Chapter 110: Phantom's End
Three days passed in a flash.
The broken, skeletal remains of the Fairy Tail guild hall were torn down, and the reconstruction began. At the construction site, everyone from Fairy Tail was working with a surprising and furious enthusiasm.
The air was filled with the smell of fresh-cut lumber and the sounds of hammering.
If the Guild wasn't rebuilt, they couldn't start working. Without work, they couldn't pay their rent. So, they all helped out at the construction site. Although there wasn't much pay, the guild's emergency funds ensured that food and drink were plentiful. And, most importantly, they could still chat, argue, and laugh with their guildmates.
"So—heavy—!"
Natsu, carrying a stack of over a dozen heavy logs on his back, gritted his teeth and slowly moved his feet, his muscles straining.
Gray, walking easily beside him with a single, massive log on his shoulder, complained, "Who told you to take so many at once? Are you an idiot? Just make two trips."
"What do you know, droopy-eyes? I'm training!" Natsu grunted, his face red with effort. "Just watch, when I finish my training, I'll be able to defeat Erza... and that monster, Ren!"
"Huh? You're dreaming," Gray scoffed. "Erza being a monster is one thing, but Ren is already a super monster. How could someone like you ever defeat him?"
If they had thought it was barely possible to defeat Ren before, it was because his weakness was obvious: he lacked stamina.
But now, after the Galuna Island quest, word had spread through the guild. Ren's magic power had greatly increased. He had gone from 'one-minute-of-terror' to... well... more than that. The guild members who had witnessed his fight with Jose had no words for it. He was on another level entirely.
"You're truly a man without dreams, that's why you're so weak!" Natsu shot back.
"Huh?! Who are you calling weak?!" Gray's pride was stung. "If I get serious, I can carry twice as much as you!!"
As Gray spoke, he really went to carry twice the amount of logs Natsu had. He wrapped a rope around the massive pile, squatted, and with a roar, moved his body with all his might.
"Ow ow ow!! How… how was that, did you see?"
Gray said through gritted teeth, his entire body shaking. But after only a few meters, the rope snapped.
"Whoa oh oh oh oh!!"
The logs scattered everywhere, pinning Gray underneath the heavy pile.
"Hahahaha! How embarrassing!! Did you see that, Happy?"
"Aye! He got crushed!"
Natsu mercilessly mocked Gray upon seeing this scene.
"You two, stop playing around and get back to work!" Ren's voice, filled with annoyance, cut through their laughter.
Ren, carrying several logs under one arm as if they were baguettes, shouted at Natsu and Gray. He still wanted to do S-Class Quests, but if the Guild wasn't finished, he couldn't start working.
A life without work meant no gacha. And a life without gacha... had no fun.
"Hey! Everyone, look quickly! There's big news in the newspaper!!"
Just then, Warren Rocko, the guild's telepath, ran over, waving a copy of Weekly Sorcerer.
"What news?"
Everyone in the Guild stopped their hammering and sawing, looking over curiously. Since it was big news, it certainly wasn't a small matter.
Warren unfolded the paper, his eyes wide. "The... the Phantom Lord Guild... has disbanded!!"
"What?!!!"
Everyone in the Guild was astonished. The site went silent.
The Phantom Lord Guild and Fairy Tail were, in theory, evenly matched. Perhaps Phantom Lord's core strength was slightly weaker than Fairy Tail's, but they had thousands of members. If they had really fought a war, it was hard to say who would win or lose.
"What exactly happened?" Erza walked over, wiping sweat from her brow. She was puzzled. "Why would Phantom Lord suddenly disband?! Even if they lost the spar, Jose is not the type to give up. He's too proud."
"The newspaper says that shortly after the last match ended, Master Jose went back... and just... disbanded the Phantom Lord Guild. Effective immediately."
"..."
Everyone in the Fairy Tail Guild was a bit silent. To be honest, they certainly didn't like the Phantom Lord Guild. They hated them. But they had never thought of making the other Guild... disband.
After all, they were both legitimate Guilds. Friction was friction, but they never wanted to leave the other party homeless or jobless.
Ren, however, broke the silence. "Alright, no need to think so much. It's their business if they want to disband the Guild. We can't interfere, and there's no need to interfere. We just need to do our own thing. Now, get back to work! This roof won't build itself."
Everyone in the Guild, hearing Ren's practical, non-sentimental words, nodded. Indeed. If they had been the ones who lost the match, Phantom Lord would have been even more arrogant and cruel.
If they lost, couldn't handle it, and disbanded their Guild, it had nothing to do with Fairy Tail.
After everyone went back to work, Ren's eyes narrowed slightly. He stared at the article.
'Disbanded?' he thought to himself. 'No... in my impression, Jose was not the kind of man who would willingly accept such a great loss. This is... wrong.'
He knew from his memories of the anime that this wasn't the full story. Jose's defeat had broken the guild's spirit, yes, but this... this was too clean, too fast.
'Who knows,' Ren mused, 'what kind of revenge he might try to exact on Fairy Tail in the future? Or maybe... someone else is pulling the strings.'
But he didn't need to worry too much. Jose couldn't defeat him now, and he certainly wouldn't be able to in the future.
Magic Council ERA, Fiore Branch
"Hoo hoo hoo—hoo hoo—hoo hoo..."
During the branch's judgment meeting, Makarov, who was standing in the judge's seat, had fallen fast asleep. He was snoring.
This made the local Council Members who were "judging" him tremble with anger. In this sacred courtroom, in front of so many Magic Council Members, he was actually sleeping. This was simply ignoring them. This was contempt!
"Mr. Ma… Makarov?"
"Yes!!" Makarov snapped awake, saluting.
"The trial is currently in progress... Were you just asleep?"
Makarov scratched his head awkwardly, his eyes darting around. "No such thing! I was just... meditating on the wisdom of your words! Oh ho ho ho ho ho!!"
"Now for the verdict..."
After the trial, Makarov sat with his old friend, Yajima, in the council cafeteria.
"I never thought that in this incident, Fairy Tail would be judged... 'innocent'," Makarov said, letting out a long sigh of relief. "To be honest, I was prepared to be confined in Era for a month."
Makarov was in a very good mood after hearing the verdict. After all, the incident this time was not small. Although the method Ren had proposed circumvented the Magic Council's regulations, there was indeed an underlying motive of retaliation.
Coupled with the massive damage caused to Onibus City this time, the Magic Council, after much debate, had finally ruled to simply withhold the 20 million Jewel in prize money, using it to pay for the damages. They imposed no other penalties. This was the best possible outcome for Fairy Tail.
"You should thank me, Makarov," Yajima said, sipping his tea. "I tried my best to defend you guys."
"No need for grand words of thanks, Yajima," Makarov smiled. "When the new Guild is built, I'll invite you to visit and treat you to our Fairy Ramen."
Makarov truly thanked Yajima. The two had known each other since they were young men, and now, after nearly eighty years, their bond was naturally very deep.
"Fairy Ramen, huh? With 12 pieces of char siu, then," Yajima said with a smile.
"12 pieces?! Isn't that too many for an old man?"
"Is that so? Then next time... I won't speak up for you."
"Understood, understood!!" Makarov laughed. "20 pieces! 30 pieces! They're all yours!!"
As Guild Master, he knew Fairy Tail's knack for trouble best. The next time trouble would occur was anyone's guess. Over the years, it was thanks to his good friend Yajima protecting them in the Council; otherwise, Fairy Tail might have been forcibly disbanded by the Council long ago.
"12 pieces of char siu are enough," Yajima said, his expression turning serious. "But, Makarov... you need to be careful. The Council has been constantly paying attention to the incidents caused by Fairy Tail recently."
"Those two fools, Org and Orga, even officially proposed disbanding Fairy Tail after this last incident," Yajima warned.
"If this continues, one day you will face severe punishment. You should retire quickly, Makarov. Your body won't be able to take it."
As Makarov's good friend, Yajima knew that Makarov's heart had long had problems, sustained only by the potions concocted by Porlyusica. The stress of the Phantom Lord war, and the intense emotional fluctuations... they could easily lead to trouble. A major problem might arise any day.
"..."
Makarov didn't speak. He looked down into his own tea. How could he not know these things? But he couldn't bear to leave the Guild. He couldn't bear to abandon the children in the Guild.
In order for those children to grow up happily, he, as a father, had to shield them from the wind and rain.
But... this matter of his succession... it indeed needed to be put on the agenda.
"I will consider it carefully, old friend. Thank you."
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