Chapter 96: The Roster and the Draw
Gray Fullbuster, who had been leaning against Ren's wall, just snorted at Natsu's declaration. "That's only if you can even get on the field, idiot."
"What did you say, ice-prick?!"
"Besides," Gray continued, ignoring him, "even if you do get a chance to play, taking down one person is already good enough for you. Thinking about taking them all down? Have some self-awareness! These aren't just some dark guild thugs."
Lucy, who was sitting on the floor with Happy, looked up from the food Mira had brought out. "Are... are they really that powerful? Is Phantom Lord that strong?"
"Those guys aren't worth worrying about!" Natsu gritted his teeth and said, his pride still smarting.
"They are," Mira said, her voice serious as she set down a platter. "Phantom Lord is extremely formidable. If the two guilds really fought in an all-out war, it's very likely both would suffer heavy, irreplaceable losses. Otherwise, the Master wouldn't have chosen to endure even for a moment."
She looked at the group, her smile gone. "Their guild is built on a different philosophy than ours. They have their elite team, the Element 4, all of whom are said to be on par with S-Class Mages. Besides those four, there's an even more troublesome guy, Gajeel Redfox, the Iron Dragon Slayer. He's... he's the one who destroyed the guild hall."
"A... a Dragon Slayer?!" Lucy was very surprised. Her eyes immediately went to Natsu. "Besides Natsu, there's another one?"
Natsu's hands clenched, his flames flaring up. "Gajeel..."
Lucy now clearly understood how strong Natsu's Dragon Slayer Magic was. The thought that Phantom Lord had their own Dragon Slayer made the coming fight feel much more terrifying.
Erza, who had been quietly strategizing, spoke up, her expression serious. "Those five people are troublesome, yes. Gajeel and the Element 4 are all S-Class level, no doubt. But the truly troublesome one is the Master of the Phantom Lord Guild, Jose Porla. He is one of the Ten Wizard Saints."
"Ten Wizard Saints?" Lucy heard a new title again, one she had only read about in Weekly Sorcerer with hushed reverence.
Gray explained, "The Magic Council's chairman designates the ten strongest and most influential Mages on the continent, granting them the title of Wizard Saint. Both our Master and the Phantom Lord Guild Master hold the same title."
"Wow—! That's amazing!"
Only then did Lucy truly realize that the perverted, tiny old man she saw every day wasn't just a guild master. He was, in name and power, one of the ten strongest Mages in all of Fiore.
"Yes," Erza confirmed. "Which means Master Jose is, at minimum, on the same level as Master Makarov. So, in order to deal with Phantom Lord, we also need to send out our strongest possible candidates."
Lucy, doing the math, said, "Wouldn't it be perfect to have all the S-Class Mages, plus the Master? That's six right there!"
She knew Fairy Tail was famous for its powerhouse S-Class lineup.
Erza shook her head, a hint of frustration in her voice. "No. That's the problem. Gildarts is not here. He's on his 100-Year Quest, and we have no way to contact him. Mystogan is a loner and can't be contacted at all. Even if he could be contacted, he would never show his face in front of the guild members, let alone in a public arena with thousands of people watching."
"Isn't Laxus still here?" Lucy asked, remembering the arrogant blonde man from the day before. "He's S-Class, isn't he? And the Master's grandson?"
At the mention of his name, Natsu and Gray both scowled.
"Laxus..." Erza said, her voice tight with disapproval. "If he could be convinced to participate, he could indeed guarantee us one or even two wins. But... he might not agree to fight."
"Why?!" Lucy was puzzled. "Isn't he also a member of Fairy Tail? This is for the guild's honor!"
"He... has a complicated relationship with the guild," Gray muttered.
"Never mind," Erza said, dismissing the idea. "We can't rely on him. Don't consider him. So, the worst-case scenario is that among the S-Class Mages, only Ren and I can fight, with the Master as the finale. In that case, we'd still be short three people."
"Of course I'm going to fight!" Natsu shouted, jumping to his feet.
"Natsu, huh..." Erza mused, considering him. "If Natsu gets serious... he certainly can. His Dragon Slayer Magic is a powerful and unknown factor against them."
"Since Natsu is fighting, I can't just watch from the sidelines either," Gray also spoke up, standing. He and Natsu had been fighting since they were kids. If Natsu was going to fight for the guild's honor, he naturally couldn't fall behind him.
"In that case," Happy said, holding up a paw, "we're still missing one last person."
"Hmm... it seems I really have to make an appearance," Lucy said, standing up and puffing her chest out, trying to look brave. "As a frontline female Mage of Fairy Tail, I have the responsibility and obligation to take on this important task!"
"Hmm... how about Loki?" Gray suggested, ignoring Lucy.
"He's good, but he's been acting strange lately. A little short of what we need," Mira said.
"How about Cana?" Erza asked. "Her magic is versatile."
"Cana is pretty good," Mira agreed. "Let's keep her as an alternate."
"Hey~~~! Don't ignore me!" Lucy shouted, seeing that the others were discussing without even considering her. "I'm strong too! I just got a new Golden Key!"
"Lucy, huh...?" Natsu said, looking at her.
"Yeah! She's 'just a Lucy'!" Happy chirped.
"Hey, hey, hey! What do you mean 'just a Lucy'?! What do you take me for?!"
Ren, who had been quietly listening to the bickering, finally spoke. "There's no need to fuss over the candidates," he said, his voice indifferent, cutting through the noise.
"This isn't a best-of-three, but a gauntlet match. With me in charge, this match won't be lost."
Erza frowned, turning to him. "But Ren... your endurance... your magic consumption..."
Ren's lack of endurance, his "glass cannon" nature, had become a recognized fact in the Guild. Especially since the more powerful his displayed strength, the lower his endurance.
Ren's lips curled into a cold, confident smile. "My transformation time might not be long, Erza. But I can make those guys stand in front of me for an even shorter time."
Since he was the one who proposed this method, Ren had naturally prepared himself mentally to take on five, or even all six, of the opponents alone.
"So domineering!" Lucy whispered, her eyes wide.
Natsu, Gray, and the others all felt Ren's words were super cool. Of course, Ren also had the strength to say such a thing.
A short while later, Mira finished making the food, and everyone enjoyed a sumptuous, if tense, dinner together.
"Time to sleep, time to sleep!"
"My house isn't a hotel!" Ren grumbled.
After eating and drinking their fill, everyone started to go to bed. Fortunately, Ren's house was large enough, with several guest bedrooms. The three girls—Mira, Erza, and Lucy—shared one. Natsu and Happy shared another. And Gray and Ren each had their own separate rooms. This was mainly to prevent Natsu and Gray from fighting and tearing down the rest of the house.
In the girls' room, the three of them were whispering, their voices low. Girls' topics, even on the eve of a war, naturally revolved around boys and romance.
"Miss Mira..." Lucy whispered from her futon. "Do you... do you like Ren?"
Erza, who was polishing her sword, paused.
Mira, who was brushing her long, white hair, smiled. "I do!" she admitted generously, which made Lucy and Erza's gossipy hearts burn with interest. They were very curious.
"When? When did it happen?" Lucy asked in a low voice.
"I can't say exactly when," Mira mused. "Liking someone isn't always love at first sight. Sometimes, it's something built up over time. Little things in daily life... how he always asks if I'm okay, how he brought me that medicine when I was sick, how he always, always seems to know what to say... those things gradually make you pay more attention to him and care about him. And then, before you know it, you've fallen in love."
"Wow... so," Lucy asked, "did you pursue him, or did he pursue you?"
Mira smiled, a hint of mischief in her eyes. "I think... I pursued him."
"What?!"
Lucy and Erza were greatly surprised. Erza even stopped polishing.
Mira quickly covered their mouths. "Shh! He'll hear!"
"It's hard to imagine," Lucy whispered. "Miss Mira... you actually went to actively pursue a boy."
Who was Mira? She was the cover girl for Weekly Sorcerer, a national idol. The idea that she had to actively pursue Ren was too unexpected. Usually, it seemed like Ren was the more proactive one, always walking her home.
Mira smiled and said, "What's so unimaginable about it? When you meet a good boy, you naturally have to be a little more proactive. To be honest... if I hadn't actively... claimed... Ren, who knows how many girls in the Guild would have wanted to pounce on him. He's kind, he's quiet, and he's secretly the strongest one among us. He's also... a little dense."
Erza nodded, her expression serious as she remembered her own conversation on the train. "Mira is right."
Ren was very popular among the girls in the Guild. If it weren't for his clear, unspoken attachment to Mira, many of those girls would have been much more proactive. And, Erza admitted to herself, she understood why.
Ren seemed calm and collected, but sometimes his words could really stir one's heartstrings.
Like the last time during the Eisenwald incident, when he had inadvertently—or perhaps, very advertently—said that if he could marry a girl like her, he would wake up smiling in his dreams. She was... moved. She had never heard anyone say such words to her since she was a child. That kind of sincere, honest affirmation of her as a woman, not just as "Titania," was more impactful than any love confession.
While the girls were chatting, Ren was waiting in his room.
This time, when he had returned from Galuna Island, he had naturally asked Cana for another divination, wanting to find out when his luck would be best. The answer he had received was, once again: exactly midnight tonight.
Dong! Dong! Dong!
As the clock in Kardia Cathedral struck twelve, Ren, who had been meditating, immediately opened his eyes. He focused his mind, his heart rate steady. He needed this. For the fight to come, he needed more power.
He opened the system interface.
[S-Class Quest: Please Save Our Island - Complete!]
[Reward: 1x Ten-Pull Ticket]
[Do you want to perform a ten-pull?]
"Confirm."
[Akarin Note:
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