The next morning, before the sun had fully risen, Erza kicked open Chase's front door.
"Hey, you! The master is going to announce the S-Class Trial candidates in two days. How can you have the leisure to sleep here?!"
The terrifying, demonic scolding immediately jolted Natsu awake as he lay snoring on the living room floor.
"I was finally having a dream about fighting ten thousand dragons. Who the hell dares to—Aye! Erza-sama, good morning~!"
The moment he opened his eyes and saw Erza's face, Natsu's rising breath vanished into thin air. His wide-eyed gaze was clearer than a mirror.
"Yelling so early in the morning. Are you a dog or something, Na—Na-Na-Na-Erza-sama, good morning!"
The sleepy, single Gray was similarly startled by the "monster" that suddenly appeared before him. He immediately turned into a good boy, hugging Natsu tightly. "W-we're getting along well today too!"
"Aye~ Erza, did you just say you were going to treat me to some fish?" Happy said, rubbing his eyes.
A simple imperial side-glance from Erza was enough to completely wake him up. His back went ramrod straight.
"Where are Lucy and Wendy? I've taken an ordinary S-Class quest. The location is in a town north of Magnolia."
"Th-they went back to their rental across the river last night."
"I see. Then let's go wake them up and head out immediately."
Without giving the two and the cat time to react, Erza packed them up and stuffed them into a magical four-wheeled vehicle parked on the street, loaded with all sorts of luggage.
After the small meeting about the S-Class Trial candidate list last night, she, like Gildarts, wanted to take the three promising candidates—Natsu, Gray, and Lucy—for some final sprint.
And so, amidst the bewildered shouts of Lucy, still in her pajamas, the magical vehicle sped off toward the quest location.
At the same time, at Magnolia Station, a horn sounded as the first train of the day departed on time.
Inside the VIP carriage at the front.
"I didn't expect you to come with me to the Magic Council," Makarov said, taking a sip of the black tea placed before him, his face full of relief as he looked at Chase sitting across from him. "It's good to start getting familiar with the master's workflow ahead of time."
"Hey, hey, don't read too much into this, old man!" Chase immediately retorted. "I just want to see how that guy Crawford will evaluate this incident. And also about Ultear's return."
These two matters could actually be combined into one: having Ultear keep an eye on Crawford.
"Chairman Crawford, huh..." Makarov sensed the undisguised hostility in Chase's tone. He slowly put down his teacup, his expression turning serious. "That guy is indeed a bit suspicious. He hesitated on the resolution to send troops to subjugate Grimoire Heart."
He even knows details like that?
Chase felt a bit surprised. "Old man, isn't your information network a little too good?"
"Well, even the Magic Council has councilors who are close to our guild, like Ms. Belno~" Makarov said with a light cough, scratching his head and playing dumb.
"I see." Chase understood but didn't press.
After the battle with Grimoire Heart and erecting Hades's headstone, it had already been late at night.
Although Belno had leaned more toward Fairy Tail due to her connection with Gajeel, from being a previously passive dove, there was no way she would report on the Council's resolution in the middle of the night!
Old man Yajima and Ultear were possible, but unfortunately, one had already retired, and the other had just returned. Neither knew the internal situation of the Council.
So, the message must have been passed by someone else, such as Doranbolt—Mest—who worked in the Council's intelligence department.
Or it could be another spy Chase wasn't aware of.
Judging by the arrangement of sending Mest as an undercover agent, the old man didn't unconditionally trust the Council as much as he appeared to. He maintained a basic level of vigilance, ensuring that the guild wouldn't one day be inexplicably disbanded.
Thinking of this, Chase asked, "From the sound of it, you weren't particularly surprised that the Council delayed sending troops?"
Hearing this, Makarov didn't answer immediately. Instead, he looked out the window at the ever-rewinding scenery.
After a few seconds, his indifferent gaze returning, he slowly spoke.
"It's hard for those in high positions of management to accept things getting out of their control."
"Although we would never do such a thing, allying with the strongest conglomerate in Fiore has virtually expanded the guild's power and influence. They probably feel a sense of unnecessary crisis."
"So, informing the Council in advance of our intent to subjugate Grimoire Heart was mostly just a matter of following procedures to avoid all kinds of trouble afterward."
Despite how he usually acted, lazing around and flipping through gravure magazines at the bar, only he probably knew just how much energy he had secretly devoted to the guild.
If not for that, troublemakers like Natsu, Elfman, and even Chase would have long been labeled enemies of the magical world!
And that was precisely the reason Chase avoided the position of master like the plague.
He really couldn't handle that kind of work, especially when the people he was dealing with were weak enough to beat with one punch!
But that being said, if the old man had already guessed they would have to fight alone, then...
"In that case, why did you ultimately decide to launch a full-scale attack on Grimoire Heart?" Chase asked curiously.
He had done so because he knew Hades's Achilles' Heel from the original story and had his ultimate trump card, Slifer the Sky Dragon.
But where did the old man get the confidence to ensure victory over Grimoire Heart without any casualties?
"Because the situation was urgent. Natsu and the others were at their peak fighting spirit. We had no choice but to act. And more importantly..." Makarov withdrew his distant gaze and looked at Chase, smiling. "...the attack plan was your idea."
"What parent would doubt their own child's judgment, you idiot!"
Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the aged smile at the corner of the old man's mouth, making it shine especially brightly.
There was no shrewd calculation or cautious planning. He had simply trusted Chase and had bet the fate of the entire guild!
"Old man..." Chase was deeply moved.
But Makarov's expression suddenly changed. He reached out, grabbed Chase by the collar, and shouted, spit flying. "BUT! Doing something as idiotic as blowing up an entire forest on a whim... you better watch yourself in the future, brat!"
Even now, recalling the terrifying scene when Gandora had exploded with its magic power, he still felt a lingering fear.
"Ahaha, that was just to make sure the heart was destroyed," Chase said, immediately losing his nerve. He could only spread his hands with an awkward smile, letting the old man have his way.
***
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