Ryoma left the Council headquarters in a fairly good mood, leisurely strolling back to Magnolia.
Although he had argued with that group of foolish Council members for half a day, wasting a lot of breath, the outcome was good. At least he managed to extort a large sum in compensation.
As the outline of Magnolia Town appeared in his vision, he saw the wreckage of a colossal object from afar.
It was a giant magic-powered giant made of stone buildings, but now it looked like a broken toy, half its body devastated beyond recognition, slumped crookedly by the lake.
"..."
Ryoma's eye twitched involuntarily.
Isn't this Phantom Lord's walking guild headquarters?
How could it be here?
And looking at its tragic state, was it dismantled by someone?
His gaze then turned towards the direction of the Fairy Tail Guild.
There... only ruins remained.
Ruins even more tragic than after Gajeel's bombing, rubble, broken wood, debris... almost razed to the ground.
Ryoma's lips twitched, and the numerous black lines on his forehead almost materialized.
He didn't even need to ask to guess what had happened, but he hadn't expected that this group of guys, even as a defeated army, would dare to return and attack Fairy Tail.
Where's their brain?
Was it burned out by the giant's magic pulse?
He didn't know if they were so desperate as to seek revenge, or if they intended to get one last payment from the client, the Heartfilia family, before making a complete escape.
But... Makarov is perfectly fine now.
Where did they get the courage to actively deliver themselves to their doorstep?
Or did they truly delude themselves into thinking that with this magic-powered giant made of scrap metal and a magic-powered cluster cannon, they were truly invincible?
Ryoma looked at the ruins, speechless for a moment.
However, from the current situation, it was clear that the matter had already been resolved.
"That's good." Ryoma softly uttered two words.
Now it's good. Phantom Lord attacked again, adding to their crimes. The Council no longer had any excuse to find fault.
Although the Guild was destroyed yet again, the compensation he had just extorted from the Council could now be taken with even greater justification and peace of mind, and it could be used to renovate and expand the Guild.
It seems... quite good?
Ryoma shook his head and strode towards the familiar ruins.
As he approached, he saw almost all the Guild members were present, but the atmosphere was somewhat somber.
And in the center of the crowd, Lucy was nestled in Mirajane's arms, crying profusely, her shoulders heaving. She had clearly realized that the cause of this incident was because of her, and the immense guilt made her unable to control herself.
"Waaah... I'm sorry... It's all my fault... If it weren't for me, the Guild wouldn't have..."
"It's okay, Lucy, it's not your fault." Mirajane gently patted her back, comforting her tenderly.
"We are comrades. The Guild was destroyed, we'll just rebuild it. As long as everyone is here, it's no big deal."
"That's right! We are comrades!" Natsu grinned.
None of the surrounding Guild members had a trace of complaint on their faces. They all accepted Lucy in Fairy Tail's unique way.
Just then, a slightly lazy voice broke the somewhat oppressive atmosphere.
"Yo! Everyone's here!"
Whoosh!
Almost instantly, everyone's gaze collectively turned.
When they saw that the newcomer was Ryoma, the previously somber atmosphere instantly vanished, replaced by uncontrollable surprise.
"Ryoma!"
"You're back!"
"Those old geezers from the Council didn't do anything to you, did they?"
Makarov, even more so, flashed and appeared in front of Ryoma, his small stature looking up, his face full of tension and concern.
"How is it? Ryoma, the Council didn't make things difficult for you, did they?"
He scrutinized Ryoma, seemingly wanting to confirm if he was missing any limbs.
Immediately after, he looked back at the Guild ruins behind him, sighing helplessly.
"Alas, this time, it seems we've gone a bit too far."
There was a hint of a headache in his tone.
"Phantom Lord's guys came to attack us and left the city like this. Those guys from the Council will probably be furious again."
Seeing Makarov's conflicted expression, both worried about him and annoyed by the Guild's trouble, Ryoma couldn't help but smile.
"Don't worry, Master. This time, everything will definitely be fine."
Hearing this confident statement, Makarov visibly relaxed.
Although he didn't know why Ryoma was so certain, he had absolute trust in him. Since Ryoma said it was fine, then it must be fine. The heavy stone in his heart fell, and his tense nerves relaxed.
He then looked at the ruins, which were even worse than last time, a pained expression on his face, then as if remembering something, his eyes lit up, looking at Ryoma.
"Oh, right, you rascal..."
His face showed a matter-of-fact expression as he spoke to Ryoma.
"You can restore the Guild to its original state, right?"
"..."
The smile on Ryoma's face froze.
He looked at Makarov, then at the group of companions around him who were also looking at him with expectant eyes.
So, I just got back from the Council and haven't even had a sip of water, and now I have to start being a construction worker?
"Master, did you forget something?" Ryoma said faintly.
"Forgot what?" Makarov was startled.
Ryoma didn't answer directly but slowly said, "The matter with the Council has been resolved. However, the way it was resolved might be a little different from what you all imagine."
He paused, looking around at the curious faces, then unhurriedly dropped a bombshell.
"I reasoned with them and they found it very reasonable. Therefore, they decided that after liquidating all of Phantom Lord's assets, compensation will be delivered to us, Fairy Tail."
"..."
The entire area in front of the ruins fell into a dead silence.
Even Lucy, who was still crying, forgot to sob, looking at Ryoma with teary eyes, a glistening snot bubble hanging from her nose.
Compensation?
And the Council was providing the compensation?
What kind of Arabian Nights story is this?!
Wasn't he going to be judged? Why does it sound like he went to collect rent?
A full ten-odd seconds passed.
"Pfft—"
The sound of Lucy's snot bubble bursting broke the eerie silence.
Immediately after, deafening cheers erupted instantly.
"Ohhhhh!!!"
"Are you telling the truth?! Ryoma!"
"We're rich?!"
"Damn it! That's too cool!!"
"So, not only do we not have to pay a fine, but we also get money?!"
All the guild members went wild. They hugged each other, jumping and cheering, the gloom and oppression caused by the Guild's destruction completely washed away by the joy of money at this moment.
What is a surprise?
This is a surprise!
What is a turn of events?
This is a turn of events!
Makarov also had a look of disbelief. He jumped up and grabbed Ryoma's leg.
"You rascal! Is what you said true? Those stubborn old guys from the Council would actually do that?"
"Of course." Ryoma nodded.
"Chairman Crawford promised it himself, and all nine Council members were present, so they can't renege."
"Wahahahahaha!"
Receiving the affirmative answer, Makarov could no longer hold back his excited laughter, letting go of Ryoma and dancing on the spot.
"This is great! Now we have the money to rebuild the Guild! Maybe we can even get a bigger one!"
"As expected of you, Ryoma!"
Ryoma shook his head helplessly, looking at the Guild members who instantly went from being in a state of sorrow to a wild party.
These guys change their expressions too quickly.
However, he liked it.
Just then, Makarov, in his ecstasy, seemed to remember something, his laughter ceasing as he once again turned his gaze to Ryoma.
"Oh, right, Ryoma."
Ryoma raised an eyebrow, looking at him.
Makarov cleared his throat and repeated what he had said earlier.
"Since the compensation issue is resolved, now..."
"You rascal, you can restore the Guild to its original state, right?"