Chapter 85: New Guild, New Members
Magnolia City
"Whoa! It's huge!"
"Amazing!!"
"We're at the right place, aren't we?"
"We were only gone for a little while, but they actually finished it!"
"The new Fairy Tail guild hall!"
Dino and the others couldn't help but stare in awe at the rebuilt guild standing before them.
"Yo! You guys are back!"
"Pretty shocking, right? This is our new guild!"
"It's completely different from before!"
"Of course it is! We're the most famous mage guild in the entire Kingdom of Fiore, after all. This kind of building suits us way better."
"Is that an outdoor café? And there's even a shop at the entrance?"
Max immediately waved them over with an enthusiastic grin. "Hey! Welcome back! You guys interested in checking out our merchandise?"
"Max, you're running the shop?! What are you selling?"
"Official Fairy Tail branded clothing, mugs, towels, and magic crystals. But our best-sellers are these—limited edition mage figurines at 3,000 Jewels each! Mirajane-san's and Erza-san's figures sell out almost instantly. We've even got one of Dino as one of the Ten Wizard Saints! Want one?" Max said with a salesman's enthusiasm.
Dino picked up Erza's figurine, then sneakily tilted it upside down to peek from below.
WHAM!
Noticing his movements immediately, Erza's fist connected with the top of his head, her face flushed with embarrassment and anger.
"Just what do you think you're doing?! Don't look at it like that!"
Dino rubbed his head with an aggrieved expression, muttering under his breath just loud enough for himself to hear, "It's just a figurine… Not like I haven't seen the real thing before…"
"I'll take it!" Dino paid without hesitation.
"Thank you for your patronage!" Max happily pocketed the Jewels.
Seeing Dino buy her figurine made Erza feel both shy and strangely pleased. The craftsmanship was remarkably detailed… Maybe she should buy Dino's figure too?
"You're back! Come on in and check out the new place!" Cana called out cheerfully as she spotted them.
"Cana!"
The group walked into the main hall. Compared to their old cozy guild, the new hall was several times more spacious—everything felt open and grand.
"Welcome back to Fairy Tail!" Several young waitresses in new uniforms greeted them with bright smiles.
"They even changed the waitress uniforms!" Gray said, his face turning slightly red. Not just Gray—practically every male gaze in the guild immediately locked onto the waitresses.
The strapless, form-fitting mini dresses left quite an impression. The appreciative stares from the other male guild members made that abundantly clear.
Lucy sweatdropped. "This is definitely the Master's doing…"
"They're quite cute, actually!" Erza said approvingly. The outfits matched her aesthetic preferences perfectly—she wouldn't mind wearing something similar herself.
Cana continued her tour guide duties. "The new guild has way more than just this! There's a pool area behind the bar and even an underground amusement park. Oh, and the biggest change—anyone can go up to the second floor now! Though if you want to take an S-Class quest, you need to bring an S-Class mage with you."
Natsu's eyes lit up like stars. "What?! Anyone can do S-Class quests now?! Dino, let's take an S-Class quest together!" Since his last secret attempt at an S-Class mission ended with him getting caught and punished, having official permission thrilled him.
"We just got back. What quest? I'm not going!" Dino flatly refused.
"What about you, Erza?"
"Let's get familiar with the new guild first. Speaking of which, where's the Master?"
Almost as if summoned by her words, Master Makarov appeared with a familiar blue-haired girl beside him. "Ah, you brats are back! This here is our guild's newest member, Juvia. She's quite the cutie, isn't she?"
Gray blinked in surprise. "You joined Fairy Tail? Congratulations, Juvia."
"So that's why we haven't seen you these past couple days—you came back early!"
"Yes, Gray-sama!" Juvia's eyes sparkled with barely contained joy.
"You all know each other already? Then you must know she used to be with Phantom Lord, right?"
Erza nodded firmly. "Dino already told us. The Phantom Lord incident is over. Their Master Jose has been brought to justice. We won't hold former Phantom members accountable for following his orders."
Makarov looked at Dino with raised eyebrows, genuine surprise on his face. "You said that, brat? When did you get so forgiving? Well, in that case, let me introduce one more person. Why don't you come over and say hello?"
Everyone turned to look where Makarov gestured, and Natsu was the first to shout in shock.
"Gajeel?! What are YOU doing here?!"
Gajeel had been Phantom Lord's ace—even more infamous than the Element Four. He was also the one who'd personally destroyed their original guild hall.
"Now, now! He was just following President Jose's orders. Yesterday's enemy can become today's friend, right? Besides, with both Juvia and Gajeel joining, Fairy Tail's gotten way stronger, hasn't it? Hey, brat! Say something already!" Makarov looked pointedly at Dino, who'd remained silent.
Dino blinked. Why was everyone looking at him like he was supposed to make this decision? He noticed all eyes turning his way, as if his word was final.
Dino scratched his head with a resigned sigh. "Then welcome to the guild, I guess. As long as you sincerely want to become a Fairy Tail member, even former enemies are welcome. Besides, to be honest… I already taught him a lesson back then."
Natsu suddenly remembered that when he'd fought Gajeel during the Phantom War, Gajeel had been covered in bandages. His eyes widened in realization. "Oh yeah! You were seriously injured by Dino back then!"
Gajeel visibly relaxed when he heard Dino's acceptance. The person who put the most pressure on him in this guild wasn't Master Makarov—it was Dino Maxim, who was around his own age.
To this day, he couldn't forget the overwhelming power when Dino had crushed him with that devastating earthquake ability, or the battle against Phantom Lord's Master Jose.
Hearing Dino's approval, Natsu and Gray didn't voice further objections, though distrust and displeasure still showed on their faces.
"Hmph! If I hadn't already been seriously injured by him back then, I would've beaten you easily, little fire dragon!"
"What did you say?! Perfect timing! I wasn't satisfied with our last fight anyway—let's settle this right now!"
As Natsu and Gajeel began their standoff, Makarov turned to Dino. "You, brat—come with me. I need to talk to you about something."