"Fresh fruit delivery!"
The village chief immediately agreed, as he had been worried Marco might not have any requests.
That would have left them tormented by a sense of indebtedness.
This arrangement was perfect—they could finally do something for Marco.
"Very well, I gratefully accept."
Marco smiled and nodded, accepting the chief's arrangement.
He had deliberately made the request to ease the psychological burden of these honest demon villagers, who were almost too sincere.
The banquet concluded in a cheerful atmosphere.
As Marco and the others packed to leave, Boppo and the villagers offered to row them back, but Marco had already summoned his Crow Taxi .
"Lilian, don't be nervous. The crows are professionals."
Seeing the demon girl's tension, Marco reassured her with a smile.
"What's there to be nervous about? You can fly anyway!"
Boppo patted Lilian's shoulder, encouraging the young girl.
Her parents stood by her side, their eyes brimming with tears—a mix of reluctance and pride.
"Yes! Lilian will be brave."
The demon girl nodded firmly, her own eyes welling up as she bid farewell to her parents and friends.
She was leaving her familiar island to start a new life in a new city and a new, larger family.
Deep down, Lilian wasn't too worried.
Marco, Lucy, Gray, Natsu, and Happy were all wonderful people (and cat), and the guild they loved so much must be a great place too!
Before takeoff, Bobo handed Happy a bundle stuffed with dried fish.
"Come visit us whenever you crave fish!"
Bobo said warmly to the group, noting that their fish products were quite delicious too.
"Aye! Definitely!"
Happy hugged the large bundle of dried fish and replied earnestly.
Though he preferred live fish, dried fish made for a tasty snack.
"Let's go."
Marco shook his head with a smile.
The idea of dropping by just to say, "Bobo, I'm craving fish!" was amusing.
The crows spread their wings and soared into the sky, Marco and the others quickly disappearing from view.
As they looked back at the shrinking island, they noticed the residual magical barrier had dissipated.
The demon villagers now had a new protective shield, securing a safer future for their demon lives.
"Safe journey! May all go well!"
From afar, the shouts of the demon villagers reached them, bringing smiles to the faces of the Fairy Tail members.
The crows raced onward, making a brief stop in "Hargeon" for rest before continuing straight to "Magnolia."
"Dong~"
When the bells of Magnolia echoed in the distance, everyone knew they were finally home—that was the familiar sound they cherished.
The crows landed in front of the guild hall.
Marco stepped down first and pushed open the guild doors, greeted by a wave of noisy, familiar commotion.
"Look who's back! Seems another S-class mission has been cleared."
Macao greeted Marco with a grin.
"Sorry to disappoint, but I actually failed the mission."
However, Marco dropped a bombshell with his reply, instantly freezing the smile on Macao's face, which then twisted into disbelief.
"WHATTT?!"
Not just Macao, but all the companions in the guild hall gasped in unison, as if unable to believe what they had heard.
"You're joking, right?" Mirajane couldn't help but speak up, her face wearing a dazed expression, clearly completely unprepared for Marco's words.
"I'm not joking~"
Marco wore a relaxed smile as he spoke, but everyone could see he didn't look like someone who had failed a mission.
"Finally home!"
Just as everyone in the guild fell into dead silence from this thunderous news, Natsu energetically leaped into the guild with a powerful shout, arms spread wide.
However, the expected enthusiastic response never came—only an eerie silence that made Natsu freeze mid-action.
He tilted his head in confusion, looking around like a bewildered puppy.
"What's going on?"
Lucy and Gray, who entered behind Natsu, also looked puzzled.
But their arrival finally sparked a reaction from everyone, as Lilian entered the guild alongside Lucy.
"Is that someone from Galuna Island?!"
Lilian's unique demonic appearance was instantly recognizable to all.
"Correct. Lilian comes from that Galuna Island. She'll be joining the guild, and the S-class mission request will be withdrawn."
Marco nodded, introducing the demon girl Lilian to everyone.
"H...hello everyone... I'm Lilian."
Under Lucy's encouraging gaze and silent "You can do it" lip movement, Lilian took a deep breath and cautiously stepped forward from beside Lucy.
With her head bowed and voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz, she nervously introduced herself to the guild members.
"For real?" someone muttered under their breath.
"He actually didn't complete it?" Incredulous tones rose one after another.
"I doubt that!"
A loud voice cut through the discussions.
A die-hard fan of Marco in the guild stiffened his neck with an "I understand" expression, refusing to believe the invincible Marco could fail!
"It's because Lilian is joining the guild, so Marco decided not to accept payment! That's why they're withdrawing the request! He's doing this to take care of the newcomer!"
This move? This move is pure righteousness from Marco!
To take care of a newcomer, he directly declared his S-class mission failed, giving up 7 million J in reward and a golden key!
Many people showed expressions of sudden understanding, nodding repeatedly as they looked at Marco with admiration, actually believing it!
"Are you really going to do this?"
Facing Marco and Lilian—who had been pushed before the counter and was so nervous she nearly moved her arms and legs in unison—Mirajane leaned slightly forward with her hands on the counter, frowning slightly.
After hesitating, she looked at Marco with complex emotions and confirmed once more.
"They're the ones withdrawing the request. Why ask me?"
Marco spread his hands and shrugged, wearing an innocent expression.
"Hmph!"
Mirajane glared at him angrily, charmingly rolling her eyes before sighing in resignation.
Without another word, she directly began the mission withdrawal procedure.
Clearly, Mirajane didn't believe Marco had truly failed either.
She suspected there must be hidden circumstances behind this, that Marco was up to something unusual again—he always managed to create special situations.
"Alright, the request has been withdrawn."
Though internally complaining the entire time, Mirajane still complied with Marco's arrangement and canceled the S-class mission request.
Lilian breathed a sigh of relief as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
One of her tasks was now complete.
As for future arrangements, she lifted her head and turned her gaze toward Marco beside her, her eyes filled with reliance and trust.
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