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Although it was already deep into the night, all kinds of brilliant, colorful fireworks were still bursting overhead above the huge new castle complex on the coast north of Magnolia—the guild hall of Fairy Tail.
However...
After all the bustling activities of Fairy Tail's Harvest Festival—the parade, the lantern viewing, the food, and everything else—and after the first Fairy Tournament had ended successfully that afternoon with a final winner crowned, the grand celebration hosted by the Fairy Tail guild in Magnolia was finally drawing to a close.
According to reliable sources, an "official" betting outlet belonging to the Fairy Tail guild had made a fortune from the event. It hadn't spent much on the festivities at all; in fact, it had made a hefty profit, leaving the guild with a little extra money in its coffers.
After all, no one could have guessed that the eventual winner would be such an underdog: the little girl, a spirit mage whom hardly anyone had backed, rather than the seasoned, veteran S-Class Mages Laxus, Erza, Mirajane, or the others, whom so many had expected to win.
But whatever the case, the results were in. Whether some people were happy and others disappointed was beyond the control of the Fairy Tail guild and its members.
Now that night had fallen, almost all the guild members had gathered at their new guild hall. In the bar on the first floor of the castle, they were merrily celebrating together, watching the various performances onstage, and eating and drinking to their hearts' content.
Because everything tonight was free, with the guild footing the bill!
"Hahaha!"
"Drink!"
"Come on! Bottoms up!"
"That's the stuff!"
"Another round!"
"Yeah!"
As the performances onstage drew to a close and the revelry neared its end, a skinny old man who was