Upon returning to Magnolia the previous night, Raizel immediately used his Archive Magic to send a guild-wide telepathic announcement that only Fairy Tail members could hear.
[Notice: Loke has been found. An explanation will be given tomorrow. Everyone, go home and sleep!]
...
Early the next morning, the guild was buzzing with energy.
Lucy vividly recounted the events of the previous night to the gathered members, dramatically embellishing the story of how she magnificently summoned the Celestial Spirit King to save the day.
'What a waste if you didn't become a novelist,' Raizel thought with a smirk.
'Thankfully, you've chosen the right path, saving yourself decades of detours.'
Even Raizel, who already knew exactly what had happened since he was there, found it quite amusing as he sipped his tea and listened to Lucy's spirited storytelling.
"A Celestial Spirit!!!"
"Loke?"
Just then, Loke appeared at the guild entrance, looking sheepish.
He rubbed the back of his head and smiled.
"That's pretty much it."
"No wonder I always felt something was off whenever you suddenly showed up," Natsu said, darting around Loke and sniffing him as if observing some rare species.
"But, you're not a cow, not a sheep, and not a horse either."
Loke laughed and used Virgo as an example. "The Virgo you know is humanoid too, right?"
"No, she can also turn into a gorilla," Natsu countered seriously, as he was deeply impressed by Virgo's first brute-force appearance and could still recall her striking, muscular form.
"Loke is the Celestial Spirit of the Leo constellation," Lucy explained.
"A lion!" Natsu first thought of Cana's summoned black panther, but then his train of thought derailed since he had never actually seen a real lion.
"A grown-up cat," Happy suggested, flying up to hover next to them.
"Yeah," Loke didn't mind the comparison at all and agreed with Happy.
"No way!" Lucy's eyes nearly popped out.
How can a lion just be a big cat?
Erza nodded in agreement, analyzing Loke's face. "In terms of biological form, it's about the same..."
"But are you okay now?" Gray asked, concerned about Loke's previous fading condition.
"I'm not fully recovered yet, but I wanted to say hello to everyone," Loke said, shaking his head to reassure Gray.
"Even though I've returned to the Celestial Spirit World and can't stay in the human world for long periods anymore, I'm still a Mage of Fairy Tail. I still bear the Guild Mark on my body."
He pointed to his back, where the Fairy Tail mark still shone proudly.
"Oh, right, these are for you," Loke said, pulling several colorful tickets from his pocket. "I've caused you all a lot of trouble during this time, so please accept these."
Everyone gathered around, and upon seeing the tickets, they looked like they'd never seen such luxury, their expressions stunned.
"I've never stayed in such an expensive hotel before!"
"Gray and Natsu are one thing, but why do you look so shocked too?" Raizel asked, finding Lucy's reaction strange given her background.
At this, Lucy's eyes welled up with comical tears. "It's a long, sad story! Every day, I had to learn musical instruments, dance, noble etiquette..."
"Didn't Layla take you out to have fun?" Raizel asked.
"She did, but we never went far. It wasn't until I started traveling on my own over half a year ago that I really got to have fun."
Raizel teased with a hint of sarcasm, "Is this what they call the 'troubles of nobility'?"
Lucy closed her eyes and clasped her hands together, her tone exasperated.
"Please, I'm begging you! Stop talking about nobles already!"
"Hahaha, just kidding," Raizel chuckled.
Lucy looked very similar to her mother Layla, but their personalities were completely different.
Lucy was curious, outgoing, cheerful, and passionate.
Her mother, however, was elegant and serene, gentle and virtuous, with a heart of gold.
So when Layla took her out, it was usually for quiet countryside walks or picnics, rarely to a bustling amusement park.
"Oh, this place—we've been here before," Ultear said, glancing at the tickets.
"That doesn't mean we can't go again!" Erza was already geared up and ready to go, bags packed instantly.
"We don't have enough tickets!" Natsu shouted, counting the people and then the tickets.
"We'll buy more!" Raizel waved his hand dismissively.
"YAY!!! LONG LIVE RAIZEL!!!"
Before disappearing, Loke turned to Lucy. "Lucy, though my sins haven't vanished because of this, you've given me the courage to move forward. From now on, while remaining a member of Fairy Tail, I am also your Celestial Spirit."
"When you are in danger, I will appear in time. I promise to protect you with my life."
Lucy pursed her lips and smiled faintly.
"Not as your master, but as a friend, right?"
"Yeah!" Loke was taken aback for a moment, blinked a few times, then answered with a brilliant smile.
"Please take care of me from now on, Lucy."
"You too, Loke."
"Pack your things, we're about to leave, Lucy!" Erza shouted, waiting until Loke returned to the Celestial Spirit World before stepping forward to organize the troop.
"Alright, alright, let's hurry up and go!"
...
Akane Resort, Caelum Coast—
The Akane Resort was located here, the most popular beach tourist destination in the Fiore Kingdom, featuring a massive theme park and luxurious seaside hotels.
Sunshine, sandy beaches, the endless ocean, handsome men, and bikini-clad beauties formed a beautiful scenery.
Surfing, jet skiing, diving, sunbathing—all these activities were available here.
Under a huge beach umbrella, Raizel and Mirajane lay leisurely on deck chairs wearing sunglasses with cold drinks resting on the small wooden table beside them.
They watched Erza, Wendy, and Natsu play beach volleyball, looking completely content.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
Natsu leaped high and slammed his palm heavily onto the volleyball, wreathing it in flames.
Lucy watched in horror as the flaming volleyball grew larger and larger in her vision.
"HELP!!!"
Lucy dodged left and right, barely avoiding the fiery projectile as it scorched the sand where she had just been standing.
Having narrowly escaped death by sports equipment, Lucy complained to Natsu, "Are you playing beach volleyball or trying to kill someone!!!"
Natsu scratched the back of his head awkwardly while looking at Lucy.
"Sorry, sorry, I was aiming for Gray."
"So you mean you wanted to kill me instead???" Gray shouted from the sidelines.
...
"Give me back my shorts!!!"
Moments later, Gray was glaring angrily at Natsu, who was swinging Gray's swimming trunks around his head like a lasso.
"Don't use Happy to cover yourself!" Natsu laughed.
Without his shorts, Gray had to grab whatever was nearby to preserve his modesty, and the closest was Happy.
Happy didn't mind at all, still focused on chewing his fish despite being used as a big leaf.
"Really, completely shameless," Carla turned around and shook her head helplessly at the indignity.
...
At noon, Raizel specifically found a seafood restaurant with an excellent viewing platform overlooking the ocean.
This restaurant had been featured in gourmet magazines several times, and Raizel and Ultear had eaten here before when they visited, so he knew the food was exceptional.
This happened to be the peak season for stone crabs, making this dish quite luxurious as the restaurant used only the massive crab claws for cooking.
"Mmm, mmm, mmm," Natsu nodded vigorously while eating the stone crab, continuously making strange sounds of delight.
There was also a specialty dish here—sour seafood.
Made primarily with freshly caught seafood from the day, including fish, shrimp, and squid, and marinated with lemon juice, onions, chopped cilantro, and other secret ingredients, it offered exceptional freshness and texture.
"Oishii!!!" everyone cheered, digging in.
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