The wedding had no priest, wasn't held in a church, and its beginning was rather absurd, but Alzack and Bisca were overjoyed.
As the final photo in the album gifted by Ur found its place, everyone cheered together.
Under the grand fireworks and melodious songs at the open-air café, the magnificent Fairy Tail wedding ceremony officially came to a close.
Alzack and Bisca set off on their honeymoon the very next day.
The newlyweds were gifted tickets to various tourist destinations—just the tickets alone could keep them entertained for a month.
Only Makarov and Gildarts ended up buying tickets for the exact same place.
Everyone else had discussed and arranged different destinations, ensuring the couple's itinerary was perfectly planned.
Aside from travel expenses, if they didn't buy souvenirs, they wouldn't need to spend a single coin.
The guild members carried on much as usual, eating and drinking as they always did.
Fighting as always... and the number of members joining the brawls was increasing!
It used to be just Natsu and Gray fighting daily, with others occasionally joining the fray.
Now, it had become a three-way standoff between Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel, which often escalated into a massive melee.
Unlike his usual self, Raizel was drinking alcohol today, clearly preoccupied.
Most of the members were out on missions, leaving the guild quiet.
Fortunately, Ultear and Erza were also away, or they would have noticed Raizel's unusual state.
He had received a piece of news from Mavis yesterday, and he wasn't sure how things would unfold.
August had contacted Mavis, informing her he might be unable to leave the Alvarez Empire for some time.
He needed to guard Zeref during this period because Zeref was injured, and severely at that.
August speculated that it was the work of the Black Dragon, Acnologia.
First, very few could injure Zeref.
Even with his self-imposed seals, an attacker would need to be at least at the level of the leader of the Seven Kin of Purgatory to cause him any harm, and even then, it would be minimal—not this severe.
Second, he sensed unusual magical power radiating from Zeref's wounds, and he detected dragon force within it.
Based on these two points, he deduced it was the work of Acnologia.
There was another piece of bad news: Zeref's mental state seemed unstable.
'Mental instability... If it really was Acnologia who did this, then Zeref must have been pushed to his limits by the Black Dragon, causing him to release his seals...' Raizel took a sip of alcohol, silently speculating.
'Could it be that the reason the Black Dragon didn't appear at Tenrou Island that day was because he was chasing Zeref? That seems plausible.'
'Compared to us, Zeref is clearly more interesting to him.'
After all, Acnologia's attitude toward Zeref had always been one of treating him as a plaything.
Acnologia could defeat Zeref but couldn't kill him, so he found it amusing and often tormented him.
Zeref often sought refuge in desolate places, both to avoid humans and to evade Acnologia.
"You seem preoccupied." Mavis's voice interrupted Raizel's contemplation.
"Indeed I am." Raizel rubbed his temples and let out a soft sigh.
There was no point hiding it—Mavis wasn't someone easily deceived.
"The Black Dragon Acnologia and Zeref... I'm not sure if Zeref has broken his own seal yet, but it's still early. We'll take things one step at a time."
Even if Zeref's seal broke and he went berserk, his Spriggan 12 weren't fully assembled yet.
August was practically on their side too, so they'd still stand a fighting chance if conflict arose.
Raizel decided to change the subject. "Let's not dwell on that for now. Since August won't be coming immediately, would you like to visit Warrod-senpai? I can take you there."
Mavis could certainly go alone, but it would take her much longer.
Whether flying or teleporting, Raizel could save her considerable time and effort—and it wasn't like he had anything urgent to do anyway.
Though after bringing her back, he would need to seek out magical power with special properties to strengthen himself as quickly as possible.
"Really?" Mavis's eyes brightened.
She had wanted to go for a long time.
She'd been there once before with August, but not knowing how to explain August's presence, she had only watched Warrod watering his flowers from a distance.
Raizel had mentioned it once before, but Bisca's sudden wedding had delayed plans.
When Raizel never brought it up again, she felt too embarrassed to ask.
"Of course. Once Gramps arrives, I'll let him know, and we can depart immediately."
"Great!" Mavis nodded excitedly, skipping through the guild hall.
After so many years apart, she missed her old friend terribly.
Warrod, Precht, and Yuri held special meaning for her.
The four of them had worked together to establish Fairy Tail—not quite family, yet closer than family.
Makarov didn't arrive until noon.
With Mira and Lisanna handling most request approvals these days, his role as Guild Master had essentially become ceremonial, aside from attending regular meetings and writing apologies to the Magic Council.
During lunch, Raizel brought it up. "Gramps, I plan to take the First Master to visit Warrod-senpai. The Second Master, Precht, is there too."
The moment Raizel spoke, Mavis looked at Makarov with pleading eyes.
"Travel safely, and make sure to protect the First Master." Makarov paused briefly before nodding.
Warrod was certainly no concern—the main worry was Precht.
Who knew what condition the Second Master was in now. Makarov maintained his composure while sighing inwardly.
With Precht's mechanical heart destroyed and his vast magical power gone, the physical threat he posed had greatly diminished.
"Yay!!!" Mavis happily raised her arms, swinging her feet gleefully.
'Somehow it doesn't feel like you're the First Master at all, considering Gramps is the Third Generation...' Raizel watched Mavis with mixed feelings he couldn't quite describe.
Perhaps it was due to her current form—she really did act like a child.
Mira and Makarov saw them off at the guild's main entrance.
"Safe travels." Mira waved with her characteristic gentle smile.
"First Master, don't wander too far from Raizel," Makarov instructed.
He even wanted to say she should listen to Raizel, but it felt somewhat strange.
In the end, he couldn't bring himself to say it.
"Don't worry, Third Master!" Mavis waved back at Mira.
"I'll take good care of the First Master! You should head back quickly, it's quite cold outside," Raizel said, nodding toward Makarov and Mira.
Only after the red magic circle flashed and the figures of Raizel and Mavis disappeared did Makarov and Mira turn around and return to the warm guild hall.