A Triumphant Return to Magnolia! A Grand Welcome Stirs the Whole Town

Above the red carpet in the main hall, two tall and elegant figures followed closely beside Jiang Bai.

Erza held the dress strap at her waist with one hand, her steps light and graceful.

Hearing Jiang Bai's extremely arrogant and domineering speech from the platform, Erza felt no sense of arrogance or presumption, but rather a surge of pride.

This is the man I've chosen.

No matter how hard others try to catch up, they are destined to only look up at its back.

Mirajane linked her arm with Jiang Bai's other arm, resting most of her body against Jiang Bai's shoulder, her eyes crinkling with tenderness and pride.

The three of them, amidst the stunned stares of the entire audience, chatted and laughed as they walked through the inner palace and returned directly to their inn to rest.

As for the reporters frantically rushing to finish their articles in the Hisui Hall behind him and the high-ranking members of the various guilds in the petrified area, Jiang Bai didn't bother to pay them any attention.

The following morning.

Outside the massive city gate plaza at the south gate of the royal capital, Crocus.

After a night's rest, the mages from various guilds packed up and assembled, ready to set off back to their respective towns.

The Grand Magic Games have officially concluded, and the dragon calamity of four hundred years ago has been quelled. Everyone carries the relief of surviving a catastrophe.

However, just as the Fairy Tail crew was lining up to board the carriage...

A white figure sprinted towards them at the speed of a hundred-meter dash.

Sting spread his arms wide and clung tightly to Natsu's neck, tears and snot streaming down his face, and burst into loud sobs.

"Waaaaah! Natsu!!"

"Natsu, I really can't bear to part with you! I'll think about you every single day!"

Sting cried his heart out, even wiping his snot directly on the edge of Natsu's clean white scarf.

Natsu stood frozen in place, his hands dangling in mid-air, his mouth twitching violently.

The entire Fairy Tail crew was stunned.

Lucy's mouth was agape, and the suitcase in her hand nearly slipped from her grasp and hit her feet.

Yukino, Orga, and Rufus on Sabertooth's side covered their cheeks and turned away in unison, completely unwilling to admit that the crying koala clinging to someone else was their current president.

On the first day of the Grand Magic Games, this guy was still swaggering around in the lobby, declaring that he would crush Fairy Tail.

How come after fighting a battle, he suddenly turned into this clingy, sycophantic fanboy?

Natsu pressed his hands against Sting's forehead, shoving him forcefully while shouting loudly.

Hey! You crybaby, let go of me right now!!

"How disgusting! Don't wipe your snot on the scarf my dad gave me, you jerk!!"

Sting wrapped his legs tightly around Natsu's waist and cried even harder.

"I won't give up! Natsu, you're my guiding light!"

Erza stood to the side, took out a handkerchief from her storage space, solemnly wiped the corner of her eye, and nodded with satisfaction.

"I see, Natsu. You've finally made some true friends in another guild. It's a truly touching friendship."

Gray stood behind him, one hand on his hip, and uttered a curt remark without any expression.

"Erza, which eye of yours saw this as touching friendship? This looks weird no matter how you look at it!"

Before he could finish speaking...

Standing to the side, Juvia cupped her hands to her heart, her cheeks flushed pink, and she stammered a soft gasp of surprise.

"Lord Gray... the clothes..."

Gray paused for a moment, then looked down at himself.

He was only wearing a pair of black boxer shorts, and his muscular abs rippled in the cool morning breeze.

"When?!"

Happy next to him covered his mouth and chuckled.

"Hey! Gray's showing off in public again."

Rogue from the Sabertooth camp couldn't stand it any longer. With a dark face, he strode forward, grabbed Sting by the back of his collar, and pulled him back forcefully like pulling up a radish.

"Alright! Sting! Get down here right now!"

Rogue's ears turned bright red, and he gave his chairman a hard tap on the back of the head.

There's a limit to how much you can embarrass yourself in public! You've ruined the Sabertooth's reputation with your tears!

Sting was forcibly ripped off, rubbing his red-rimmed eyes, and waved his right hand forcefully at Natsu with reluctance.

"Natsu! I'll definitely come to Magnolia to duel you next time there's a guild tournament!!"

Natsu rubbed his sore neck and responded with a gruff punch from a distance.

"Stop talking nonsense! If you dare to wipe your snot on me again, I'll roast you alive with my Roar!"

After a series of absurd riots, the various guilds embarked on their respective journeys home.

The Fairy Tail crew boarded a luxurious magical train specially approved by the royal family.

The wheels rolled on, speeding through rolling mountains and plains towards the long-lost town of Magnolia.

Several hours later.

The magical train slowly pulled into the town of Magnolia.

When everyone arrived in town, a strong festive atmosphere greeted them.

The main road leading to the town gate was packed with people for two kilometers.

All the merchants, residents, elderly people, and children in Magnolia town turned out and spontaneously formed two neat, long lines.

Everyone was waving small colorful flags with Fairy Tail crests, and their heads were covered with ribbons and balloons.

"They're back!!"

"See that? Standing at the very front is Lord Jiang Bai!!"

"Hurry! Where's the Second Division's artillery salute squad? Don't just stand there, light the fuses!!"

Several strong townspeople at the front of the street were shouting and desperately directing traffic.

Accompanied by the crackling sound of the fuse igniting.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Dozens of cannons placed on rooftops and along the streets roared in unison!

Colorful fireworks debris and golden sequins rained down from the sky like a storm, adorning the entire commercial street with dazzling brilliance.

The residents along the entire street erupted in enthusiastic cheers and shouts.

"Everyone! Let's give a warm round of applause to the heroes who reclaimed the honor of being the number one guild in the Kingdom of Fiore for our town!!"

Welcome back in triumph!

Fairy Tail is the best!

Heavenly Movement roar echoed and swirled over the town.

Lucy, walking in the middle of the group, looked around at the dense crowd and gasped in surprise.

"My God... there are so many people!"

The familiar neighbors on both sides of the street greeted each member of the group enthusiastically, showering them with compliments.

An elderly woman who usually sells flowers waved frantically at Erza.

"Miss Erza! She single-handedly took on a hundred magical monsters from the Pandemonium —that was so cool!!"

Erza remained solemn, her hands hanging naturally at her waist. She was unfazed by the fervent praise and responded with a polite nod.

"It's my duty; you flatter me."

The owner of the nearby grocery store leaned out and excitedly pumped his fist at the blonde girl.

"Miss Lucy was amazing too! She went head-to-head with the Celestial Spirit Mage from Sabertooth at the Grand Magic Games, and her fight was so intense and dedicated!"

Lucy's initial nervousness instantly eased, and she blushed as she repeatedly bowed and thanked him.

Thank you everyone! It's all thanks to your support!

Several young adventurers at the back of the crowd whistled at the girl with long, dark blue hair.

"Miss Juvia's underwater performance was also quite impressive!"

"And we all saw it! Gray was even fighting with his fellow student on the court over who got to date you!"

Juvia covered her burning cheeks with her hands, pink steam practically rising from her head, and muttered to herself, "Gray's right to pursue me."

Gray, standing nearby, immediately bulged two veins on his forehead and shouted back at the crowd.

"I've said it a million times! That's not what happened at all! It was a normal guild elimination tournament! Which shady news agency wrote this salacious gossip story?!"

Unfortunately, Gray's rebuttal was instantly drowned out by the enthusiastic laughter around him.

Standing beside Jiang Bai, Mirajane covered the corner of his mouth with one hand, his eyes crinkling into crescent moons with a smile.

Several elderly tailors along the street praised him with smiles.

"Miss Mirajane is always so beautiful and charming, no matter when you look at her. She truly deserves to be our town's star attraction!"

Mirajane gave a graceful, slight bow.

"Thank you for the compliment. Please continue to support our guild in the future!"

Natsu and Gajeel walked behind, one carrying a bundle of luggage, the other with his hands in his pockets.

The children from the surrounding towns cheered and jumped around the two of them in adoration.

"Natsu and Gajeel are indeed the strongest Dragon Slayers on the entire continent!"

"That was so cool! We replay the scene where the Twin Dragons combined their attack and beat the two tigers down three times a day!"

Natsu proudly raised his chin, brushed his thumb across his nose, and burst into laughter.

"Haha! That's a must!"

Although Gajeel let out a disdainful snort, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up wildly in a smile.

However, as the team gradually advanced...

The gazes of nearly ten thousand townspeople lining both sides of the street eventually focused uniformly on the black-haired youth walking at the head of the procession.

The noise reached its peak at this moment.

"However, to be fair, the most dazzling and invincible one in this martial arts competition has to be Lord Jiang Bai!!"

"It's more than just eye-catching! There isn't a single opponent on the field who can make Lord Jiang Bai take a serious move!"

"Especially the morning newspaper that was sent by express courier from the capital this morning; what Lord Jiang Bai said at the royal banquet was absolutely awesome!!"

Several young mage boys even shouted in the street, repeating the passages from the newspapers.

"Those who fall to my hand are never considered my opponents! I'll give you time to catch up, until you can no longer see me!"

"Wow! That's so awesome! Boil excited after hearing that, I can even eat three extra bowls of rice for breakfast!"

A unified chorus of applause and cheers erupted along the entire street.

Just as everyone was crossing the central intersection of the commercial street.

A loud, aged voice suddenly rang out from the high platform in the middle of the road ahead.

"Silence! Residents, please be quiet for a moment!!"

The previously noisy and Boil crowd immediately quieted down.

The old mayor of Magnolia Town walked over slowly, his face flushed.

The old mayor strode to the front of the Fairy Tail group, shook hands with Makarov, and then, holding the magic microphone, announced loudly.

"Now, let's present Fairy Tail with a gift of honor from this town!!"