He's… doing this on purpose!
Watching Roland seemingly invite Mira to team up, Levy puffed her cheeks in jealousy.
She was the one who brought him to the guild—so of course the newbie should team with her!
"Oh my, are you two going to form a party?" Mira pressed a fingertip to her lips and tilted her head. "But I remember, Levy, you already have your own team, don't you?"
"If Jet and Droy find out…"
"Geez, Mira, don't say things that make people misunderstand. I'm just ordinary friends with those two!"
Levy sneaked a glance at Roland. Seeing no change in his expression, she sighed with relief.
She really didn't want him to get the wrong idea about her.
"I'll explain things to Jet and Droy—more importantly, Roland just joined the guild, so he needs help." Levy scratched her flushed cheek with a fingertip, offering an explanation.
Especially since she'd been the one to bring him in; that only made it feel like her duty.
Faced with the cute blue-haired girl's invitation, Roland accepted gladly.
"If you want to take a job, head to the request board. Once you find something suitable, come to me to process it," Mira reminded them gently.
"Thank you, Miss Mira," Roland said politely with a nod.
"It's nothing. And just call me Mira—everyone in the guild does." She waved it off.
While they chatted about work, the brawl in the hall had already sputtered out.
Most members lay sprawled everywhere, chairs and barrels in pieces. Makarov sat cross-legged on the second-floor railing, face twisted with heartache.
This guild… is even livelier than I imagined.
Thinking that, Roland glanced at the board beside him—covered in request flyers.
Hunt a Vulcan on Mt. Hakobe, capture rare flying fish, repel bandits, find a lost book…
From resident odd jobs to slaying monsters on snowy peaks—everything was here.
Rewards scaled with difficulty: as little as 500J, as much as 600,000J.
He even spotted a few familiar requests.
Meaning the main story wasn't far off.
Taking down the Vulcan request, Roland couldn't help thinking so.
"Eh, you're picking that one?" Levy went on tiptoe, and when she saw the slip he'd torn off, she couldn't help warning him. "Those snow apes live in groups. With just the two of us, it's easy to wipe."
"I wasn't planning to take it. Besides—" Roland shook his head at the 400,000J reward marked below. "The pay's too low."
Four hundred thousand sounded like a lot, but in this town it was two months' rent at best; add food and it wouldn't stretch.
"It's already plenty… at least we could rent—" Levy cut herself off mid-sentence.
Staring at Roland before the board, she suddenly felt… something was off?
"Hm?"
Noticing the girl's unease, Roland turned slightly and met her surprised gaze.
The moment their eyes met, Levy realized what had changed.
Gone was the warmth and smile from his eyes—replaced by a native, unforced disregard.
Arrogant. Overbearing. Lofty. The exact opposite of his humble, courteous self just now—as if he'd turned into someone else.
"Ro… Roland?" she ventured.
"What—"
Seeing the worry in her eyes, Roland paused—then understood at once.
The sun was affecting his personality?
He could feel his strength skyrocketing as noon approached; he hadn't expected even his temperament to subtly shift.
With yesterday's sunset, he'd assumed his personality wasn't affected…
Now it seemed the self-effacing part hadn't carried over—but the arrogance had.
"Sorry. Because of another magic I use, my personality changes a bit around noon."
With the cause clear, Roland explained.
"A side effect of magic?" Levy relaxed a little at that.
There's magic that alters personality?
To make someone that polite turn this arrogant…
Looking at Roland's now-proud gaze, a strange feeling welled up in her despite herself.
"…"
Levy shook her head quickly and shoved that feeling down.
What am I even thinking!?
"So there aren't any higher-paying jobs?"
Ignoring the girl going weak in the knees beside him, Roland rubbed his chin.
Maybe it was the shift in mindset, but he balked at these boring, low-value requests.
Just then, a faintly mocking voice drifted from the second floor.
"For a mere newbie, you sure are arrogant."
Roland lifted his eyes, indifferent, to the blond man lounging by the railing.
A bold lightning-shaped scar cut past his right eye; headphones sat over his ears. Black shirt, fur-collared coat thrown over it.
"Laxus?"
Levy blurted the name.
"They're even letting trash with zero self-awareness in now? Has the guild fallen this far?"
Laxus ignored her, leaning on the rail with a nasty grin. "Didn't you want high-paying work? Come check the second floor, newbie."
"Roland, don't listen to him!"
Mira frowned and looked up. "Roland might be new, but he's still our Fairy Tail comrade."
"Hah—who'd recognize trash like that as a comrade? We've already got enough weaklings in here."
Laxus looked down, curling his lip.
"Why should I consider weaklings my comrades?"
That line lit a fuse under half the hall.
"Damn it, that Laxus—"
"What's with the attitude!?"
"Bastard…"
…
"Laxus, huh…"
Roland smiled, ruffling the blue hair of the girl beside him, then started toward the stairs.
It was noon—and the surging power inside him was getting hard to hold back.
Perfect time to use this guy as a stress test.
"W-wait—Roland!"
(End of Chapter)
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