There were no incidents along the way, and the carriage safely arrived in Magnolia.
The carriage stopped outside the café, where Mr. Ruchio had already been waiting for quite some time.
Moen's crow had delivered the message early. The large crow did not spare any magic power and did not bother worrying about the "passengers'" safety, racing through the skies at full speed and arriving long before Moen and the others.
If it weren't for the fact that flying directly while standing on the crow would be far too stimulating and might blow old Master Voltava's frail body apart, Moen would have liked to drag him along to experience what it felt like to "ride a flying crow."
Seen this way, getting some kind of "vehicle" that the crow could pull was actually quite necessary. His crow flew much faster than a carriage, and when he needed to rush somewhere, expending a bit more magic power wasn't a problem at all.
"We meet again, Master Voltava!"
Upon seeing Voltava, Ruchio was extremely happy. He warmly stepped forward to help Voltava down from the carriage. He truly loved Voltava's music, especially the sense of calm and tranquility it brought to one's mind.
"Mr. Ruchio, it's been quite a while."
Voltava smiled and exchanged pleasantries with Ruchio. The two got along very pleasantly. Voltava seemed able to get along well with anyone. As expected of a bard who traveled the world with nothing but a harp, all those years on the road hadn't been for nothing.
"Then you two chat, I'll head back to the guild first."
Moen bade the two farewell. Ruchio would arrange Voltava's lodging, after all, since he still planned to invite Voltava to hold a concert.
"Go on, go on."
Voltava waved his hand, continuing to reminisce with Ruchio. He really liked people like Ruchio, who genuinely loved his music.
Watching Ruchio and Voltava enter the café, Moen suddenly felt as if he had forgotten something related to Mr. Ruchio.
"Forget it. It's probably not anything important."
Moen shook his head and turned back toward the guild hall.
The moment he arrived at the guild hall, Moen was surrounded by a group of girls.
"Moen, is Granny Hilda alright?!"
Erza squeezed her way to the front, asking with a worried expression. They had already received the news—Granny Hilda had nearly gotten into a carriage accident and fallen off a cliff. Fortunately, Moen had happened to pass by and saved her. She had already returned home to recuperate.
Aside from Erza, Levy and Cana were also deeply concerned. For children who had grown up in the guild since a very young age, Granny Hilda was an extremely important person to them. She had always taken care of them, someone they regarded as family.
Lucy, Wendy, Juvia, and even Mira and Lisanna, who had only lived in the dormitory for a short time before moving out all looked worried as well. Granny Hilda had taken care of them too. Even the adult female mages wore expressions of concern.
"Everyone, don't worry. Granny Hilda is fine. Just a few minor bumps. She should be back at the dormitory very soon."
Moen spoke with a smile, calming everyone down. After hearing his words, everyone finally let out a sigh of relief.
Seeing this scene, Moen couldn't help but think—if this were some kind of dating simulation game, everyone's affection level would probably have gone up by +1 all at once. Granny Hilda was definitely a key figure in the girls' dormitory, an important person in every girl's heart.
"Where did you run off to?"
A voice came from the second floor. Moen looked up in surprise.
"Laxus?!"
Seeing Laxus leaning over the second-floor railing, Moen was shocked at first, then his expression turned joyful.
"You passed the S-Class exam?!"
Being able to go up to the second floor proved one thing, Laxus was now officially an S-Class mage of the guild. Moen was genuinely happy. Laxus had finally earned recognition.
"That's right. I'm an S-Class mage of the guild now."
Laxus wore a proud expression. He had wanted to show off to Moen as soon as he got back, but he had ended up waiting until now for Moen to return.
"Congratulations, congratulations, the youngest S-Class mage in Fairy Tail!"
Moen joked with a grin.
"…Brat."
Laxus rolled his eyes. He knew he wouldn't hold that title for long. Not to mention Moen himself, Erza and Mira, who were the same age as Moen were also strong contenders.
He was seventeen this year, while those three were only thirteen. Four years was more than enough time for them to challenge the S-Class exam. Laxus had no doubt about that, their talent was obvious to anyone.
"Laxus, have you seen Grandpa Makarov?"
After joking around for a bit, Moen asked.
"The old man? No idea. Go check the magazine stand. New issues came out today, he's probably guarding it there."
Laxus paused for a moment, then replied with a speechless expression.
"…That makes sense."
Moen nodded. Grandpa Makarov was either drinking or reading magazines. His retirement life was quite colorful.
Laxus came down from upstairs holding a request form.
"See you in a few days. I'm heading out to do an S-Class job."
He waved the request form in front of Moen as if casually saying it, then walked straight toward counter to handle the paperwork.
"…"
Moen laughed helplessly. What was there to show off about that?
That guy Laxus would occasionally reveal these little thoughts that fit his age.
"Have a safe journey, and come back safely."
Watching Laxus finish the procedures and prepare to depart, Moen said a single sentence.
Laxus paused for a moment, then continued walking out, only replying with a muffled
"Mm."
"That guy Laxus really likes going solo now."
Watching Laxus leave alone, Macao complained while drinking his alcohol.
"Then you'd better at least be qualified to go do S-Class jobs with him!"
Wakaba immediately stabbed him hard from the side, landing a critical hit.
"If you weren't always dragging me down, I'd have been S-Class long ago!"
Macao's face flushed red as he directly argued back with Wakaba.
"Hah? Are you still not awake?!"
Wakaba didn't hold back either and snapped right back.
The two babbled at each other for a few lines, then straightforwardly started fighting.
"."
Moen looked speechlessly at the two uncles who were like NPCs with a fixed trigger event, not knowing what to say for a moment.
"Sooner or later I'll defeat Laxus!"
"Defeat me first before talking about that."
"Damn it, Gray!"
On the other side, the younger ones also started fighting.
"Erza! Let's continue our unfinished battle!"
"You've got the nerve to say that! Mirajane! If I hadn't gone easy on you last time, you would've lost!"
"Enough talk!"
The girls' side was not to be outdone either and joined in the commotion.
Standing in the guild hall, watching the adults and kids, men and women, all fighting together in chaos, Moen let out a long breath, silently walked outside, and accepted it—this was their daily routine.
[For additional chapters Patreon. Com/ALLISWELL123]