"The Baram Alliance… the new coalition of dark guilds in the magic world this year," Kira muttered to himself, his thoughts drifting to memories of the past.
It wouldn't be long now before the Oración Seis arc kicked off. If he remembered right, that one took the combined forces of Fairy Tail, Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, and Cait Shelter to tackle.
This world was a strange one. From the intel Kira had gathered, Earth Land—the magic world they lived in—had several continents, and they were on the southern one. Even Ultear, in the original story, was only described as being from "the north," with no clear indication of how far north.
The Magic Council was supposed to oversee guilds across the entire continent, with branches in every country. Yet, in the manga, both the old and new councils acted like they were just extensions of the Fiore Kingdom.
The reason? Every major plot point happened within Fiore's borders. Other countries barely got a mention.
Fiore was a small coastal nation in Ishgar, with a population under 17 million and an unknown land area—probably not that big. It stayed neutral among other nations, and every guild mentioned in the story—Fairy Tail, Phantom Lord, Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, Mermaid Heel, Sabertooth—was based in Fiore.
The one exception? The Baram Alliance. It was supposed to be a shadowy network spanning all of Ishgar's dark forces, yet even they met their end in Fiore.
Kira couldn't help but roll his eyes.
Why was it up to four Fiore guilds to take down a powerhouse like Oración Seis? Where were the guilds from other countries? Why could Fiore's royal family pardon Crime Sorcière? Shouldn't dark guilds be the Magic Council's problem? Why were all twelve Golden Zodiac Keys—the rarest artifacts in the world—conveniently gathered in Fiore? And why were the Ten Wizard Saints, supposedly the strongest mages on the continent, also all in Fiore?
Even after 20 years in this world, Kira still couldn't make sense of it. Was something wrong with the world itself? In the end, he could only blame the original author.
"What's up? They want us to step in?" someone asked.
"Yeah," came the reply. "After negotiations, it's been decided that Fairy Tail, Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, Phantom Lord, and Cait Shelter will form an alliance to take them down."
Wait. Hold on. Did something weird just sneak into that list?
"…Phantom Lord? Master, did you misspeak?" Kira asked, stunned.
Phantom Lord, based in Oak Town in northeastern Fiore, was a guild on par with Fairy Tail. Its predecessor, Blue Skull, was a guild from a hundred years ago. Back then, Blue Skull's master clashed with Mavis and the others over the Tenrou Jade on Tenrou Island, only to be wiped out by Mavis's Fairy Law. After Fairy Tail was founded, Blue Skull's master created Phantom Lord.
In short, both guilds had over a century of history—and bad blood. Their rivalry went back to their founders, and it hadn't cooled off since.
Six years ago, during a guild masters' meeting, Makarov and Phantom Lord's master, Jose, got into a drunken argument over whose guild was stronger. Makarov won, and Jose, nursing a grudge, stopped attending the meetings altogether.
In recent years, the two guilds had their share of clashes, but after the first Magic Guild Trade War a century ago, the Magic Council banned open conflict between guilds. Makarov, ever the bigger man, always let things slide.
Kira was floored. Of all the possibilities, he hadn't expected this. This couldn't be some butterfly effect, could it?
"Jose actually showed up to the meeting?" Kira asked, glancing around but not spotting him. "I thought he hadn't come in years."
"Our guilds don't exactly get along," Kira continued. "Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord have been at odds for over a century. Why team up with them?"
Makarov sighed, clearly conflicted. "Dark guilds aren't easy to deal with. In terms of raw power, Phantom Lord's the next strongest after us, so the decision was made. The regional council is already reaching out to Jose—they won't be able to refuse. And…"
Kira could've sworn he saw a warm smile flicker across Makarov's face.
"Despite our history, there's no deep-seated hatred between us. If we face a dark guild together, it might just smooth over some of those old grudges."
Kira was speechless. Master… Fairy Tail's optimism is downright terrifying.
What could he say? Makarov wasn't wrong. Kira couldn't just write Phantom Lord off as enemies because of the manga—after all, Gajeel and Juvia turned good eventually, didn't they?
After a moment, Kira nodded. "Alright, I'll get ready."
"Good," Makarov said. "I'm counting on you for intel."
Besides being the guild's strategist, Kira was also its go-to for information. It wasn't just because his business connections gave him a wide network or his knack for getting along with people. Honestly, Fairy Tail was full of hotheaded idiots who acted on impulse and rushed into things. Even the S-Class mages—and Makarov himself—had a childish streak. Kira had been running himself ragged for them until he shifted his focus to his business the last couple of years.
The intel Makarov wanted wasn't just about Phantom Lord—it included Oración Seis and the broader Baram Alliance. Luckily, Kira already knew what he needed to know from the manga, and the rest wasn't worth bothering with. That saved him a ton of time.
In Kira's book, time saved was money earned. Today was shaping up to be a profitable day. Time to treat himself later!
"Kira, check this out!" Natsu's voice broke through. "This food is awesome!"
"Yeah, the fish here's amazing!" Happy added, his mouth full.
Natsu and Happy were scarfing down food, crumbs all over their faces. "Come try some!"
Lucy stood nearby, torn between embarrassment and stifling a laugh. Poor girl.
The banquet's cheerful vibe made Kira and the others forget something critical. After Erigor's defeat, Kunugi Station had cleaned up the mess overnight and resumed operations by the next day.
At noon, when Kageyama finally arrived at Kunugi with the Lullaby he'd smuggled out, he heard about the previous day's chaos. A few surviving goons rushed up to him, practically in tears.
"Big bro Kageyama, the boss got nabbed by the Council! You've gotta finish his plan!"
"Yeah, make those old geezers pay!"
"You're our only hope now!"
The weight of their expectations hit Kageyama like a ton of bricks. What the hell? I take a nap, and everything falls apart? I got Lullaby here, and we were this close to pulling it off! How did this happen?
No choice now. With Erigor down, it was up to him. Just you wait, Fairy Tail—and those council geezers. Lullaby's revenge is coming!
Clutching the flute tightly, Kageyama boarded the last train of the day, headed for his final destination—Clover Town.
---
"Phew… looks like the banquet's still going," Kageyama muttered.
He arrived in Clover Town after nightfall—an odd time, for sure. Hiding in the bushes, his resentful eyes locked onto a warmly lit villa. The glow stung his eyes, the aroma of food teased his senses, and the sound of laughter and chatter grated on his nerves. He was both nervous and thrilled.
Perfect. Those legal guild old-timers haven't noticed me at all.
A wicked grin spread across Kageyama's face as he raised the flute to his lips and took a deep breath. At this distance, they'd definitely hear the cursed song. The moment of revenge was here! Once I play Lullaby, they're all—
"Young man, playing hide-and-seek this late instead of going home?"
!!!
A deep, aged voice boomed behind him, startling Kageyama so badly he choked on his breath, coughing uncontrollably.
"Cough, cough…"
It took him forever to recover. Slowly, he turned to see Makarov—the old geezer himself—standing right behind him, somehow unnoticed until now!
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