Chapter 321: I Am Your Idol
Fiore Royal Palace.
At this moment, people from various guilds were gathered together, everyone dressed in magnificent clothes and attending in full formal wear.
Although guild Mages are considered a relatively strong force in the Kingdom of Fiore, their status itself isn't particularly high; after all, they are essentially day laborers and don't even count as having a fixed profession.
But in recent years, the Grand Magic Games have become popular, and the status of guild Mages has been significantly elevated. Some top-tier Mages even have a celebrity-like following.
However, normally, none of them would have the qualifications to attend a banquet in the Royal Palace.
Ren finished dressing, adjusting the crisp white collar of his shirt before slipping on a meticulously tailored black tailcoat. The fabric was simple yet incredibly elegant, perfectly accentuating his broad shoulders and lean, muscular physique.
He brushed a stray lock of hair from his forehead, looking very handsome in the soft glow of the dressing room lights.
"Not bad!"
Mira looked at Ren, her deep blue eyes sparkling with genuine admiration. She nodded with profound satisfaction, a soft blush dusting her cheeks as she took in her lover's refined appearance.
Mirajane herself was a breathtaking sight. She wore a stunning, form-fitting evening gown that hugged her voluptuous curves perfectly, the deep slit exposing her smooth, pale thigh. Her signature white hair was styled elegantly, cascading down her back like a waterfall of moonlight.
"Of course, just look at who I am."
Ren admired his own handsomeness with some pride, a playful smirk dancing on his lips. He struck various confident poses in front of the full-length mirror, adjusting his cuffs with an exaggerated flair.
Mira covered her mouth, giggling softly at his antics. The intimate, warm atmosphere between them was a stark contrast to the apocalyptic battle they had faced just hours prior.
"Alright!" Mira smiled warmly, her eyes crinkling with affection. "Everyone is waiting in the main hall. Let's go too!"
Ren extended his arm with a gentlemanly bow. Mira naturally slipped her slender arm through his, her soft chest pressing subtly against his side as the two of them made their grand entrance together.
The moment they stepped out, the sheer scale of the royal banquet hall took their breath away. Massive crystal chandeliers hung from the vaulted ceilings, casting a brilliant, golden light over the endless rows of banquet tables.
"Oh, you're here! You look quite handsome!"
Erza greeted Ren the moment she saw him walking down the carpeted steps.
She was dressed in a stunning, strapless gown that perfectly balanced her fierce warrior aura with breathtaking feminine elegance. Her scarlet hair was pinned up neatly, framing her delicate collarbones.
"Come over here, the people from the other guilds have all arrived too," Erza instructed, gesturing toward the bustling crowd.
"Whoa! It's a party! A party to celebrate the conclusion of the Grand Magic Games!!"
Just as Ren arrived at the bottom of the stairs, Natsu rushed past him like a literal whirlwind. The Fire Dragon Slayer was already drooling, completely ignoring the strict formal dress code as Happy followed closely behind, wings buzzing frantically.
"If you're a man, you have to eat! You have to eat like a beast!!"
Elfman roared at the top of his lungs. He was already seated at one of the main tables, aggressively eating in huge gulps, completely disregarding the fine silver cutlery provided by the royal staff.
"This meat is so delicious!!"
Natsu skidded to a halt in front of a massive roasted boar. He rushed over, grabbed a huge chunk of meat with his bare hands, and started eating ferociously, stuffing his cheeks until he looked like a squirrel.
"Booze! Bring the booze over!!"
Cana happily picked up a massive, high-vintage bottle of wine and started drinking directly from the neck.
She loved parties the most out of anyone in the guild. Since this was a lavish celebration hosted by the King himself, she knew she could drink to her heart's content; she planned to drink until she passed out on the royal carpets.
"Hey! Cana!! We're in a castle!"
Macao quickly ran over, sweating nervously as he tried to remind her of their surroundings. Now that seven years had passed, his age, which used to be stuck in the middle, had completely shifted to the elder generation level, making him far more conscious of their public image.
"What does it matter!" Cana laughed heartily, wiping a stray drop of wine from her chin. "This is the King's private collection of wine! I definitely have to drink a ton of it!!"
"Want to have another contest?"
Bacchus came up to Cana's side, his signature wild smirk plastered across his face. The S-Class Mage of Quatro Cerberus already had a large gourd of liquor slung over his shoulder, clearly looking for a rematch.
"Sure," Cana slammed her bottle onto the table, her eyes flashing with competitive fire. "I definitely won't lose to you this time."
At a slightly quieter table near the grand balconies, Makarov sat together with all the other Guild Masters.
"I really didn't expect that one day I'd be able to enter the King's castle," Makarov sighed contentedly, his cheeks already flushed with a slight drunken hue.
He was happily drinking his wine, looking out over the sea of Mages. Despite the destruction their guild usually caused, seeing his children celebrating happily in the royal palace filled his old heart with immense pride.
"Yeah! Living this long has really been worth it."
Yajima smiled kindly, his small hands resting on the table.
In terms of political status, the Kings of the various kingdoms were technically higher than the Magic Council Members. However, in terms of actual, sheer power and influence, the Magic Council Members who controlled the entire Magic World still had the absolute upper hand.
On the other side of the hall, near the stage, Ichiya went up to the royal orchestra. He boldly picked up a microphone, striking a dramatic, sparkling pose.
"Men! Everyone, please perform that piece in B-flat minor."
"That piece?!" the lead violinist gasped, sweating profusely.
"Eh? What's that?" the cellist whispered, exchanging bewildered glances with the rest of the band.
The elite members of the royal band were all a bit confused, completely failing to understand what abstract tune Ichiya was talking about.
Ren chuckled at the chaotic scene and walked around the banquet, occasionally stopping to eat some of the exquisite royal food.
Everywhere he went, people naturally parted to make way for him. Many Mages from other guilds bowed their heads slightly or greeted him with utmost reverence.
Originally, before the dragon invasion, everyone thought Ren was just a slightly stronger Mage—a hidden trump card of Fairy Tail.
But after experiencing the horrors of that night, everyone respected Ren even more. Ren was not only terrifyingly powerful, but he was also their absolute savior. He had stood alone against the apocalypse and won.
Now, his status was completely different. He wasn't just an S-Class Mage; he was universally recognized as the strongest in Fiore.
No, it should be said he was the strongest Mage on the entire continent of Ishgar—a monumental fact that everyone present agreed upon without a single objection.
"Mr... Mr. Ren..."
Ren heard a soft, somewhat hesitant voice and turned to look. He saw Kagura Mikazuchi from Mermaid Heel standing a few paces away, speaking to him.
Seeing Kagura, Ren's eyes couldn't help but light up. She was dressed in an incredibly elegant, traditional white and purple kimono that hugged her slender figure perfectly. With her long black hair and slightly flushed cheeks, this girl was really beautiful and cute, exactly Ren's type.
"Ah, Kagura! Hello!"
Ren offered a warm, relaxed smile. He raised his hand and greeted Kagura casually, trying to ease the sudden tension in her posture.
"Mr. Ren, thank you very much for saving my brother."
"Your brother?" Ren blinked, momentarily confused by the sudden gratitude.
"It's Simon-nyan! Kagura-chan is Simon's younger sister," Millianna chimed in, suddenly popping out from behind Kagura with a wide, cat-like grin.
"Simon? Oh, him!" Ren nodded in realization, the memories clicking into place. "Don't mention it, I just helped out in passing back then. Besides, it's been so long since then."
Ren also remembered exactly who Simon was. After all, for him, the harrowing events of the Tower of Heaven hadn't actually happened that long ago in his subjective timeline.
"No, I still have to say it formally. Thank you very much."
Kagura took a step forward and bowed deeply to Ren, her voice trembling with genuine emotion.
Simon was her only blood relative in this world. Ever since she found out he had survived the Tower of Heaven, she had desperately wanted to find his savior and thank him in person for all these years.
"Mr. Ren!"
At this moment, another authoritative yet gentle voice sounded through the crowd.
Ren looked up and saw Princess Hisui E. Fiore of the Kingdom of Fiore walking over. The crowd respectfully parted for her as she approached, her emerald-green hair shimmering under the crystal lights.
"Princess Hisui!"
Ren nodded politely to the princess, acknowledging her royal status without being overly subservient.
"I've really caused you a lot of trouble this time. I am very, very sorry."
Princess Hisui lowered her head, apologizing directly to Ren in front of everyone.
Her heart was heavy with profound guilt. If it hadn't been for her naive decision to open the Eclipse Gate this time, this apocalyptic danger wouldn't have been unleashed upon the world.
Fortunately, Ren was there to save the entire kingdom. Otherwise, she knew full well that the entire country, and eventually the entire continent, would have been brutally destroyed by the dragons.
Ren simply waved his hand dismissively, his expression completely unfazed. "It's fine, really. Just think of it as an extravagant after-party performance following the Grand Magic Games."
"An after-party performance? As expected of Mr. Ren!"
Princess Hisui shook her head with deep emotion, a weary but grateful smile touching her lips.
Although the Grand Magic Games were originally just her father's quirky hobby, she had often watched the battles from the royal box. From the start of the competition until now, she had never once thought that an individual's personal strength could reach such a divine realm.
For an existence like Ren, whose strength was already so extraordinary and refined that it defied logic, the apologies of a mere mortal princess like her were simply not worth mentioning.
At the same time, she felt incredibly fortunate that Ren belonged to a guild within the Kingdom of Fiore. As long as the crown maintained perfectly good relations with Fairy Tail, no other country on the continent would ever dare to use military force against Fiore.
Because of Ren's mere presence, the political and military status of the entire country in Ishgar would also be greatly enhanced.
"I'm just a bit stronger than average, that's all," Ren chuckled modestly, taking a sip from his glass. "No matter how powerful I am, dealing with seven Dragons at once is my absolute limit. If there were any more, I wouldn't be able to win."
"..."
Princess Hisui didn't know what to say to that casual statement. Her emerald eyes widened slightly in disbelief.
A single, solitary Dragon possessed the catastrophic power to destroy an entire country overnight. Yet this man was casually stating that defeating seven of them simultaneously was merely his 'limit.' Seven Dragons could easily wipe out seven countries without breaking a sweat.
"Mr. Ren is still young. You will definitely become even stronger in the future."
As the princess of a nation and the direct heir to the Kingdom of Fiore—the future Queen of Fiore—Princess Hisui naturally knew how to speak well and maintain her composure.
Being deceived by Future Rogue this time was purely because she hadn't expected such a complex, time-bending situation to arise. She swore to herself she would be a wiser ruler from now on.
"Then I'll gladly take Princess Hisui's kind words to heart."
Ren raised his wine glass gracefully and clinked it gently against Princess Hisui's crystal goblet, the clear ringing sound sealing their unspoken alliance.
"Mr. Ren!!"
Ren turned around and saw Sting standing behind him. Ren's impression of Sting was limited to the Grand Magic Games and he wasn't familiar with him, but he also knew that Sting, like Natsu, was a Transmigrator from 400 years ago, and Sabertooth would be considered an ally of Fairy Tail in the future.
"Mr... Mr. Ren... I am your idol... no... you are my idol! Please give me your autograph!"
Sting looked at Ren with some excitement. He had already looked up to Ren as an idol when he was young. Later, when he grew up, he thought his strength had surpassed his idol's, but only today did he realize that the gap between his strength and his idol's was still like heaven and earth.
Furthermore, since his strength was even greater than seven years ago, he admired Ren even more.
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