"Have you ever tried leaving this place before?" Makarov was preoccupied with his thoughts and remained silent, but Marco spoke up, asking the question he had long wanted to ask.
Clearly, Marco didn't have as many reservations.
Looking at Marco, Makarov gave him a mental thumbs-up.
'That's my boy—always straight to the point.'
"Huh? No, I haven't." Mavis blinked in surprise and shook her head in response.
In her memory, she had always stayed here, guarding this place, never leaving.
"Why not try?" Marco looked puzzled.
Under normal circumstances, anyone would at least attempt to see if they could leave, right?
Even as a ghost, being able to wander around would surely be better than staying cooped up here forever.
"Why try? Try going where?" Mavis tilted her head, her expression confused.
Judging by her reaction, she didn't seem to have any desire to leave this place.
After all, she was already dead—where else could she go?
"Back to the guild, of course!" Marco said it as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Naturally, she should return to where her family was.
Did she really think they would shun her just because she was a ghost? Absolutely not!
"Back to the guild? That would only cause trouble for everyone." Mavis lowered her head.
By the time she died, she had already been wandering outside for over a year because of the "curse."
How could she face the guild after what happened to Rita?
She was dead—her soul might be able to return, but what about Rita?
Besides, she was doing fine here on Tenrou Island.
She had long grown accustomed to being alone, and as a ghost, the passage of time didn't weigh heavily on her.
The long eighty-plus years had passed in the blink of an eye for her.
Most importantly, she wasn't sure if the curse on her might resurface.
What if she ended up hurting someone again?
"..."
Marco opened his mouth but then closed it again.
He figured it might be because he had never been a ghost, so he couldn't quite understand their way of thinking.
Then again, perhaps it was because Mavis herself was a special existence.
Her experiences, her personality, her thoughts—they were all different from those of ordinary people.
She wasn't just anyone.
"Don't worry about it. I'm already in the guild, in a way. Tenrou Island is still part of Fairy Tail's territory, isn't it? This is my home. If you ever want to see me, just come here and call my name."
Seeing that neither Marco nor Makarov seemed willing to leave her alone here, Mavis felt genuinely happy.
First, she felt valued.
Second, she sensed the spirit of Fairy Tail in Makarov and Marco—the spirit of never abandoning their comrades.
"Well... that works too."
Mavis's words left Marco and Makarov with no room for argument.
After all, Tenrou Island was Fairy Tail's territory.
Moreover, Mavis living here alone wasn't really a problem.
Porlyusica lived deep in the forest by herself, barely interacting with the guild except when they needed her healing.
Compared to that, Mavis was just a bit farther away.
There was no need to force the issue—her situation was indeed unique.
"Then, Mavis, we leave the sacred Tenrou Island in your care! "Marco smiled and spoke, effectively giving up on trying to persuade Mavis further.
He thought Mavis was a bit stubborn by nature, and neither he nor Makarov would easily change her mind.
"No problem! Leave it to me!" Mavis responded cheerfully.
She would guard Tenrou Island here, though in her ghostly state, she didn't possess much actual power.
"Well then, we'll be leaving now, Mavis-sama."
Seeing the matter settled, Makarov bid farewell to Mavis.
"Bye, Mavis. See you next time." Marco also waved at Mavis with a smile.
"See you next time, Makarov, Marco."
Mavis waved back at them before her figure vanished.
In her ghostly state, she could only be seen by those bearing the Fairy Tail guild mark when she chose to appear.
If she didn't manifest and instead merged into the grave, neither Marco nor Makarov would be able to tell where she was.
"Oh, and if you change your mind, you can always come back to learn from me!"
Just as Marco and Makarov turned to leave, Mavis's head popped out from the tombstone again.
She winked at Marco as she spoke, then disappeared before he could respond.
"..."
"I got it."
Under Makarov's somewhat complicated gaze, Marco replied and the two of them left the tomb together.
"That was truly a bizarre experience..."
After exiting the tomb, Marco couldn't help but reflect.
Meeting the first guild master, Mavis, was an unexpected and wondrous encounter he hadn't anticipated.
"Indeed... very bizarre."
Marco wasn't the only one reflecting—Makarov was even more deeply moved.
Honestly, he never expected to encounter the spirit of Mavis here.
If not for his lingering rationality, Makarov might have asked Mavis about "Lumen Histoire."
He desperately wanted to know whether she was aware of its existence.
Logically, she should know, right?
After all, that thing was made from Mavis's own corpse. Surely she couldn't be unaware that Senior Precht, the second guild master, had taken her body...
"Let's go, back to the guild." Marco strode forward, calling out to Makarov.
The old man remained rooted in place, frowning in thought.
Marco stopped and gave him a puzzled look.
Ever since meeting Mavis, Makarov had been acting strangely.
Did encountering the first guild master really affect him this much?
"Oh, right. Let's go." Makarov responded belatedly, shaking his head to clear away the tangled thoughts.
Whether Mavis knew or not, those events were already in the past—nothing could be changed now.
Marco summoned his crow and the two of them flew back together.
During the flight, he voiced his concern.
"Gramps, does Mavis's existence have any implications?"
Marco was certain that Makarov's unease stemmed from Mavis, but he couldn't understand why.
Mavis has already existed for eighty years.
In all that time, she hasn't caused any trouble.
With her personality, she wouldn't go running around either.
So what is there to worry about?
Marco's sudden concern made Makarov fall silent for a moment before he spoke with a serious expression.
"This matter... I'll tell you when you become guild master."
"Tch, something only the guild master can know?" Marco clicked his tongue at this.
How classic—it seemed major organizations always had these kinds of trump cards hidden away.
But Marco had always been curious: what if a guild master died before they could pass on those secrets only they knew?