Night fell.
After Medivh and the others dealt with the Double-footed Dragon and the bandits, they first returned to the train station to retrieve Cana, whom they had forgotten on the train...
Then, they arrived at Gray's hometown, 'Ice Lake Village'.
Compared to four years ago, when Deliora's sudden invasion reduced the entire village to ruins, the current village had undergone a complete 'makeover'.
Throughout the village, every household had built garden villas, each with at least a hundred and eighty square meters of courtyard.
Moreover, eighty percent of the families had Magic Four-wheeled Vehicles parked at their courtyard entrances, truly overflowing with wealth.
At this moment, Medivh somewhat understood...
Why the various forces nearby viewed this remote village as a thorn in their side.
"Seriously..."
"It's making me want to rob this village."
"Why don't we cover our faces and rob this village?!"
"If we pull this off, we'll never have to do another mission again."
Medivh looked at the 'Ice Lake Village' before him, so wealthy that the entire village ground was paved with marble, and every household's gate was inlaid with precious gems and high-level defensive magic items. He gently rubbed his chin and muttered to himself.
"Medivh, calm down."
"Putting everything else aside, this is my hometown."
Gray's forehead broke out in a fine sweat upon hearing Medivh's words, and he spoke in a panic.
"Hahaha..."
"I was just joking, Gray, why are you so agitated?!"
"Don't you trust my character?"
Medivh heard this, gently patted Gray's shoulder, and laughed.
"Uh, Medivh, do you even have character or integrity?"
"If you really were just joking, that would be good."
"But I distinctly felt a hint of murderous intent in your words just now."
Gray was drenched in sweat.
Based on his understanding of Medivh, while robbery was definitely out of the question, extorting 'Ice Lake Village' on a whim was not impossible...
For instance, leveraging his status as the 'Ice Lake Village's' savior to collect hefty protection fees.
Although, without Medivh, 'Ice Lake Village' would probably have become a ghost in Deliora's hands four years ago, ceasing to exist...
"Oh! Is Gray back?!"
"Gray, you're finally back. Your family, well, you've been gone for four years."
"Do you know how busy the village has been in these four years since your family left? Our village's fish are almost not being collected by anyone..."
Soon after Medivh and the others entered 'Ice Lake Village'...
Some citizens discovered Medivh and the others, who were outsiders. They first recognized Gray's identity and excitedly recounted the changes that had occurred in the village during the four years Gray had been away...
"Wait, that person who came back with Gray, could it be Benefactor?!"
"Everyone, stop what you're doing! Benefactor is back, Benefactor has finally returned to our village."
"What? Benefactor is here? Let me see..."
Subsequently, some of the villagers who had experienced Deliora's upheaval recognized Medivh's identity. After confirming that Medivh was their Benefactor, they all dropped what they were doing and converged towards where Medivh and the others were.
Before long, the eighty-year-old white-haired village chief of 'Ice Lake Village' arrived before Medivh, leaning on his cane, accompanied by a group of village elders.
"Wuwu..."
"Benefactor, you're finally back..."
Before Medivh could speak, the group of elders immediately embraced Medivh, crying profusely and shouting loudly.
"Eh?!"
This scene left Medivh bewildered; he had merely been absent, not dead.
"Back then, half a year after Benefactor helped us eliminate Deliora, the fish fry we released into the Ice Water Lake yielded a bountiful harvest!"
"In less than a year, almost every household became a pond owner."
"Not only did we recover all the losses the village incurred during Deliora's invasion! We also earned wealth that would have been difficult to obtain in ten or even a hundred years..."
"Furthermore, even merchant caravans that had never set foot in our village before, and lords who were once high and mighty and never paid us any mind, came flocking after hearing the rumors of Ice Water Lake! 'Ice Lake Village' instantly became the undisputed giant in the vicinity."
While Medivh was bewildered, these villagers spoke amongst themselves, their expressions filled with pride.
Then, their tone shifted, and a hint of sorrow appeared in their eyes: "However, although the village became wealthy, we could no longer find Benefactor..."
"During that time, we asked Gray's family, but unexpectedly, neither Gray nor Silver would speak about your matter!"
"Afterward, we also spent a fortune to find that Magician named Gildarts. Although his strength was monstrous and he helped us solve some troubles, he was not the person we were looking for at all!"
"We all thought at the time that you were actually dead! That you had paid a terrible price to help us defeat Deliora! And to keep us from worrying, you didn't tell us your true name."
The villagers became emotional again at this point.
"Ah..."
Upon hearing this, Medivh connected it with the bandit leader's earlier chatter about the rumor of a Magician and Deliora perishing together, and he immediately solved the mystery: the rumor originated from 'Ice Lake Village'.
"Rest assured!"
"Mere Deliora, it cannot harm me."
"The reason you couldn't contact me at all during these four years..."
"Is simply because I went to other continents to complete a difficult mission..."
Medivh smiled. Of course, they couldn't contact him; he didn't even know about this matter at the time. "In any case, it's good that Benefactor is fine!"
"Since that's the case, let's have a feast today!!!"
The village chief, at eighty years old, was still incredibly passionate. He stroked his long beard and shouted loudly.
"Oh!!!"
As the village chief's words fell, the entire village cheered loudly in unison, and for a moment, lanterns were hung and decorations set up, as if it were New Year's...
Fine wine, delicious dishes, and all sorts of food were brought before Medivh and the others.
"Gulp, gulp, gulp..."
Cana, who had missed her stop because she was drinking at the train's bar and only sobered up when the cold wind hit her after being asked off the train by the conductor, immediately grabbed a barrel of wine and started chugging it down again. Since she couldn't make it for the Double-footed Dragon, at least she could drink her fill.
"Crunch! Crunch..."
Natsu picked up the fish meat in front of him and started devouring it... He hadn't been conscious much on the train these past few days and was already starving.
As for Gray, he was heading towards his residence under the village chief's guidance.
It was said that the villagers had also helped his family rebuild their house in the village, and whether he would live there again in the future or not, he should at least go and see it.
"Father seems like a hero here!"
Erza squatted by the bonfire, looking at Medivh in the distance, surrounded by countless villagers like a hero. She couldn't help but exclaim.
"Why are you here alone?"
Just as Erza was wondering whether she should go forward and mingle with the villagers or continue to stay put and observe silently, a gentle voice sounded behind her.
"Huh?!"
Erza turned her head and was surprised to find that Medivh had appeared behind her at some point.
After a slight pause of a few seconds, Erza looked towards the bonfire where the villagers were gathered in the distance. There was indeed another Medivh there, enjoying the blessings of the villagers, like a hero returning triumphantly.
"Shh..."
"That's a thought form."
Medivh motioned for Erza to be quiet; he had snuck away.
"Medivh, aren't you going to enjoy the bonfire party with the villagers?"
Erza looked at Medivh and asked softly.
"Haha..."
Medivh merely chuckled at her words. He gently stroked Erza's small head and said softly, "It's just a bonfire party. How could it be more important than spending time with my daughter?!"
"You, are you saying..."
Erza's body trembled slightly at his words...
She seemed to have not expected that Medivh already knew her identity.
"The very first day you arrived at the guild, I already knew your identity."
"After all, you look so much like her, how could I not recognize you?"
"Besides, are there really scumbags in this world who can't recognize their own daughter?"
Medivh paused slightly at this point in his words. He truly had no intention of targeting anyone.
At the same time.
In the southern part of the Fiore Kingdom, a man with short, orange-red hair combed back was sneezing forcefully: "Achoo! Achoo!!!"
"Could it be that some little sister is missing me, Gildarts?!"
"It seems I must work even harder."
As Gildarts thought this, with a slight lapse in concentration, he used Crush Magic to Crush a nearby mountain.
Back in 'Ice Lake Village'.
"Gasp..."
Medivh first took a deep breath, then looked at Erza and asked softly, "How have you and your mother, Irene, been these past few years?!"
"Father!"
"We've been very well these past few years!"
"Mother misses you very much, and I miss you very much too."
Erza's eyes were red at the corners, and she threw herself into Medivh's arms, shouting loudly.
"We won't be separated again from now on."
Medivh gently patted Erza's back, his eyes also a little moist.
"Mm..."
Erza nodded vigorously at his words.
"Speaking of which, your mother, Irene, she..."
Medivh said, then brought the topic back to Irene.
"Mother said she can't come yet. She has to first deal with a seductive slut who is rampaging across the North Continent and eyeing Ishgar covetously."
Erza imitated Irene's posture as she spoke.
"Eh?"
Medivh felt an ominous premonition upon hearing this.
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