The strongest team, consisting of Natsu, Happy, Gray, Lucy, and Erza, was officially established; previously, there had been no clear intention to form a team.
Calling it the strongest team is one thing, but in reality, it's just four of the biggest troublemakers plus a cat.
Makarov knew from the moment it was formed that when this group went out on a request, either half the town would be demolished, or the Council's complaint letters would pile up like a mountain—most likely both.
The four people and one cat rushed out of the guild gates in excitement. Natsu was breathing fire, Gray was shirtless, Erza was fully armed, Happy flew at the front with a fish in his mouth, and Lucy hurriedly followed, shouting, "Wait for me!"
Their silhouettes against the setting sun were exceptionally grand, like a pack of wild horses breaking free from their reins.
The remaining people in the guild watched them disappear into the distance, silently praying for that town.
In the evening, Makarov sat alone on the guild's wall, legs dangling, holding a cup of warm tea, his brow furrowed like a crumpled piece of paper.
He was contemplating the candidate for the next guild master.
This question had troubled him for a long time, and every time he thought about it, he got a headache.
Gildarts' strength is beyond doubt; his Crush Magic is invincible, and few in the entire guild can withstand a single blow from him.
The problem is his personality—he simply can't stay put in the guild. He goes out on missions (to enjoy himself) every few days and stays away for years. What's the difference between having him as the master and having no master at all? Sigh.
Mystogan's strength is decent, and his somewhat aloof personality isn't a big deal; after all, a master doesn't need to be that extroverted.
Unfortunately, he's not from Earthland and will eventually have to return to Edolas. What happens if the master suddenly disappears? Sigh.
Laxus's strength is good, but his personality is terrible. He looks down on the weak and has tense relations with the guild members. If he becomes the master, the guild will fall apart sooner or later. Sigh.
Riyao is currently the best candidate. Just his title as the kingdom's number one Healing Mage means the Council would show some respect, which would be a bonus when cleaning up after the guild members later.
Moreover, Riyao is sharp, handles problems smoothly, and is well-liked within the guild.
But there's already an agreement not to force him to be the master, and Riyao himself has explicitly refused. Sigh.
With Riyao assisting her, Mirajane would also be a good choice. She's an S-Class Mage and has enough prestige in the guild. Unfortunately, she can't be forced either. Sigh.
As for Erza...
Just as Makarov thought of this, a head suddenly popped up from below the wall.
Riyao had climbed up at some point and was squatting next to Makarov, waving a piece of paper with the Council's wax seal, a gloating smile on his face.
"Yo, old man. Erza and the others destroyed half a town while out on their request."
Makarov's brow furrowed even tighter, and his heart skipped a beat.
Riyao waved the paper in front of Makarov, his tone as light as if he were reading a menu.
"The Council requires you to write a Letter of Apology~"
Makarov took the letter, glanced at the contents, and his whole being began to lose color.
Starting from his face, he turned deathly pale, as if all the color had been drained from him.
Then it spread to his body; his skin became as white as paper, and even his Ten Wizard Saints Robes lost their hue.
A gust of wind blew, and Makarov's body floated up light as a feather, like a newspaper caught in the wind, flipping a few times in the air and drifting further and further away.
Riyao watched Makarov's drifting figure, waved, and muttered to himself, "Only the one who becomes the master knows the pain—reporting to the Council every single day."
He jumped off the wall, flicked away the remaining sunflower seed shells in his hand, and walked away humming a little tune.
...
A few days later, Lucy dragged her exhausted body back to the guild, slumped onto a stool at the bar, and wailed face-down on the table.
"We lost money on the request again! The repair costs for the houses were more than the reward!"
Mirajane placed a cup of hot cocoa in front of Lucy and said with a smile, "Lucy, I'll recommend a good request to you. I guarantee you won't lose money."
Lucy looked up, a glimmer of hope flashing in her eyes: "What request?"
Mirajane pulled out a request flyer that read "Theater in Urgent Need of Actors," and the reward was quite generous.
She recommended it fervently, making it sound wonderful: "You just need to act," "No fighting involved," "Lucy, you're so pretty, you'll definitely be perfect for it," and so on.
Lucy was swayed and took the request.
When Lucy and the others arrived at the Theater, they found that only the director was left—a one-man show.
The entire Theater was empty, without even a cleaner. Dust danced in the sunlight, and the curtains on the stage were faded.
When the director saw them arrive, he was so moved he nearly cried, grabbing Erza's hand and refusing to let go.
Erza looked at the empty stage, her eyes suddenly lighting up. A dangerous glint shimmered in her brown eyes—the kind of light that usually only appeared in battle, but was now appearing on a theatrical stage.
"Let us perform!"
Her voice was firm and excited, her hands balled into fists in front of her chest like a warrior about to take the field.
Gray leaned coolly against the wall, hands in his pockets, feigning indifference, but the slight upward curve of his lips betrayed him.
"I guess we have no choice but to step in. We're veteran actors, after all."
Natsu clenched his fists, flames flickering in his palms.
"Oh yeah! I'm getting fired up!"
Lucy stood to the side, looking worriedly at her overly excited teammates.
"Is this going to be okay?"
Happy flew around in the air, his small wings flapping, looking confident.
"Don't worry. Everyone in the guild has been influenced by Riyao to be very good at acting."
Lucy covered her face and sighed helplessly.
"Of course it's Riyao."
Back at the guild, Riyao sneezed, rubbed his nose, and muttered, "Who's talking about me?"
After several days of rehearsals, Erza was the most enthusiastic one.
It's no wonder Erza could awaken Requip magic on her own; she was a natural-born performer.
Natsu watched from the side, dumbfounded: "Erza, aren't you getting a bit too into character?"
Wearing a prince's costume, Erza replied with a serious face: "An actor must be responsible to the stage! This is respect for the arts!"
Lucy silently complained to herself: You just want to change outfits.
On the day before the performance, Riyao and Mirajane came to watch the show.
Mirajane rubbed her hands together, her eyes sparkling with anticipation, her demonic nature fully on display.
"Hehehe, today we get to see Erza make a fool of herself."
Mirajane smiled like a villain waiting for the show to start, her grin nearly reaching her ears.
There were many old acquaintances present: Makarov, Godman, Bob, the fake Salamander Bora, the chief of the Demon Village, and others.
Behind the door, Erza clutched her chest, breathing heavily, her face flushed red—not from nerves, but from excitement.
"Today, I must deliver my most perfect performance!"
Lucy watched from the side, thinking: Are you going to a battlefield or onto a stage?
Just then, Lucy caught a familiar figure out of the corner of her eye. She whipped her head around and pointed at Bora, shouting, "Why are you here too?!"
Bora stood up, hands folded over his chest, a look of intoxication on his face. His voice was as soulful as if he were reciting poetry.
"I have been completely awakened by Big Brother's fiery fists. I will never be a talent scout forcing people to debut again."
As he spoke, he wiped away non-existent tears from the corners of his eyes, his expression so sincere it was hard to tell if it was real or fake.
Steam rose from Lucy's head, and her mouth twitched.
"Ah, so that's how it is?"
Happy flew over at the right moment to deliver a stinging remark.
"Lucy really was thinking about something very bad."
Lucy swatted Happy away with one hand.
"Shut up!"
The chief of the Demon Island approached at some point, tugged on Lucy's sleeve, and asked with a serious face.
"When will you help me destroy the moon?"
Looking at the chief's serious face, Lucy didn't know where to start complaining.
Does he have senile dementia?
"Should I be calling him out right now?" Lucy was speechless.
Riyao was eating sunflower seeds, looking like he was enjoying the show, with absolutely no intention of helping.
The dark-skinned girl who used to be under Gajeel in Phantom Lord walked out from a corner, holding a piece of raw meat wrapped in cloth, her face as red as a ripe tomato.
She thrust the meat toward Natsu, her voice both fierce and small.
"I just came to bring him a bento; it's not like I made it for you."
Smelling the aroma of meat, Natsu's eyes lit up, and he leaned in to take it.
"Oh! Well, that's very kind of you!"
The girl kicked Natsu away. Natsu traced an arc through the air and slammed into the wall, leaving a human-shaped crater.
"It's not for you! It's for that little red puppy!" She pointed at Happy, her face turning even redder.
Happy, willing to do anything for meat, imitated the sound of the Canis Minor constellation: "Opu!"
Watching Happy act cute and then looking in the direction the girl was pointing, Lucy complained weakly, "He's blue, and he's a cat."
After complaining all around, Lucy slumped to the ground in exhaustion, feeling more tired than if she had fought a battle.
"Why am I already so tired before the play has even started?"
Riyao walked over from the side, munching on sunflower seeds, his tone as relaxed as if he were chatting about the weather.
"It's fine. The performance will be even more tiring."
Lucy was originally too drained to complain, but upon hearing Riyao's words, her body reacted instinctively. She snapped her head up and shouted at Riyao, "Shut up, you manipulative guy!"
Riyao shrugged, continued eating his seeds, and kept that punchable smile on his face.
Mirajane laughed so hard beside them that she almost spilled her seeds.