"We're back!"
Kael and Laxus pushed open the massive guild doors. The lively hall—filled with the usual noise, laughter, and arguments—fell suddenly silent. For a brief moment, everyone turned toward the two of them, covered in dust and exhaustion from their long journey.
Then, as if a fuse had been lit, the entire guild erupted into a deafening cheer.
"Welcome back!""Laxus! Kael!""Finally!"
The crowd's roar of excitement filled the hall, their joy contagious. Kael and Laxus couldn't help but grin, joining in the laughter and chatter of their guildmates.
"Laxus!"A fiery voice rang out—Natsu stormed forward, fists clenched, eyes blazing. "Come on! Let's settle the score right now!"
During the past half-year, he'd been training harder than ever—following a strict regimen day after day. Even Master Makarov had acknowledged his improvement. Now he wanted to prove himself.
Laxus glanced at him, sensing the power Natsu had built up over those months. "Not bad, kid," he said with a smirk. "You've been training for real, huh? Fine, let's see what you've got."
"Wait, Natsu! Don't do it!" Happy squeaked nervously, fluttering in the air beside him. "Didn't you hear? Laxus learned some crazy new magic! You'll get fried!"
"No way! I'm not backing down!" Natsu's fists crackled with flame. "I'll make Laxus recognize my strength!"
"Yosh, let's take this outside," Laxus said coolly, motioning toward the door.
At once, half the guild jumped up to follow. "Fight! Fight! Fight!" they shouted, pushing and laughing as they poured out to watch the match. Lisanna carried a worried Happy in her arms as they joined the crowd heading outside.
Inside, Macao and Wakaba stayed behind, clinking mugs together at the bar.
"That kid's got spirit," Wakaba chuckled, exhaling smoke."Yeah," Macao agreed. "He's pure fire through and through."
Meanwhile, Kael looked around, scanning the guild hall. The Master wasn't around—and neither were Cana or several of the senior members. Then he noticed Erza, standing by the mission board with her arms crossed, studying the parchment notices with deep concentration.
"Erza," Kael said as he walked over. "Where's Master? Haven't seen him around."
Without looking up, she replied, "He's at the Magic Council. They called a meeting—about you and Laxus."
"About us?" Kael blinked.
"Oh, and this," Erza added, pulling a folded paper from the pouch at her waist. She handed it to him with her usual composed expression. "He told me to give it to you when you got back."
Kael took the paper and unfolded it—then froze.
A moment later, he toppled backward stiffly, crashing onto the floor as a ghostly wisp seemed to float from his mouth.
"Whoa! Kael, what's wrong?" Macao hurried over, snatching up the paper that had fluttered to the floor. One glance and he burst out laughing. "Oh, man... this explains it."
It was a stack of bills. Detailed expenses, repair fees, and... damage compensation. The total number at the bottom was so large it made Kael's soul leave his body.
"So... this is the entire training expense report," Kael muttered weakly, sitting at a table with one hand covering his face, "and... the property damage bill?"
Erza nodded firmly. "Correct. Mira, Gray, and several others are already out on missions to help cover it. Now that you're back, I'll be taking a mission as well."
Her eyes gleamed with determination as she gripped a mission flyer. She walked to the bar to register, then headed out briskly without another word.
Moments later, laughter and conversation filled the hall again as everyone returned from watching the fight.
"That was awesome!""Natsu got one-shotted, hahaha!""Laxus is on another level!"
Laxus entered, carrying an unconscious Natsu slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He dropped him unceremoniously onto the floor before noticing Kael sitting motionless, still staring at the paper in despair.
"What's wrong with you?" Laxus asked, frowning.
Happy fluttered closer, poking Natsu's cheek. "He's out cold... but he'll be fine." Lisanna kneeled beside him, looking worried.
Laxus picked up the paper Kael had dropped—and his jaw dropped. "You've got to be kidding me..."
The numbers were staggering. Even with all the money from their last S-Class mission, they'd barely covered half of it.
Kael suddenly slammed his hands on the table and stood up. "No time to waste! We'll just take more missions—S-Class ones! We'll earn it back!"
Grabbing the bill from Laxus, Kael bolted upstairs, checking the mission board and tallying numbers at lightning speed. He quickly registered several high-paying quests, then seized Laxus by the arm.
"Let's go! Time's money!"
"Oi, wait, don't you need a break?" Macao shouted as they dashed past him.
"No time, old man!" Kael yelled back. "Tell the Master we'll be back soon—after we pay off our debts!"
In the next second, Kael and Laxus vanished in a flash of lightning and holy radiance, streaking across the sky at incredible speed.
Macao watched them disappear, shaking his head with a grin. "Those two... fine, then. Wakaba, we can't let the youngsters outshine us!"
Wakaba smirked, finishing his drink. "Guess it's our turn to take a job."
Meanwhile, at the Magic Council Headquarters...
SLAM!
"Master Makarov!"An angry councilman slammed a thick stack of papers onto the table in front of him. "These are all the damage complaints caused by your guild! Care to explain this?"
"Ma~ ma~," Makarov sighed, sipping his tea with feigned calm. "If our guild members caused any damage, we've already compensated for it. You can confirm that."
Another council member who was on good terms with him nodded. "That's true. And let's not forget—their recent S-Class mission was a success. They solved the thunderstorm crisis in the Raizer Mountains. That alone offsets a great deal."
A neutral member interjected, "Let's not get sidetracked. We're also here to finalize the new Saint Ten evaluations."
"Hmph," grumbled Councilor Org, the man who'd thrown the papers. "That mountain incident destroyed an entire range! Don't act like it balances out everything!"
"You... you stubborn old—!" Makarov's eye twitched.
"Enough," said the chairman, pounding the gavel. "We'll move on to the next agenda. The Saint Ten evaluations will proceed as planned. Makarov, this matter is yours to handle. Meeting adjourned."
With that, the session ended. Makarov and Yajima left together, chatting quietly as they walked.
"Well, Makarov, I'll take my leave," Yajima said with a smile, dispersing his projection magic.
Just as Makarov was about to do the same, a furious shout echoed behind him.
"MAKAROV!"
He turned, spotting Org glaring daggers at him from the hall. Makarov merely smiled, silently dispelling his own thought projection spell.
"Tch... damn old man," Org muttered.