Goodbye, Irene

The Kingdom of Donagunov, capital city

Royal Palace, Council Hall

"Your Her Majesty the Queen, good news! Great news!"

The prime minister rushed into the council hall, panting, still shouting. Seeing this, Irene rose from her throne, poured herself a glass of water, and held it in her hand. Irene walked to the prime minister, handed him the glass, and softly comforted him, "Prime Minister, don't panic. Speak slowly; the sky isn't falling!"

"Your Majesty is right! It was this old minister who lost his composure!"

The Prime Minister hurriedly apologized to Irene, began to compose himself, and calmed his churning breath. Once he had regained his composure, the Prime Minister continued, "Your Majesty, we have just received an urgent report from General Feld that two days ago, the Peace Negotiation Delegation from the Kingdom of Tsuyioru Xiu arrived at our border."

"Oh? In that case, Prime Minister, you should immediately order General Feld to dispatch troops to escort the peace Peace Negotiation Delegation to the capital."

"Your Majesty, General Feld reported in an urgent message that he has dispatched troops to escort the delegation. Based on the timeline, the delegation should arrive in the capital no later than tomorrow afternoon."

"Hmm! General Feld handled this matter exceptionally well! By the way, Prime Minister, have the accommodations for the delegation been arranged?"

"Your Majesty, I have cleared out the largest inn near the palace specifically to accommodate the delegation!"

"That's excellent!"

Just as the two finished their discussion, a guard rushed into the hall. He knelt on one knee and respectfully reported, "Your Majesty, Prime Minister, the Peace Negotiation Delegation from the Kingdom of Tsuyioru Xiu has arrived at the east gate!"

After hearing the guard's report, Irene waved her hand at him and said, "Alright, we understand. You can go now!"

"Yes!"

After the guards left, Irene turned to the Prime Minister and said, "This Peace Negotiation Delegation is really something else; we've only just talked about them, and here they are. Let's go, Prime Minister, let's go greet them!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The Kingdom of Donagunov, capital city

East Gate

"Teacher, is this the capital of the Kingdom of Donagunov? It's so magnificent!"

Anna stared in astonishment at the enormous city gate before her, then asked Sordil in surprise. Sordil glanced at the massive city he had seen several times before and remarked with admiration, "Yes! The capital of the Kingdom of Donagunov is indeed magnificent!"

Just as the master and apprentice were reminiscing, Sordil suddenly felt someone nudge him in the lower back. Sordil quickly turned around to look, only to see Diphiya frantically winking at him. Puzzled, Sordil looked in the direction she indicated and suddenly realized that the people and dragons that had surrounded them had automatically moved to either side, forming a narrow passage. Sordil knew that an important figure was coming to visit them, so he quickly pulled Anna behind him and whispered, "Miss Anna, quickly put away your curiosity, someone's coming!"

Anna quickly composed herself and stood respectfully behind Sordil, quietly awaiting the arrival of the important figure.

"His Majesty the King arrived!"

A call to arms drifted from the distance, followed by a large contingent of guards appearing on both sides of the road, separating the onlookers from those about to cross. Just as everything was in place, Irene, dressed in a white cloak and black dress, appeared at the end of the road, leading the prime minister and other important figures, and walked steadily toward the delegation.

A moment later, Irene and her entourage arrived before the delegation. All members of the delegation lined up in order and respectfully bowed to Irene. Standing at the very front, Sordil spoke with utmost deference, "The Kingdom of Tsuyioru Xiu Negotiations, Oddek, and all members of the delegation greet Your Majesty!"

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

After Sordil and the others had finished their greetings, Irene spoke up, saying, "Your Excellency, thank you for your hard work! Everyone in the delegation, thank you for your hard work!"

"Gentlemen, you have traveled a great distance for the sake of peace between our two nations, enduring a long and arduous journey. I have already ordered the Prime Minister to prepare a banquet to welcome you and help you recover from your travels. We can discuss the peace talks again tomorrow after you have rested. What do you all think?"

After Irene finished speaking, led by Sordil, all members of the delegation shouted in unison, "We thank Your Majesty!"

Afterwards, all members of the delegation, led by the Prime Minister, went to their lodgings to bathe and change clothes in preparation for the welcoming banquet that evening.

The Western Continent, the City of Time, Mildian

Walking once more on the familiar streets, Zeref's emotions were incredibly complex. He felt a mix of longing for his old friend and remorse for his deceased mentor and classmates. With these feelings in his heart, Zeref retraced his friend's footsteps, each step deliberate and deliberate. As he passed through one memorable place after another, his friend's image became clearer and clearer in his mind, and the words his old friend had spoken to him when they first arrived at this academy echoed once more in his heart.

In an instant, the dejection on Zeref's face vanished completely, and his former determination and resolve returned to his heart.

"Heh! I'm so slow! I only just remembered the promise I made to Sordil and Natsu. If they knew, they'd definitely be laughing at me!"

After expressing his feelings, Zeref looked up at the sky and shouted, "Since you have given me infinite time and an immortal body, I am certain that I will successfully construct the magic to resurrect everyone!"

"Buzz"

Black mist once again emanated from Zeref's body, enveloping the entire city, but this time it caused no change to his surroundings. Having found his next goal, Zeref walked briskly towards the Mildian Magic Academy. Upon entering the academy, Zeref's brow furrowed sharply, and he flew towards a certain building within the academy.

Looking at the earthen-yellow building in front of him, Zeref felt a sense of familiarity, but also noticed the changes.

"This feeling... it's so similar to that guy's... no, this is Sordil's magic reaction!"

After confirming he wasn't mistaken, Zeref hurriedly entered the library that Sordil had replicated using Shape-Making Magic. Carefully sensing every corner of the library, a bold guess surfaced in Zeref's mind. After searching the entire library, Zeref's expression turned somewhat strange, then he clutched his stomach and burst into laughter, accompanied by shouts of laughter and curses.

"Haha! That guy Sordil actually moved the entire library!"

"Haha! If Teacher Hissell knew about this, he'd definitely give him a good spanking! Haha..."

"Luckily, I was smart enough to read through all the books in the library beforehand and make a copy, which I kept in my dorm room. Otherwise..."

At this point, Zeref suddenly remembered something, hurriedly scrambled to his feet, and sprinted towards his dormitory at top speed. When he finally arrived at the dormitory building, exhausted, and confirmed that his room was safe and sound, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. While secretly rejoicing that the Bandit had shown mercy, his gaze returned to the library.