A few days have passed after Ben proposed to Mira, he went to his old village. He took Wendy, Bella, Carla and the Strauss siblings with him to see their old home. They went to a crystal monument in the shape of Cait Shelter's guild mark on the plaza Ben set up some time ago which had the villager's names written on it.
"Gramps, everyone, I'm back. I've finally saved Wendy and Carla after 3 years. I will still protect my sisters, just like I promised you that I would." Ben said while planning a bouquet of flowers on the monument.
"Master, we've come back. Ben nii-san and Bella worked hard to save us and keep their promise. I'm sorry that I worried you. Ah, that's right, Carla and I brought 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 used our own money that we got from completing jobs." Wendy said.
"That's right, now we have our own savings from the money that we get ourselves, not what Ben gave us." Carla added.
"Grandpa, Ben pop...poro...posro...um." Bella said, confused.
"Proposed." Carla corrected her.
Bella smiled after being reminded.
"Yeah, pororopos." She said.
"Whatever." Carla sighed.
The others laugh before Ben continued, "As they said I've proposed to Mira. You know her, right? We'll get married in a few months, so don't forget your blessing. It's a shame that you can't attend it but it's alright. I've received a lot from so I can overlook this."
They laugh a little before Mira walked 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." Mira said, bowing.
"Hey, we also promised to protect him." Carla protested.
"That's right, that's right." Bella nodding, supporting her.
"Carla, Bella, don't be rude." Wendy reprimanded them.
"Fufufu, it's alright, I will protect all of you then. Also, if you want to protect him, then you need to become stronger. I also need to become stronger, but if we all get stronger, then we can combine our strength and protect him." Mira said.
Wendy and the cats look at each other before looking at Mira again.
"Hmm, I guess you're right. You're part of the team now." Carla said.
"Team!" Bella happily yelled as she jumped to hug Mira.
Wendy just giggled while Ben, Elfman and Lisanna were speechless. They don't know what kind of drama Mira and the kids were involved in. They have known each other for a long time and even live together, so it's really strange that they fight over a promise.
Well, it wasn't a problem so Ben left it at that and talked about a few more things. He reported what he and his sisters have done so far. They don't know if the messages will reach Roubaul and the villagers' spirits, but they just want to report all that they've done, it's something they always did in the past.
After finishing their business in the village, they return to Magnolia. Things didn't go as expected though because everyone was talking about Ben and 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 the start of hell." A drunk Macao said.
"Macao, just because yours is hell doesn't mean that mine is one too. Just look at Al and Bisca, they are better now after getting married than when they weren't." Ben replied before sipping his rum.
"Oi, I'm serious, women change after they get married. If we just stay at home, they tell us to work, but if we work too much, they say we don't care about them." Macao said.
"Yeah, I'm sure they do. But I'll be able to adapt to that, unlike you." Ben rolled his eyes.
"Tch, don't say I didn't warn you." Macao scoffed.
"Ignore him. He's extremely drunk." Wakaba said.
"Well, that was a good lesson though. I need to learn from his mistake. People say experience is the best teacher. That experience doesn't need to be mine, it can be from others." Ben told him.
"You talk like an old man." Laxus said as he approached Ben.
"Oh, you finished your job?" Ben asked.
"Of course, that's why I returned. Anyway, Ben, can you do me a favor?" Laxus asked.
"Depends on the favor." Kenshin remarked.
The next day, all the Fairy Tail mages gather at the training ground. They watch Laxus and Ben spar with a barrier surrounding them. The favor Laxus asked for was this sparring match.
"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." Ben said as he blocked Laxus' attacks.
Laxus tried to go faster, but he still can't do it. He can travel at 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." Ben said as he threw a light speed jab at Laxus' chest.
Laxus is sent flying back and crashed into the barrier. He didn't have any significant injuries and he was confused.
"This 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?" Ben asked.
"Because it needs greater control." Laxus answered.
"Correct, moving 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 not good enough. You mostly move in a straight path in battle but you need to be able to change your direction if needed because mages with enhanced senses will be able to see your path and counter it." Ben explained.
"How do I train it?" Laxus asked.
"Try to move around obstacles. In the past, I moved around trees in the forest, preferably the areas where the trees are close together." Ben answered.
"Alright, thanks. I will try it later." Laxus said.
"Ah, also, lightning has another great property, heat. Natural lightning had 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 for you, try to learn more about your element." Ben added.
"I see. I didn't fully understand my element. Thanks Ben, you taught me a lot. You really deserve that Wizard Saint title. I owe you one." Laxus said with a smile as he walked away.
The others were bewildered by the fact Laxus was being humble with someone around his age. They were still under the impression that Laxus was a prideful guy. In the past, he looked down on everyone, but now he actually looked up to someone and asked for advice himself.
"He's changed." Lucy said.
"Has he? To me, this is the real Laxus. The Laxus that caused trouble in the past has changed." Erza replied with a smile.
"It's good, isn't it master?" Mira asked. Makarov smiled.
"Yeah. He has grown up a lot." He said.
They all then look at Ben who looked back at them grinning evilly. "Now Natsu, Gajeel, it's your turn. Let's start our Dragon Slayer class."
Natsu and Gajeel become pale and they try to run away. There was no escape they could escape Ben, the fastest mage in Ishgar. They were caught and dragged back to the training ground as they scream. Everyone can only pray for their safety.