At the crack of dawn, after Kael and the others had rested, they prepared for their journey back to the Fairy Tail guild. The village chief and the rest of the islanders gathered at the shore to see them off.
"Thank you so much,"
The chief said, his voice thick with emotion. "If it weren't for you, we might have lived in confusion forever—trapped in fear every single day. Please, take this. It's the reward we agreed upon."
The chief handed a sturdy wooden box to Kael. Kael didn't hesitate; he accepted it with a nod. He wasn't the type to turn down hard-earned pay.
"Don't mention it,"
Kael said. "It was just a job. Honestly, compared to the reward, I feel like this mission was a little too easy."
"It might have been simple for you,"
The chief laughed, "but for us, it was as difficult as climbing to the heavens."
Kael smirked, slipping into his "salesman" persona.
"Well, if you ever have another problem like this, feel free to contact Fairy Tail. Next time, I'll even give you a twenty percent discount."
The group blinked, caught off guard by Kael's business-mindedness. The village chief let out a hearty laugh.
"Deal! If we ever need help again, you'll be the first person we call."
"Hahahaha!!"
The villagers joined in. They knew Kael was joking—mostly—but having a connection to such a powerful wizard felt like keeping a trump card in their back pocket.
"Let me take you back to Hargeon on my boat,"
Bobo offered.
Kael waved him off.
"No need. We're wizards; we can manage. If we move fast enough, we might even catch the morning train to Magnolia."
Bobo's eyes widened.
"The morning train? That leaves in an hour! It takes at least four hours by boat to reach Hargeon from here."
Kael glanced at Gray, who immediately caught his meaning.
"Ice-Make: Ship!!"
Gray slammed his hands down, and a sleek, shimmering vessel made of solid ice materialized on the waves.
"Whoa! An ice ship!" "It's beautiful!"
"Let's go. All aboard!"
Kael shouted. The group hopped onto the frozen deck as the ship drifted away from the shore.
"Thank you, Fairy Tail!" "Good luck with your next job!" "Come back and visit soon!"
The villagers cheered and waved until the island faded into the distance.
"All right, time to split the loot!"
Kael announced once they were far enough out at sea.
Everyone's eyes lit up. They crowded around as Kael opened the box. Inside was a massive stack of bills totaling seven million Jewels, alongside a gleaming Gold Zodiac Key.
"That's a fortune!!"
Gray's hands actually shook. He'd been a wizard for years, but like most people in the guild, he usually spent his money as fast as he earned it. He had never seen this much cash in one place.
"Aye~!"
Happy purred. "One fish is 500 Jewels… ten fish is 5,000… a hundred is 50,000… Lucy, my brain is melting. How many fish is that?"
Lucy rolled her eyes.
"It's fourteen thousand fish, you greedy cat."
"Fourteen thousand?!"
Happy looked like he was about to faint from joy. He imagined himself drowning in a sea of delicious fish.
"Okay,"
Kael said, lowering the lid slightly. "I'm taking six million. Gray, you get one million. Payout's done!"
"WHAT?!"
"Kael!"
Happy cried. "Why does Gray get so much? He didn't do anything! He mostly just got beat up!"
Kael shrugged.
"Hey, you're the ones who tried to 'steal' my mission. Gray might've lost his fight, but he still put in work and helped out. He deserves his cut."
Gray stared at the money in his hands, heart pounding. He'd heard Kael was generous—Elfman had once gotten a million Jewels just for tagging along—but experiencing it firsthand was different. He was officially a fan.
"Kael! If you ever have another job, you have to count me in!"
Gray said, looking ready to follow Kael to the ends of the earth.
Happy lunged forward and wrapped his arms around Kael's leg.
"Kael, please! Let me be your cat instead!"
"Me too… urk…"
Natsu tried to join in, but the motion of the ice ship was already getting to him.
"Natsu, you're embarrassing yourself,"
Gray said, shoving him away. "Just swim back if you're going to be sick!"
Lucy approached Kael, rubbing her hands together nervously.
"So… Kael… that Gold Key isn't really useful to you, right? I mean, you aren't a Celestial Spirit Wizard…"
"You're right,"
Kael said, thoughtful. "Maybe I should sell it. I hear these things are rare; I could probably get a high price for it."
"No! Don't sell it!"
Lucy shrieked. "If you're going to sell it, sell it to me!"
"To you? Do you even have the money?"
"Ugh…"
Lucy slumped. She was broke, and she knew it.
Suddenly, Kael tossed something through the air. Lucy scrambled to catch it—and realized it was the very key she'd been dreaming of.
"Kael?"
"Consider it a gift,"
Kael said with a shrug. "Call it a thank-you for that meal you bought me when we first met."
"But… this is worth a fortune…"
Lucy couldn't believe it. He was giving her a priceless Gold Key over a single dinner.
"You don't want it? Fine—give it back."
"No! I want it! It's mine!"
Lucy hugged the key to her chest, eyes shimmering with gratitude. She realized teaming up with Kael might be the best decision she'd ever made.
"All right, we're running out of time,"
Kael said, his expression sharpening with focus. "We need to reach that train station."
Kael activated his Take Over magic. In a flash of fire and light, his body transformed into Portgas D. Ace. He then manifested a small, fire-powered speedboat. He tied one end of a thick rope to his boat and the other to the bow of the ice ship.
"What is that?"
Lucy asked, tilting her head.
"A speedboat?"
Happy added. "But we already have a ship."
Gray didn't answer. Instead, his face went pale.
"Don't ask questions. Just hold on tight and don't let go!"
Gray quickly used his ice magic to create makeshift safety bars and locks, strapping everyone down to the deck.
"Hang on! We're moving!!"
Kael shouted.
BANG————!!
A massive jet of flame erupted from the back of the speedboat. The thrust was so powerful it nearly yanked the ice ship out of the water.
"YAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!"
Their screams were drowned out by the roar of the engine and the whistling wind.
In less than twenty minutes, they covered a journey that should have taken four hours. By the time they drifted into Hargeon Port at a much slower speed, the group looked like they'd been through a war.
"Blergh~~!"
This time it wasn't just Natsu. Everyone—Lucy, Happy, and even Gray—was leaning over the side, completely seasick.