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By the time the autumn chill started hitting Magnolia, the fresh pine smell inside the guild hall had faded into the background, replaced by the heavy scent of woodsmoke and hot tea. A few months had passed since we officially hung the fairy flag, and the kids were slowly getting used to the boring reality of running a legal business.
It wasn't nearly as glamorous as Yuri had hoped. Instead of legendary treasure maps, our handmade request board was mostly covered in notes from local grandmas asking for help moving heavy oak furniture or clearing out mountain rodents.
Yuri was sitting at the table, leaning his chin on his hand as he casually flipped a single gold coin over his knuckles. He'd been bringing up the exact same topic for three weeks straight, mostly just to annoy me. "I'm just saying, Merlin, a spot on the Ten Wizard Saints would have looked great on our front door [1.1]. Think of the clients. We'd be swimming in gold instead of helping the baker fix his chimney."
"For the last time, blondie, no," I sighed, leaning back against the bar counter and staring into my teacup. "A Saint title means mandatory Council meetings, dress codes, and endless political nonsense [1.1]. If you want a shiny badge to make you feel special, go earn one yourself." [1.1]
Warrod walked in from the back door, shaking a light dusting of frost off his coat and carrying a bundle of firewood. "Leave him alone, Yuri. If Merlin joined the Council, he'd probably turn their main office into a nap room within a week anyway. By the way, the wind is picking up outside. We need to seal that loose window frame in the storage room before the first real winter freeze hits."
Precht didn't look up from the corner, silently running a sharpening stone down the edge of his daggers with a rhythmic, scraping sound. Mavis was sitting at the far end of the table, wrapped in a thick wool shawl. She was chewing on the back of a pencil, staring intensely at a massive stack of old history books she'd managed to hoard over the last two months.
The quiet, lazy afternoon didn't last. The heavy front doors were suddenly shoved open, and three local Magnolia merchants burst into the room. They didn't even have their coats done up properly, their boots were covered in slush, and their faces were totally pale.
"Master Mavis! Thank goodness you're all inside!" the head shopkeeper gasped, catching his breath against the doorframe. "The northern supply roads... they're completely shut down!"
Yuri stopped flipping his coin, catching it flat against his palm. "What? Did a mountain rockslide bury the path again?"
"No, it's much worse," the merchant groaned, stepping into the warmth of the hall. "The Trade War has officially reached our borders [1.1]. A rival merchant coalition just hired a massive mercenary wizard guild, and they've set up a full military blockade right across the main canyon road [1.1]. Our entire winter delivery of flour, heavy coats, and medical supplies is trapped in the lower valley!"
Mavis's pencil snapped right in her hand. All the cozy, quiet bookworm energy vanished from the room as she stood up. "Yuri, clear the table. Warrod, grab the geographical charts from my desk."
Nobody argued. Yuri swept his things aside, and Warrod quickly unrolled a massive, detailed map of the Magnolia valleys across the wooden planks. It was a proper topographical chart, covered in jagged mountain lines and narrow passes.
"If they're blocking the main canyon road, they have the high-ground advantage," Precht said, stepping up to the table and tracing the narrow pass with his thumb, his face twisting into his typical serious scowl. "Fighting a whole mercenary guild for a few wagons of winter supplies is a terrible deal for us. We don't have the manpower to force a head-on bottleneck." [1.1]
"We aren't turning them away, Precht," Mavis said, her eyes locking onto the map. "We hung our flag outside this building to build a home, and the people of this town are part of it. If the main road is blocked, we just find a way around it."
I stayed back by the counter, quietly watching her flip through her old strategy books to find a legal bypass. I took a slow sip of my tea, turning my eyes toward the large glass windows that looked out toward the northern mountains. My eyes did that slow, gold swirl thing, peering straight through the mountain fog and miles of white snow.
Hey. Solomon, look past the road blockade for a second. You see that dark, greasy purple smoke rising from the northern hills? That's definitely not a regular mercenary campfire.
[Notice: Sensory analysis complete. High-density negative Ethernano detected in the northern peaks. Traces align with a dark cult worshipping Zeref. They are utilizing the trade war chaos as a cover to raid outer settlements for a mass sacrifice ritual. Objective is the activation of a curse artifact.]
I grumbled internally, setting my teacup down. Great. Of course there's a creepy cult. Can't I just warp over there, drop an absolute nuke of a primordial rune, and level the entire mountain ridge so I can go back to my tea?
[Analysis: While such an execution is entirely possible, total eradication of the valley would yield zero strategic experience for the guild master. If you continue using shortcuts to resolve her conflicts, individual 'Mavis' will fail to develop necessary tactical leadership skills. Furthermore, the ritual parameters indicate the cultists will execute the sacrifices before the supply wagon issue is resolved.]
True, I thought. What's the alternative? We split the difference?
[Suggestion: Allow the guild members to handle the mercenary blockade independently. This unit recommends providing a localized strategic hint to individual 'Mavis' to ensure operational success, while you covertly neutralize the cult in the northern mountains.]
Sounds like a plan, I agreed. At least it keeps me from having to lift heavy flour wagons.
I pushed off the bar counter and walked over to the crowded table where Mavis, Yuri, and Precht were still debating mountain paths.
"Alright, layout geeks, let me see that map for a second," I said, leaning over and casually tapping a sharp, narrow ridge on the western side of the canyon with my knuckle.
Mavis blinked up at me. "The western ridge? But the cliff face is too steep for wagons, Merlin."
"For wagons, yeah," I said, giving her a lazy smile. "But look at the canyon wind currents right there. The morning winter fog always gathers in that specific pass. If you're planning on using those giant soldier illusions of yours to scare the mercenaries, that ridge will project your magic perfectly. It'll make your fakes look a hundred times more real."
Mavis stared at the map, her eyes widening as the pieces instantly clicked inside her head. "The fog... it would diffuse the light and mask the lack of physical mass! They'll think a whole army is flanking them from the cliffs!"
"Exactly," I said, picking up my staff from the corner and resting it against my shoulder. "You kids handle the local road blocks and save the flour. I've got some weird, creepy business in the northern mountains to go clear out before lunch."
Yuri frowned, looking at the staff. "Wait, you're not coming with us? What's out in the northern mountains?"
"Just some guys who need a lesson in manners," I laughed, walking toward the front doors. "Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone, blondie. And Warrod, make sure he doesn't spend all our gold on a velvet scabbard."
Mavis looked nervous, but she nodded firmly, tightly rolling up the map. "We can do this. Yuri, Precht, Warrod—grab your gear. Fairy Tail is moving out!"
The boys grabbed their swords and wooden staves, their faces a bit pale but set with pure determination as they followed her out the front doors into the freezing winter air, taking their very first real step into the war.
I waited until the heavy doors clicked shut, leaving the entire guild hall completely dead and quiet.
I stretched my arms out, letting the golden swirl settle into my eyes as I adjusted the grip on my staff.
"Alright, Solomon," I muttered to the empty room. "Let's go take a walk and clean up this Zeref mess."
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