Inside the Fairy Tail guild hall.
"And that is how it happened. I invited Wendy and Carla to join the guild."
Erza roughly summarized the entire Oración Seis subjugation mission.
The already noisy atmosphere immediately exploded. Everyone from the married with children perverted uncles to Nab, who was practically glued to the request board, gathered around.
"So cute! How old are you, little girl? Do you have a boyfriend?~"
"A female cat like Happy? Hey, can you fly too?"
"Hello. I am Éclair, and this is Momon. We are new guild members, just like you."
Éclair, who had joined two days ago, was wearing the Fairy Tail waitress skirt. She greeted Wendy and Carla with a smile.
Under Mirajane's guidance, though her time had been short, the cheerful atmosphere of Fairy Tail had already helped her break out of her shell. She was no longer cold and Aloof, pushing everyone away.
"Ahaha! You guys should have seen it! There was this huge purple snake that could fly, but Happy and I totally beat it up!" Natsu excitedly boasted to everyone about his glorious achievements.
"How can a snake fly? That is not manly at all," Elfman said, seriously refuting him.
"Manly?" Happy looked confused but impressed.
"Lucy-chan! I heard you defeated a member of Oración Seis all by yourself. That is amazing!"
Levy hugged Lucy affectionately, genuinely happy for her best friend's growth.
Jet and Droy, standing behind them, looked rather gloomy. Natsu and Gray aside, it felt like they might not even be able to beat Lucy anymore.
In terms of strength or in terms of "love rivals"...
Speaking of love rivals, one could not help but mention Juvia.
The lovesick girl was so overcome with emotion that tears streamed down her face. The flood of water nearly drowned everyone, including Gray.
Lucy wanted to complain that it was only two days, was it really that dramatic? But catching sight of the venomous glare Juvia shot her way, she wisely kept her mouth shut. Better to avoid trouble.
At the bar.
Chase sat next to Makarov. Mirajane smiled as she brought them both a drink.
"Well done, Chase. With that, the threat of Oración Seis has been eliminated. The magical world can return to stability."
Makarov watched Wendy and Carla quickly integrate into the guild. His expression was serious. "And Nirvana. Are you certain all its dangerous aspects have been removed?"
After all, it was an ultra-magic that had once destroyed an entire era. When he heard that Chase had flown the thing home, he had broken out in a cold sweat. He nearly had a heart attack.
"Relax, old man. You can count on me," Chase said, thumping his chest with confidence.
"...That is exactly why I am worried. From what I know, you do not understand ancient magic."
"The remodeling was done by Dark Magician of Chaos."
"Heh heh. Then it is fine~"
Watching Makarov's face instantly switch to a relieved smile, Chase's eye could not help but twitch. Seriously, old man?
"Come to think of it, this is quite unexpected. I never imagined we would have our own magical weapon."
Mirajane naturally helped Chase straighten his slightly crooked collar. A smile played on her lips. "A magic that detects good and evil... it somehow fits the guild quite well~"
Knowing Chase as she did, she understood that his primary reason for wanting Nirvana in Magnolia was for the safety of the guild and his comrades.
Makarov also understood this. He was quite satisfied with this new magical weapon. However...
"There is just one small problem. I will have to deal with those old fossils on the Council. There is no avoiding a lengthy explanation."
With that thought, a worried look crossed his face. He sighed deeply. "Chase, since you were the one who decided to do this, you need to see it through. Do not expect me to do it for you!"
This was the perfect opportunity. And he had a good reason. He wanted Chase to personally handle the Nirvana registration paperwork with the Council. It would be good practice for the duties and responsibilities of a guild master.
Truly, they were cut from the same cloth. Chase had wanted to push this troublesome task onto the old man. And now, the old man wanted to push it onto Chase.
Unfortunately, Chase had anticipated this move.
"Master, Chase went off to chat with Wendy and Éclair~"
A mischievous smile appeared on Mirajane's pretty face. She pointed at Chase, who was mingling with the crowd.
Looking at the faint dotted outline of Chase's body still lingering beside him, Makarov's eyes went wide. He clutched his head and exclaimed, "Nani?! When?!"
"That damn brat!"
Knowing he had missed his chance and would not get another, Makarov resigned himself to his fate. He sighed. "Mirajane, please draft an application for registering Nirvana."
Silence fell over the bar.
The old master spun around. The space behind him was empty.
In the blink of an eye, Mirajane was already across the guild hall, standing right next to Chase.
Sigh.
Another heavy sigh. Makarov's mood was complicated. His desire to retire and live out his days in peace had reached its peak.
Mirajane noticed this. She playfully winked at the old master. Do your best, Master~!
After that, pen in hand, she turned to Wendy and Carla.
"Carla should be like Happy. So, Wendy, what kind of magic do you use?"
"Wait! Do not compare me to that male cat!" Carla said fiercely. Her impression of her fellow Exceed was absolutely terrible.
In contrast, Wendy, who had heard of Mirajane's legendary status, was overjoyed to meet her in person.
"Yes! I use Sky Magic. I am a Sky Dragon Slayer!"
At this, everyone in the guild, including Mirajane, was stunned.
The noisy hall fell silent.
"You do not believe me?" Wendy asked timidly, her beautiful big eyes filled with disappointment.
The next moment, the entire room erupted in excitement cheers.
"OOOOH! A Dragon Slayer? That is amazing!"
"It is a super rare Lost Magic, just like Natsu's!"
"Haha! That makes three Dragon Slayers in our guild now!"
Seeing that no one doubted her, the gloom on the little girl's face cleared, replaced by a bright, sweet smile.
Fairy Tail really was an amazing guild!
She was happy. But a certain iron dragon standing on the second-floor balcony was filled with gloom and frustration.
"The Fire Dragon. And now this new brat too. Why do all the other Dragon Slayers have cats, but not me?!"
Gajeel clenched his fists tightly. A strange competitive spirit welled up inside him.
Down below, Mirajane had just finished stamping the guild emblems onto Wendy and Carla. Makarov, having decided to procrastinate on work for now, jumped onto the bar counter. He raised his glass, which he had secretly swapped for one filled with alcohol.
"The Oración Seis subjugation mission came up so suddenly, we never got a chance to hold a welcome party."
"So now, together with Éclair and Momon, let us welcome our four new members with the warmest of welcomes!"
"Listen up, brats! Let the party begin!!"
"OOOOHHHH!!" everyone cheered.
Amid the joyful shouts of the Fairy Tail members, a grand and lively party commenced.
On the second floor of the guild, in a dimly lit corner.
Mystogan, wrapped in a tattered cloak and wearing a mask over his face, stood with his arms crossed. He silently watched the cheerful scene in the hall below.
He had not expected that the girl he had saved seven years ago while closing an Anima would end up joining Fairy Tail.
He recognized Wendy, whom he had spent some time with back then. But he had no intention of revealing his identity.
Just as Mystogan turned to leave, feeling relieved that she was in good hands...
"From what Master Robaul described, the young man who called himself Jellal and sent Wendy to the Nirvit tribal land seven years ago... that was you, was it not, Mystogan?"
A soft laugh came from behind him. "Do you not want to see Wendy? That child has always wanted to thank her savior."
Mystogan did not need to turn around. He knew who it was just from the voice. In the guild, only the master and Chase could ever notice his presence.
"There is no need for that at the moment," Mystogan said, stopping his body from atomization.
"Then as an S-Class mage of the guild, surely you should attend the welcome party for our new members," Chase said instead.
"You know I am not good at handling these kinds of situations."
Mystogan looked calmly at the party below. He refused without a second thought.
"Haha! To be honest, neither am I."
As if he had heard something utterly absurd, Mystogan whipped his head around. He stared at Chase with eyes full of skepticism.
You are not good at it? Then who was that guy standing on the table, shaking his butt with Natsu?
"Hey, Mystogan. Let us go up to the roof," Chase said, his tone suddenly turning serious.
Mystogan paused for a moment, then nodded.
And so, the two of them went up to the open rooftop balcony. They stood side by side, facing the gentle breeze blowing in from the lake.
"Did something happen?" Mystogan asked.
"No. I just wanted to ask you about the other world. You know a lot about it, do you not?" Chase said.
So he still has not given up on that dangerous idea...
Mystogan remembered their previous conversation. He sighed helplessly.
"Chase, do not get too involved with that world. Consider this a warning," he said, his response as serious as before.
"Honestly, I do not understand something. If the phenomenon of Anima is such a huge threat, why bother chasing after it and closing them one by one? Why not just eliminate the source?" Chase ignored his warning and asked a very pointed question.
Mystogan's eyes flickered. After a few seconds of thought, he said gravely, "You do not understand that world. This is not something one person can accomplish."
It was not that he had never considered dealing with the problem from Edolas's side. It was simply that the chance of success was almost zero.
The humans of Edolas had no magic of their own. They relied entirely on magical props. And all the powerful weapons were controlled by the royal army. Even using such items was a serious crime.
In such an extreme situation, even if he went there, he would likely be captured. And that would leave Earthland in the dangerous position of having no one to stop the Animas.
"You are not alone," Chase said, pointing to the Fairy Tail flag hanging above the roof.
Mystogan followed the direction of his finger. For a moment, a flicker of emotion appeared deep in his eyes.
"Stop, Chase. Say no more."
He understood what Chase was implying. But he could not bear the thought of asking his comrades to take on such a risk for him, to bet their lives against an entire kingdom's army.
Though he rarely appeared before others, he had long come to regard everyone in Fairy Tail as family. How could he possibly put them in danger?
The consequences and the cost were simply too great to accept.
Chase had expected this. "Then let me put it another way. What if the existence of Anima could potentially endanger the guild?"
This made Mystogan, who had been about to disappear into mist, freeze.
"What did you say?!" He whipped around. His usually calm demeanor suddenly became agitated.
Chase looked calm. He gestured with his eyes toward Nirvana, floating on the lake in the distance.
"During testing, Nirvana accidentally detected a massive evil presence coming from the sky."
"Right now, it is just a suspicion. But analyzing the source, the thing most likely capable of releasing an evil presence strong enough to threaten an entire city... is probably Anima."
Nirvana did not have the ability to predict the future. At best, it could give a few hours' warning before danger arrived.
But, Mystogan did not know how Nirvana worked. Chase could spin whatever tall tale he wanted.
Because this was occurring around the anniversary of Lisanna's "death," Chase could easily calculate roughly when the large-scale subspace magic, Anima, would appear.
"Those bastards... they have set their sights on Magnolia?!"
"Of course. This is where so many powerful mages gather. Damn it. I should have realized this sooner!"
Under the effect of Chase's "tall tale," Mystogan came up with his own reasonable explanation. He did not suspect a thing.
"Chase, do you know exactly when it will happen?!"
Overcome with tension, he brought his face right up to Chase's.
Their eyes were less than a finger's width apart.
That is a bit too intimate, do you not think...
Chase silently stepped back. After a moment's thought, he said, "Do not be so nervous. According to the information Nirvana provided, it could happen anytime between one week from now and half a month."
He gave a relatively vague timeframe.
"I see. That is a relief..."
Hearing that there was still time, Mystogan let out a heavy sigh.
"So, what do you think of my proposal? Want to rely on us, your comrades, just a little?" Chase asked with a smile.
"Sorry, Chase. Let me think about it..." Mystogan did not agree right away.
No matter what, launching an active attack on Edolas was still far too dangerous. If what Chase said was true, the safest course of action would be to evacuate everyone in Magnolia, including the guild, in advance.
But that raised many other questions. What reason could he give to convince everyone? Where would they evacuate to? Would they be targeted by Anima again?
The usually calm Mystogan was now a mess, his thoughts in complete disarray.
Chase could see his struggle. He was confident Mystogan would make the right choice. So he did not push further. He simply waved his hand and turned to leave.
***
Dive deeper into the story with 30+ advance chapters, available now on Patreon!
patreon.com/CNBLUE
If you're enjoying the novel, please consider leaving a review. Your support is crucial and helps the story grow immensely. Thank you!