Laxus, the Seventh Guild Master

Laxus coughed, his expression shifting several times, as if he wanted to say something but didn't know what to say.

He stood at the very front, raised both arms halfway up and then lowered them, scratching the back of his head.

Back when he sparked the guild civil war at the cathedral, he was incredibly arrogant, spouting off a string of clever phrases.

Now that I've actually taken on the responsibility of chairman, facing this group of noisy idiots below, I feel like I have a wad of cotton stuck in my throat.

He suddenly remembered the arrogant way Riyao had recorded him back then, and now he understood what Riyao meant by what he said at the time. He couldn't help but clench his toes.

Freed appeared beside him and handed him a piece of paper covered with writing.

Laxus instinctively took it and glanced down at the contents.

The paper was filled with writing about Fairy Tail's century-long legacy and Lord Laxus's wisdom and prowess, even the punctuation was filled with admiration.

"Ahem, isn't this speech a bit too long?"

"Laxus... Guild Master, this is hardly too much; it's more than enough for you."

Freed's eyes shone brightly, his gaze towards Laxus burning with fervor.

Bickslow let out a long, guttural laugh, and the doll on his head screamed in response.

Evergreen waved her feather fan, looking completely at ease.

The members below also didn't play by the rules.

Nobody was thinking about giving the new president a grand show.

Natsu stepped forward and patted Laxus on the shoulder.

His hands were still covered in ice shards and black grime from the fight, leaving two black marks on Laxus's new coat.

"Laxus actually became the guild leader? That's outrageous, hahaha..." Natsu threw his head back and burst into laughter.

The other people's expressions became incredibly strange.

What's with that tone of yours?

Besides, it's much more reliable than you becoming the president, right?!

The crowd didn't care about the speech at all and started jeering and joking around.

Cana raised her glass, demanding the new guild leader treat everyone to drinks. Macao and Wakaba clamored for forgiveness of the guild's long-standing drinking debts, while Elfman shouted from a corner that being the guild leader was what made a real man.

The tavern was in complete chaos again.

Laxus stopped dwelling on his inaugural speech, sat down in the chair next to him, and smirked.

He crumpled up the speech prepared by Freed and stuffed it into his coat pocket, then leaned back in his chair.

Riyao wore a relieved smile; this hot potato would no longer fall into his hands.

He leaned against Mirajane.

What's so good about being the president?

All day long, approving documents, dealing with those stubborn old men in the Magic Council, and cleaning up the messes left by these demolition maniacs—nothing beats the joy of relaxing at the manor with my wife, enjoying desserts, and slacking off.

As for why Erza didn't become the guild leader, it's all thanks to her fierce and murderous words.

As everyone knows, Fairy Tail receives many complaint letters, and asking her to write back would probably scare the Magic Council.

Erza's letters were exceptional; the content was concise, the handwriting wild, and the tone extremely menacing.

Last time Sabertooth received her letter, he thought she had taken Minerva hostage and would kill her if she didn't come.

Riyao fiddled with his phone.

A palm-sized black cube flipped between his fingertips, and the screen lit up.

Yes, that's right! It's a mobile phone!

It can also be described as a magical communicator.

This was developed by Warren using Telepathy Magic as its core, and later Riyao modified it based on the principles of mobile phones from his memory.

Although Riyao hadn't studied coding or anything like that, this was a world of magic, so it wasn't a big problem.

He also added a few casual games to his phone to pass the time—Dragon, Angry Little Dragon, Celestial Spirit Catcher, Where's My Bath?...

The most important thing about a mobile phone is that it's convenient for recording embarrassing moments.

Riyao put his arm around Mirajane's shoulder and raised his phone.

He pulled Mirajane closer to him, and with his other hand held the phone above his head, the camera pointed at the chaotic hall behind them.

Hey, everyone look this way!

Everyone turned their heads, wondering what Riyao was up to.

Natsu turned his face with messy hair, Gray assumed a fighting stance, Lucy busied herself fixing the stray hairs on her forehead, Erza straightened her back, and Laxus sat in a chair with one eye open...

Click!

The lights flashed.

The phone captured the scene of everyone gathering together.

The screen freezes on this group photo: Mirajane smiles sweetly, Riyao makes a peace sign, and a group of people behind them have different expressions.

Riyao happily put away his phone, but it was a pity that the bald old man was missing; he'd take a full picture later to use as wallpaper.

Despite the excitement, we still have business to attend to.

After a period of excitement...

The noise in the hall gradually subsided, and Thunder God Tribe and Lisanna began to clean up the mess on the floor.

Mest walked over to Laxus, lowered her voice, and gave him a meaningful look.

Laxus stood up.

Mest takes Laxus to the basement to see a secret known only to the past guild leaders.

Apart from Riyao and Mirajane, the two ordinary members had already come down to check.

Riyao said he came down to look, but he didn't actually see anything. Mirajane immediately covered Riyao's eyes.

Mest and her companion arrived at the bottom of the basement and discovered Fairy Tail's biggest secret.

In the center of the cold stone chamber, a huge magic crystal hangs.

A slender figure was sealed deep within the crystal.

Laxus's eyes widened.

"Is this the secret the old man has been hiding all along? What exactly is it?"

Mest stood beneath the crystal, looking up at the youthful face, her voice low.

"President Makarov called it 'Lumen Histoire,' its original name being 'Fairy Heart.'"

Laxus paused, taken aback, when he heard the last name.

The Grimoire Heart.

"That's right, it's the same technology as the Grimoire Heart, and its creator was the second chairman Precht."

Mest continued her explanation.

"As you can see, the Fairy Heart is actually from the body of the first Guild Master, Mavis. I'm not entirely sure of the specifics."

Laxus listened to Mest's explanation, more and more questions arose in his mind. He felt that Fairy Tail was so much like a dark guild.

The guild's dark history is getting more and more bizarre.

Mest thought for a moment, then continued her explanation.

"The main reason for Chairman Makarov's departure was the destruction of the Magic Council and Face, fearing the resurgence of the Alvarez Empire. He went to the Alvarez Empire in the Western Continent to negotiate with them, but it is currently unknown whether he is still alive."

He paused here, saying that in the past year, he had tried every means to go to the Western Continent to obtain intelligence, but to no avail.

There was a sound from the other side of the iron gate.

With a creak.

The basement door was opened.

"The old man is still alive, don't worry."

A lazy voice rang out, speaking with certainty.

Riyao walked in, his eyes covered with a black cloth, his hands outstretched as he groped around, walking unsteadily.

Natsu and a few others followed behind him, whistling as if they had accidentally taken the wrong turn.

Gray stood with his hands in his pockets, gazing at the sky. Lucy solemnly counted the bricks above her head. Natsu peeked his large head out from behind Riyao, a sly grin on his face...