"I'm back!"
Lucy pushed open the guild doors, radiating an aura of dejection.
The Guild was as bustling as ever. Several Mages were gathered around a table, loudly discussing some quest, the clinking of glasses echoing, occasionally interspersed with hearty laughter.
"Welcome back, Lucy."
Mirajane wiped a glass, her gentle smile as warm as ever. "How did the quest go?"
"Don't even ask." Lucy walked dejectedly towards the bar, slumping onto a high stool.
"The quest was completed but..."
"But what?" Mirajane asked curiously.
"I didn't get paid."
Lucy lay on the bar, her voice muffled. "2 million! It's such a waste."
Natsu laughed heartily. "What does it matter?"
"Of course you'd say it doesn't matter." Lucy suddenly lifted her head, pointing at Natsu.
"But my rent for this month is in danger."
Ryoma sat in a corner not far away, propping his chin with one hand, while the fingers of his other hand lightly tapped his juice glass. The liquid in the glass instantly solidified, and a crystal-clear ice cube formed out of thin air, slowly rotating in the orange-yellow juice.
He shook the glass contentedly, the ice cube clinking against the glass, producing a crisp and pleasant sound.
Listening to Lucy's complaints, the corners of his lips curved slightly upwards.
This is the life!
Fighting and killing, it's enough to experience it occasionally but it's too tiring. It's better to slack off.
"Aye! Lucy is so pitiful." Happy flew over, circling above Lucy's head.
"Shut up!" Lucy waved her hand impatiently, shooing the cat away.
"I have to go to work too." She rushed to the quest board, her eyes quickly scanning the various quest forms.
Find the Magic Bracelet.
Lift the Curse of the Cursed Staff.
Fortune-telling Love with Astrology.
Exterminate the Volcano Demon...
"The quests for mages are really diverse." Lucy exclaimed, looking at the various strange quests on the quest board.
Ryoma watched Lucy scratching her head in front of the quest board and couldn't help but say, "Why don't you consider teaming up with someone else? That way, you can share the risks and the reward is also guaranteed."
"Team up?" Lucy turned her head, glanced at Natsu, then shook her head.
Mirajane said, "If there's any quest you like, just tell me. Master has gone to a meeting."
"Meeting?" Lucy looked puzzled.
Mirajane patiently explained, "It's a meeting held jointly by the Guikd Masters of various legitimate Mage Guilds."
"To convey decisions from the Council and facilitate communication among guild members in different regions."
Ryoma put down his glass and added, "Basically, all recognized legitimate guilds participate in such meetings."
Mirajane continued to explain, "The Magic Council is the highest governing body of the magic world. They exist to maintain all order in the magic world."
"This organization can also punish Mages who commit crimes."
Ryoma concluded, "Simply put, it's the government of the magic world."
"I see." Lucy nodded. "Then what is a legitimate Mage Guild?"
Mirajane said, "A legitimate Mage Guild is a guild recognized and registered by the Magic Council."
"Like our Fairy Tail, we are a legitimate guild. Legitimate guilds must abide by the Council's regulations."
Ryoma took over, "Conversely, there are also Dark Guilds. Those guilds are not recognized by the Council and often engage in illegal activities, use forbidden magic, and harm innocent people."
"Dark Guilds?" Lucy shivered. "They sound scary."
"They are indeed very dangerous." Mirajane's expression became serious.
"Mages from Dark Guilds are usually very powerful and ruthless. If you encounter them, you must be careful."
Ryoma reassured her, "But there's no need to worry too much. Dark Guilds generally don't actively provoke legitimate guilds, as they don't want to attract the attention of the Magic Council."
"That's good." Lucy breathed a sigh of relief.
Just then, the guild's main doors were suddenly pushed open, and a panicked voice shouted.
"Oh no! Erza is back!"
Ryoma raised an eyebrow.
The fairy queen, Erza Scarlet.
Fairy Tail's strongest female mage, known for her strictness.
The entire noisy guild instantly fell silent. Almost in that instant, the entire guild seemed to be under a collective silence spell. All the noise, fighting, and laughter came to an abrupt halt.
Time seemed to freeze.
Everyone's movements stiffened, their gazes uniformly fixed on the doorway, their faces filled with terror and bewilderment.
Click... Clack... Click... Clack...
Erza's presence was heard before she was seen.
Erza stood at the doorway, clad in silver knight armor, holding a very large monster horn in her hand.
She walked step by step into the guild, her metal boots clanking distinctly and rhythmically on the wooden floor.
The sound was exceptionally loud in the silent hall, each step like a hammer striking everyone's hearts.
"I'm back." Her voice was cold and authoritative.
Her gaze was sharp, sweeping across the guild's interior, as if she carried an invisible, powerful oppressive aura.
At the moment, only Mirajane, Ryoma, and Lucy in the guild could maintain their composure.
Mirajane wasn't afraid, and Lucy was ignorant of the situation.
As for Ryoma, he felt that he didn't cause trouble. Being a good person, so he should be fine.
"Welcome back, Erza." Mirajane greeted her with a smile.
Erza scanned the room once more, then began to reprimand the guild members.
Gray and Natsu instantly put their arms around each other's shoulders, looking like the best of brothers.
Lucy watched this scene and quietly asked Ryoma, "Although she's a bit nagging, she seems like a normal person. Do they really need to be that afraid of her?"
Ryoma briefly introduced, "She is Fairy Tail's strongest female mage. Natsu and the others have been severely disciplined by her before..."
"I heard that!"
Erza suddenly turned her head, her gaze falling on Ryoma.
"I heard you finally mastered new magic, Ryoma. And you even sparred with Gray using Ice Magic."
"Not bad, quite a bit of progress."
"Uh... It's alright." Ryoma could only respond awkwardly.
Erza nodded and then asked Mirajane, "Is Master here?"
"Master went to attend a meeting."
Erza frowned. "Master's meeting? Is today the day for the meeting?"
"Yes, he left early this morning."
Erza's expression became serious. "Never mind, I originally wanted to hear Master's judgment."
"What's wrong?" Mirajane asked with concern.
"I heard some very bad news at my workplace."
She withdrew her gaze, looking again at Natsu and Gray, who had been scared half to death by her, then glanced at Ryoma, whose face clearly said, "Don't look for me."
"Natsu, Gray, and you, Ryoma."
"It's perfect, the three of you come and lend me a hand. Get ready, we leave tomorrow."
(End of Chapter)
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