The Celestial Forge was running smoothly. Lucy was proving to be an exceptionally diligent accountant, managing the sudden influx of assets from the Phantom Lord seizure with focused efficiency.
Rimuru, now relieved of the drudgery of paperwork, felt a rare sense of freedom.
"Lucy, I will go out for a bit,"
Rimuru announced cheerfully, rising from her desk.
"Alright,"
Lucy replied without looking up from a spreadsheet detailing former Phantom Lord shell companies.
Rimuru left the guild, Shion and Shuna taking their customary places to oversee security.
She had a very specific, recreational goal in mind: finding her friend and fellow Demon Lord, Milim Nava. She wanted to play around, perhaps engage in a friendly spar to relieve some stress.
Rimuru opened a Warp Gate directly to the Fairy Tail Guild Hall and stepped through.
She was instantly met not by the usual boisterous noise, but by an elevated level of utter chaos—a distinct kind of destruction that usually signaled the presence of one person.
"What the hell happened…"
Rimuru muttered, surveying the scene.
She quickly spotted the cause: Milim Nava could be seen happily beating up a tall, muscular blonde-haired man.
Milim was employing a mixture of powerful Dragon Fist blows and playful, yet devastating, stomps.
The man was clearly an S-Class mage, judging by his resilience, but he was completely overpowered by the sheer, raw might of the Dragonoid Demon Lord.
"What are you doing, Milim?"
Rimuru asked, walking over.
Milim paused her assault, her bright pink hair slightly disheveled.
"Oh, Rimuru! This man appeared and started saying mean things about the guild and challenging people, so I shut him up a little bit!"
Rimuru sighed. Milim's definition of "shut up a little bit" was often equivalent to a regional disaster. Rimuru quickly checked on the man using a simple magical diagnostic. He was heavily injured, definitely unconscious, but thankfully still alive. So, it was fine.
"Stop beating him and give him a potion,"
Rimuru instructed, then looked around at the rest of the man's unconscious team—two men and a woman, all bearing similar injuries, though less severe.
"Not only the blonde-haired man, but his group of people as well,"
She added, pointing at the prone figures.
Rimuru approached the nearest sober adult—Mirajane Strauss, who was watching the scene with a mixture of dread and recognition.
"Hey, do you know him?"
Rimuru asked Mirajane, nodding toward the defeated blonde man.
Mirajane paled slightly.
"He is Laxus Dreyar, the grandson of the Guild Master, Makarov..."
"This is bad…"
Rimuru muttered. The timing was atrocious. Laxus was not just a troublesome S-Class mage; he was the Master's direct blood relative.
This was an internal political mess, and now her friend Milim was squarely in the middle of it. And of course, this had to happen when Arthur was out on his rare, important date with Erza.
Rimuru hurriedly knelt, placing a hand on Laxus and then extending her aura to his Thunder Legion (Freed, Evergreen, and Bickslow). She poured concentrated healing magic into them, rapidly mending broken bones and internal bruising, though she couldn't erase the magical exhaustion.
Rimuru's Worry
"Hopefully, Makarov wouldn't get angry at us. And why did he have to come back when Arthur went on a date with Erza!"
She knew Arthur would have handled the situation with political finesse, probably neutralizing Laxus before any damage occurred.
Now, Rimuru was left dealing with a massive diplomatic headache caused by her overly zealous friend.
She was prepared to face Makarov, but she desperately hoped Arthur and Erza were having a long, blissful date.