After successfully obtaining the Aquarius key, Darwin's trio stayed in Ermina for another half month. During this time, they went out to sea multiple times to investigate the traces of the Water Dragon God.
Unfortunately, even though Darwin's "Imaginary Take Over: Dragon Soul" had been strengthened and his sensory abilities reached a new level, they could not find any trace of the Water Dragon God. After several fruitless attempts, the three gave up on the Water Dragon God for the time being, left Ermina, and continued their journey through Guiltina.
In the following months, they traveled to various parts of the northern continent, specifically picking cities rumored to have dragon sightings. Although more than half were false alarms, they eventually found the tracks of several dragons.
The trio came well-prepared, and since the strength of the dragons they encountered was mediocre—not even matching the Thunder Dragon King—their battles were consistently victorious. In just over half a year, the Spirit Dragon, Sticky Dragon, Blade Dragon, and Skeleton Dragon fell one after another at their hands. Like Eclixion, their meat was consumed, and their hearts were sent back to Fairy Tail to be crafted into Dragon Slayer Lacrima.
Before long, rumors of their deeds began to spread across Guiltina—
"Did you hear? Someone has been dragon hunting lately!"
"Dragon hunting? For real?"
"Absolutely! I heard someone visited a battlefield after they fought; it looked like a natural disaster had hit. The place was unrecognizable, with only a dragon's skeleton left behind..."
"I heard a rumor too, that it even included a 'Dragon King' class dragon!"
"Hiss—those are dragons! Someone can actually beat them? Just who are they..."
"I don't know, but someone saw them. They said it's a guy and two girls, and they look very young!!"
"How could normal young wizards have the strength to kill dragons? Do they use that rumored Dragon Slayer Magic?"
"Who knows. Quick, get someone to look into them!"
"But their movements are unpredictable; finding them won't be easy..."
"If they're moving to slay dragons, just look where the dragons are! Or commission a guild, or send the news straight to the Council. I bet they'd be interested in those three."
"Hahaha... I bet so too!"
In less than a year, more and more wizards heard of the trio's exploits, causing a massive stir in the Guiltina magic world. For the humans of this continent, dragons were enemies they had clashed with for hundreds of years without ever truly defeating. Now, wizards were actively "hunting" them and succeeding repeatedly, naturally drawing intense scrutiny.
Not only the major magic guilds but even the local Magic Council, the MNP, began investigating. Results came quickly.
"We have information. The members of the 'Dragon Hunter Trio' are named Darwin Lagrange, Chris Lagrange, and Erza Belserion. All are genius youths under the age of 20!"
"They hail from the Kingdom of Fiore in Ishgar. They are members of the magic guild Fairy Tail and students of 'Fairy Academy' currently on their field study."
"Under 20... is that accurate??"
"It should be! After we found them, we disguised ourselves as passersby and reporters to probe them. They said it themselves! It seems they have no intention of hiding their identities!!"
"Please, hunting dragons is such a glory, who would hide that? If it were me, I'd want the whole world to know!"
"I can't believe they're wizards from Ishgar. We Guiltina wizards have completely lost face!! Tsk, how annoying!"
"If you ask me, the Council should be the one with the headache. Since the news broke, the public's opinion of the Council has plummeted. Everyone's calling them a bunch of free-loaders..."
"They're right to call them that! They've managed the magic world for years and can't even compare to three kids from Ishgar? They are free-loaders!!"
"Speaking of which, that Fairy Tail guild is amazing! Just three youngsters have the power to hunt dragons. How strong must the adults and the Master be?"
"I heard they're the number one guild in Ishgar. It's been less than 30 years since they were founded, and the Master is only about 40. He even fought in Fiore's wars years ago..."
Through this, the trio and Fairy Tail became famous. Many Guiltina wizards developed a deep interest and longing for this top-ranked Ishgar guild.
One year later.
Darwin and the others returned to Ishgar. Using the results of their travels in Guiltina, they submitted a near-perfect assignment for their field study, concluding their time at Fairy Academy.
...
Summer, X712.
At the Fairy Tail guild, Weston announced major news to everyone.
"Starting today, I am resigning from my duties as the Guild Master!"
"Simultaneously, Precht will become the second-generation Master of Fairy Tail. Everyone, let's have a round of applause!!!"
The members weren't surprised or opposed to Weston's decision. For years, it was clear Weston intended Precht to be his successor. When Fairy Academy was established and Weston shifted his focus there, the idea became even more certain. They were prepared. They just didn't expect the day to come so soon.
"Master, are you leaving us?"
Weston waved his hand. "No, no. I'm just not the Master anymore. It's not a total retirement!"
"I am still the Principal of Fairy Academy, and I am still a member of this guild!"
Due to the trio's actions in Guiltina the previous year, a massive number of wizards had traveled from the northern continent—either wanting to join Fairy Tail or enroll their children in Fairy Academy—causing Weston's workload to skyrocket. For his health, he had to choose between the guild and the academy. Considering his tenure and his successor, Weston decided to "step down as Master to be the Principal."
"Don't worry, everyone!"
"In the days to come, I'll continue to live in Magnolia and be with you all!"