(Heartfelt thanks to 'My Gensokyo,' 'Baron's Prisoner,' 'Bro, I'm Just Here for the Soy Sauce,' and '~Sunming Moon~' for the rewards!)
"G-Guild Master?"
At that moment, Enju finally noticed who had attacked Rentaro. Her scarlet eyes first returned to their original color, then filled with excitement.
"Guild Master! I missed you so much!"
The next second, Enju cheered and threw herself straight at Noah.
Noah instinctively opened his arms and caught the charging Enju in his embrace. The smile never left his face as he rubbed her little head and burst into laughter.
"It's been a long time, Enju. You've grown up, and you're much stronger than before."
As he said that, Noah looked up at Rentaro and smiled faintly.
"You too, Rentaro. Three years have passed, and you're like a completely different person."
"Well, I had to fight tooth and nail so I wouldn't get left behind by Kisara, Tina, and the newer members of the guild." Rentaro stepped forward and punched Noah lightly in the chest.
"But you're the one who vanished for three years. The moment you came back, you ambushed me. Did you ever stop to think how much effort I put into your guild?"
That was the truth.
When Fairy Village's construction had first begun—when the development plan Noah had laid out before leaving was just getting underway—Rentaro had taken Enju and begun his mission as the leader of Fairy Tail's traveling group, sent around the world to bring Cursed Children into the guild.
Over the past three years, Rentaro and Enju had traveled through countries across the globe almost constantly, repeatedly carrying out the task of secretly transporting Cursed Children from every nation to Fairy Village.
The hardships they encountered along the way were not something that could be dealt with casually.
Leaving aside