Shane had been thinking about the trial the whole time, but his eyes never left Laxus.
That wordless, oddly appraising stare finally pushed Laxus past his limit.
"So what is it? What do you want?"
"Nothing," Shane answered reflexively. "I just didn't expect you to be this strong, Laxus."
"Huh?" Laxus let out a short, puzzled sound. "What kind of question is that? I'm destined to become the guild master one day. Of course I'm strong."
"You want to be guild master?" Shane was genuinely surprised. "I thought things were so tense between you and the old man that you wouldn't even consider the position."
"You think I'm trying to inherit that seat from Grandpa?"
Laxus's tone instantly turned sharp, and a few golden sparks crackled around him.
"If you say 'yes,' I'll beat you up too—even if it's you."
Shane spread his hands, expression calm. "That's not what I meant. I'm just surprised at your goal, that's all."
He paused to think.
Laxus could be impulsive, but he wasn't a bad guy. If he became guild master… it actually wouldn't be terrible.
So Shane stepped in and gave him a light punch on the shoulder—not too hard, not too soft.
"Yeah. I think I support you. Good luck."
With his goal achieved, Shane didn't say anything else. He waved Erza and Ultear along into the guild hall.
Laxus was left standing there alone, looking completely baffled.
So… this guy came over, stared for ages, asked a stupid question, said he supported him, punched him once, and left?
What was that even supposed to be?
Laxus frowned and thought it over for a long while, then finally concluded: Shane's brain is not normal today.
…
Meanwhile, the moment Shane stepped into the guild, he froze.
The patch of floor by the entrance—the spot his flames had burned through yesterday—had been restored to pristine condition.
The new timber was a shade lighter, but the joints were tight and seamless. You could barely tell it had been repaired.
"Levy helped fix it!" Cana's amused voice chimed in.
She stood nearby and gently nudged the quiet purple-haired girl beside her forward.
"This kid uses something like Gray's 'Wood-Make' magic—she's really good."
"Oh?" Shane's eyes lit up. He remembered now—Levy was the girl he'd personally brought into the guild. He hadn't expected her to have that kind of skill.
It was rare to see a good kid in Fairy Tail who didn't break things, so he praised her sincerely. "That's awesome."
Levy pushed up her glasses, a little embarrassed. "It's not as exaggerated as Cana makes it sound. I just… happened to be able to help."
As they exchanged a few words, Ultear stayed by the door, quietly scanning the guild interior with guarded eyes.
After a brief hesitation, she stepped closer to Shane and spoke under her breath. "I'm not a guild member. Is it really okay for me to just walk in?"
Shane waved it off. "The guild's open to everyone. People can come drink, eat, post requests—whatever."
At that point, more members noticed them.
"Oh! Shane! Erza! Morning!"
"And who's this lady?"
"She looks kinda familiar… but I don't think I've seen her around. New member?"
Ultear was young, but she already had the looks of a future beauty. Even though she'd only appeared briefly during the last party, some people still remembered her.
Faced with their blunt warmth, Ultear clearly didn't know how to respond. She took a small step back.
Shane, meanwhile, casually waved back. "Morning! This is Ultear. You could call her a friend—I'm just showing her around."
"Oh! Right!" A mage slapped his thigh. "Wasn't she the one you dragged back tied up last time? You're bringing her in openly like this—aren't you afraid Erza will get mad?"
Erza paused mid-reach for a cookie and looked over, baffled. "Why would I be mad?"
"No idea," Shane shrugged.
Ultear simply stayed silent, gaze drifting elsewhere.
With all three of them reacting so blandly, the gathered onlookers quickly lost interest and dispersed.
…
As the "hosts," Shane and Erza naturally took on the job of showing her around.
After a casual lap, Shane looked at Ultear and asked, "That's basically it. Anything specific you want to see?"
Ultear thought for a moment, then looked up. "Could I… see the library?"
"The library…" Shane rubbed his chin. That actually gave him pause.
Ultear wasn't a guild member, and she did have ties to dark guild affairs. He wasn't sure the master would approve.
"Books are meant to be read. If she wants to read, take her."
A loud voice dropped down from the second-floor balcony.
Shane looked up to see Makarov leaning there with a big mug in hand, looking completely relaxed.
"So casual?" Shane still tried to confirm. "Master, are you sure—"
But Makarov had already waved him off and jumped down from the second floor, landing right into a cluster of people drinking and vanishing into the crowd.
With the master's word given, Shane had no reason to refuse.
He nodded at Ultear. "Alright. Come on."
…
He pushed open the heavy wooden door.
Inside, the library smelled the same as ever—a blend of paper, ink, and faint dust.
"There's… this much?" Ultear's expression shifted to genuine surprise as she looked around.
The shelves were tall and neat, packed with carefully sorted books.
And the variety was insane.
Not just basic magic theory, continental history, and monster compendiums—but also obscure ancient manuscripts, regional chronicles, and all kinds of niche texts.
Ultear's eyes visibly brightened. Maybe there's something here that can refine Time Arc…
She walked straight to the nearest shelf, slender fingers sliding along the spines, scanning with intense focus.
"That's actually a rare expression," Shane murmured, leaning against the doorframe as he watched her. He said quietly to Erza, "I can't believe I'm seeing Ultear look that excited."
Erza nodded. "Yeah. She looks really happy."
"Guess bringing her wasn't a waste," Shane said with a shrug.
Erza took a seat by the window and casually started flipping through Illustrated Guide to Continental Monsters.
Ultear disappeared into the sea of books, pulling volumes out, skimming a few pages, putting them back, and moving on—searching, searching.
Shane didn't read.
Instead, he manifested Lancer's twin spears and kept silently repeating in his head:
+1… +1… experience +1…
He could feel that "lock" in his mind was already riddled with cracks.
Just a little more, and it would finally break.