Nate and his group returned to the guild—or more accurately, a construction site. The rebuilding wasn't something that could be completed in a few days. Based on Mirajane's sketches—if you could even call her abstract crayon drawings "blueprints"—the reconstruction would take at least a month.
Wendy and Carla looked around curiously as they arrived.
"So, this is the famous guild, Fairy... Tail?" Wendy's voice trailed off, her initial excitement fading into confusion.
"It's just a giant construction site!" Carla couldn't help but retort.
Nate nodded. "You didn't know? We had a fight with Phantom Lord, and our guild got destroyed."
Wendy and Carla suddenly remembered that Erza had mentioned the guild was under reconstruction the night before. They had assumed it was just some minor repairs—definitely not a complete rebuild from scratch.
The site was bustling with workers. Natsu, carrying a load of lumber, spotted Nate and Erza and immediately dropped everything to rush over.
"Erza! Let's have a rematch!" Natsu shouted eagerly, clashing his fists together, ready for a fight.
BAM!
Erza's lightning-fast punch knocked Natsu out cold, leaving him lying on the ground, looking as peaceful as a sleeping baby.
"He never learns..." Erza sighed.
"Is he going to be okay?" Wendy asked, looking a bit scared. Seeing Natsu get knocked out with just one punch made her realize how strong Erza was.
"That's Natsu's hundredth or so defeat. It's a common sight," Happy commented as he waddled over, only to notice Carla standing next to Wendy.
"Oh!" he exclaimed, his eyes turning into hearts.
"Hey, cat-boy, why are you staring at me like that?" Carla asked, clearly unimpressed.
"I'm Happy, a cat from Fairy Tail. What's your name?"
"Carla," she responded, though she clearly wasn't interested in talking to Happy.
"Carla, do you want some fish?" Happy pulled a fish out of his ever-present green bag—a snack he always carried in case he got hungry.
He held it out to Carla, but she turned her head away with a scoff.
"She's shy—how cute!" Happy gushed, oblivious to her disinterest.
Watching this, Lucy couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "She's not shy; she's just annoyed by you..."
"Lucy, you don't understand women at all!" Happy declared, still convinced he was winning Carla over. He returned the fish to his bag.
Lucy rolled her eyes. "I am a woman, and I just got insulted by a cat..."
Nate found the whole exchange amusing but managed to hold back his laughter.
"Welcome back, Nate, Erza." Mirajane arrived with a tray of juices, her usual warm smile in place. She noticed Wendy and Carla and seemed pleasantly surprised. "You've helped the Council a lot this time around. I hear the master received some praise."
"Let me introduce you," Nate said. "This is Wendy and Carla from 'Cait Shelter.' They're visiting as guests."
"Wah! Carla, it's Mirajane! She's so beautiful!" Wendy whispered in awe.
"Welcome to Fairy Tail, Wendy and Carla." Mirajane smiled warmly. "Since the guild is still under construction, why don't I take you to our temporary tavern downstairs?"
At the mention of Wendy's name, Natsu suddenly sat up from where he had been lying. "Wendy... That name sounds familiar, but also not familiar..."
Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Natsu scratched his head in confusion. "I'm Natsu, a Fire Dragon Slayer."
Wendy quickly responded, "Natsu, I'm Wendy, a Sky Dragon Slayer. I've wanted to meet you for a long time."
Everyone around them, including Mirajane and Lucy, was taken aback.
"I had the same reaction when I met her," Erza added. "Wendy is skilled in healing magic. She's incredible."
Natsu's eyes lit up. "Really? You're Grandeeney's kid!"
He remembered the Magic Net post from 'Voldemort' that mentioned the dragons: Fire Dragon Igneel, Iron Dragon Metalicana, and Sky Dragon Grandeeney.
Now that he had met Wendy, it only confirmed the accuracy of that post.
"Wendy, have you seen Grandeeney? Did she also disappear on July 7, 777?"
"Nate helped me see Grandeeney last night," Wendy answered shyly, "but she didn't tell me why she disappeared without saying goodbye."
Natsu stood up, scratching his head. "Igneel didn't tell me anything either. I feel like I've seen you before, Wendy. Have we met?"
Carla rolled her eyes. "That's not something you should be asking others, Fire Dragon Natsu."
Nate, observing the exchange, thought to himself, 'You probably met when you were kids, but you don't remember it.'
"Let's not just stand here. Let's head to the tavern," Mirajane suggested. "It's lunchtime, Wendy, Carla. Come try some of our guild's food."
The group moved to the basement tavern. Though jobs could now be taken via the Magic Net, Fairy Tail mages still liked to hang out at the guild when they had free time. They'd sit in the tavern, order a drink, open the Magic Net, and either take on jobs or chat with friends.
And, of course, fighting remained a regular occurrence in Fairy Tail.
Inside the tavern, Nate didn't spot Juvia. She was probably still resting at his house after the previous night.
Erza, thinking about how many sets of armor she had damaged, excused herself to handle repairs. Nate was curious how much it would cost—Erza must be loaded!
"Welcome back, Nate," said a familiar voice from the bar.
It was Master Makarov, tipsy even in the middle of the day, looking very pleased with himself.
"I heard from Yajima that you and Erza helped the Council a great deal. Ha! This morning, the Council even complimented Fairy Tail for once."
Makarov was clearly proud, relishing the praise.
Nate knew Yajima, the sixth member of the Council and a good friend of Makarov's.
"Master, I used Fairy Law in combat, but its power was only half as strong as yours. Why is that?" Nate asked.
Makarov nearly spit out his drink, coughing and staring at Nate in disbelief.
"You've already learned it?!"
Nate smiled inwardly at Makarov's reaction but maintained a serious expression. "I followed your instructions, but the results were underwhelming. Is it due to my lack of experience?"
He had hoped to defeat Jellal in one blow. While Jellal was seriously injured, he still had enough strength to fight back.
Makarov was speechless. He remembered how long it had taken to teach Laxus the basics of Fairy Law, and even for himself, it had required months of grueling practice. Nate's talent was clearly on another level.
"Tell me more," Makarov said, stroking his beard.
Nate recounted the events from the previous night. After hearing the story, Makarov mused, "It seems like you didn't truly want to kill Jellal. That might be why Fairy Law was only half as effective."
'Is that so?' Nate wondered. He didn't care much about whether Jellal lived or died—he just wanted to end the fight quickly.
"Master, I'm thinking of trying something. I want to turn Fairy Law into a magic app." Nate explained the concept of magic apps, concluding with, "If I can pull this off, the whole guild could potentially use Fairy Law!"
"What do you think? Do I have your permission?"
After hearing this, Makarov was dumbfounded.
'This kid learns fast, but now he wants everyone to use it without even learning?'
"If you can make that happen, you'll be the God of Magic!" Makarov exclaimed, still in disbelief.
If it was possible, Makarov would gladly call Nate the strongest!