A long-missed warmth slowly welled up from deep within him.
In this world full of unknowns, he had always felt like a solitary traveler, his nerves constantly on edge.
But now, in this boisterous guild, he had unexpectedly felt the warmth of something called "home."
Gildarts smiled and clapped him on the shoulder, then asked loudly:
"Well? Feels pretty good, doesn't it?"
Lu Chongwei turned to look at Gildarts and finally smiled from the heart.
"Yeah... It's not bad."
He spoke softly, his gaze growing gentler.
"This feeling... makes me happy."
It was a warmth he hadn't felt in a long time.
Night fell, and at last, the banquet came to an end.
The guild hall was a complete mess, even worse than it had been during the fights that morning.
Tables and chairs lay scattered across the floor, with empty bottles and scraps of food everywhere.
Most of the guild members were dead drunk, sprawled on the floor without a shred of dignity and fast asleep. Their snores rose and fell, filling the hall.
Lu Chongwei sat in a corner beside one of the few tables still mostly intact, cradling a cup of warm milk and sipping it slowly.
Everyone else was drinking, but he preferred this gentler beverage.
He'd also gotten to know quite a few people during the lively banquet.
The middle-aged man who was always sucking on a pipe and looked like a gangster was Wakaba. The one who seemed a bit honest but loved to brag once he'd had a drink was Macao. And then there was Gray, the perverted boy who was always running around in nothing but his underwear...
Everyone had their own quirks, but they were all surprisingly easy to get along with.
Just then, a light set of footsteps approached.
Lu Chongwei looked up and saw a girl with brown curls walking over.
She held several tarot cards, and curiosity and inquisitiveness showed in her eyes.
That was Cana.
"Hey, newbie."
Cana sat down across from Lu Chongwei and casually set her tarot cards on the table.
"Have you figured out where you're staying tonight?"
Lu Chongwei set down his cup and pointed upstairs.
"The master said there's an empty bed in the men's dormitory, so I can stay there for now. As for rent and food, I'll pay him back bit by bit once I start taking jobs."
Cana nodded, as if the master's arrangement didn't surprise her.
"Good. The master might not seem very reliable most of the time, but he's pretty generous when it comes to looking after newcomers."
She paused, and her eyes suddenly began to dart about as if she were hesitating over something.
After a few seconds, she seemed to make up her mind and asked, trying to sound casual:
"Um... I saw you came back with Gildarts. Are you... close with him?"
Lu Chongwei was slightly taken aback, surprised she'd ask.
"We're on pretty good terms, I guess."
Lu Chongwei thought for a moment before answering.
"We ran into each other on the road and traveled together for a while. Why?"
He looked at Cana's slightly nervous expression, feeling a little puzzled.
Ever since the banquet had started, he'd noticed that the girl's gaze kept drifting toward Gildarts.
"Nothing, just curious."
Cana quickly waved her hand, then picked up the cards on the table and began shuffling them, as if to cover up her embarrassment.
"He's the guild's strongest Mage, after all. Everyone's curious about him."
"Tch. The strongest Mage, my ass."
A voice full of disdain and provocation suddenly cut in.
Lu Chongwei and Cana turned at the same time.
A black-haired boy had appeared beside them at some point.
It was Gray, the one with a habit of showing off his body.
At the moment, he was shirtless, holding a half-eaten chicken drumstick, and looking thoroughly unconvinced.
"That old guy might be strong now, but I'll definitely surpass him one day!"
Gray waved the chicken drumstick with conviction, as if it were a sword.
Cana sighed and rubbed her forehead.
"Gray, you've taken your clothes off again."
Lu Chongwei couldn't resist teasing him, either.
"That makes seven times now, right? Do your clothes have a mind of their own and keep running away from home?"
He looked Gray up and down. The boy was wearing nothing but a pair of shorts, and the chilly night air looked cold enough to make anyone shiver.
"Besides, aren't you cold?"
Gray glanced down at his bare body, as if only then realizing what he was wearing, but he made no move to find his clothes.
"What's a little cold like this?"
Cana explained, "Gray is an ice Mage. His training is a little unusual, and he's been used to the cold since he was little, so he often takes his clothes off without even realizing it."
"An ice Mage?"
Lu Chongwei raised an eyebrow. That was interesting.
Hearing that, Gray's eyes lit up, and he immediately forgot all about finding his clothes.
He leaned toward Lu Chongwei, eyes shining as he asked:
"Hey, newbie, I heard you're some kind of monster Gildarts took a liking to. What's your magic attribute?"
Lu Chongwei met his eager, combative gaze and answered plainly, without hiding it:
"Fire."
"Fire?!"
Gray's voice shot up an octave, his expression a mix of excitement and disdain.
"Fire again! Just like that idiot Natsu!"
He tossed the chicken drumstick aside and assumed a fighting stance.
"If it's fire, then I can't let you off! I want to see whether your fire is stronger or my ice!"
"Let's have a match, Lu Chongwei!"
Looking at the boy, who was far too fired up, Lu Chongwei didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Were all the members of Fairy Tail a bunch of battle maniacs?
Still, he'd been wanting to see how strong the Mages of this world were.
He turned toward Makarov, who was slumped over a table nearby and still pouring liquor into his mouth.
"Master, is it okay?"
Makarov raised his head blearily and burped.
"Burp... A match? Sure! Young people should spar more often!"
He waved a hand, looking like he'd welcome any kind of chaos.
"But take it outside! Don't smash what's left of the guild's tables!"
Then, as if he'd suddenly come to life, Makarov jumped right onto the table and bellowed at the top of his lungs:
"Everyone! Wake up! There's a fight! Gray's challenging the newcomer, Lu Chongwei!"
That shout worked even better than a morning alarm.
The people who'd been lying motionless on the floor sprang up as soon as they heard the words "there's a fight," as if they'd risen from the dead.
"What?! A fight? Where?"
"Gray's challenging the newcomer? This is going to be good!"
"Quick, quick! Let's get outside and grab a spot!"
Even Gildarts, who'd been pretending to be drunk nearby, immediately set down his cup at the news, looking like he couldn't wait to watch the show.
He and Makarov exchanged a glance, both wearing the sly grins of old foxes.
"Come on, let's go watch!"
Bright moonlight spilled over the open ground beside the guild, draping the somewhat barren area in a veil of silver.
By now, Fairy Tail's members had packed the open ground so tightly that there was barely room to move.
They formed a large circle, with Lu Chongwei and Gray facing each other in the middle.
The crowd's cheers and shouts rang out one after another. Some were even taking bets on the spot.
"Come on, come on! Place your bets! Two to one on Gray, even odds on the newbie!"
Wakaba called out with practiced ease, his pipe in his mouth.
"I'm betting on Gray! He might love taking his clothes off, but he's still pretty strong!"
"I'm betting on the newbie! Anyone Gildarts brought back can't be a pushover!"
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