Galuna Island, Part One

The previously noisy guild hall suddenly fell silent.

As if someone had pressed a mute button, all the noise, laughter, and clamor of searching for the treasure map vanished in an instant.

A strange drowsiness filled the air, like an invisible veil enveloping the entire hall.

One by one, the guild members collapsed. Some slumped onto the table, some collapsed onto the ground, and some slid down against the wall, their breathing becoming even and long as they all fell into Sleep.

A figure walked in through the guild's main gate.

He wore a loose, dark black robe with the hood pulled low, almost completely obscuring his face, revealing only the outline of his chin.

Her footsteps were as light as a cat's, making no sound on the wooden floor, and she exuded a drowsy aura.

Mystogan.

Riyao slowly woke up from his sleep, yawned deeply, and rubbed his sleepy eyes.

He looked down at Mirajane, who was sleeping in his arms, then looked up at the hooded figure and spoke lazily.

"Ha~ Old Mys, it's you. Your sleep magic disturbed my sleep."

Mystogan waved as a greeting.

He didn't linger; he walked straight to Makarov, peeled off a request form from the request column, and handed it to Makarov for a quick look.

Makarov squinted at the contents of the request, nodded, and looked up to ask, "Aren't you going to break the sleep spell?"

Mysterious Mystogan didn't turn around, counting down as he walked towards the door in a low, calm voice.

"5...4...3...2...1."

As soon as he finished speaking, the members in the hall seemed to have been switched on, one by one opening their eyes and sitting up groggily.

The familiar old members rubbed their temples, complaining with expressions of habit.

"This feeling... it's Mystogan is back."

"It's that awful feeling again. Every time I wake up, it feels like I've been hit over the head with a club."

"His magic is still so powerful; he wiped out the entire guild in a second."

Riyao looked down at Mirajane in his arms. She was blinking, her silver eyelashes fluttering, as if she had just woken from a beautiful dream.

Riyao reached out and pinched her cheek; it was soft and felt great.

Mirajane mumbled incoherently.

"Hmm... Mystogan is back?"

Lucy sat at the bar, rubbing her eyes, her head still spinning, looking completely bewildered.

Who is Mystogan?

Sitting opposite Lucy, Elfman crossed his arms and explained with a serious expression.

He is one of the strongest male candidates in Fairy Tail.

When he said the word "strongest," he emphasized it, raising his chin slightly, as if to say, "I may not be the strongest, but I'm still very capable."

Gray, who was rubbing his eyes, added, his tone tinged with helplessness.

"I don't know why, but every time he comes back, he makes everyone fall asleep. It seems like only Riyao and the Chairman have ever seen Mystogan's face."

Lucy's eyes widened as she looked at Riyao in surprise.

Is Riyao really that powerful?

Riyao picked his nose, looking completely nonchalant.

"That's very rude of you. Your intelligence gathering skills are really weak, especially considering you're a novelist."

Mirajane reached out and slapped away Riyao's hand that was picking its nose, giving him a disapproving look.

"Mind your image."

Riyao chuckled and pulled his hand back after it was slapped away.

Just then, a smug voice came from the second floor, carrying a hint of laziness and arrogance.

"And me too, huh."

The guild members all looked up and exclaimed in surprise.

"Laxus?! You're actually in the guild?!"

The blond, burly man leaned against the second-floor railing, his signature headphones perched on his ears, a disdainful smile playing on his lips, as if he were looking at a swarm of ants.

Riyao immediately delivered a sarcastic remark, his tone full of irony.

"The first time, I was clearly woken up by the sound of my headphones, and that's when I found out there was such a person in the guild."

Laxus's expression changed, and he broke through his defenses and shouted.

"Bullshit! It's because I'm strong! Sleep magic doesn't work on me!"

His voice echoed on the second floor, but the tips of his ears were slightly red; that was a long time ago.

Gray explained to Lucy, gesturing with his fingers as he did so.

"Riyao and Laxus are also strong male candidates."

Lisanna came closer from the side, cupped her face in her hands, and her eyes sparkled.

"My brother-in-law hasn't fought in a long time; he usually supports my sister in battle, but I believe he's definitely the strongest!"

When she said this, her tone was full of admiration, her little fists clenched in front of her chest, giving off an air of "my brother-in-law is the best in the world".

Cana leaned against a pillar, holding a wine glass in her hand, and swirled it carelessly.

"My stinky old man went on 100-Year Quest. Usually, when someone goes on 100-Year Quest and comes back, they're basically considered dead. Otherwise, the strongest man in the guild would be my stinky old man."

Although she had a smile on her lips when she said this, a hint of worry could still be heard in her voice.

Her fingers unconsciously traced the rim of her wine glass, her gaze drifting slightly into the distance.

Natsu got up from the ground, rubbing the back of his head, and looked up to see Laxus on the second floor.

His eyes lit up instantly, and he shouted excitedly, "Laxus! Come and duel me!"

He shouted and waved his fist, flames dancing between his fingers.

Laxus glanced at Natsu with disdain, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

"Forget it, you can't even beat someone like Erza."

Erza her hand on the table and stood up, her brown eyes blazing with fury. Her chair slid back half a meter from the impact.

"What do you mean, you bastard!?"

Laxus, standing on the second-floor railing, dramatically spreads his arms as if embracing the whole world, his golden hair gleaming like a flame in the backlight.

"It means I'm the strongest."

Natsu was the first to complain, yelling as he charged toward the stairs.

"Get down here right now!"

He stepped onto the stairs and charged upwards like a cannonball, his fists engulfed in flames.

Makarov's arm suddenly expanded, and a huge hand descended from the sky, slamming Natsu onto the stairs and suppressing him like a fly.

"I forbid you to go up there; you're not qualified!"

Natsu struggled under the giant hand, still shouting.

"Let me go! I'm going to beat him up!"

Laxus laughed again, the sound echoing on the second floor.

But out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly caught sight of Riyao, or more precisely, the crystal ball that Riyao was playing with in his hand.

The surface of the crystal ball shimmered slightly, as if recording something.

Laxus's laughter stopped abruptly.

Riyao's lips curled slightly as he gently twirled the crystal ball with his fingers, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

He plans to record Laxus's current arrogant and immature behavior so that future Laxus can watch it; it will definitely be very interesting.

Laxus and Riyao exchanged a glance for a second, then silently lowered their outstretched arms and turned to walk into the shadows of the second-floor corridor.

After the storm subsided.

Lucy sat on the bar, swinging her legs back and forth, her golden ponytail swaying gently behind her head.

Resting her chin on her hand, she recalled the scene of Makarov suppressing Natsu and tilted her head curiously, asking, "Why did the guild master stop Natsu from going up to the second floor?"

Lisanna was carrying a plate of freshly washed cups past when she heard Lucy's question and thoughtfully stopped to explain.

She placed the tray on the bar, held up her index finger and waved it in front of her, looking like a little teacher.

"The second floor houses even more dangerous S-Class missions than the first floor. Only S-Class Mages are allowed to go up to the second floor."

She lowered her voice and leaned closer to Lucy, feigning mystery.

"If just anyone could get in, the guild would have been torn down eight hundred times over by now."

Lucy nodded in understanding, then suddenly realized something and her eyes widened.

She recalled the scenes of Riyao and Mirajane often going up to the second floor. Sometimes they went up hand in hand, sometimes Riyao would put his arm around Mirajane's waist, and sometimes Mirajane would pull Riyao up by the ear...

"Huh?! So Riyao and Mirajane are also S-Class Mages?!"

Her voice rose eight octaves, and she almost slipped off the bar.

Mirajane just emerged from the kitchen at that moment, her white apron dusted with flour, and her long silver hair tied in a neat low ponytail.

Hearing Lucy's exclamation, she smiled and walked behind the bar, wiping her hands as she said, "Yes, you didn't expect that, did you?"

She tilted her head, her silver eyelashes fluttering gently, a tender smile on her face, but her eyes clearly gleamed with the pride of "My Riyao is amazing."

Lucy rubbed her forehead and sighed helplessly.

"Miss Mira can tell, but Riyao is also S-Class Mage? I've never even seen him make a move."

She counted on her fingers, and since joining the guild, Riyao had either been applying sunscreen to Mirajane, placing bets, or filming other people's embarrassing moments in the recording crystal ball... She hadn't had a single serious battle.

Mirajane poked her cheek with her index finger, tilting her head in thought, silver strands of hair slipping down her sides.

Her gaze drifted into a distant look, as if she were recalling something.

"It's been a long time since anyone has engaged in a direct battle with Riyao."

She paused, a meaningful smile curving her lips, and her voice softened.

"But he's really good."

Lucy keenly grasped the deeper meaning in Mirajane's words and was about to ask her further when Mirajane turned and walked back into the kitchen, her long silver hair drawing a graceful arc in the air, leaving her with a meaningful silhouette.