Thoughts on Going Premium
After an unknown amount of time, two figures gradually came into view, some distance from the scene of the incident.
"Phew~ They shouldn't be chasing us anymore, right?" Eleven wiped the sweat from his forehead and cautiously looked back.
Even though he had run a long distance, Eleven still felt a chill run down his spine, as if someone was eyeing him from behind, coveting his body...
I couldn't help but shiver.
What are those lunatics up to? We don't have any deep-seated grudges against them; we just bumped into each other and had a fight. Why are they still holding a grudge against me?
Thankfully, thankfully I was quick-witted enough not to reveal any details. I guess I'll never have to do anything with those lunatics again.
Just then, Natsu's groan came from behind. "Ugh, put me down."
Lost in thought, Eleven suddenly realized that Natsu was being bound hand and foot by his Telekinesis, suspended behind him like a kite being flown. Seeing Natsu's face turn a purplish-red from suffocation, Eleven quickly released his Telekinesis, giving Natsu the right to breathe again.
"Phew, Eleven, why did we run away? I haven't even taught those guys a lesson yet!" Natsu, having caught his breath, didn't revel in the joy of surviving the ordeal; instead, he began to grumble about Eleven's escape.
A good mage should fight head-on! Running away is not Natsu's style! Although he didn't do anything useful just now, it doesn't affect his ambition to become the king.
"Teach me a lesson, my foot! Who do you think you can beat?" Eleven glanced at Natsu with annoyance.
Eleven was utterly disdainful of Natsu's bratty attitude and began his work of educating the newcomer with a haughty air.
"Magicians need to learn to assess their opponents' strength. Didn't you sense Brain's magic? He's too dangerous."
"Besides, we have no reason to fight them to the death. Seeing that the situation is not good, the best course of action is to run away as soon as possible."
"Running away doesn't mean weakness, it's a survival strategy! Only by surviving can we have a future and become stronger."
"Natsu, remember this: sometimes recognizing your own weakness is a form of strength, and not everyone can do that."
At this point, Eleven stopped, moved by his own actions. He had no idea that what he had done was so great; it was incredibly cool!
Natsu looked at Eleven with a blank expression, then a look of understanding dawned on him. "Is that so... As expected of Eleven. Although I didn't understand, I'll remember it."
This was the first time he had ever heard anyone say such things to him. He was completely bewildered by Eleven's words, yet he also felt a sense of awe and superiority, which only intensified his admiration for Eleven.
Eleven accepted Natsu's adoration with a smile, not feeling embarrassed at all.
He himself didn't quite understand what he was saying; Gildarts had said something similar before, and he was just repeating it verbatim.
However, to make admitting defeat and running away sound so philosophical and noble, Eleven once again felt a sense of wisdom in his heart.
Successfully educating the guild newbies gave him an even greater sense of accomplishment than defeating Jellal, and all the troubles of the past two days vanished.
However, Eleven's good mood only lasted for half a day before it disappeared. If you ask why, it was probably because he saw that old man standing at the guild entrance, looking menacing and waiting to beat someone up!
Happy times always pass too quickly, Eleven returned to the guild in just over half a day.
Going home should be a happy thing, but when you've saddled your guild with a debt equivalent to half a town's worth, even the most carefree person can't be happy.
"Grandpa, I was wrong! This is the reward for this time, it's quite a lot, give it to the guild as a subsidy!" Eleven knelt tremblingly in front of Makarov, looking obedient, without even glancing at Natsu next to him, who had been flattened because he jumped too much.
"Sigh~" Makarov took the money box, but didn't even look at it, he just couldn't help but sigh.
He felt really exhausted. The kids in the guild were constantly growing and getting stronger, which was definitely a good thing.
But if the extent of children's growth has to be measured by the scale of destruction from now on, he would rather die.
Every time these kids go on a mission, they get just as many complaints as thank-you notes. If this continues, they might be labeled a dark guild one day.
The only consolation is that, despite receiving an exorbitant compensation claim for the mission Eleven took with Natsu, they didn't receive a single complaint letter, only thank-you notes.
Through these letters, Makarov learned that the two children had saved the residents of two towns overnight, and even defeated a man-made monster resembling a fire dragon to protect the towns.
Looking at the obedient Eleven in front of him, Makarov felt only relief and couldn't find any reason to be angry for a long time.
Money is important, but what can compare to the growth of these children?
Forget it, I won't interfere anymore. As long as they don't go astray and follow their own evil ways, what's a little money loss? What's a few written apologies? I'll take the blame!
Thinking of this, Makarov suddenly stood up, excitedly burning the stack of appeal documents in his hand to ashes, as if he had suddenly become ten years younger, and his aura was completely different.
Makarov was having a good time, but his actions startled Eleven, and even the onlookers began to tremble, thinking that the old man was finally going to lose his temper.
Ignoring the reactions of others, Makarov suddenly leaped up to the second floor, beaming with excitement. From there, he delivered a passionate speech to the guild members, essentially launching into a tirade of scorn against the higher-ups who were trying to suppress their progress in magic. In short, he declared, "Everyone except Fairy Tail is trash!"
Everyone then realized that Makarov wasn't driven mad with anger, but rather had come to terms with it and was ready to let loose.
The air was silent for a second, then erupted in a deafening roar of cheers! Fairy Tail loves letting loose and being themselves! Before, they were just being mischievous by themselves, but now that they have a leader, they can be even happier!
"Brain and Jellal?" Makarov asked, holding his wine glass as he listened to Eleven's account.
Although another party inexplicably broke out in the guild, Eleven still felt he should report the two lunatics he'd encountered that day and the guild leader, since even now he still felt like he was being watched.
In the noisy guild, Eleven and Makarov sat in a corner, their conversation going unnoticed by anyone.
"Yes, that's what they call themselves. Old man, do you know who they are? They all seem a bit off," Eleven continued to explain.
"Hmm... I don't really remember." Makarov pondered, resting his chin on his hand. "Hmm, Brain, Brain, that name seems vaguely familiar, I think I've seen it in some documents."
As he spoke, Makarov jumped to the ground and walked towards the second-floor archives while pondering. Eleven followed closely behind, eager to go upstairs and take a look.
Unexpectedly, halfway down the stairs, Makarov suddenly snapped out of his daze and delivered a swift chop to Eleven's head, "Get down there! The second floor isn't a place for you!"
"Hey? Grandpa, don't be so stingy! I'm just going to look up some information. Let me go up and take a look!"
"No! The second floor is a place only S-Class Mages can enter!" Makarov replied firmly.
"Tch, how do you become S-Class Mage? I've only ever seen Gildarts, one S-Class mage, in all this time!" Eleven complained, rubbing his head.
Makarov was taken aback by these words. Yes, the guild hadn't held an S-Class assessment in a long time.
Previously, the guild lacked outstanding talent; Gildarts was the only one who could become S-Class member, and over time, they almost forgot about the assessment.
Considering Eleven now, Laxus should also be qualified to participate in the assessment; it's time for them to step onto a new stage.
Well, the S assessment is such a hassle, we have to apply to higher authorities, it's probably too late this year, let's talk about it next year!
"Hey, hey, old man, what are you thinking about?" Seeing Makarov suddenly become lost in thought and silent, Eleven waved his hand in front of the old man's face.
"Ahem!" Makarov coughed awkwardly twice, dismissively shooing the inconvenient Eleven away downstairs, and turned to say, "Don't worry, I've seen your progress. You'll all have your chance to go up to the second floor soon."