Before long, the two people they had just been discussing returned.
Mavis and August both had reddened eyes and looked as though they had spent most of their private conversation crying.
Everyone immediately surrounded them with congratulations and words of comfort.
A mother and son had finally found each other after more than eighty years. That was something worth celebrating.
The guild also welcomed August warmly.
Whether out of sympathy or respect for Mavis, no one had any reason to reject him.
He was the First Guild Master's biological son, after all.
August was deeply moved.
His Divine Ears allowed him to distinguish genuine feelings from false ones, so he knew the members of Fairy Tail truly meant what they said.
They were not flattering him because of his strength or status.
They welcomed him simply because he was Mavis's son.
Because he was August.
"August," Marco said after the guild's excited greetings finally began to settle down. "Zeref is gone, and the Alvarez Empire has lost its ruler. What do you intend to do?"
The empire could not simply be ignored.
If Alvarez collapsed overnight, the entire Western Continent would descend into bloodshed.
There was no real doubt about it.
Even with an enormous empire suppressing the continent, rebellions and conflicts continued to erupt.
If Alvarez suddenly disappeared, every faction on the Western Continent would begin fighting for power.
Before unification, they had been content with ruling their own kingdoms.
But once an emperor had existed, every ambitious ruler would want the throne for himself. Few would be satisfied with becoming an ordinary king again.
That was one of the major differences between the Western Continent and Ishgar.
Ishgar had remained divided for so long that no real tradition of continental unification existed. Most kingdoms simply governed themselves.
A few ambitious rulers occasionally attacked their neighbors, but none had the strength to throw the entire continent into war.
"You're right Marco-san," August said respectfully. "If the empire collapses, countless people across the Western Continent will suffer."
"You don't need to speak so formally," Marco said with a smile. "You're one of my elders."
By Fairy Tail's family hierarchy, August belonged to the same generation as Makarov. Both were children of the guild's founders.
That made August one of Marco's seniors.
"I wouldn't dare." August shook his head. "I must thank you for helping my father, my mother, and me. Besides, you are Fairy Tail's Guild Master, and I owe the position the respect it deserves."
Marco had no response to that.
If August wanted to treat him respectfully as Guild Master, he could hardly object.
At least it proved the old man cared deeply about proper manners and hierarchy.
"I think you should inherit the throne of the Alvarez Empire," Marco said.
August stared at him.
"Me?"
He had never expected that suggestion.
Marco remained impossible for him to read, which made August uneasy.
He still had no idea what Marco truly wanted or what purpose lay behind his words.
"I support it."
Before August could say anything else, Irene returned with Erza and gave her opinion immediately.
Her support carried considerable weight.
Irene and August were known throughout Alvarez as the empire's two greatest pillars.
If Irene backed August's claim, anyone who wished to oppose him would need to think very carefully.
Rejecting August would mean challenging both the strongest man and the strongest woman in the empire.
"Lady Irene..."
August looked conflicted.
He had never imagined becoming emperor.
Until today, he had never even believed Zeref could die.
"What's wrong with it?" Mavis asked with a smile. "If you care about the empire, then take responsibility for it. We'll all support you."
Naturally, she stood behind her son.
The Alvarez Empire had been founded by the man she loved. If their son wished to inherit it, that seemed perfectly reasonable.
"All right..." August finally agreed. "I'll try. At the very least, I need to stabilize the situation first."
He had no desire to watch the Western Continent descend into chaos.
This was not really about inheriting Zeref's legacy.
If anything, the Alvarez Empire was more August's life's work than his father's.
Zeref may have founded it, but August and the others had managed it for decades.
The title of Alvarez's twin pillars was not ceremonial.
August handled much of the empire's administration, while Irene enforced its power.
Together, they had kept the nation functioning.
Irene had no desire to see Alvarez collapse either.
She had already witnessed enough betrayal and slaughter, and a new age of chaos would bring both back in abundance.
"Will taking the throne go smoothly?" Marco asked.
August and Irene might be the empire's two strongest mages, but that did not mean every member of the Spriggan 12 obeyed them without question.
Some openly disliked them.
"There won't be a problem, Guild Master Marco," August said after a brief pause, his confidence returning.
"Now that Father is gone, certain people no longer have the right to interfere with me."
There were several individuals within Alvarez whom August had tolerated only for Zeref's sake.
If they attempted to challenge him now, he would show no mercy.
"We may not be able to fight you," Irene added, "but dealing with the others will be easy."
Against Marco, the two of them had been defeated before they could resist.
Against the remaining members of the Spriggan 12, however, the situation was completely different.
They had not been called the empire's twin pillars for nothing.
They also possessed allies of their own among the Twelve. They would not be fighting alone.
"Good. Then I won't worry about it." Marco nodded. "If you need additional help, Fairy Tail can send some people with you."
He had no reason to doubt their strength.
...
Marco's offer of assistance had not been an empty courtesy.
August and Irene Belserion were now effectively part of Fairy Tail's extended family.
If they genuinely could not handle the situation, Marco would step in.
The Alvarez Empire could not be allowed to collapse.
First, its fall would plunge the entire Western Continent into war and cost countless innocent lives. Second, there was no telling what kind of uncontrolled empire might eventually rise from the ruins.
Allowing people they trusted to govern Alvarez was clearly the best option, and it would greatly reduce the chance of another plan to invade Ishgar.
"Are you sure you don't need our help?" Mavis asked again, still worried about her son.
"Trust us," August reassured her with a smile. "Irene and I haven't spent all these years in Alvarez doing nothing. We can handle it."
"All right. Then I'll send you back." Marco nodded. "Neither of you can afford to disappear for too long, especially you, August."
He accepted their confidence and decided to let them try first.
Marco could observe the Western Continent whenever he wished. If anything went wrong and the two of them truly found themselves overwhelmed, he would intervene.
Spriggan 12 or not, dealing with them would take little effort.
That did not mean Marco intended to rule the Alvarez Empire himself. Once the crisis was over, August would remain responsible for governing it.
Marco barely involved himself in the daily administration of his own territory, leaving most affairs to Magnolia's mayor and local government. There was no chance he would volunteer to manage an empire covering an entire continent.
At the mention of returning immediately, reluctance appeared on both August's and Irene's faces.
They had only just reunited with their mother and daughter. Neither had been given much time to enjoy that connection before being forced to leave again.
Still, neither was the sentimental type.
They understood that Alvarez could not wait. Preparations needed to begin immediately, while they still held the advantage.
No one else knew that Emperor Spriggan was dead.
That secrecy could be used.
"Good luck!"
Mavis gave her son an earnest look of encouragement.
"We'll do everything we can," August promised with a warm smile.
"I'm strong too," Erza said to Irene. "I can help."
She did not know what else she could do for her mother, but she could certainly fight.
"That won't be necessary. The two of us are enough."
Irene rejected the offer again.
She was not so weak that she needed her daughter risking her life on her behalf.
Besides, the Spriggan 12 were not ordinary opponents.
Irene understood their strength better than almost anyone and genuinely believed Erza would contribute little against them.
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