Hey, I'm keeping this short and sweet. I hope yall like it. Also the winners of the lovers poll by a large margin are as follows
Velzard -6
Velgrynd -5
Testerossa -5
These 3 are the winners
!!!!! Now I need another vote. This is very important !!!!
How strong should Varion be when he gets back to Fairytail he will get back just after cannon would have started. He will go back just after the walpurgus
The options are below vote on the one you want only 1 vote use a +1.
Demon lords seed level (will also have a hero egg and a demon lord seed at this time)( can't Beat Acnologia at this stage 0% chance but it gives a reason for him to return so soon to tensura and bring the tenrou crew)
True Demon lord level ( he will still have both hero egg and demon lord seed just not hatched (might make him a true demonlord only at firstdepending on comments) but I will do some plot that really makes sense to make him this strong)( 50/50 chance on beating Acnologia due to the fairytail worlds magic possibility weakening varion but if he lost or won it would feel like plot either way)
Or finally
Fuck it: fully awakened true demon lord and true hero level (he will just neg dif every fight, Acnologia will get beat like a toddler fighting a gang of grown adults, and deal with all other fights with no issues)
!!!!!Let me know your thoughts and please vote. This is truly an important vote as it will massively affect the length of this story and the direction I take it !!!!!!
Chapter 42: Quiet Conversations and revelations
The adventurers followed Rimuri through the village, the goblins parting with curious but friendly waves. The small group headed toward a freshly built wooden house near the center square. It was simple but sturdy, with a low table already set with platters of food and drinks.
They settled around the table: Kaval, Gido, and Ellen on one side, Shizu beside Rimuri, and Varion and Prinz across from them. The room was warm, lit by soft lantern light, and for the first few minutes the conversation stayed light. Kaval and Gido recounted the ant chase with exaggerated groans, while Ellen teased them about how fast they had run. Rimuri giggled happily, asking questions about their journey and the Freedom Association.
Varion listened quietly, occasionally adding a calm comment or passing a plate. Prinz sat close beside him, her gloved hand resting lightly on his knee under the table, golden eyes flicking between the group with mild interest. But she kept glancing towards Ellen.
As the meal wound down and the plates emptied, Shizu set her cup aside. She looked at Rimuri, her masked face unreadable but her posture a little more tense.
"Rimuri… could we talk somewhere private? Just the two of us? There's something I'd like to ask you about."
Rimuri's core brightened. "Of course. Let's step outside for a bit."
The two of them slipped out the door, leaving the others at the table. Varion and Prinz exchanged a quick glance, while Kaval and Gido continued chatting with Ellen about their next assignment.
A few minutes later, Rimuri poked her head back inside. "Varion? You mind joining us for a minute?"
Varion stood without hesitation. "Sure."
He followed her out. Shizu was waiting a short distance away, arms crossed, clearly confused when she saw him approach.
Rimuri jiggled once, almost apologetically. "I thought it might be good if he joined us. He's from another world too."
Shizu's head tilted sharply behind the mask. "Wait… really?"
Rimuri nodded. "Yeah. But his is a different world altogether. I figured it might be nice for all three of us to talk."
Shizu studied Varion for a long moment, then gave a slow nod. "Alright. I didn't expect that."
The three of them walked a little farther from the house, finding a quiet spot near the edge of the village where the trees gave them some privacy. Rimuri started first, sharing bits of her own story — how she had died in her original world and woken up as a slime. Shizu listened intently, then opened up about her own summoning during the final days of the war, the firebombing, and the man who had pulled her through.
Varion sat quietly at first, then added his own pieces about the life he had built in Magnolia with the guild and the kids. The conversation flowed easily between the three of them, the shared experience of being torn from one world and dropped into another creating an instant, quiet bond.
Back near the house, Ellen had slipped away from Kaval and Gido. She spotted Prinz standing alone by the treeline and walked over. The two stepped a short distance into the trees, out of sight from the rest of the group.
The moment the leaves closed behind them and the voices faded, Prinz stepped forward and pulled her younger sister into a quick, tight hug.
Ellen melted instantly, arms wrapping around Prinz just as fiercely.
"It's really good to see you, big sister," Ellen whispered, voice thick with emotion. "What are you doing here? Of all places? I haven't heard from you in months."
Prinz held her a moment longer, then pulled back with a soft huff, a familiar teasing glint returning to her golden eyes. "I'm doing the same thing I've been doing for months now, having fun and exploring. What about you?"
Ellen grinned, the teasing spark in her eyes flaring. She flipped the conversation right back on her sister. "Oh no, you don't get to dodge that easy. I saw how you were looking at that guy back there. Varion, was it? So… **do** you like him or something?~" She waggled her eyebrows with a mischievous grin. "You've been glued to his side since earlier today. That's not like you at all."
Instead of the usual sharp comeback or playful deflection Ellen expected, Prinz's cheeks flushed a light, genuine pink. She glanced away for a second, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, before looking back with an almost shy smile.
"…I might," she admitted softly, voice quieter than Ellen had ever heard it.
Ellen's teasing grin froze, then slowly melted into pure shock. Her big sister — the one who teased and messed with everyone constantly — was standing here with a soft, vulnerable smile on her face. It was a side of Prinz Ellen had never seen before.
"Wow…" Ellen breathed, genuinely stunned. She searched her sister's face, the surprise giving way to something warmer, almost relieved. "You've got that soft smile and a blush. You got it bad, don't you?"
Prinz's blush deepened, but she didn't deny it. She simply nodded once, the smile staying.
Ellen let out a small, happy laugh and squeezed Prinz's hand. "Have you told him yet? About who you really are? About our family?"
Prinz shook her head. "No, not yet. I'm still trying to figure out how to do it properly. I don't want to drop everything on him at once. He's an otherworlder so he is still adapting to this world and a lot of information just got dropped on him as well. So I'm going to wait for a better time."
Ellen's grin turned playful again, but gentler this time. "You should take him to Sarion at some point. Introduce him to the family the proper way." She paused, then added with a laugh, "Though there might be a small issue with Father. You know how he is, he might try to kill Varion on sight just for daring to like you."
Prinz giggled at the thought, the sound light and genuine. "I'm much more worried about Father than Varion if that happened."
-Sarion, Grimwald Mansion-
The grand study of Archduke Erald Grimwald was quiet except for the steady scratch of a quill across parchment. Stacks of official documents towered on his massive oak desk — trade agreements, border reports, and the endless minutiae that came with being one of the highest-ranking emissaries in the Sorcerous Dynasty. Sunlight filtered through tall stained-glass windows, casting colorful patterns across the floor.
Erald paused mid-signature, quill hovering. His eyes narrowed.
A long, dramatic moment passed.
Then, in a low, ominous voice that could have frozen a lesser man's blood, he growled:
"I feel a disturbance in the force… Someone is seducing one of my little girls… I will kill him."
A sharp *thwack* echoed through the study as a rolled-up scroll smacked him squarely on the back of the head.
"Erald Grimwald, behave yourself," came the exasperated voice of his wife, Duchess Isolde, from behind him. She stood with one hand on her hip, the other still gripping the offending scroll like a weapon. "You're not even in the same country as the girls. How could you possibly feel anything?"
Erald rubbed the back of his head, whining like a scolded child. "But dear, it's my fatherly instinct! I have to protect them! Prinz is out there somewhere playing her little games, and Elyun is running around as an adventurer again. What if some smooth-talking rogue is trying to—"
Another *thwack*.
"You will do no such thing," Isolde said firmly, though the corner of her mouth twitched with amusement. "They are grown women. Very capable grown women. And if memory serves, you were quite the 'smooth-talking rogue' when you were chasing me around during our youth as well."
Erald slumped dramatically in his chair, quill forgotten. "That was different. I am charming. Honorable. A proper archduke." He looked up at her with wide, pitiful eyes. "I just want them to be safe. They're my little girls. If some unworthy fool thinks he can—"
Isolde sighed, walking over to run her fingers through his hair fondly. "You're impossible. Let them live their lives. If one of them does bring someone home, we will judge him properly as a family. Not by you dealing out death threats from your desk."
He grumbled before going back to his work, still plotting doom upon whoever dared try to seduce his daughters.
Prinz and Ellen slipped back toward the village square just as Varion was returning from the hill. He walked beside Rimuri and Shizu, the three of them still chatting quietly about their shared experiences from other worlds. The masked woman looked lighter than she had when she first arrived, and Rimuri's core glowed with quiet satisfaction.
Varion caught Prinz's eye as she rejoined the group. She gave him a small smile and slipped her hand back into his without a word. He squeezed it once, sensing the subtle shift in her mood but not pressing for details. Whatever conversation she and Ellen had shared, it had left her looking both thoughtful and strangely content.
Prinz leaned against his side, her head resting lightly on his shoulder for a moment as the sun dipped lower.