When Hope rubbed his eyes and pushed open the tent, only Erza, Mirajane, and Cana—who had returned late last night because of the hot springs—remained in the camp.
Most of the others had gone out for sightseeing with Mavis as their guide. Tenrou Island had many sights worth seeing, and some environments were perfect for an adventurous atmosphere, making them favorites for the likes of Natsu and Gajeel.
A pot of thick, bubbling soup sat over the campfire. Mirajane and Erza, wearing aprons, were preparing ingredients for lunch; one was slicing raw meat, while the other was sorting washed wild fruits and vegetables into wooden trays.
"Yo, the sleeping beauty is awake?" Cana waved a wine bottle at him. "Want some morning wine? I mixed it with tomato juice, chili powder... and some other refreshing seasonings."
Are you an envoy from the Dark Cuisine World...? Besides, who drinks morning wine at this hour? It'll be noon in two hours.
Hope's mouth twitched. He suspected Cana simply wanted a guinea pig, so he decisively refused the cup of suspicious-looking unknown liquid.
Hope then turned his gaze toward the coast of Tenrou Island, where he saw several warships flying the Council's flag quietly anchored at the shore.
"Why is the Council here?"
"The Master called them over."
Mira said, handing over a bowl of steaming hot noodles. "We captured so many prisoners from Demon Heart; we can't expect a single Mage Guild to handle that many people, right?"
Much like Tartaros mobilizing its entire army, Grimoire Heart had concentrated all its combat power.
During the attack on Tenrou Island, besides the core Vice Guild Master and the Seven Kin of Purgatory cadres, many Dark Mages from subordinate guilds were also involved, totaling about a hundred people.
However, the Mages on Fairy Tail's side were too powerful, mowing down those Dark Mages—who originally had some tricks up their sleeves—like mere fodder.
Mystogan, who handled the final cleanup, used sleep magic to render them all incapable of fighting.
But none of that had much to do with Hope.
He took the bowl of noodles, blew on the steam fogging up his face, and began slurping loudly.
Actually, after breaking through the strength of 100,000 Horsepower, Hope could actively absorb energy from ordinary Plants and animals to replenish his body's needs, making eating completely unnecessary.
But as a human, desires aren't so easily discarded, especially when faced with the temptation of gourmet food—for instance, Mira's noodles were delicious.
Slurp, slurp, slurp~
Hope finished the noodle soup and suddenly remembered two people. "By the way, how will the Council handle Ultear and Jellal?"
"Jellal will likely join the Council's Sinner Squad," Erza said while preparing the side dishes. "As for Ultear..."
"Ultear ran off with a kid!" Cana chimed in with a grin.
Hope's hand shook. What explosive news!
He remembered the Council's wanted poster for Ultear said she was only 20 this year? He didn't expect her to be a mother already... Hades really is a heinous criminal.
Seeing Hope's expression of grief and indignation, Erza couldn't help but poke him in the head. "What kind of nonsense is filling your brain? Ultear wants to atone in her own way and didn't want to work under the Council, so she left with Meredy."
Meredy?
Hope thought for a moment before remembering. She was the pink-haired girl about the same age as Wendy, who was said to have been raised by Ultear and was very dependent on her.
So that's the "kid" she meant... As they chatted and laughed, light footsteps echoed from outside the camp. Levy, Wendy, Carla, and Mavis had returned, their baskets filled with brightly colored mushrooms.
Hope glanced at the pile of multicolored mushrooms and couldn't help asking Levy, "No matter how you look at them, aren't those poisonous mushrooms?"
"Hehe..."
Seeing Levy's helpless expression, Hope immediately understood that Mavis had put her up to it. As a junior in the guild, what else could she do when facing the First Master?
"These mushrooms are so pretty; I've always been curious about how they taste..."
Mavis floated in the air, spinning excitedly as she wiped away non-existent drool. "I'll let you juniors have this treat today. Remember to make them look nice."
After saying that, Mavis called Wendy over to play on the other side of the camp, leaving Hope, Levy, and Carla staring at each other.
Carla rubbed her face with her paw and complained, "Honestly, even if she's a ghost, she's still an adult. How is her personality still like a child's?"
Hope shrugged. Seeing Levy's troubled look toward the basket of mushrooms, he casually used an 'Enchantment' to strip away their toxicity.
Speaking of which, Mavis's body was perfectly preserved.
Could he perhaps try using the 'Enchantment' to stuff her soul back in?
Two hours passed quickly; Natsu, Gray, Gajeel, and the others who went exploring also began returning one after another, though their noisy voices reached the camp long before they did.
"The fish I caught is bigger!"
"Nonsense! I saw that fish first!"
Listening to Natsu and Gray's routine bickering, Makarov scolded them while huffing and puffing, "You scared all the fish away! If it weren't for you two idiots, would this old man have failed to catch even a single fish?!"
"It's obviously because your fishing skills are too poor, Master..."
"Yeah, who uses a person as groundbait?"
"You still dare to talk back?! Take a hit of this old man's Giant's Bone Fist!"
"..."
Lunchtime began amidst this familiar clamor.
Although he didn't know how an exploration turned into a fishing trip, looking at the energetic crowd, Hope suddenly felt that yesterday's Dark Guild invasion, the battle with the Black Wizard, and that brief, oppressive confrontation with the Black Dragon...
...seemed like things from another world entirely.
No matter how powerful the enemy or how harrowing the battle, they could always return to this ordinary and lively daily life. This was Fairy Tail.
"By the way, after we return to Magnolia, a messenger from the Council might stop by later."
Makarov took a swig of wine, wiped his mouth, and looked at Hope. "They mainly want to learn more from you about yesterday's... well, the details regarding those two 'visitors'."
Hope nodded; he had expected this.
The appearance of Zeref and the Black Dragon Acnologia, even if only for a fleeting moment, was news enough to shake the entire magical world once it spread.
Given how much the Council valued those two, it was only natural they would want to obtain first-hand information.
And he also wanted to use the records and books accumulated by the Council over centuries to search for any traces the gods might have left in this world.
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