The Youngest S-Class Magus

The doors to the Fairy Tail guild hall were shoved open with a bang.

"We're back!"

Following that shout, the entire guild instantly erupted into a frenzy.

Every gaze converged on the few people who had just walked in. Leading the pack was Lu Chongwei, who, despite being wrapped in a few bandages, looked full of energy.

"Lu Chongwei! How was it? What were the results?"

Wakaba was the first to rush over, his pipe nearly slipping from his hand.

Macao crowded in as well, his face full of anticipation. "Did you pass? Did you?"

Before Lu Chongwei could speak, Makarov, who was following behind, hopped onto the bar counter, cleared his throat, and announced in a booming voice with a glowing face:

"Listen up, my brats!"

"The winner of this year's S-Class Mage promotion trial is—Lu Chongwei!!!"

"Furthermore, he is the youngest S-Class Mage in the history of our guild!"

Silence.

The guild was quiet for a single second.

Then, immediately after.

"BOOM!!!"

The cheers nearly blew the roof off.

"That's amazing! Lu Chongwei!"

"I knew you could do it, kid!"

"A thirteen-year-old S-Class Mage! That's a record-breaker!"

Everyone swarmed forward, tossing Lu Chongwei high into the air, their faces filled with joy.

Erza stood outside the crowd, watching Lu Chongwei as he was surrounded by everyone, a gentle smile appearing on her usually stern face.

"Congratulations, Lu Chongwei."

She stepped forward and said sincerely.

"You really are strong. But I won't be left behind either; next year, I'm going to challenge for S-Class too!"

"Haha, I believe you definitely can, Erza."

Lu Chongwei replied with a laugh.

Just then.

"Cana, how come I don't see Laxus?"

Macao looked around, asking curiously.

Cana was busy chugging from a barrel of ale; hearing this, she wiped the alcohol from the corner of her mouth and pointed toward the second floor.

"That guy went to bandage his wounds as soon as he got back, then said he was too tired and went straight home to sleep."

At this, Cana sighed, her expression complex.

"But looking at him, even though he lost, he didn't seem as gloomy as before. I guess he reconciled with the Master?"

Hearing this, everyone wore expressions of relief.

"Alright, alright! Today is a good day!"

Makarov raised a giant mug of ale, standing on the bar as he roared.

"To celebrate Lu Chongwei's promotion to S-Class! Let the banquet begin!!!"

"Ohhhhhhh!!!"

Music began to play, ale barrels were cracked open, and food was brought to the tables.

The guild was instantly filled with laughter and cheer.

Natsu had his mouth stuffed with meat, his eyes gleaming as he stared at Lu Chongwei, shouting incoherently:

"Lu Chongwei! Since you're S-Class now, have a duel with me!"

"As long as I beat an S-Class like you, I'll be S-Class too!"

With that, the kid didn't care about anything else; flames ignited on his hands as he charged over with a strange cry.

"Fire Dragon's... Iron Fist!!!"

Lu Chongwei was just about to eat a piece of cake when he saw Natsu charging at him, and he sighed helplessly.

"You idiot, your logic is completely flawed."

Lu Chongwei didn't even stand up; he simply threw a casual punch.

"Bang!"

A muffled thud echoed out.

Natsu spun three and a half times in the air like a swatted fly before slamming face-first into the floorboards.

"Ugh..."

Natsu's rear end stuck up in the air, his head buried in the crater, and after a couple of twitches, he went still.

"Hahahaha! Natsu got one-shotted again!"

"How many times is that today?"

"Whether it's before or after the S-Class trials, the result is always the same!"

A roar of laughter erupted in the guild, filling the room with a cheerful atmosphere.

Right at the height of the commotion.

A figure wearing a beret with a protruding belly was hiding in the corner, paintbrush in hand, sketching rapidly onto a canvas.

It was Reedus.

He was using his Pict Magic to record this precious moment.

On the canvas, Makarov was raising a glass in celebration, Natsu's head was stuck in the floor, Gray was laughing shirtless, and Erza was eating cake with elegance...

Every person's expression was rendered with lifelike detail.

Lu Chongwei, sharp-eyed, spotted Reedus's movements and immediately leaned in.

"Hey, hey, Reedus, make me look cooler!"

Lu Chongwei pointed at his own likeness on the canvas, which was currently eating cake, and spoke with dissatisfaction.

"At least capture the aura of an S-Class powerhouse!"

"Me too! Me too!"

Gildarts appeared from out of nowhere, threw an arm around Lu Chongwei's neck, and struck what he considered his most charming pose for Reedus.

"Make sure you include me! You have to highlight the towering image of this master!"

"Don't crowd me, old man!"

"You brat, don't you know how to respect your teacher?"

The two shoved each other in front of the canvas, making faces as they competed to see who looked more dashing, sending the people around them into fits of laughter.

Reedus smiled helplessly, though the brush in his hand never stopped moving.

The glow of the setting sun spilled through the windows onto the canvas, freezing the scene into an eternity.

It was the warmest, rowdiest, and most beautiful memory belonging to Fairy Tail.