Guild

A few days later, in some unknown tavern, several wizards were reading a magic newspaper when they came across an exclusive feature on Fairy Tail.

"This is a guild? It even has a swimming pool. What were they thinking?!"

"And this guy—is he really from their guild? He seems so out of place. Though he is handsome."

"Let me see... Whoa! He's War God Ye, the one known as the strongest creature on land? I never expected him to look like this. I thought he'd at least be three meters tall, covered in muscles, and look like some kind of monster."

"I bet that title of strongest creature on land was all exaggerated! Hahahaha!"

Suddenly, a towering figure loomed over them. When they turned around, they were instantly scared out of their wits.

"Y-you're Laxus from Fairy Tail!"

Laxus did not pay them any attention. He looked at the newspaper, and when he saw Ye earnestly displaying gentlemanly manners, his expression froze.

The corner of his mouth twitched. "That guy actually cooperated with the old man and put on that disgusting act. Revolting!"

Suddenly, someone taunted him. "So this is what being famous is like? Just standing behind someone is enough to scare them. As expected of Makarov's grandson."

"You must be the type who, umm... right, lives off his grandfather! Hahahahaha!"

Laxus calmly glanced at the man in front of him.

"Oh my, he's glaring at me. I'm so scared!"

The tavern owner hurriedly tried to calm things down. "Enough, Zat. Say less. Don't cause trouble!"

"What could a worthless guild like that possibly do? Relax, it's fine now. Nobody knows what happened to the Magic Council's Etherion, but no one is coming to deal with us Dark Guilds anymore. We don't need to fear these legal guilds!"

Laxus sneered. "Now every stray cat and dog dares to bark. A Dark Guild actually dares to show itself so openly in front of me? Are you looking to die? Got the guts to come outside and fight me?"

Crackle! Crackle! Golden arcs of lightning appeared around Laxus.

Taking advantage of the moment Laxus turned around, Zat sent out a shockwave that blasted Laxus through the wall.

"Hahaha, that's all you've got? Too wea—" Before he could finish, a bolt of lightning descended from the sky and struck Zat directly.

"Aaaaargh!" Zat was instantly electrocuted black.

Seeing Zat get taken down in an instant, the people around them looked fearfully at the man emerging from the rubble.

"No way... That was Zat, and he was taken down just like that? Who the hell is this guy?!"

Hearing what they said, Laxus turned and left, but his expression was unusually grim.

"He was just a wizard from some Dark Guild in the middle of nowhere, yet even he looked down on Fairy Tail. The old man is really getting worse with age!"

"Just wait. Soon enough, I'll be able to set the guild straight. Then I'll build the strongest guild!"

Inside the Fairy Tail guild, Lucy was looking over the job board, trying to choose a request.

Levy looked at Lucy curiously. "Lucy, why are you looking at the job board alone? Aren't you teamed up with Natsu?"

Lucy pulled a miserable face. "Don't even mention it. Doing jobs with Natsu doesn't earn enough to cover the losses."

"Don't tell me you haven't made any money after working for two months!"

"It'd already be good if I hadn't lost any."

"Let's see what jobs there are. Subjugating monsters... forget it, I don't have that kind of strength. Teaching children magic... this one looks doable."

Gajeel suddenly snatched the job Lucy had chosen, grabbed his luggage, and walked away without looking back.

"Hey! That was the job I was going to choose!"

"Whoever grabs it first gets it!"

"Damn it! I'll have to look for another job."

"Lucy, you're really brave. Gajeel is so scary, yet you dare talk to him like that. If it were me, I definitely wouldn't dare."

Thinking of everything she had been through lately, Lucy said, "No matter how scary he is, he isn't as scary as Ye! If you did dangerous jobs with Natsu every day, you'd become as brave as me too."

In a park somewhere in Magnolia Town, Gajeel had not been gone long before Laxus blocked his path.

"Why are you blocking me? If there's nothing else, I'm going to do my job."

Laxus mocked him. "A guy whose guild was destroyed by its rival runs to the very guild that destroyed it to take jobs. Don't you think that's hilarious?"

Hearing Laxus's words, Gajeel stiffened, and his eyes gradually dimmed.

"If that's all you wanted to say, then you're done. I'm going to work."

Crackle!

Gajeel turned to leave, but after taking only a few steps, a bolt of lightning struck him.

"Aaaaargh!"

"It's because you went wild at Fairy Tail that everyone looks down on the guild!"

Laxus raised his hand, and an even stronger bolt of lightning struck Gajeel.

Boom!!!

"Aaaaargh!!!!"

Struck by the lightning, Gajeel dropped to one knee.

"Aren't you Phantom Lord's trump card? Is that all you can do? Why aren't you fighting back? If this is all you've got, you might as well die."

With that, an even stronger bolt of lightning shot from Laxus's hand. Just as it was about to hit Gajeel, a figure stepped in front of him and casually dispersed the lightning with a wave of his hand.

Gajeel looked up and found that Ye had blocked the attack for him.

Ye glared at Laxus. "What are you doing, Laxus?! He's a member of the guild. Why are you attacking him?!"

"I've never acknowledged him as a member of the guild!"

"The moment he received the guild mark, he became one. He's already received the punishment he deserved, and everyone in the guild has forgiven him. You keep clinging to the past. Isn't that a little petty, Laxus?"

"You punished him. I didn't. What right do you have to lecture me now? Because you're one of the Ten Wizard Saints?"

"When I punished him, he was an enemy. Now he's a companion. If your head isn't clear enough, I can help clear it up for you."

"Damn you, Ye! Don't think I'm still the same as before. I've become countless times stronger than I was back then. I'm Fairy Tail's strongest wizard!"

"You make it sound like I've been standing still all this time!"

As he spoke, Laxus gathered his magic power, lightning crackling nonstop around his entire body.

Ye also released his Conqueror's Haki, red-black lightning radiating around him. The two of them stood locked in a standoff.

"Everyone, come look! It's over there—someone's about to fight!"

"Who is it?"

"I don't know. I think they're from Fairy Tail."

Hearing people approaching, Laxus and Ye immediately withdrew their magic power and pressure. With others arriving, this fight could no longer happen.

"Tch! How boring. And you're supposed to be called the strongest creature on land. You could have wiped out those idiots from Phantom Lord by yourself, but you insisted on waiting for them to attack us before fighting back."

"Do you know how much your inaction damaged Fairy Tail's dignity? I even heard the mockery and insults in a tavern out in the middle of nowhere!"

"If they want to mock us, that's their business. Can you control everyone's mouths? If you run into them, teach them a lesson. If not, let them talk. It won't have much of an impact anyway."

"As for killing, you know better than anyone how many lives have died by my hand. But not one of them was innocent. I have my own judgment on whether someone lives or dies."

"What I hate most is that smug look of yours. One day, I'll make Fairy Tail the strongest guild!" With that, he left.

Ye looked at Gajeel. "Sorry about that. He's Guild Master Makarov's grandson, and he cares about the guild more than anyone. It's also because no one ever disciplined him. The old man has always been busy managing the guild and never properly taught that brat, which is why he grew up so arrogant and overbearing. Don't take it too much to heart."

"But you're an idiot too. Why didn't you fight back? Are you still feeling guilty?"

"Don't worry! It's really all in the past. Everyone has accepted you. If he gives you trouble again, hit back. Though the final result will probably still be you getting beaten up badly."

"Train hard. Sooner or later, you'll get revenge for this. That brat has a terrible personality, but he can still rank third in the guild."

Gajeel looked at Ye in confusion. "Why did you save me?"

"Huh?! Did getting hit make you stupid? You're a member of the guild. How could I watch him bully you? A guild is a place where people help each other. If you acted like Laxus, I'd beat you up too. If you still feel guilty, there are plenty of ways to atone, but you chose the stupidest one. I seriously don't know what to say about you."

"Don't just stand there taking a beating in the future, understand? One after another, you people really don't let anyone rest easy."

Ye casually took out a bottle and tossed it to Gajeel.

"Take it back and apply it properly. Go do your job after you've recovered. I'm leaving first."

Gajeel looked at the medicine bottle in his hand and remembered how Ye had helped him. This was an emotion he had never experienced in all his life. In Phantom Lord, the law of the jungle was the rule he lived by. No one had ever cared what happened to anyone else. He held no resentment toward Laxus for beating him; he had even thought Laxus was right. If you did something wrong, you had to be punished.

But Ye's protection made him feel something he had never felt before. It was a strange feeling. Maybe this was what it felt like to be protected. Maybe this was what a real wizard guild was.