Previously, during their repeated crossings, it was Mystogan who bore the exhaustion.
Guiding the direction of "Anima" required intense concentration, which was mentally draining. The current Mystogan appeared somewhat listless.
"No need to thank me. We're companions, family." Mystogan forced a smile as he replied to Marco.
"...You're right."
Marco fell silent for a moment before nodding seriously.
This guy had learned to steal his lines.
As Fairy Tail's number one "family man," phrases like "partners" and "family" were Marco's classic catchphrases.
The two exchanged glances and simultaneously broke into laughter.
"Let's head back to rest."
Marco waved his hand, signaling for Mystogan to return to the guild together.
Given Mystogan's current condition, he really needed proper rest.
"Alright." Mystogan didn't refuse.
He truly needed rest, and he also needed to report the situation to Makarov.
He couldn't leave all these matters to Marco alone.
As the two walked out of the forest, before they could return to Fairy Tail, they encountered Makarov on the road.
"What have you two been up to?"
Looking at Marco and Mystogan, Makarov asked with curiosity.
He had long noticed the situation in the forest - the repeated appearances of Anima were hard to miss and somewhat frightening.
Makarov knew the location where the incident occurred was where Marco and Mystogan had departed from, so he hurried over.
"Just an experiment. It succeeded - I've mastered the method to reach Edolas." Marco smiled as he briefly explained the situation.
"Always fooling around all day long."
Makarov shook his head and complained, but inwardly he breathed a long sigh of relief.
The strange phenomena earlier had worried him greatly, fearing that Marco and Mystogan might have encountered trouble over there.
If something had really happened, they would have had few options. Even if they formed an allied force, they'd be at others' mercy once they crossed over.
"Let's go, back home first."
Now that Marco and Mystogan had returned safely, Makarov was quite satisfied.
As for gains or rewards, he didn't care much - nothing was more important than safety.
Following obediently behind Makarov, Marco and Mystogan returned to the Fairy Tail guild together.
Returning to the guild again, both Marco and Mystogan felt somewhat dazed, mainly because they saw their familiar companions once more.
"Have something to eat first." Makarov hopped onto the bar counter and spoke.
"Marco, Mystogan, you're back."
Mirajane at the front counter looked at Marco, concern evident in her eyes.
As an "S-Class Mage" of the guild, Mirajane was qualified to know about these matters.
She knew Marco had followed Mystogan to the "other world" to scout for the expedition operation.
"A bowl of noodles, Mira, please! The days in Edolas have been tough on my stomach." Marco clasped his hands together and spoke to Mira with devout sincerity, as if praying to a deity—after all, the Kitchen God was still a god, and Mirajane was the culinary deity in Marco's heart.
"You've worked hard."
Mirajane didn't feign modesty and immediately went to prepare noodles for Marco.
She also asked Mystogan if he wanted some, but as expected, he declined.
Mystogan never gonna removed his mask inside the guild.
In fact, he wasn't even comfortable staying in the guild hall like this.
Many curious eyes were fixed on him.
It couldn't be helped—he was far too mysterious within the guild, only appearing occasionally.
If he were weak and unknown, no one would pay him any mind.
But Mystogan was an "S-Class Mage," widely recognized as a powerful Mage. Whenever he showed up, everyone naturally watched him with curiosity.
Soon enough, Mirajane brought over a steaming bowl of noodles.
It was just a simple bowl of egg noodles, but Marco devoured it eagerly, repeatedly giving Mirajane thumbs-up.
It was clear he had been starving these past few days.
"Take your time, I made plenty."
Mirajane smiled happily, clearly pleased by Marco's reaction.
"Did you discover anything during this trip?"
Seeing Marco eating so heartily, Makarov turned to Mystogan and asked.
"Most of the clues came from Marco. I didn't contribute much." Mystogan replied somewhat apologetically, though his embarrassment was invisible to others—only his tone gave it away.
"I'll explain while I eat." Marco spoke between mouthfuls of noodles.
There were many details Mystogan wasn't aware of, so it was up to him to explain.
After quickly finishing his first bowl, Marco handed the empty bowl to Mirajane for a refill and began sharing the information he had gathered.
...
"What?! The 'Fairy Tail' in that world suffered such a tragic fate?!"
As soon as Marco finished recounting the events of the "Fairy Tail" guild in the world of "Edolas," Makarov could no longer remain seated.
His face was filled with disbelief, finding the situation utterly absurd.
"Even their guild master died in battle, but don't be upset, Gramps. I specifically asked—their guild master wasn't you." Marco spoke cheerfully while eating his noodles.
He had made sure to inquire, and the fallen guild master was not Makarov.
At the very least, neither the name nor the appearance matched.
If anything, that person somewhat resembled Makarov's old rival, Jose Porla, who had vanished without a trace long ago.
"..."
Makarov fell silent, too angry to speak for a moment.
Of course, it was only a fleeting anger—after all, that world wasn't theirs, and these events felt more like stories to them.
"I never expected the two of us to be so powerful over there!"
Jet and Droy listened with great excitement.
In that other world, they were actually the top candidates to become the strongest in Fairy Tail!
It sounded incredibly thrilling!
"The other version of me... had that kind of personality?"
Lucy and Levy exchanged bewildered glances.
The two of them were close best friends, sharing similar interests.
One wrote her own novels and compiled stories her mother had told her for publication, while the other was a literary girl who was never seen without a book in her hand.
Yet in that world, they became mirror images of Mirajane and Erza, which truly felt novel and surprising to both of them.
"No way! How could I possibly be that kind of person?!"
Among everyone, Gray had the strongest reaction.
It couldn't be helped—the Gray from Edolas was just too different from him.
The mere fact that he was afraid of the cold was something Gray found hard to accept!
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