Filthy Rats, Ashamed to Be Associated with Them
In the center of the Fairy Tail guild's first floor, members gathered, surrounding Hughes, Makarov, and the other two in layers, their expressions excited and curious.
The children, including Natsu and Marcus, who were familiar with Hughes, went straight to touch Hughes all over, as if trying to absorb some of his powerful aura.
The stories of Hughes saving the Ogre Town, defeating the demons, and defeating Jose, one of the "Ten Wizard Saints," have spread like wildfire across the Ishgar Continent in the past few days.
Some guild leaders have even anonymously revealed that this is not the first time Hughes has defeated Jose.
These people deliberately concealed many "unimportant" details, omitted Makarov's role, and practically stated that Makarov's victory over Jose at the Guild Alliance meeting was entirely due to Hughes.
The news caused a great uproar and further enhanced Hughes's reputation.
Some have included Hughes in discussions about the continent's strongest figures, even advocating for him to replace Hughes as the new "Ten Wizard Saints Jose."
On his way back to Magnolia Town, Hughes was also taken aback by these exaggerated storms.
He couldn't help but curse the old fox in his heart. These old bastards were distorting the facts and praising him so much, just to use him to attack Jose.
The numerous mage guilds of the Kingdom of Fiore have long Phantom Lord!
Jose is one of the "Ten Wizard Saints," Phantom Lord are the number one guild in the Kingdom of Fiore. The two are now united as a powerful force.
For any citizen of the Kingdom of Fiore, the Phantom Lord Guild is their first choice for issuing quest requests.
Hughes overheard a secret at the Guild Alliance meeting: the Phantom Lord guild alone accounted for 70% of the quest requests in the entire Kingdom of Fiore.
Their task assignments were so numerous that even dozens of branch guilds couldn't handle them all, so they had to share the profits with other friendly guilds!
Now that we've finally found a weakness in Jose, we can strike at Jose and at the Phantom Lord.
The legitimate mage guilds within the Kingdom of Fiore are like sharks smelling blood, eager to bite the Phantom Lord to death.
Hughes suspected that the news of the Ogre Town incident could spread throughout the Ishgar Continent in just three days, and that this group of people must have been behind the scenes, stirring things up.
The worse Jose's reputation becomes, the more Phantom Lord, the number one guild in the Kingdom of Fiore, will be affected.
Once a client develops doubts, they will inevitably consider other mage guilds.
This creates an opportunity for other guilds!
On his way back to Magnolia Town, Hughes nearly had a heart attack after a long analysis.
Those old fogies are truly ruthless; they're like the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.
No wonder Makarov repeatedly warned himself to be careful of these guild leaders during the Guild Alliance meeting, and not to trust them just because they were leaders of legitimate guilds.
"No one who can become a guild leader is easy to deal with." This was Hughes's deepest realization on his way back to Magnolia Town.
Hughes hoped that these club presidents, who were trying to take advantage of him, would do their job properly. If he found out who was behind this, he would make those old guys regret it.
At that moment, Natsu, who was surrounding Hughes, suddenly grabbed Hughes' clothes and said excitedly, "Hughes, tell me where there are any more demons! I want to defeat the demons and defeat the Ten Wizard Saints too!"
That way, my name will spread throughout the continent just like yours, Igneel will know where I am. We'll be able to meet soon!
Upon hearing the first half of Natsu's sentence, Gray suddenly clenched his fist, a chill emanating from it.
No one knew the horror of demons better than him. He used to be just as arrogant as Natsu, which led to Ur sacrificing himself to save him.
He would never let Natsu make the same mistake he did, and he was determined to stop Natsu from going to find the devil no matter what.
But upon hearing Natsu's second half of his sentence, especially the last sentence filled with joy and nostalgia, Gray's clenched fist quietly loosened.
He looked down at his slightly trembling hands. It was different. Natsu was different from him. He had been blinded by hatred, which led him to commit a terrible mistake. Natsu, was searching for his family.
How could I stop Natsu from searching for his family!
Without a sound, Gray stood behind Natsu...
Immediately afterwards...
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
After two soft thuds of fists hitting flesh, two people appeared on the ground, crouching down with their heads in their hands.
"Ouch!"2
"You two ignorant fools, do you really think that demons and the Ten Wizard Saints are as easy to deal with as Happy?" Hughes said irritably.
"Especially you, Gray, don't think I don't know what you're thinking!"
One tragedy is enough!
As soon as Hughes finished speaking, Gray's mind seemed to come back online. He rubbed his head, silently pulled Natsu a few steps back.
"Let me go, Gray! I just want Igneel to know where I am!"
"Bang!"
Hughes raised his hand and punched Natsu again... The noise stopped instantly.
What to do when your child is disobedient? A beating will make them behave!
What a load of Igneel, Igneel! If Igneel were to come out of Natsu's body right now...
Tomorrow, the Black Dragon will be able to smell the Fairy Tail guild and roar to make everyone turn over a new leaf!
"What are you all still doing here? Having insomnia?" Hughes glanced at Marcus and the others, brandishing his fist.
"Boom!"
The crowd that had been watching the show immediately scattered, as if they were birds or beasts.
The mayor of Magnolia Town, also within the encirclement, wiped the cold sweat from his brow.
As expected of a man who dares to threaten the Chairman of the Magic Council, he remains so Haki even within the lawless Fairy Tail guild.
Seeing that no one was around to bother them, Makarov patted the mayor and said, "Come on, mayor, let's go talk at the bar. Hughes, you come too!"
The mayor of Magnolia Town shook his head vigorously. "No, I can say it here. It's just a matter of a few words!"
The first meeting with Hughes left a deep psychological scar on the mayor of Magnolia Town.
From then on, he set a rule for himself.
He would avoid any situation where Hughes was present.
I only came to see Hughes because I had no other choice.
The mayor reached behind him and pulled out a neatly rolled-up banner, handing it to Hughes.
"This is entrusted to me by the mayor of Ogre Town to be given to you, Hughes. He said that the content of the banner was written by Chairman Jose himself and has nothing to do with him or Ogre Town!"
The mayor of Ogre Town also said that he had intended to send someone to deliver the things you requested along with the package, but Jose stopped him!
Having said that, the mayor of Magnolia Town bowed to Hughes, then ran off without looking back, his steps slightly unsteady.
Hughes:...
He's not some monster, why are you so scared?
"Rip, rip!"
Under Makarov's curious gaze, Hughes calmly tore open the banner's packaging and unfolded it instantly.
Hughes:???
Makarov:???
Others secretly spying:???
Inside the golden banner, eight large characters read, "Dirty rats, ashamed to be associated with," written in sharp, bold strokes.
(ps: Thank you to Mr. Machete for your monthly ticket)