"Huh? What's going on?" Lucy was still confused.
"Fairy Tail... waaah, how could you abandon peace like this!" The old man sobbed dramatically.
'Whoosh'
Erza sheathed her sword, her expression cold as she said, "No one would ever agree with your so-called peace!"
With that, she returned to her seat. Seeing Natsu and Gray still glaring at each other, she ordered, "Natsu, Gray, come back."
"Yes," the two reluctantly returned to their seats, though their anger simmered.
"How tragic... waaah, how could Fairy Tail betray peace like this... I'm so disappointed in you all..."
The old man cried as he walked away.
"He seems a bit off. Who is he?" Lucy asked, puzzled.
"Just some lunatic," Gray muttered.
"I really wanted to punch him!" Natsu added, clearly irritated.
"A self-proclaimed peace-loving mage—Pudden, a hypocrite," Erza explained.
"What he said sounded like he was planning to attack our guild," Lucy worriedly remarked.
"Don't worry, no one can lay a hand on our guild," Natsu reassured her with a grin.
The hypocrite had ruined everyone's appetite.
So they quickly finished eating and headed back to the guild.
But what greeted them was...
Their guild hall, destroyed—ripped apart by countless iron rods, reduced to a pile of rubble!
'BOOM'
Natsu's flames erupted instantly!
"Natsu, calm down!" Erza swiftly punched him in the stomach.
Her usually foolproof strike failed.
Natsu shrugged off Erza's punch, straightened up, and his flames only grew fiercer. The surrounding temperature skyrocketed, instantly surpassing the peak heat of summer!
"The guild's been destroyed—how do you expect me to stay calm?!" Natsu growled through gritted teeth.
"Natsu, don't worry. Everyone's fine—it's just the building that's been wrecked." At that moment, Mirajane appeared from behind, carrying a large bag.
She walked over to Jehfrit.
Jehfrit extended his hand, taking something from her.
Mirajane addressed the group, "It's hard to explain right now. Let's head to the basement first."
"Natsu, put out your flames. Don't cause more trouble for the neighbors," Jehfrit reminded him.
"That's right. It's not just you who cares about the guild—we're all angry. But we need to figure out what happened first," Gray urged.
"Natsu..." Lucy looked at him anxiously.
Natsu reined in his flames, his jaw twitching as if he wanted to bare his teeth but held back.
"Natsu, everyone's safe. That's what matters," Lucy quickly grabbed his arm to comfort him.
"Let's go downstairs," Mirajane said.
Only then did she turn to Jehfrit, surprised. "Jehfrit, you've changed clothes. Did you run into a powerful enemy?"
"I'm surprised you noticed," Jehfrit replied, slightly taken aback. His new outfit was nearly identical to his previous one, with only subtle differences.
"It's rare to see you change outfits," Mirajane smiled.
"Yeah, it wasn't anything too dangerous," Jehfrit recalled. It had been a bit troublesome, but far from life-threatening.
"If even you consider it dangerous, it must be an S-Class-level mage," Mirajane said, impressed.
"Is that your way of acknowledging my strength?"
"Of course."
"Thank you for the recognition." Jehfrit pulled out a card, flicked it, and a beautifully wrapped box appeared in his hand. "A kind young lady like you always makes me want to give small gifts."
"Thank you. Can I open it now?" Mirajane accepted the gift with a smile.
"Go ahead."
Mirajane opened the box to find a bright red orange inside.
"It looks like a very expensive variety," she chuckled.
"Mm, it's very sweet," Jehfrit nodded.
"I'll enjoy it thoroughly."
As they spoke...
The group descended to the basement.
Although the guild had been destroyed...
Everyone seemed unaffected, laughing and feasting as usual.
However, Jehfrit scanned the room and noticed—
Everyone was here!
In truth, no one could easily shrug off the destruction of their guild.
But ultimately, it depended on the Master's decision.
Master Makarov was drinking heavily.
When he saw everyone return, he greeted them with a booming laugh, "How was your job, Lucy? Everything go smoothly?"
"Eh? Yeah," Lucy nodded, bewildered.
"Master, what exactly happened?" Erza asked, her face dark with anger.
"Our guild has been destroyed!" Natsu shouted furiously.
"Calm down, calm down. There's no need to get worked up over this. No one got hurt. Those Phantom guys attacking an empty guild just made themselves look ridiculous," the Master chuckled, his face radiating warmth.
"The guild was attacked last night," Mirajane added. "Everyone was gone by then."
"There's no point in stooping to their level. They're petty," the Master shook his head dismissively, clearly looking down on Phantom Lord.
"What are you talking about, Gramps?! That was our home!" Natsu snapped.
"Huh? Home?" The Master strained to open his drunken eyes wider. "Natsu, everyone's here, and no one's hurt. Isn't that what makes it home? As for the building upstairs, it's just wood and nails. I was actually thinking of renovating the guild anyway..."
'BOOM'
Natsu punched a nearby pillar to pieces, his face burning with rage. "I can't let this slide! I'm going to beat them all to a pulp!"
"Forget about it," the Master said sternly. "This is the Master's order!"
At those words...
Everyone in the guild, who had been listening silently, instinctively raised their glasses and took a long swig of alcohol.
"Damn it!" Natsu clenched his fists in frustration.
"That's enough. Anyway, I need to use the bathroom—I really gotta go!" The Master clutched his bottle of booze and hurried off.
"Gramps, wait—" Natsu tried to stop him.
"Forget it, Natsu. This is the Master's decision," Mirajane sighed. "There's nothing we can do. Physical conflicts between guilds are strictly forbidden by the Magic Council!"
"But they started it!" Natsu protested angrily.
"But..." Erza's face darkened. "Since this is the Master's decision, there's nothing we can do."
"I—"
"Natsu."
Before Natsu could continue, Jehfrit placed a hand on his shoulder.
Natsu turned to look at him, only to see Jehfrit raise his left hand, adjusting his glasses with his ring finger, half his face hidden behind his palm.
Natsu suddenly understood. He decided to stop causing a scene because Jehfrit would take him...
"By the way, Jehfrit."
Just as Natsu thought this, Cana's voice rang out behind Jehfrit.
"What is it, Ca—"
Jehfrit began to turn around, puzzled, when something was forcibly shoved into his mouth.
A...
Bottle of alcohol?
The world spun.
'THUD'
Jehfrit collapsed backward, but Mirajane, prepared for this, caught him before he hit the floor.
Everyone stared at Cana in confusion.
Cana sighed apologetically. "The Master told me to do it."