"Chen Fan, you're finally awake! Come, let me introduce you," Makarov Dreyar called out from a distance, waving him over.
Seeing Makarov, Chen Fan realized the old man must have dragged him there. What was worse, the Master was currently sitting on top of a table, stuffing his face and drinking like a glutton. It was utterly embarrassing.
Chen Fan turned his face away, pretending he didn't know the man. But Makarov hopped down from the table, scurried over to him, and then jumped onto the table directly in front of Chen Fan. He clapped his hands loudly, drawing the attention of everyone in the hall. Chen Fan had nowhere to hide.
"Greetings, fellow guild masters! This young man right here is the pride of Fairy Tail! Let's give him a round of applause!" Makarov shouted. A wave of applause followed. It seemed the old guy actually carried quite a bit of prestige among these guild leaders.
Seeing no way out, Chen Fan stood up, holding a wine glass between his fingers. He wore a practiced smile and nodded politely to the crowd. When in public, he was always careful to give Makarov face.
Suddenly, a surprised voice rang out. "It's the God's Hand!"
The realization rippled through the room. Everyone began to study Chen Fan intently. They had been so focused on the other guild masters that they hadn't noticed this major figure sitting in the corner. After all, Chen Fan was known for having the power to influence the Magic Council itself.
One by one, they began to raise their glasses to him, whispering to their neighbors and trying to gauge more information.
"Oh, if it isn't the handsome young Chen Fan! Have you missed me lately?" A flamboyant, stout man approached Chen Fan, reaching out to touch him. Chen Fan deftly sidestepped the advance with a casual blur of movement.
"Miss you? Of course. I've missed you to 'death,'" Chen Fan said through gritted teeth. He didn't know what to do with this guy. This was Bob, the Master of the Blue Pegasus guild. Chen Fan had met him before, but the man always insisted on being touchy-feely. It gave Chen Fan nightmares. In his dreams, he was usually giving this fat man a legendary "Face-Changing Punch" to fix his look.
"Oh my, don't say things like that! You'll make me blush," Bob squealed, cradling his face in his hands like a shy schoolgirl. Chen Fan looked away immediately, fearing the nightmares would return tonight.
"Ignore him, Chen Fan. Why don't you just join my guild instead? If you come to me, you'll be the next Master for sure. Why stay an S-Class Mage in that little guild of theirs?" Goldmine, the Master of Quatro Cerberus, said to him.
"Don't you even think about it!" Makarov jumped like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "How could your guild ever compare to Fairy Tail? We have beautiful women for days!"
"Alright, enough. Goldmine is clearly joking. Can't you tell?" Chen Fan intervened.
"That's right, little Makarov. Goldmine was just kidding," Bob chimed in. But Makarov was still glaring at Goldmine with eyes the size of saucers, making the other man feel quite awkward.
Goldmine waved a hand dismissively. "Fine, fine. I was joking." Only then did Makarov let out a happy laugh, and the other guild masters followed suit. Such was the plight of smaller guilds; while Makarov, Goldmine, Bob, and Chen Fan spoke, they didn't dare interject, only laughing along when the big guild masters were happy.
Whether Goldmine was actually joking was something everyone understood in their hearts, but some things were better left unsaid.
Bob suddenly spoke up. "Little Makarov, your mages have been quite active lately. I heard that some local ruler's estate was blown to smithereens."
"Ah... that would be the newcomer, Lucy. She's quite a talent. Especially her bust," Makarov said, leaning in to whisper the joke.
"Oh... how lewd!" Bob said, covering his face, though Chen Fan could have sworn he sounded excited.
"You can still laugh about it, Makarov?" Goldmine interjected. "Activity is one thing, but your mages are taking it too far. People on the Magic Council are worried that Fairy Tail might eventually wipe an entire town off the map."
"I'd love to see them try and be 'wiped out' by Lucy's body instead," Makarov sighed wistfully.
"You can't do that, Makarov! No hitting on your own guild members," Bob scolded.
"Oh, quit the act," Goldmine said, sounding frustrated. "I heard the news. Chen Fan isn't going to speak up for you anymore..." Goldmine couldn't help his resentment. Everyone wanted to use their full power,
but the fear of breaking things was always suffocating. When he heard Chen Fan was no longer acting as Makarov's shield at the Council, he had been so happy he couldn't sleep for days.
"Master Makarov! Master Makarov! A letter from Miss Mira!" A small blue bird flew in, carrying a letter in its talons. It landed in front of Makarov, who had his eyes closed and his nose pointed toward the ceiling in a huff.
"Mm. Good work," Makarov said, taking the letter.
"Thank you for your patronage!" the bird chirped before flying off.
Makarov broke the magical seal and opened the letter. A miniature holographic projection of Mira appeared.
"Master, thank you for your hard work at the Regular Meeting," Mira's projection said.
Makarov looked around at the other masters proudly. "See? This is our guild's poster girl. Pretty, isn't she?"
"Miss Mira? She really has matured quite a bit," Goldmine praised. He secretly wondered if he should find some beauties for his own guild to see if he could lure Chen Fan away. Despite his "dirty" thoughts, his face remained calm; one didn't become a guild master for years without learning to keep a straight face.
Mira's projection continued. "The reason I'm writing is that something wonderful happened while you were away. Erza has formed a team with Natsu and Gray! I think they might be Fairy Tail's Strongest Team. I thought I should report this to you. Goodbye for now!" With that, the projection vanished.
Makarov's jaw dropped lower with every word. "What?"
"Looks like your fears have become reality," Goldmine said, sounding utterly delighted by Makarov's misfortune.
Thud! Makarov collapsed onto the table. How could this happen? If those three work together, they really might destroy a town... The meeting ends today. Even though we go back tomorrow... please, don't let anything happen before then! I beg you!
Suddenly, Makarov remembered something. He lunged at Chen Fan, grabbing his pant leg and wailing at the top of his lungs. His cries were so heart-wrenching that a stranger might have thought Chen Fan was abusing an elderly man.
"Chen Fan! I raised you all these years! You have to help me! @#￥##%￥%!" He babbled a string of nonsense.
"You can't do that, Makarov. A man is only as good as his word. You wouldn't want to ruin Chen Fan's reputation as the God's Hand, would you?" Goldmine said, quickly shutting down Makarov's desperate hopes.
Goldmine was constantly being lectured by the Magic Council. When Makarov used to dodge them, Goldmine was the one left behind to take the brunt of the Council's anger. Now that he had a chance to drag Makarov back to the front lines, he wasn't going to let him escape.
"That's right, little Makarov. Chen Fan's reputation is the most important thing! Oh..." Bob added, leaning so close that his lips almost touched Chen Fan's face. Fortunately,
Chen Fan's supernatural training wasn't for nothing; he held his position firmly, preventing Bob from getting any closer. Bob's drawn-out "oh" lasted forever, but he never managed to make contact.
"Master, you see how it is. It's not that I don't want to help, but it's what the people want! Please, accept your fate!" Chen Fan said in a low, somber voice. Internally, he was thinking: You're the one who kept me from seeing my little Erza. You deserve this!
Thud! Makarov collapsed to the floor again. The other masters burst into laughter; they all seemed to be the type who had been "unhappy with him for a long time."
Of course, this was just casual banter between the masters. Afterward, they entered the true conference room to discuss important matters. Chen Fan returned to his own room.
It wasn't until late that night that Makarov finally returned to his quarters. The meeting had been exhausting, and he collapsed onto his bed, too tired to move.
SLAM!! The door shut violently.
Makarov jumped in fright. He saw Chen Fan leaning against the door. The moonlight filtered through the curtains, reflecting off Chen Fan's glasses and casting a cold, grey light.
Chen Fan pulled out a leather whip from somewhere, snapping it back and forth with a sharp crack, crack.
"Welcome back... my Master."
"Awooo...!" A wolf-like howl suddenly rang out, startling a flock of birds into flight from the nearby trees.
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