In the end, Erza still forced herself to choke down the remaining vegetables.
Seeing how desperately she was struggling with them, Cain had wanted to tell her that she could just leave them if she really didn’t like them.
But Erza simply replied that wasting food was unacceptable.
Her response made Cain pause.
He realized she had completely misunderstood his intention; he had actually meant that she could just give the leftovers to him.
But he quickly understood that it was her traumatic experience in the Tower of Heaven that made her look at food this way.
Compared to what Erza had been through, his own start in this world was infinitely better.
After finishing their meal and resting for a bit, the two set off toward Baron Ross’s manor.
When Erza saw Cain leading her to the train station and purchasing two tickets, she looked at him curiously.
“Aren’t we supposed to be going to the Baron’s manor?” Seeing her confused expression, Cain finally realized he had forgotten to tell her that Baron Ross’s estate wasn’t actually located on the Bogoya Coast.
“The manor isn’t here in Bogoya,” Cain explained.
“It’s in the city of Phithea.” Hearing this, Erza understood.
The two then boarded the Magic Railway train.
It was Erza’s very first time riding a magic train, and she found the entire experience utterly fascinating, eagerly looking out the window and lightly touching the sleek interior.
Staring at the young girl beside him, Cain found it hard to imagine just how many horrific hardships and trials the eleven-year-old Erza of the original timeline had to endure completely alone before she finally stumbled into Magnolia and joined Fairy Tail.
Noticing that Cain was staring at her intently, Erza felt a bit self-conscious.
She quickly stopped looking around and sat rigidly upright in her seat.
About three hours later, the magic train finally pulled into Phithea Station.
“Ah, we’re finally here.
My butt is completely numb,” Cain complained under his breath, rubbing his backside.
Erza nodded fiercely in total agreement; she felt as if her own rear end was about to split into four pieces.
The process of delivering the Marine Pearls to the Baron’s manor went incredibly smoothly.
The estate staff didn’t give Cain any trouble just because he was a child.
After successfully receiving his completed request certificate, Cain checked the time and turned to Erza.
“Erza, let’s find a place to stay here tonight.
We’ll set off for the guild first thing tomorrow morning.” “Okay, sounds good.” Although Erza was burning with anticipation to see the guild Grandpa Rob had always described as a warm home, she understood that the sun was already setting and it was getting too late to travel.
After enjoying another hearty dinner, Cain escorted Erza to her inn room.
He wished her a gentle ‘get some good rest’ before heading back to his own quarters.
After taking a long, hot bath, Erza lay down on the soft, luxurious bed.
She felt as though everything that had happened today was nothing short of a dream.
She had gone from the crushing disorientation of first escaping the Tower of Heaven, to the utter shock of encountering Cain, to the miraculous discovery that he was a member of Fairy Tail.
And when she had desperately begged him to take her with him, she had fully prepared herself for a cold refusal, only for Cain to agree without a moment’s hesitation.
Since then, he had bought her a beautiful new dress, treated her to delicious feasts, taken her on a grand magic train ride, and now she was lying in a wonderfully soft bed.
Oh, and he had even gifted her a breathtakingly beautiful Marine Pearl the exact moment they met.
As she silently rehearsed the events of the day, the suffocating grief and confusion that had plagued her since her escape began to recede, replaced by a profound sense of safety and comfort she had never experienced before in her life.
The Next Day.
When Cain woke up and finished washing his face, he planned to step outside for a quick morning workout.
However, the moment he slid his door open, he was surprised to find Erza already standing gracefully in the hallway, waiting for him.
Cain blinked in surprise.
“Morning, Erza.
Did you sleep well last night?” “Mhm!
Last night was the deepest, most peaceful sleep I’ve had in years.” Seeing her bright demeanor, Cain happily abandoned his plans for a morning jog.
After the two enjoyed a quiet breakfast together, they headed straight to the station and purchased their tickets to Magnolia.
Only now did it fully register for Erza that Cain had personally paid for her new clothes, all their meals, the inn rooms, and every single train ticket over the past two days.
She turned to Cain and gave him a deep, incredibly solemn bow.
“Cain, thank you so much for everything.” Her sudden, heavy gravity caught Cain completely off guard.
He hurriedly reached out to lift her by the shoulders.
“Whoa, why are you suddenly being so formal?” Erza looked up, explaining that since Cain had single-handedly covered all their expenses, she didn’t know how else she could possibly repay him besides offering her deepest gratitude.
Cain simply waved his hand dismissively with a carefree grin.
“Don’t worry about it!
We’re companions now, aren’t we?
Besides, don’t let my age fool you—I’m actually loaded.” Hearing Cain call her his companion filled Erza’s heart with pure joy.
As for his claim about being incredibly wealthy, she didn’t believe it for a second.
Even though she had been locked away from society inside the Tower of Heaven for the past several years, her early childhood in Rosemary Village had taught her just how incredibly difficult it was to earn even a single Jewel.
Chatting comfortably back and forth, the time flew by, and the magic train soon arrived at the Magnolia terminal.
“Yo, Cain!
Welcome back!
Want a fresh apple?” “Hey, Cain!
Look at you bringing back such a cute little lady!” Watching Cain naturally wave and exchange cheerful greetings with the local street vendors, Erza couldn’t help but feel that he was truly incredible.
He was roughly the same age as her, yet he was clearly beloved by the entire town.
After waving goodbye to the enthusiastic residents, Cain suddenly remembered something and turned to Erza with a slightly cautious expression.
“By the way, Erza…
the people in our guild can be a bit…
hyperactive and over-enthusiastic.
Just make sure you don’t get startled, okay?” Over-enthusiastic?
Like the townsfolk are toward Cain?
Erza thought to herself.
She blinked innocently and nodded with absolute confidence.
“Don’t worry, Cain!” She proudly thumped her fist against her battered chest armor to emphasize her point.
Seeing her complete lack of suspicion, Cain opened his mouth to warn her further, but ultimately decided to let it go.
He figured that since the Erza of the original timeline had integrated into the guild just fine, her current self would manage to survive the culture shock.
Cain stepped forward and forcefully pushed the heavy double doors open, shouting inside, “I’m back, everyone!” “Woof!
Woof!
Woof!” However, aside from Shiro bounding forward to enthusiastically greet them, the rest of the guild members didn’t pay them any attention at all.
The drinkers kept chugging their ale, and the braggarts kept loudly shouting over one another.
Erza turned a deeply confused, questioning gaze toward Cain.
Is this the ‘over-enthusiasm’ you were talking about?
“Ahem…
completely ignore them,” Cain coughed into his fist, looking slightly embarrassed.
“Come on, I’ll take you to see the Master.” Hearing that she was finally going to meet the Guild Master, Erza instantly tossed the awkward silence to the back of her mind.
She followed closely behind Cain as he walked straight toward a tiny, heavily intoxicated old man slumped over the front bar counter.
“Master.
Master, wake up.” Makarov forced his heavy eyelids open with a groggy groan.
“Ca…
Cain…
welcome back…
hic!” A massive, suffocating wave of pure alcohol fumes erupted from Makarov’s mouth.
Cain reacted instantly, forcefully leaning back to keep himself as far away from the drunken old man as humanly possible.
“Huh?
Wait…
who’s…
who’s this…
cute little…
girl?” As he babbled, Makarov began stretching his neck forward, his face inching uncomfortably close to Erza.
Seeing that the Master was about to literally press his nose against her face, Cain swiftly grabbed the old man by the collar and dragged him back, determined to stop Erza from mistakenly believing their legendary leader was a creepy pervert.
“Master Makarov, I wish to officially join the Fairy Tail guild.
Please grant me your permission,” Erza spoke up, completely unbothered by the old man’s drunken antics.
Instead, she stood perfectly straight and delivered her request with profound gravity.
“Oh…
sure, sounds…
sounds great!
Let me get…
get the…
guild stamp for you…” Swaying violently from side to side, Makarov turned around to grab the magic stamp from the shelf.
But the stamp seemed to be dancing in circles before his blurry eyes, and his trembling hand kept missing it entirely.
Unable to watch the trainwreck a second longer, Cain reached out, snatched the stamp from the counter, and turned to Erza with a smile.
“Erza, what color do you want your guild mark to be?
And where do you want me to stamp it?” “Scarlet red.
Right here, please.” She proudly raised her left arm, gesturing toward her upper bicep.
Smack!
A vibrant, crimson Fairy Tail insignia proudly materialized on Erza’s left arm.
Staring at the beautifully etched crest, Erza’s heart swelled.
She knew that if Grandpa Rob could see her right now, knowing she had successfully found his beloved home, he would be absolutely overjoyed.
At that exact moment, the heavily intoxicated Makarov suddenly leapt high into the air, his eyes flying wide open as he bellowed at the top of his lungs: “WE’VE GOT A NEW ROOKIE, EVERYONE!!!
TIME TO KICK OFF THE BANQUET!!!” “YEAAAAAAAH!!!!!!”