly come back to herself. She immediately stood up and followed him out quickly.
"Huh?"
Elfman, who was clearing the dishes, looked at the two walking toward the entrance with confusion and scratched his head.
"Does someone as strong as Brother Shane need anyone to see him off? With his speed, for such a short distance, he should be able to go home with a whoosh, right?"
"Shh!"
Lisanna quickly pressed a finger to her lips and glared at her foolish brother in exasperation.
"Sister is working hard right now. Don't you dare mess things up."
"What do you mean?"
Elfman held a plate, completely confused.
…
The night street was quiet and peaceful, and the cool moonlight stretched their shadows long.
It wasn't only Elfman who didn't understand. Shane, walking shoulder to shoulder with the girl down the street, also had question marks over his head.
He turned his head, looked at the smiling Mira beside him, and couldn't help asking,
"Your hand is injured that badly. Why aren't you resting properly at home instead of running around outside at night?"
"Uh…"
Asked so directly, Mira's steps paused almost imperceptibly.
But she reacted extremely quickly. Her eyes shifted, and she immediately threw out a flawless excuse.
"Porlyusica lives in the forest near your place, doesn't she? I'm going over there along the way to have her treat my injury."
"Oh."
Shane nodded.
Although he found it strange that the eccentric old woman, who hated humans more than anything, would treat someone in the middle of the night, since Mira had said so, he couldn't be bothered to probe further and let her walk beside him.
Because he had things on his mind, and because Mira was somehow silent too, the two said nothing the entire way and simply walked quietly.
The night wind was slightly cool, and their pace was quick. Before long, they arrived at the fence in front of Shane's large yard.
"As expected…"
By the hazy moonlight, Shane could see the flowerbed from far away.
The flowers and plants that carried all sorts of his expectations looked somewhat wilted, their leaves drooping because they had lost the support of his magic.
He couldn't even be bothered to say goodbye. Shane hurriedly grabbed the watering can from the corner, rushed to the flowerbed, and began carefully watering, loosening soil, and pouring in magic.
Mira slowly walked to his side.
Seeing the boy crouched in front of the soil with such nervous concentration, she couldn't help letting out a soft laugh.
The evening wind brushed through her silver-white hair, and the girl's eyes curved into a smile.
"So the reason you were in such a hurry to come back… was for these flowers?"