Laxus, encased in solid ice, ceased his futile struggles. His eyes, filled with rage and unwillingness, glared fixedly at Ryoma, falling into an eerie silence.
There were no roars, no struggles, but this silence carried more weight than any shout.
In his world, the guild was terminally ill.
Makarov's weakness, the pedantry of people like Ryoma, and the fact that former enemies like Gajeel could infiltrate the guild, were all symptoms of this illness.
He wanted to personally remove this rot, and no matter what means he used, he would create the strongest Fairy Tail, one that no petty individual could criticize.
Ryoma looked at the man who had gone down a rabbit hole and felt a bit helpless.
'What a stubborn fellow.'
It was very difficult to reason with such a bigoted person who had already gone down a rabbit hole.
Just then, Gajeel, who had been silent, stood up from the ground and patted the dust off his body.
"Is that enough?"
He glanced at Laxus, frozen into an ice sculpture, then swept his gaze over the serious-faced Ryoma and the three with complex expressions, including Levy, speaking in a tone as if it had nothing to do with him.
"I still have work to do."
After speaking, he didn't look at anyone again, turned, and walked towards the park exit. His solitary back seemed to say that he didn't care, and didn't need anyone else to care.
This resolute and calm demeanor stunned Levy, Jet, and Droy.
They had expected Gajeel to be angry, perhaps unwilling, or even to seize the opportunity to counterattack. They hadn't expected him to accept all of this so calmly and then continue his life as if nothing had happened.
Especially Levy, she watched his receding figure with mixed emotions.
The villain who once destroyed the guild now showed a willingness to take responsibility for the past. This sense of responsibility stood in stark contrast to Laxus's unreasonable arrogance.
"Wait... wait a minute!"
Levy subconsciously spoke, wanting to call out to him, but didn't know what to say.
A hand gently rested on her shoulder, stopping her from speaking further.
"It's alright." Ryoma shook his head at her, indicating she needn't worry.
"He barely sustained any injuries, I blocked all of Laxus's attacks."
'Let him go his own way.' Ryoma added in his heart, 'Some paths, after all, must be walked alone.'
After seeing Gajeel off, Ryoma turned his gaze towards Jet and Droy, who were still standing by. His gaze was calm, without any hint of blame. Yet, it was this calm gaze that instantly made the two feel a prickling sensation on their scalps. They subconsciously straightened their bodies, but didn't know how to speak.
Although they had tried to persuade Laxus earlier, they were the ones who had actively sought out Gajeel, so they couldn't possibly be completely uninvolved.
"That... Ryoma..." Jet stammered, but again, didn't know what to say.
They had indeed acted out of a desire to protect their comrades and the guild's dignity, but rules were rules. Attacking fellow guild members could be a minor or a major offense.
Ryoma began unhurriedl, "What happened today... I will tell the old man exactly as it occurred."
These words made Jet and Droy's faces instantly fall, revealing a trace of embarrassment and panic.
It was over. Now, they couldn't avoid being thoroughly 'educated' by Master. With Master's temper, their lives for the next month would probably not be easy.
"Don't, Ryoma!" Jet quickly waved his hands, forcing out a ingratiating smile. "Didn't we also try to persuade Laxus later on?"
"Yes." Droy hurriedly agreed, "We... we just wanted to vent. That guy, he..."
"He is a comrade of the guild now." Ryoma ignored their pleas and merely glanced at them indifferently.
"You can save those words to explain to the old man yourselves."
Ryoma didn't bother to waste any more words on them. He walked to the giant ice sculpture, reached out and grabbed a corner of the ice block, and with a slight pull, dragged the frozen Laxus like a piece of luggage, and strode towards the guild.
This made Jet and Droy even more miserable, but they could only watch helplessly as he dragged the frozen Laxus, disappearing at the end of the park path.
The distance from the park to the guild's headquarters was not far, and there weren't many pedestrians on the street at this time. Even so, this sight was enough to attract attention.
Laxus, encased in ice, was paraded through the streets of Magnolia like an exhibit. This humiliation caused the veins bulging on his face to never recede. He simply closed his eyes tightly, choosing to see no evil.
'Damn it! Ryoma!'
He roared wildly inside, his body's lightning magic repeatedly impacting the solid ice, but it was always in vain.
Ryoma, however, was completely unconcerned, even having the leisure to mock inwardly.
'Laxus, who cares so much about his image, probably feels like dying right now. But it's good, this kind of public execution might make him remember the lesson better than being confined.'
When Ryoma dragged this peculiar ice sculpture into the guild hall, the originally boisterous hall instantly fell into a deathly silence.
Everyone's movements froze, and countless astonished gazes simultaneously focused on Ryoma and the huge ice block behind him.
Then, gasps of surprise rose one after another.
"Th-that's Laxus, right?!"
A guild member rubbed his eyes, unable to believe what he was seeing.
"How did he get frozen? Only his head is showing..."
"Ryoma did it? Is that real? That's Laxus!"
"Oh my god, am I dreaming? Ryoma actually subdued Laxus!"
"I never would have thought, Ryoma has unknowingly become this strong."
"So... is Ryoma now the strongest in our guild?"
"Definitely. Didn't you see? Laxus was completely helpless."
These discussions, though not loud, pierced clearly into Laxus's ears, making him feel more humiliated and angry than any vicious curse.
His eyelids trembled violently under his tightly closed eyes, his teeth gnashed, wishing he could break free from the damned ice block right now and electrocute all these talkative fellows into charcoal.
Ryoma ignored the commotion around him. He dragged Laxus through the crowd and arrived at the bar.
Makarov looked up, and when he clearly saw what was behind Ryoma, the expression on his face froze.
He looked at the familiar face, twisted with anger, inside the ice block, then at the calm-faced Ryoma, filled with great confusion.
"Ryoma... what... what happened?"
Ryoma let go, allowing the ice sculpture to stand on the ground with a 'thump,' then succinctly recounted what had happened in the park.
He didn't exaggerate, merely stated the facts, but when mentioning Laxus attacking Levy and the other two, his words became a few shades heavier.
"He attacked Levy and the others. I just made him calm down a bit."
After hearing Ryoma's narration, the last trace of ease on Makarov's face disappeared, replaced by an extremely complex expression. There was heartache for his grandson's obsessive behavior, relief for Ryoma's consideration of the bigger picture, but more so, a deep worry for the guild's future.
This time Ryoma stopped Laxus, but what about next time?
This rift had already formed. Where would the guild's future, and the future of his good-for-nothing grandson, lead?
(End of Chapter)
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