Natsu approached Erza with a serious expression. "Okay, but you have to agree to one condition."
Erza, surprised, replied, "Alright, let's hear it."
"After we get back, we'll have a rematch!" Natsu declared, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Hey, calm down," Gray interjected, attempting to reason with his impulsive friend.
Natsu, however, completely ignored Gray's attempt at mediation. "I'm not the same as I used to be. I can beat you now," he boasted, brimming with newfound confidence.
Erza chuckled, readily accepting the challenge. "To be honest, I'm not even sure I could win anymore," she admitted, a hint of genuine uncertainty in her tone.
…
At the Magnolia Town Guild Masters' Alliance meeting venue…
Finn wearily swirled the wine in his highball glass, making no attempt to actually drink it. He was acutely aware of his own limited alcohol tolerance; a single glass would be enough to send him sprawling onto the floor.
Unfortunately, there was no milk available at this particular venue, and Finn wasn't about to refuse the drinks offered by the esteemed guild masters.
Therefore, he resorted to the time-tested strategy of pretending to sip his wine, offering a perfunctory nod and a small sip whenever someone offered him a drink.
It was a tactic that had proven remarkably effective over the years.
Makarov, meanwhile, was thoroughly intoxicated, loudly regaling a group of guild masters with boisterous tales of his own exploits.
"Finn-chan, you look awfully lonely over there," a voice chirped, causing Finn to tense up. A bald, overweight man approached him with an overly effeminate gait.
"Why don't you come join us for a chat? It's been ages since we've last seen you."
Every hair on Finn's body stood on end. The man was wearing a red halter top with a pair of tiny wings attached to the straps on his back.
To add to the bizarre ensemble, the man had also applied blush to his cheeks…
This was Bob, the flamboyant guild master of Blue Pegasus.
"Um, Master Bob," Finn responded, his voice laced with a desperate attempt at politeness, "there's really no need to worry about me. I'm perfectly fine right here, really."
"Nonsense, my dear!" Bob chirped, grabbing Finn's arm and pulling him towards the boisterous group of guild masters.
Finn was left behind, his face a mask of utter despair, a single tear tracing a path down his cheek.
Makarov, witnessing Finn's forced integration into the group, promptly leaped onto the table, his voice booming across the room.
"Behold! This is one of my guild's mages! Incredibly powerful, I assure you! Even Jura was no match for him!"
Makarov's boastful proclamation was met with a chorus of cheers and enthusiastic applause from the guild masters of the smaller guilds present.
However, Ooba, the guild master of Lamia Scale, sitting across the table, wore a distinctly unimpressed expression. "Makarov," she stated, her voice laced with a hint of sarcasm, "that was years ago. The outcome of a match between those two wouldn't be so certain now."
Makarov, unfazed by Ooba's challenge, tossed his head back confidently. "So what? Finn's still the stronger one. If you don't believe me, then go ahead and summon Jura! Let's have another match!"
"Oh my, this is getting interesting," Bob chirped, his face contorted in a rather unconvincing display of coy shyness.
Finn sighed, rubbing his temples in exasperation. Makarov was practically proclaiming Finn to be the world's strongest mage. The sheer embarrassment was almost physically painful.
"Finn, my boy, it's been far too long," Goldmine, the guild master of Quatro Cerberus, remarked, his voice filled with a wistful tone.
"Last time I saw you, you were barely taller than a toadstool! Now, I'd wager you're close to six feet tall."
"Greetings, Master Goldmine," Finn replied politely.
"Speaking of which, Finn, my dear," Bob leaned in conspiratorially, "have you ever considered joining my guild? We have a plethora of beautiful women, you know."
Makarov, witnessing Bob's blatant attempt to poach one of his guild's most prized members right in front of him, couldn't contain his outrage.
"Bob, keep your hands off Finn!" he bellowed, his voice booming across the room. "Let me tell you something, Finn already has two girlfriends, both of whom are members of my guild!"
Makarov, his fingers outstretched in a drunken flourish, declared emphatically, "So just give it up!"
Finn's eyes widened in astonishment. "When did I get two girlfriends???" he exclaimed, his voice laced with disbelief.
Finn's inner monologue: "Master, please, can you stop embarrassing me with your blatant boasts? I didn't even know I was that impressive."
"Oh, what a shame," Bob sighed dramatically, feigning disappointment.
"Speaking of which," Bob continued, smoothly shifting the conversation back to the topic of Fairy Tail's mages, "your guild's mages have been rather…lively recently, haven't they?"
"Indeed," Goldmine agreed, seizing the opportunity to add his own commentary.
"I hear the Council is quite displeased with Fairy Tail's recent activities. Word is, you've ruffled quite a few feathers amongst the higher-ups."
Makarov waved a dismissive hand, his expression one of unconcerned nonchalance. "Oh, that's just Lucy, our new recruit," he said, a sly smile playing on his lips.
"She's a delightful young lady, and quite…well-endowed, if I may say so myself."
Bob covered his face with his hands, his voice muffled. "Makarov-chan, you really shouldn't be so forward!"
"Master, please try to maintain some decorum," Finn pleaded, his voice laced with a mixture of exasperation and embarrassment.
"While a little energy is a good thing," Goldmine interjected, taking a long swig of his beer, "you've gone a bit overboard. The Council's worried you'll level a city next."
Makarov dismissed Goldmine's concerns with a nonchalant wave of his hand. "Then we'll just have Lucy take care of that little problem. Hahaha," he said, his laughter echoing through the room.
Just then, a messenger bird swooped down, delivering a message. "Master Makarov, a message from Miss Mirajane."
Makarov accepted the message with a grateful nod. "Thank you," he said to the messenger bird.
He then tapped the message, and a vibrant green magic circle unfolded, revealing Mirajane's image, clad in a striking red dress.
"Hard work at the meeting, Finn and Master," Mirajane chirped, her eyes sparkling with amusement.
Makarov, seizing the opportunity to showcase his guild's assets, excitedly pointed towards Mirajane's projection. "Well, look who it is! This is one of our guild's most prized beauties! And she's also Finn's girlfriend!"
All eyes turned to Finn, who responded with a sheepish chuckle.
"It's Mirajane-chan! Finn-chan's one lucky guy," Bob remarked, his hands clasped demurely against his cheeks, his voice dripping with saccharine sweetness.
Mirajane's projection continued, "Something amazing happened while you two were gone."
"Erza actually teamed up with Natsu and Gray! I think that's Fairy Tail's strongest team right now," Mirajane said, a playful smile on her face.
Makarov, however, didn't share her enthusiasm.
His mouth hung open in a silent expression of disbelief. The last time someone from his guild had caused widespread destruction on a city-wide scale, it had been Finn.
Makarov's gaze shifted towards Finn, a wave of relief washing over him. "Thank goodness I brought him along," he thought to himself.
"If Erza had decided to form a team, she would have undoubtedly chosen Finn as her partner."
The memory of his last ten-thousand-word apology sent a fresh wave of icy dread through him; his hand instinctively went to his aching wrist.
"I felt I should at least give you a heads-up, so I sent this message," Mirajane continued, her voice laced with a playful admonishment. "And Master, you absolutely cannot get Finn drunk! I'll be furious if you do!" she added, her arms akimbo and her expression one of playful indignation.
"Well, goodbye then!" Mirajane's projection vanished.
Makarov, completely petrified by the news, hadn't even registered Mirajane's final warning. His mind was consumed with visions of a city-wide destruction and the sheer horror of having to write another ten-thousand-word apology.
"Oh dear, our worst fears have come to pass," Goldmine sighed, shaking his head.
Bob, however, seemed far less concerned with the potential ramifications of Erza's actions. His attention remained fixated on Finn.
"Mirajane-chan cares so much about you, Finn-chan! You're one lucky guy!" he exclaimed, his voice oozing with saccharine sweetness.
Finn, scratching the back of his head sheepishly, let out a wide, goofy grin. He had to admit, Mirajane's concern had touched him deeply. It was truly wonderful to have someone who cared so much about him.
The contrasting expressions on their faces—Makarov's grim countenance and Finn's unadulterated joy—elicited a chorus of laughter from the assembled guild masters.
Goldmine let out a wistful sigh. "Youth is truly a wonderful thing. Seeing these young ones brings back memories of our own days in Fairy Tail. We were quite the demolition crew back then, weren't we?"
"Indeed, haha," Bob agreed, his voice echoing with fond reminiscence.
"This meeting will be over soon. I can finally go home tomorrow. Let's avoid any more trouble before then," Makarov thought to himself, a silent prayer escaping his lips.
Meanwhile, at Oshibana Station… the station was enveloped by a massive whirlwind.
Inside, Erza was shaking a captured thug relentlessly. "Wake up! How do you deactivate this Magic Wind Wall?! I'm asking you a question!" she demanded, her voice laced with barely contained fury. The thug, still dazed from the blow he'd received, slowly began to regain consciousness.
The Magic Wind Wall—a powerful spell that created a swirling vortex of wind—completely surrounded the station, allowing entry but preventing any escape. Anyone attempting to force their way out would be torn to shreds.
"Damn it," Erza muttered under her breath, unleashing a powerful punch that sent the still-disoriented thug back into unconsciousness.
She then grabbed another unconscious thug, repeating the process with the same brutal efficiency.
"Erza!" Just then, Gray burst into the station, his voice echoing through the space.
"Gray? Weren't you with Natsu? Why are you here alone?" Erza asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.
"We split up," Gray replied, shaking his head frantically. "This isn't the time for explanations. Eisenwald's true target is the town ahead."
"The venue for the guild master's meeting," Gray continued, his voice urgent, "They plan to play the Lullaby there!"
Erza's face darkened with each passing word. "The meeting venue? Finn and the Master are still there! Does Eisenwald intend to attack them?"
Gray watched, his heart pounding, as Erza's expression turned increasingly ominous.
"The entire area's surrounded by Eisenwald's Magic Wind Wall," Gray stated urgently. "We need to find Kageyama. He might be able to break the seal."
"Kageyama? Where is he?" Erza demanded.
"He should still be entangled with Natsu," Gray replied, recalling that Natsu had pursued Kageyama shortly after their arrival.
"Then let's hurry to Natsu's location," Erza declared, turning to Gray and motioning for them to leave immediately.
As night descended…
The guild master's meeting finally concluded, and Finn, his body weary from the endless rounds of forced pleasantries and meaningless conversations, collapsed onto a plush sofa.
"Master," Finn groaned, "please, can we skip these things in the future? I'm really not cut out for this kind of social interaction." He recalled the endless stream of people who had approached him throughout the day, each eager to engage him in conversation, many of whom he didn't even recognize.
The sheer volume of forced small talk had left him utterly drained.
"That's not possible, Finn. You need to learn to network," Makarov said, waving his hand dismissively.
Finn sighed, staring up at the ceiling. "Seriously, missions aren't this tiring," he muttered.
"Speaking of which," Finn sat up abruptly, his voice laced with concern, "I wonder how Erza and the others are doing right now?"
The moment the topic of Erza's whereabouts was raised, Makarov sprang to his feet, his hand instinctively flying to his head as he let out a sharp clap.
"Oh, blast it all! My mind's completely gone blank! I completely forgot about that! I need to go check on Erza and the others. Let's hope they haven't gotten themselves into any serious trouble; that would be a disaster!"
With that, Makarov turned and strode purposefully out of the hall, his hands clasped behind his back.
…
Regiments of the Royal Army marched swiftly across the land.
"According to intelligence reports, Eisenwald's target is the guild masters attending the meeting. We must proceed to the venue and apprehend these criminals," the commanding officer announced, his voice ringing with authority.
"Mages? Let them learn the true meaning of fear from the Royal Army!" the officer bellowed, his voice filled with unwavering confidence.
"Ooh!!" A thunderous roar echoed from the ranks of the Royal Army soldiers, their voices unified in a resounding display of unwavering loyalty and unwavering determination.
High atop a mountain overlooking the brightly lit venue, Kageyama, a member of Eisenwald, held a bizarrely shaped flute, his gaze fixated upon the building below.
"Excellent," he muttered to himself, his eyes scanning the distance, "this range should be more than sufficient to ensure that the Lullaby's sound reaches every corner of the meeting hall."
"Finally," he whispered, a surge of intense emotion coursing through him. "The moment has arrived. Once the Lullaby is played, I will finally have my revenge on those who have deprived us of our right to exist!"
"Puhhahaha~~"
A sudden, unsettlingly raspy laugh sliced through the night air, startling Kageyama and causing him to whip his head around in alarm.
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