Even though Levy had explained the joining process to him beforehand, Roland only now realized how simple it really was.
"By the way—what type of magic do you use, Roland?"
Eyeing the golden emblem on his left shoulder, Levy blinked curiously.
The registrar at the counter, Mira, also looked over with interest.
"My magic is a little unusual—it has to do with shadows."
Noticing their attention—and having just collected his reward—Roland smiled and answered naturally: "Kage Butai (Shadow Corps)."
In the next instant, every shadow in the guild hall writhed and stretched, crawling across the walls like a forest of tendrils. Dozens of scarlet, glowing eyes opened within the darkness.
One by one, pitch-black ninja stepped out of the shade. Clad head-to-toe in black, faces wrapped in hoods with only red eyes exposed, they looked eerie and silent.
They dropped to one knee as one, heads bowed in Roland's direction, waiting quietly for their master's orders.
"…"
Levy stared at the figures gathering in the corners and gaped.
"Hey, hey, hey—what the heck are those!?"
"Don't tell me a dark guild is attacking!"
The sudden appearance of the Shadow Corps startled the few people present; exclamations erupted all around.
Seeing the commotion grow, Roland flicked a hand toward the shadow ninja, issuing a wordless order to withdraw.
At once, they melted back into the floor's darkness without hesitation.
Mira quickly explained the situation to the onlookers, and the stir subsided before it became a real uproar.
"Phew… Roland-san's magic is certainly one of a kind," Mira said, surprised, as the hall's shadows returned to normal.
"I've never seen anything like it…" Levy murmured.
Not even in extant ancient texts—confident as a literature girl, she trusted her own head on matters like this.
"So that weird group just now was your magic!"
An elderly yet spry voice piped up from behind them.
Roland turned to see a tiny old man in a jester's cap smiling kindly.
"Yo! Pleased to meet you, newbie!"
Catching Roland's look, the old man stuck out a hand with a squinting grin.
"This is Fairy Tail's master—Makarov," Mira introduced with a smile.
"Good morning, Master." Roland chuckled a greeting.
Even if the details of Fairy Tail's story were fuzzy, he remembered this man well.
Makarov, Fairy Tail's third master—and one of the Ten Wizard Saints.
Levy quickly filled Makarov in on Roland's background.
"Traveling alone since you were small?" Makarov gave him a surprised glance, then hopped nimbly onto a high stool nearby.
With a grandfatherly smile, he patted Roland's shoulder and laughed. "That couldn't have been easy. But now that you've joined the guild, treat this place as home. No need to be so stiff."
Roland relaxed a little at the kindly "grandpa" vibe.
And then—
Bang!
A wooden bench came flying out of nowhere and crashed into the counter, burying the still-laughing Makarov behind it.
"…"
Roland looked over instinctively—and fell silent.
At some point the hall had devolved into a brawl.
Shattered tables and barrels flew, magic circles flared in brilliant colors, purple smoke burned, and gray smoke curled upward…
"N-no, it's not what you think!" Seeing Roland's silence, Levy's smile turned strained as she tried to explain, stumbling over her words. "Everyone's just… engaging in daily 'exchanges'—"
Before she could finish, a burly figure went sailing toward them.
Just as it was about to crash into Levy, Roland sighed and pulled her into his arms.
Makarov, who had just leapt back up, wasn't so lucky—he got flattened again before he found his footing.
"Don't push it—you brats!"
At his limit, Makarov unleashed Kyojin Mahō (Giant Magic), hurling Elfman off his back with an enormous arm and roaring as he charged into the fray.
"Mm!"
Flushed scarlet in Roland's embrace, Levy suddenly felt her small, cute body go weak.
H-he held me!?
"Um… are you okay?"
Feeling the girl's quickening breath, Roland couldn't help but pat her head.
Her blue hair was silky and soft under his palm, with a faint fragrance teasing his nose.
Kind of like petting a cat.
Except cats purr; Levy—
Seeing her eyes grow hazy, Roland paused mid-stroke with a guilty start and glanced aside—
—right into Mira's wide, curious stare. Realizing she'd been caught, she brought a hand to her lips and coughed. "Ahem. I didn't see anything!"
Liar.
Still, Mira's words snapped Levy back to herself. She hurriedly slipped from Roland's arms, face burning, index fingers fidgeting behind her back.
"Mira-nee, can I take a job now?" Roland asked, expression turning serious, ignoring Levy's blush.
Completing the guild-joining quest had unlocked his two remaining slots.
[Quest 2: First Pot of Gold!]
[Description: Earn your first money in this world. Work, beg, steal, or rob—your choice!]
[Reward: Gourmet Tablecloth (from "Doraemon")]
[Quest 3: S-Class Request!]
[Description: Complete an S-Class request. Careful not to go out at night!]
[Reward: Dōbutsu-kei Akuma no Mi (Zoan-type Devil Fruit) (from "One Piece")]
For now, only the first looked realistic.
"You can, but since you're new, I suggest finding a temporary partner," Mira said with a sweet smile, glancing at Levy.
"I see. In that case, could I trouble you, Mira—"
"Wait—I can team up with you!"
(End of Chapter)
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