Moreover, Precht saved her life... saved August... That's why she could linger on in this state.
Otherwise, she would have vanished long ago, and she never would have known she had a child.
So, no matter how great the wrongs Precht committed, even attacking Tenrou Island, Mavis still couldn't bring herself to be angry.
In comparison, Precht had done far more for her—whether it was fighting together against Blue Skull, establishing the guild, or inheriting the title of Master after her "death" and finding a worthy successor to carry the torch.
Anyone else could blame Precht, but she couldn't, and she wouldn't.
"If you want to see him, I can take you there after Christmas," Raizel offered.
"Okay!"
Snapped out of her reverie by his voice, Mavis came back to the present and nodded happily.
"Speaking of which, during your time away, did you go see Warrod Sequen?"
"I did!" When mentioning Warrod, Mavis's joy was evident. "I even had August help out!"
"Desert control?" Raizel asked, figuring that was likely what Warrod was involved in these days.
"Exactly! Exactly!" Mavis's little head bobbed up and down repeatedly. "That's a good thing, then."
"Who is August?" Makarov asked, looking puzzled.
"You'll find out later! I can't say for now." Mavis tilted her head and gave a rather playful wink.
After some thought, Mavis decided to keep it a secret for the time being.
After all, the more people who knew, the more dangerous it would be for August.
'If it were anyone else, that would definitely come off as greasy...'
'Luckily, it's Mavis, and it actually feels cute,' Raizel inwardly mocked.
"Alright," Makarov sighed.
If it were anyone else, he might have pressed for details, but she was the First Master.
He couldn't possibly question her judgment.
Furthermore, he could tell that Raizel knew about this person named August.
Since Raizel hadn't raised any alarms, there probably wasn't any danger.
"Mhm, mhm! When I can tell you, I definitely will!" Mavis patted her chest, making a promise.
Raizel found it quite remarkable watching her. Even after learning of August's existence, she still retained her childlike innocence—it was quite rare.
Perhaps it still had something to do with her frozen physical form.
Guild members arrived one after another, and the hall grew increasingly noisy again.
"So many new faces!" Mavis cheered, thrilled by the unfamiliar crowd.
For her, the livelier Fairy Tail was, the happier she became.
Some people also noticed Mavis—it was hard not to notice her.
After all, she had a cascade of golden hair, wore a pink ruffled dress, and wasn't wearing any shoes.
She sat right on the mahogany bar counter, her little bare feet swinging back and forth.
Sitting on the bar counter was Makarov's exclusive privilege, no one else in the guild dared to do that.
Right now, Mavis sitting there was quite conspicuous.
Raizel, Ultear, Ur, Gildarts, and several others were sitting around her, chatting animatedly.
"Who is that little girl?" Lucy whispered quietly into Natsu's ear.
"First Master," Natsu managed to reply between voracious mouthfuls of food.
"Aye!" Happy chimed in.
After greeting the First Master earlier, Natsu had immediately started on his lunch—yes, lunch, since he'd slept until noon and just arrived.
For him, eating took priority over everything else.
"First Master?!!!" Lucy's voice rose slightly, though she managed to control it.
Her mind had raced through countless possibilities, but she never expected such an unbelievable answer.
Another voice joined in—Juvia, who was intensely questioning Gray.
Since Gray had smiled and warmly greeted Mavis earlier, Juvia thought she had another love rival.
Unable to endure Juvia's persistent clinging, Gray had told her the truth, he actually trusted Juvia quite a bit now.
"Shh, keep your voice down. Not everyone knows about this," Gray made a quieting gesture.
"Yes, Gray-sama," Juvia quickly covered her mouth.
Now that she knew this was the First Master, Juvia immediately removed Mavis from her extensive list of love rivals.
Though she didn't understand why the founder looked like a child, she was certain they weren't competing for Gray's affection.
"You mean to say... she's the founding Guild Master of Fairy Tail?" Lucy lowered her voice. Gray didn't respond verbally, simply nodding.
"If you have questions, you can ask Cana, Erza, or Ultear at the girls' dormitory tonight. There are too many people here," Gray advised.
"Okay, okay." Lucy understood. With her curiosity piqued, she grabbed a fork and began eating as well.
Meanwhile, the bar counter had become a female-only zone, with Ultear and Erza asking Mavis about where she'd traveled and what she'd seen over the past two years.
Raizel and Gildarts were just sitting back, listening.
Over these two years, Mavis hadn't exactly traveled all of Ishgar, but she'd covered most of it.
Thanks to August's magic, she could genuinely experience the sights and sounds of the world again.
"How long do you plan to stay at the guild? Will you travel again after Christmas?" Ultear asked.
"Probably not." Mavis thought for a moment before shaking her head.
August had said that if Zeref didn't leave the Western Continent, he wouldn't leave either.
If Zeref started wandering again, he would return to Ishgar to find Mavis.
"If you're not going out, we're planning to take a cruise after Christmas. Why don't you join us?" Ultear immediately suggested.
"Great! That sounds wonderful!" Mavis's eyes lit up at the prospect.
Traveling with August was one experience, but traveling with her boisterous guild members was entirely different.
"Will the Third Master join us?" Mavis asked, looking over at Makarov.
"No, these old bones should stay at the guild," Makarov chuckled, shaking his head.
Just as Raizel had expected—he'd already invited Makarov earlier but was refused.
However, Raizel didn't press the matter.
Since getting older, Makarov really didn't like moving around much.
Aside from attending mandatory Council meetings, he spent his days drinking at the guild and chatting with Macao and Wakaba.
...
Girls' Dormitory, Erza's Room —
That evening, Ultear formally introduced Mavis to Lucy and Juvia.
"I'm the founding Guild Master of Fairy Tail, Mavis Vermillion."
During her self-introduction, Mavis's feather-like ears twitched slightly.
"First Master, pleased to meet you," Lucy and Juvia greeted, noticeable nervousness in their voices.
"No need to be so tense. The First Master is very approachable," Ultear smiled, noticing their unease and patting their shoulders reassuringly.
"That's right, just relax!" Mavis added, raising her hand cheerfully toward Lucy with a bright smile.
Erza also chimed in, "Take your time. You'll understand once you've spent more time together."