"Laxus?" Mira stood in front of Rhode, raising an arm to block him,
"Rhode just joined the guild the day before yesterday, he was just practicing magic."
"Magic? That? Don't make me laugh!" Laxus sneered, "With such pitiful magic power, what use is it?"
Warm shivered in fear, and Rhode frowned; this was the most unpleasant attitude he had seen in the guild.
Even Lady Porlyusica, who claimed to dislike humans, was incredibly attentive when caring for the wounded.
And this guy in front of him, it seemed like he genuinely disliked him…
No, it's not even dislike; it felt more like disdain. He seemed to be radiating superiority from every pore.
Rhode, being new, didn't want to cause trouble: "If I bothered you just now, I apologize."
"Not only your magic, but even your personality is pathetically weak… I just can't see the point of the old man taking you in."
Laxus looked down from above, this time not just talking to Rhode, and not just to Mira either,
"There are enough weaklings in Fairy Tail already, why do these guys qualify to be my companions? Huh?"
These words infuriated many in the tavern, especially Natsu and Gray.
The two who had been sitting quietly under Erza's restraint slapped the table and stood up: "What did you say?"
Other tables were filled with the sound of glasses slamming down, and the crowd glared at the blond youth upstairs in dissatisfaction:
"That Laxus guy, still the same!"
Erza stopped her chit-chat with friends, and with a cold face said: "No matter what, saying things like that is too much, Laxus."
Laxus met Erza's gaze, with an air that suggested tension was about to break out: "Oh? Erza, are you going to stand up for these worthless…"
"Enough!" Makarov, who had unknowingly sobered up, placed a task request in front of Laxus,
"Laxus, there's a task specifically assigned to you, go handle it."
"…" Laxus looked at Makarov, who didn't even lift his head to look at him.
He snorted lightly, went downstairs to pick up the task request, and turned to leave: "Boring."
Everyone watched as Laxus left, feeling more or less dissatisfied with him.
Natsu appeared restless, as if he could pick a fight at any moment, but Gray hooked an arm around his neck, holding him back tightly.
Towards the corner of the tavern, two men and a woman quietly stood up, following in Laxus's footsteps.
The atmosphere in the tavern cooled with their departure, and after a while, everyone settled back down, gradually resuming conversations.
"Sorry, for causing trouble for everyone."
Rhode thought Laxus might have some issues, but since the conflict started because of him, he'd practice in the courtyard next time.
"It's not related to you, that guy is always like that." Laki pouted and said, "If he weren't the president's grandson, he'd have been kicked out long ago…"
"Laki!" Mira interrupted her from saying more, knowing the president must feel more hurt about Laxus's state than anyone else.
"He's the president's grandson?" Rhode compared the tall, upright Laxus and the short, stout president.
Couldn't tell, huh.
"That's right, he's my grandson, but…" Makarov looked towards the guild door,
"I'm sorry, Laxus being like this is my responsibility, don't mind what he says."
"No no, you don't need to apologize…" Rhode could almost guess what was going on.
According to the usual story clichés, the kid probably grew up hearing 'As expected of the president's grandson' and developed a rebellious temperament.
Short-term it's fine, but over time, he starts to want recognition through his own ability, not just being 'the president's grandson'.
Like how Konohamaru from next door turned out to be.
The difference with Laxus is that his rebellious phase seems to have gone on for quite a while, and he seems a bit off track.
Rhode tried recalling if he knew anything about Laxus but couldn't think of anything.
But since Tatsuya said it would be a happy ending, the kid might correct himself eventually…
The guild gradually returned to its usual lively state.
-----------------
As the sun dipped westward, night fell.
The guild had already lit up the lights, and only a few patrons remained in the tavern, drinking and chatting.
Rhode was ready to start sweeping the floor with Laki.
"Let me handle downstairs today." Laki apologetically said, "Because I was so late this morning."
Rhode said, "Then I'll go upstairs."
Laki stopped him: "No, leave upstairs for Sister Mira to clean."
"Huh?" Rhode was confused, "I can do it, too. Mira worked hard today as well."
"No means no." Laki stated, "The guild has a rule that only a few recognized people can go upstairs."
"…Why?"
This sounds like a martial arts novel, with a forbidden area?
"Because there's a special bulletin board upstairs, with extremely difficult S-Class tasks on it." Laki explained,
"Though the rewards are substantial, one misstep might cost your life. So only S-Class Mages are allowed to take tasks there."
S-Class Mages were easy to understand; Rhode guessed they were among the strongest in the guild.
He asked, "But why not let others go upstairs?"
Laki helplessly said, "Because there are too many reckless people in the guild."
"That's true." Rhode thought about the guild members, quickly understanding the rule.
Take someone like Natsu, with his reckless demeanor, plus he's the main character, who knows if one day he'll sneak up and take an S-Class task.
The rule probably was made especially for him.
No wonder only the most stable like Mira are allowed to go up.
"By the way, how many S-Class Mages are there in the guild? Who's the strongest?"
"Hmm…" Laki thought for a moment, "Let's not mention the president, the strongest should be that uncle, but he's been out on a mission and hasn't returned to the guild for two years."
"Two years? What mission takes that long?" Rhode asked, surprised and worried, "He didn't encounter any danger, right…"
"No, no…" Laki waved her hand to deny, "That Mr. Kildas is strong like a monster, although we don't know what mission it was, he's the one person you don't need to worry about."
Judging by Laki's faith in him, Rhode stopped fretting: "So, besides him?"
"Besides him, there is Laxus, Mystogan, Erza, and…" Laki corrected herself, "No, as of now, it's just those three. As for who's the strongest, I don't know."
"You've already met Laxus and Erza, and as for Mystogan… you probably won't see him. Seems like only the president knows what he really looks like in the whole guild."
Another mysterious figure, Rhode silently noted down Mystogan's name.
The most troublesome was Laxus.
Rhode thought of helping the president teach a lesson to the unruly grandson, to stop him from always acting like he's above everyone.
But thinking of his current summoning magic — Poro, Gorge Swift Crab.
It seemed impossible to achieve in the short term.