279. Visitation

Some days after Ben proposed to Mira, he goes to his old village. He takes Wendy, Bella, Carla, & the Straus siblings with him to see their old home. They go to a crystal monument with the shape of Cait Shelter guild mark on the plaza that Ben made some time ago which has the villagers' names written on it.

"Gramps, everyone, I'm back. I've finally saved Wendy & Carla after 3 years. I will still protect my sisters, just like what I've promised you," says Ben while putting a flower bouquet in front of the monument.

"Master, we've come back. Ben nii-san and Bella have worked hard to save us, to keep his promise. I'm sorry that I've made you worried. Ah, that's right, Carla & I have bought something for you. It's not what you usually drank, but it's still liquor. We couldn't buy it ourselves because we are too young to enter the store, so Ben nii-san bought it for us. But we use our own money that we got from finishing jobs," says Wendy.

"That's right, now we have our own savings from the money that we get ourselves, not what Ben gave," says Carla.

"Grandpa, Ben pop... poro... posro... umm," says Bella in confusion.

"Propose," says Carla, correcting Bella's words.

Bella smiles after being reminded and says, "Yeah, pororopos."

"Sigh, whatever," says Carla tiredly.

The others laugh before Ben talks again, "Just like what they said. I've proposed Mira, you've known her, right? We'll get married in a few months, so don't forget your blessing. It's a very big shame that you can't attend it but that's alright. I've received a lot from you so I can overlook this."

They laugh a little before Mira comes forward, "Everyone, I will take care of Ben and his sisters. I know that he is a reliable man, but he is also quite clumsy and vulnerable at times. That's why I will be his strength and cover his weaknesses, always support him anytime he needs it, and stay by his side as we grow old. He promised to protect his sisters, but no one promised to protect him, so I will do that," says Mira while bowing.

"Hey, we also promised to protect him," says Carla in protest.

"That's right, that's right," says Bella while nodding, supporting Carla.

"Carla, Bella, don't be rude," says Wendy.

"Fufufu, it's alright, I will protect all of you then. Also, if you want to protect him, then you need to get stronger. I also need to be stronger, but if we all get stronger, then we can combine our strength and protect him," says Mira.

Wendy & the cats look at each other before looking at Mira again and Carla says, "Hmm, I guess you're right. You're in the team now."

"Team!" says Bella happily as she jumps to hug Mira.

Wendy just giggles while Ben, Elfman, & Lisanna are getting speechless. They don't know what kind of drama that Mira & the kids did just now. They all have known each other for a long time and even live together, so it's really strange that they suddenly fight over a promise.

Well, it's not a problem so Ben leaves it at that and talks about a few more things. He reports what he & his sisters have done so far. They don't know if the messages will reach Roubaul & the villagers' spirits, but they just want to report all they've done, it's what they've always done in the past, after all.

After finishing their business in the village, they return to Magnolia. Things don't go as usual though because everyone is talking about Ben & Mira. The Fairy Tail Mages keep asking Ben about his plan for the wedding or what he'll do on his last day as a 'free man'.

"Ben, let me tell you something. Marriage is not the start of a happy life, it's just the entrance of hell," says a drunk Macao.

"Sigh, Macao, just because yours is hell doesn't mean that mine is one too. Just look at Al & Bisca, they are better now after getting married than when they weren't," says Ben before sipping his rum.

"Oi, I'm serious, women change after they get married. If we just stay at home, they told us to work, but if we work too much, they say we didn't care for them," says Macao.

"Yeah, I'm sure they are. But I will be able to adapt to that change, unlike you," says Ben while smirking.

"Tch, don't say that I never warned you," says Macao pissedly.

"Ignore him, Ben, he is too drunk," says Wakaba.

"Well, that was a good lesson though. I need to learn from his mistake. Just like what people said, experience is the best teacher. That experience doesn't need to be mine, it can be from others," says Ben.

"You talk like an old man," says Laxus as he approaches Ben.

"Oh, you've finished your job?" asks Ben.

"Of course, that's why I return. Anyway, Ben, can I ask you a favor?" asks Laxus.

The next day, all Fairy Tail Mages are gathering on the training ground. They are watching Laxus and Ben sparring there with a barrier surrounding them. The favor that Laxus asked for was this sparring.

"Faster, Laxus! Faster! You are lightning, so you can go faster. Don't hesitate, you are a Dragon Slayer, your body can withstand that speed, and your brain will adapt to it. Your mind is blocking you from reaching your highest potential," says Ben while blocking Laxus's attacks.

Laxus tries to get faster, but he still can't do it. He can travel at a very high speed, but he can't reach that speed when he fights.

"Are you worried that you might kill me? What a joke, Laxus," says Ben as he sends a light-speed jab at Laxus's chest.

Laxus is sent flying back and crashes onto the barrier. But he doesn't receive significant injury and it confuses him.

"That is what you need, control. You need to have good control over your speed. I know you have it already because you can travel at high speed. But you can't use it in a fight, right? Do you know why?" asks Ben.

"Because it needs a greater control," says Laxus.

"Correct, moving a long distance at high speed is easier than moving at a very short distance with the same speed. It's because when you move for a long distance, you will have more time to see your path and control your movement. Your control is good but it's not good enough. You mostly move a straight path in battle but you need to be able to change your direction if needed because Mages with great senses will be able to see your path and counter it," says Ben.

"How do I train it?" asks Laxus.

"Try to move around obstacles. In the past, I moved around the trees in the forest, preferably the area where the trees are very close to each other," says Ben.

"Alright, thanks, I will try it later," says Laxus.

"Ah, also, lightning has another great property, heat. Natural lightning has a very high temperature. You are immune to it, so that means your body is immune to that level of heat. Try to make your lightning reach that high temperature. That is my advice to you, learn your element more," says Ben.

"I see, I don't fully understand my power it seems. Thanks, Ben, I learned a lot from you. You really deserve that Wizard Saint title, I owe you one," says Laxus while smiling as he walks away.

The others are bewildered seeing Laxus being humble to someone his age. They are still under the impression that Laxus is a prideful guy, after all. In the past, he looked down on everyone, but now, he actually looked up to someone and asked for advice himself.

"He has changed," says Lucy.

"Is he? For me, this is the real Laxus. The Laxus that caused trouble in the past was the one who changed from his original self," says Erza while smiling.

"It's good, isn't it, Master?" asks Mira.

Makarov smiles and says, "Yeah. He has grown up a lot."

They all then look at Ben and he also looks at them before grinning evilly. "Now, Natsu, Gajeel, it's your turn. Let's start our Dragon Slayer class."

Natsu & Gajeel suddenly turn pale and they try to run away. But who are they to try running away from Ben, the fastest Mage in Ishgar. They get captured and dragged to the training ground as they scream. Everyone can only pray for their safety.

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