By the time everyone returned to Magnolia, night had already fallen.
Even so, the commotion had the residents throwing open their windows to look.
The most troublemaking bunch in Fairy Tail were riding the Council's exclusive magic airship.
The townsfolk felt like they were dreaming, and Chase's neighbors swore they must have gone to bed too early.
Every time the Council showed up, they hauled Fairy Tail off for tea. Why send something this grand to bring them home?
"Hey, are you kidding me? The Council actually sent a magic airship to bring back Fairy Tail?"
"Oh no, did Chase already take over the Council chamber?!"
"What is going on? Honey, pinch my face so I know I'm not dreaming!"
"Hiss! Ow, the face, not the pimple!"
Amid the chatter, the magic airship eased down and settled on the big lake at the edge of town.
After thanking Captain Lahar, Chase and the others headed to the new guild's construction site.
Even after a single day, the changes were obvious.
The main structure was largely in place. A three-story, western-style hall stood on the shore, and even at a glance you could imagine the grandeur it would have when completed.
The site was quiet, with only a dim lamp lit at the makeshift bar.
Makarov, having received word in advance, sat there drinking.
When he saw them, the slightly tipsy old man lifted a hand. "Hey, welcome back."
"We're back, Master," Mira answered with a smile.
Everyone took seats at the tables across from the bar.
Juvia, who had come along, shrank into an unobtrusive corner, eyes glued to a very shirtless Gray.
They had grown a bit more familiar on the way back.
But she still wasn't a Fairy Tail member, and she naturally felt nervous before Master Makarov, who stood on the same level as Jose Porla.
"I've heard what happened. Chase, Mira, good work."
Then Makarov burst out laughing, skipped over to Chase, and patted his shoulders again and again. "Not bad, not bad. You lived up to my trust."
"Hahahaha, Yajima said Michello and Org looked like they'd swallowed something foul. That's priceless."
Councilors Michello and Org had always been die-hard opponents of Fairy Tail. They often denounced the guild and even called for its dissolution.
Just picturing their faces had Makarov laughing all over again.
Oh no, he was already laughing.
"More to the point, there's a serious issue you need to explain, Old Man."
Chase gently pried Makarov's hand off his shoulder, his expression shifting as his words came fast. "What's with the Ten Wizard Saints proposal, huh?"
Lucy, seated beside him, jumped. Old, Old Man?
"Ah, Chase, you can't be so rude to the master," Mira said, laughing behind her hand.
Erza pressed a palm to her forehead with a helpless sigh. Too embarrassing to watch.
Even Natsu, mid scuffle, paused his friendly forehead tap and looked over.
"Ahaha… did Yajima tell you?"
Makarov clasped his hands behind his back, frowned, and pursed his lips in puzzlement. "This is a title every wizard on the continent dreams of. I thought you'd be thrilled."
"I'm not like those two stubborn idiots in our guild who jump into a trap even when they know it's a trap."
Chase waved a hand. "You'd better retract that proposal immediately. I have zero interest in that assessment."
An angry crease formed on Natsu's brow. "You jerk, Chase! What's that supposed to mean? Say it again!"
Lucy's eyes went wide. So they really are two idiots, and self-aware at that.
Juvia thought, He's not inferior to Mr. Chase at all. Gray-sama is so handsome.
"That won't do. If you want to withdraw a proposal the Magic Council has already passed, you'll face a heavy fine," Makarov said matter-of-factly.
"How much?"
"What?"
"How much is the fine?"
Chase flicked his wrist and said proudly, "Don't dock the guild's funds. I'll pay it myself."
For someone with nearly ten billion in assets, anything money could solve wasn't a problem.
Hearing that, Makarov finally realized Chase wasn't exactly short on cash.
"What a blunder. You're not one of those broke rookies who can't even pay the rent," the old man cried, clutching his head.
Lucy, mid-complaint about Natsu in her heart, felt the arrow strike her knee.
Is it really okay to say what you're thinking out loud like that?
Also, what's with calling someone a broke tenant?
Our lease hasn't even expired yet!
Happy's head suddenly popped out from Lucy's neckline with a nasty little snicker. "Hey, Lucy, sounds like the master means you."
"Shut up, you lousy cat!" Lucy elbowed Happy in a fury.
"Ahem."
Over at the bar, Makarov cleared his throat to hide his embarrassment, then said earnestly, "Chase, the fine is secondary. The important thing is, Fairy Tail cannot lose face."
"If word gets out, people will say everyone in our guild is a coward who surrendered without a fight."
"It's fine. It's your face that's lost," Chase said lightly.
"..."
This time it was Makarov's mouth that twitched.
"Look, Master, I get what you mean. But isn't there someone in our guild more suited to the title of Ten Wizard Saint than me?"
Since revoking it wasn't on the table, Chase played the real Trap Card, Scapegoat. "For example, Uncle Gildarts."
"Oh, Gildarts," Natsu and Gray sighed, disappointed.
Lucy: "No, what exactly are you expecting!"
At that, Makarov's eyes dimmed a little, and the old man's face showed his fatigue.
"Three years ago, the master said the same thing, and Gildarts ran off to take the Hundred Year Quest," Mira explained with a smile.
"I see. Mira, does our guild have any other century-long quests we can take?"
"You brat, is that the point?!"
Makarov sprang up and chopped his hand onto Chase's head like a scolding father. He said sternly, "You can't just accept a Hundred Year Quest!"
Although Chase's growth far exceeded expectations only two and a half years in the guild and already on par with the Wizard Saints his experience was still limited. A Ten-Year Quest was his limit; he wasn't qualified for a Hundred Year Quest.
Over a hundred years, even the best mage teams had taken commissions that never returned.
The danger was beyond imagination.
Seeing Chase crouch with both hands on his head, Makarov sighed heavily, turned, and walked back toward the bar with leaden steps.
"Forget it. Since you truly have no intention of taking the Wizard Saints assessment, I'll go to the Council tomorrow and cancel it.
"At worst, they'll mock and laugh at me. It's fine. I can take it."
Watching that lonely figure, Chase felt a twinge of guilt. "Well, Master, it's not impossible "
"Really? You agree?!"
The instant he turned around, Makarov's face lit up with a smile. "Good, then it's settled! Go all out for the glory of the guild!"
With that playful sparkle, there was no trace of a lonely old man anywhere.
Chase: "...So the sly old fox is playing me."
"Ahaha, that's our master," Mira said, as if she had expected it, smiling nonstop.
"Compared to the master's acting, I'm still far behind," Erza rested her chin on one hand, thoughtful.
In these odd moments, she was always impossibly serious.
"Do we really need to analyze this in detail?"
Lucy muttered a quiet complaint, and silently observed three seconds of silence for Chase.
"Oooh! I'm fired up!"
"Love!"
" You two aren't even taking the test!"
So, Chase reluctantly agreed.
However, even as he agreed, he laid down three conditions for Makarov.
First, he would do his best, but he couldn't guarantee he would pass the assessment.
Second, even if he passed and was granted the title of Ten Wizard Saint, he would not get dragged into the Council's messy business.
Third, he did not want to be guild master.
Makarov nodded without hesitation.
The point of pushing Chase to vie for the Wizard Saints was to temper his spirit against those ranked above him.
To make him see a wider world.
As long as he took this step, that alone was success. The rest could follow slowly. With that key issue settled, Makarov finally relaxed.
"Then, there's one more thing..."
He lifted his gaze toward the dark corner where Juvia was hiding. "Since you're here, let's talk together. Come out."
Moonlight spilled down. The place was quiet, no one in sight, just a stack of steel scaffolding that had been taken down earlier that day.
"Gray, why did you even take off your underwear? How shameless!"
In a blink, a head with lovestruck eyes peeked out from behind the pipes.
"Ahhh Gray-sama's bare body!"
"Huh? My shorts? When… oh, still on…"
Though their reactions were completely different, the pair's over-the-top movements were strangely in sync.
Not seeing what she wanted to see, Juvia quickly came to her senses and returned to normal.
Exposed before everyone, she shyly edged toward Makarov. "M-Mr. Makarov, h-hello, have you had dinner?"
"I have. How about you?" Makarov replied with solemn courtesy.
"Thank you for asking. I have too." Juvia nodded earnestly.
Lucy thought, Such a pointless, weird conversation.
The air turned awkward.
After two small coughs, Makarov got to the point. "I'll be frank, Juvia. Will you join Fairy Tail?"
He had noticed Juvia long ago. This girl had probably spent more time at the construction site than he had.
"Ah?! C-can I?!" Juvia's eyes went wide, as if she couldn't believe her ears.
"Of course."
"But, but I did those things to your guild and everyone before "
"That's all in the past, and you were only following Jose's orders."
His cloak, bearing the Fairy Tail emblem, stirred in the breeze. Makarov smiled and held out his right hand. "If you're willing,
Fairy Tail is always open to you."
Guiding young people who've strayed back onto the right path was the duty and responsibility of old-timers like him.
At that, Juvia's eyes instantly brimmed.
After spending time around Gray-sama (in her imagination), she had long been drawn to Fairy Tail's cheerful, easy warmth.
So unlike the cold, ruthless Phantom Lord that prized strength above all this was a real home.
"Yes! I will!"
Juvia thrust out both hands, tears streaming down her face.
Seeing this, everyone smiled, not the least bit surprised.
"Juvia, welcome to Fairy Tail!" Lucy hurried over to congratulate her.
From now on, she counted as a veteran of the guild, and she had to act like a senior. The girl felt a little smug.
Then she met Juvia's resentful stare head-on. "Love rival!"
"Huh? No, no, no, I think you've got the wrong idea!" Lucy waved her hands in a flustered explanation.
"Just you wait, Juvia won't lose to you!"
Juvia was brimming with energy, her long hair lifting against the dark backdrop.
"…She didn't listen at all!"
"Hey, Lucy, Juvia was one of the Element 4 in Phantom Lord," Happy lifted a paw with a kindly reminder.
Frightened, timid Lucy stepped back and instinctively crouched behind Chase.
The image of a dignified "senior" she had been building collapsed on the spot.
"The new guild will be finished soon. We can wait until then to make it official and register new members."
Makarov's words were like timely rain, easing Lucy's predicament. "Barring surprises, there should be other newcomers by then."
When he brought Trinity Raven to the Council earlier, he happened to run into an old friend, Councilor Belno, a gentle dove among the members.
After a brief chat, Makarov learned that the former Phantom Lord Iron Dragon Slayer, Gajeel, looked very much like Belno's late son.
Moreover, before the full-scale war between Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord, she had tried to persuade Gajeel to leave Jose and choose a better-suited guild.
On that basis, Belno told Makarov where Gajeel was now, and asked him to guide the young man back to the right path and welcome him into Fairy Tail.
Makarov had already been considering this. Since he could also do Belno a small favor, he agreed readily.
His plan was to set out to find Gajeel over the next few days, then announce the news when the new guild hall was complete.
....
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