Three days passed in a flash.
Reconstruction of the Fairy Tail guild hall was in full swing. The site was a hive of activity, with members working with fiery intensity. Until the building was finished, no official requests could be processed, which meant the mages had plenty of free time—and plenty of energy—to pour into manual labor.
There was no salary for the work, but the guild provided food and drink in abundance. More importantly, it gave everyone a chance to trade stories about the recent battle.
"So… heavy…!"
Natsu groaned through gritted teeth as he hauled a stack of more than a dozen massive logs on his back. His steps were slow and weighted, leaving deep imprints in the dirt.
"Who told you to carry that many at once? Are you an idiot?"
Gray, balancing a single log effortlessly on his shoulder, glanced over with a smirk.
"What do you know?"
Natsu snapped.
"This is training! Just you watch—when I'm done with this, I'll finally be able to beat Erza… and that monster, Kael!"
"Hah? You're dreaming,"
Gray shot back.
"Erza is one thing, but Kael is a whole different kind of 'monster.' How are you supposed to beat a guy like that?"
Before the battle with Jose, they'd always believed Kael had one exploitable weakness: his lack of magical stamina. He was the "one-minute man"—unstoppable, but only for a moment.
But now? His magic power had surged. He'd evolved from a one-minute wonder into a ten-minute nightmare. And in a fight, no one survived the first ten minutes against Kael.
"You've got no dreams, Gray! That's why you're weak!"
"Weak?!"
Gray bristled.
"I'll show you weak! If I get serious, I can carry double what you've got!"
To prove it, Gray piled on twice as many logs, his muscles bulging as he forced himself to move.
"See? Look at this!"
He managed to choke out through clenched teeth. He made it only a few meters before the rope binding the logs snapped.
Crash!
"Uwoooooh!"
The logs scattered, burying Gray under a mountain of timber.
"Hahahaha! How embarrassing!"
Natsu cackled, pointing at the heap where Gray was currently trapped.
"Did you see that, Happy?"
"Aye, sir!"
Natsu laughed until his sides hurt.
"You two, stop messing around and get back to work!"
Kael's voice boomed across the site. He was carrying his own share of lumber, expression firm.
"If this guild isn't finished, we can't take missions. I've got S-Class jobs to do!"
Kael was secretly anxious. Without missions, he couldn't earn the points—or the opportunities—he needed to draw more "cards" from his system. A life without the thrill of the draw was no life at all.
"Hey! Everyone, look! Big news in the paper!"
A guild member came running over, waving a fresh copy of the morning newspaper.
"What is it?"
Work across the site stalled as people crowded in.
"Phantom Lord has officially disbanded!!"
"What?!"
The announcement sent a shockwave through the group. Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail had been rivals for years, often considered the two strongest guilds in the kingdom. While Fairy Tail held the edge in individual power, Phantom Lord had the numbers.
"How is that possible?"
Erza asked, her brow furrowing.
"Even after losing the duel, they were still the second-strongest guild in Fiore. Why would they just vanish?"
"The paper says that shortly after returning from Onibus, Jose Porla issued the order himself to dissolve the guild."
The Fairy Tail members went quiet. Truthfully, they hated Phantom Lord for what they'd done—but they'd never aimed to make thousands of mages homeless or jobless. They were both legal guilds; friction was expected. Total dissolution was extreme.
Kael broke the silence.
"Alright, don't overthink it. If they want to disband, that's their business. We've got our own home to worry about. Focus on the work in front of us."
The guild members nodded. Kael was right. If Fairy Tail had lost that day, Jose wouldn't have shown them a shred of mercy. They couldn't afford to waste sympathy on a man who'd tried to destroy them.
Still, as Kael returned to his logs, his eyes narrowed slightly. Jose doesn't seem like the type to just walk away, he thought. A man with that much pride doesn't simply give up. He might be planning something for the future… but even if he is, he couldn't beat me then, and he won't be able to beat me later.
Magic Council: ERA — Fiore Branch
"Zzz… Zzz… Snort… Zzz…"
At the center of the high-stakes trial, Makarov Dreyar sat in the defendant's chair, head tilted back, fast asleep. The Council members trembled with indignation. In this sacred hall—beneath the authority of the most powerful political body in the world—the Master of Fairy Tail was snoring. It was the ultimate display of disrespect.
"Ma… Master Makarov?"
A clerk whispered nervously.
"YES!! PRESENT!!"
Makarov jolted awake, saluting the empty air.
"The trial is still in progress… Were you… sleeping?"
Makarov scratched the back of his head, eyes flicking around guiltily.
"Sleeping? Me? Heavens, no! I was merely… meditating on my sins! Ho ho ho!"
After the verdict, Makarov sat in a quiet lounge with his long-time friend—and Council member—Yajima.
"I have to say, I'm shocked,"
Makarov admitted, leaning back with a relieved sigh.
"I was fully prepared to spend a few months in a cold cell after the mess in Onibus."
Despite the chaos, the Council had ruled Fairy Tail "not guilty" of criminal intent. Kael's challenge had been a thinly veiled act of retaliation, but it had followed the letter of the Council's duel laws. In the end, the Council simply confiscated the prize money Fairy Tail had won to cover repairs in Onibus City. For Makarov, it was a massive win.
"You should thank me, you old fool,"
Yajima sighed.
"I spent hours defending your rowdy kids."
"I know, I know. Words aren't enough, Yaji. Once the guild is rebuilt, come by. The first bowl of Fairy Ramen is on me—with extra toppings."
"Twelve slices of pork,"
Yajima said at once.
"Not a single one less."
"Twelve?! That's a bit much, isn't it?"
"Is it? Well, maybe next time I'll forget to speak up when Org starts screaming for your head."
"Fine, fine! Twenty slices! Thirty! Whatever you want!"
Makarov laughed. He knew how much he owed Yajima. Without his old friend acting as a shield inside the Council, Fairy Tail would've been forcibly disbanded decades ago.
Yajima's expression sobered.
"In all honesty, Mark… the Council is watching you more closely than ever. Michello and Org are gaining support for a dissolution order. If your guild causes one more disaster on that scale, I won't be able to stop them."
He studied his friend's weary face.
"You should think about stepping down while you still can. Your heart isn't what it used to be, and the stress from these kids is going to kill you before the Council does."
Makarov fell silent. He knew Yajima was right. His heart had been failing for years, kept beating only by Porlyusica's medicine. But the thought of leaving his "children" behind was unbearable. Who would protect them if he wasn't there to take the heat?
"I'll think about it,"
Makarov finally said, his voice quiet.
"I'll think about it properly."