Night fell.
After Ian and the others dealt with the wyverns and the bandits, they returned to the train station to retrieve the forgotten Cana from the train.
From there, they headed to Gray's hometown—Ice Lake Village.
Compared to four years ago, when Deliora's sudden invasion reduced the village to ruins, the current village had undergone a complete transformation.
Every house was now a beautiful garden villa, each with at least 180 square meters of yard space. A good 80% of the homes even had magical four-wheeled vehicles parked in front, showing how wealthy the village had become.
At that moment, Ian started to understand…
Why nearby powers saw this remote village as an eyesore.
"This is crazy..."
"It's making me want to rob this village."
"How about we cover our faces and loot the place?"
"One good heist, and we'd never need to take another mission."
Ian stroked his chin as he eyed the village, with its marble-paved streets and gem-embedded doors, many of which had advanced magical defense tools.
"Ian, calm down!"
"Let's not forget, this is my hometown."
Gray broke into a cold sweat, anxiously pleading with Ian.
"Hahaha..."
"I was just joking, Gray. Why are you getting so worked up?"
"Don't you trust my character?"
Ian chuckled as he patted Gray's shoulder.
"Um… Ian, do you even have character or integrity?"
"If you're just joking, that's fine, but I definitely sensed a bit of bloodlust in your tone earlier."
Gray's forehead was beaded with sweat.
Knowing Ian, he wouldn't actually rob the place. But if he got a wild idea to extort the village under the guise of "protection money" as their savior? That wouldn't be far-fetched.
After all, if not for Ian, Ice Lake Village would have been reduced to dust four years ago, just like all the others under Deliora's wrath.
"Hey, it's Gray! You're finally back!"
"Gray, your family sure knows how to disappear! It's been four years!"
"Do you know how busy the village has been without you? We barely have anyone to take care of the fish!"
As Ian and the others entered Ice Lake Village, some of the villagers noticed them. Recognizing Gray, they eagerly approached, recounting how the village had changed since his departure.
"Wait a minute, the person with Gray—isn't that our benefactor?!"
"Stop what you're doing! Our benefactor has returned to the village!"
"What?! The benefactor is here? Let me see!"
Soon, several villagers who had survived the Deliora incident recognized Ian. Realizing that their savior had returned, they quickly dropped what they were doing and flocked to where Ian stood.
Before long, the 80-year-old village chief, supported by his cane and followed by the village elders, appeared before Ian.
"Sniffle... sniffle..."
"Benefactor, you've finally come back..."
Before Ian could say a word, the elders rushed to embrace him, crying loudly with joy.
"Huh?!"
Ian was dumbfounded by the display, confused as to why they were so emotional. He hadn't died, after all—he just hadn't been around.
"Back then, half a year after you helped us defeat Deliora, the fish we released into Ice Lake flourished!"
"In less than a year, every household became fish pond owners."
"Not only did we recover from the damage Deliora caused, but we also earned more wealth in one year than we would have in ten or even a hundred years!"
"Merchants who would never have set foot in our village before and even the lords who used to ignore us came flocking to Ice Lake Village after hearing about the lake's riches! Our village quickly became the regional powerhouse."
As Ian stood there, bewildered, the villagers carried on, brimming with pride.
But then their tone shifted, their expressions turning somber. "However, despite the village's prosperity, we couldn't find you, our benefactor..."
"We asked Gray's family, but Gray and his father, Silver, refused to talk about you!"
"Later, we spent a fortune hiring the mage Gildarts. Though he was powerful and helped with a few problems, he wasn't the one we were looking for!"
"We began to think you had died... that you sacrificed yourself to defeat Deliora, and you didn't want us to worry, which is why you never told us your real name."
As the villagers reached this point, their sadness deepened.
"Ah…"
Ian finally understood the rumor the bandit leader mentioned earlier about a mage perishing alongside Deliora. The rumor must have originated from Ice Lake Village.
"Don't worry."
"A mere Deliora was never enough to harm me."
"The reason you couldn't reach me these past four years was because I was on another continent, completing a difficult mission."
Ian smiled softly. Of course, they couldn't have reached him—he didn't even know about the situation at the time.
"As long as you're safe, that's all that matters!"
"Since you're here, let's throw a feast!!"
Despite being in his 80s, the village chief still had the energy of a young man as he stroked his long beard and loudly announced a celebration.
"Oh!!!"
The villagers cheered in response, lighting up the village with festive decorations. The atmosphere felt like a New Year's celebration as they brought out fine food and drink for Ian and his companions.
"Gulp, gulp, gulp..."
Cana, who had been rudely awakened by the cold wind after being kicked off the train by the conductor for missing her stop, immediately grabbed a barrel of wine and chugged it. Since she missed out on the wyvern fight, she figured she could at least drink to her heart's content.
"Chomp, chomp..."
Natsu grabbed the fish in front of him, devouring it ravenously. After spending most of the past few days on the train either unconscious or nauseated, he was absolutely famished.
Gray, meanwhile, followed the village chief to his family's rebuilt home. Even if he wasn't planning on moving back, he still needed to check it out.
"Father is like a hero here..."
Erza sat by the bonfire, watching as Ian was celebrated like a hero by the villagers. She couldn't help but reflect on the sight.
"Why are you sitting here alone?"
Just as Erza was wondering whether she should join the villagers or continue observing from afar, a gentle voice sounded behind her.
"Huh?!"
Erza turned around, surprised to find Ian standing right behind her.
She stared in shock for a few seconds before glancing back at the bonfire, where another Ian was happily receiving the villagers' praise, like a hero returning from war.
"Shh..."
"That's just a projection."
Ian gestured for Erza to keep her voice down, explaining that he had sneaked away.
"Ian, why aren't you enjoying the bonfire with the villagers?"
Erza asked softly.
"Haha…"
Ian chuckled, gently patting Erza's head. "A bonfire party is nice, but what could be more important than spending time with my daughter?"
"You... you mean..."
Erza's body trembled slightly as she heard those words. She hadn't expected Ian to already know who she was.
"I knew who you were the day you joined the guild."
"After all, you look so much like her. How could I not recognize you?"
"And really, what kind of scumbag wouldn't recognize his own daughter?"
Ian paused for a moment after saying this, though he didn't mean to target anyone in particular.
Meanwhile…
In the southern part of the Kingdom of Fiore, a man with short, slicked-back, orange-red hair sneezed loudly: "Achoo! Achoo!!"
"Could it be that some lovely lady is thinking about me, Gildarts?"
"I guess I'd better work even harder!"
As he pondered this, he accidentally used his Crush Magic to destroy a nearby mountain.
Back in Ice Lake Village…
Ian took a deep breath and then softly asked Erza, "Have you and your mother, Irene, been doing well these past years?"
"F-Father!!"
"We've been doing well! Mother misses you, and I miss you too."
Tears welled up in Erza's eyes as she threw herself into Ian's arms, crying out loud.
"We won't be separated again."
Ian gently patted Erza's back, his eyes also a little misty.
"Mm…"
Erza nodded firmly.
"Speaking of your mother, Irene..."
Ian started, shifting the topic toward Irene.
"Mother said she can't come for now. She's busy dealing with some brazen witch wreaking havoc on the Northern Continent and eyeing Ishgar with evil intentions."
Erza mimicked Irene's mannerisms as she spoke.
"Eh?"
A bad feeling crept up on Ian.
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