Three days passed in a flash.
Fairy Tail had begun rebuilding. On the construction site, everyone was hard at work with full enthusiasm.
Without a functioning guildhall, there was no work to take on. And without work, they could only help out with construction.
Sure, there wasn't much pay, but the food and drinks were free—and they could brag and joke together while rebuilding their home.
"This—is—so—heavy—"
Natsu trudged forward, teeth gritted, carrying over a dozen logs on his back.
Gray, balancing a single log on his shoulder, muttered,
"Who told you to carry that many at once? Are you stupid?"
"You don't get it. This is training! You'll see—once I'm done, I'll be able to beat both Erza and that monster Kaien!"
"Hah? Dream on. Erza is already a beast, but Kaien? That guy's a whole other level. There's no way you're beating him."
If before they thought they might have a chance against Kaien, that hope had long vanished.
His biggest weakness used to be stamina.
But now his magic power had grown massively.
He'd gone from lasting one minute… to ten full minutes.
Sure, ten minutes still wasn't long—but no one could survive Kaien going all-out for ten minutes.
"That's what makes you weak—no dreams!"
"Haaah?! Who are you calling weak?! If I got serious, I could carry double that!!"
Gray gritted his teeth and really went for it, trying to carry twice the load.
"RRRRGHHH!! Look! See that?!"
But after just a few steps, the rope snapped—
"UWAAAGHH!!"
—and the logs collapsed, burying Gray under them.
"Hahahaha! That was pathetic! You see that, Happy?"
"Aye!"
Natsu laughed without mercy.
"You two! Cut the playing around and get back to work!"
Kaien barked, walking by with a bundle of logs over his shoulder.
"As long as the guild's not rebuilt, no one can take on jobs!"
He was itching to go on an S-Class Mission—but until the guild was rebuilt, no missions, no work.
No work meant no card draws—and what was life without card draws?
"Hey, everyone! Big news in the paper!!"
A guildmate rushed over, waving a newspaper.
"What is it?"
Everyone gathered around, curious.
If it was big enough for the front page, it had to be serious.
"Phantom Lord has been disbanded!!"
"WHAT?!!"
Everyone in the guild was stunned.
Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail had always been neck-and-neck.
Maybe they were a bit weaker, but they had sheer numbers—and if it came to an all-out war, the outcome could've gone either way.
"What happened? Why would Phantom Lord just disband like that?!"
Erza stepped forward, baffled.
Even if they lost to Fairy Tail, Phantom Lord had still been the second-strongest legal guild in Fiore.
"The paper says that not long after the tournament ended, Jose went back and disbanded the guild himself."
"..."
The whole guild went silent.
Sure, none of them liked Phantom Lord, but they'd never wished for them to be homeless or jobless.
They were still a legal guild, after all. Conflicts were one thing—destroying someone's home was another.
Kaien said,
"Alright, don't overthink it. It was their decision. We didn't force them."
"No need to get involved. Let's just focus on our own business."
The others nodded at his words.
Truth be told, if the roles had been reversed, Phantom Lord would've been ten times as arrogant.
But they lost—and clearly couldn't take it.
It wasn't Fairy Tail's problem.
As the others returned to work, Kaien narrowed his eyes.
From what he remembered, Jose wasn't the type to swallow such a loss quietly.
There was a good chance he'd seek revenge down the line.
But Kaien wasn't worried.
Jose couldn't beat him now—he'd stand even less of a chance in the future.
Magic Council – Era
Fiore Branch
"Huff huff huff… snore…"
At the disciplinary hearing, Makarov stood at the defense bench—fast asleep.
The Council members were shaking with rage.
Sleeping during an official judgment? In front of the full Magic Council?
It was practically spitting in their faces.
"M-Makarov?"
"Yes!!"
"You were… sleeping just now, weren't you?"
Makarov scratched his head awkwardly, eyes shifting.
"Me? As if! Hahaha, of course not!"
"The council will now issue its judgment…"
After the verdict was announced, Makarov sat with his old friend Yajima.
"Can't believe it… They ruled Fairy Tail not guilty.
Honestly, I was fully prepared to be locked up."
He was in a great mood.
This had been a huge incident.
Kaien's suggestion may have skirted Council regulations, but it clearly had an element of retaliation.
And the destruction caused in Oshibana had been serious.
In the end, the Council decided to deduct all of Fairy Tail's tournament winnings—but imposed no additional punishment.
It was the best outcome they could have hoped for.
"You should thank me, Old Man. I did everything I could to argue in your favor."
"Big thanks, Yajima. Once the guild's rebuilt, I'll treat you to Fairy Ramen."
They'd known each other since childhood—nearly 80 years now. Their bond was strong.
"Then I want twelve slices of chashu."
"Twelve?! That's too much!!"
"Oh? Then maybe next time I won't speak up for you."
"Alright, alright!! Twenty slices! Thirty slices! Whatever you want!!"
As Guild Master, Makarov knew better than anyone how much trouble Fairy Tail caused.
Next time, who knew what kind of disaster they'd cause?
If not for Yajima having his back at the Council, the guild might've been disbanded long ago.
"Twelve slices is fine."
"But listen, Old Man—this isn't going to stop.
The Council's been keeping a close eye on Fairy Tail's incidents. Michello and Org even proposed disbanding the guild again."
"If this keeps up, someday you'll face serious consequences.
You should consider stepping down. Your body can't take much more."
Yajima spoke as a friend.
He knew Makarov's heart condition had worsened long ago—kept stable only by potions from Porlyusica.
Any intense emotional strain could prove fatal.
"..."
Makarov didn't reply.
Of course he knew.
But he couldn't bear to leave the guild.
He couldn't abandon his children.
To see them grow up happily, he had to be the one to shield them from the storm.
Still… maybe it really was time to start planning for the future.
"I'll give it serious thought."