"If we leave Jehfrit unchecked, he'll definitely cause a huge mess," Mirajane said. Despite being a girl, her physical strength was impressive as she effortlessly hoisted Jehfrit into her arms and carried him out.
"That's right," Cana sighed, nodding reluctantly.
"I've heard about Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail's rivalry, but I can't believe they'd do something like this as an official guild!" Lucy found it hard to fathom.
"That's just how they operate. Over the years, they've been provoking us with small skirmishes," Erza explained. "But for this incident... I have a feeling it's not over yet."
"At a time like this, knocking Jehfrit out drunk—was that really a good idea?" Gray sighed deeply.
Cana took another swig of alcohol, her expression troubled. "But if we don't restrain him, there will be casualties on Phantom's side. Jehfrit would become a target. We're not a dark guild, and he's not a dark mage."
Erza suddenly turned to Lucy. "Phantom must be plotting something. We can't let our guard down. Lucy, for the next few days, we should stick together as much as possible!"
"Huh?" Lucy nodded hesitantly. "Okay..."
"Wait... Does sticking together mean all of you have to come to my place?!"
At Lucy's apartment, she stared in disbelief at Erza, Natsu, Gray, and Happy sprawled around her living room.
"Do you mind?" Erza tilted her head innocently.
"Not exactly..." Lucy gave up resisting.
"Ugh, what a hassle." Natsu lay face-down on Lucy's low table, looking utterly defeated. "I already said we should just go beat them up. Is Gramps scared or something?"
"There's no way Gramps is scared," Gray replied. "He's one of the Ten Wizard Saints, after all."
"The Ten Wizard Saints?" Lucy asked, puzzled.
"It's a title given by the Magic Council to the ten most powerful mages on this continent," Erza explained.
"Eh?!" Lucy gasped in surprise. "The Master is one of them? That's incredible!"
"But the guild master of Phantom Lord, Jose, is also one of the Ten Wizard Saints," Happy chimed in. "Phantom Lord is one of the strongest guilds on the continent. If two top-tier guilds with members from the Ten Wizard Saints were to fight, it would shake the entire magical world."
"Exactly," Gray agreed. "That's why we can't start a war so easily."
"And," Erza added, "they also have S-Class mages known as the Four Elementals, as well as a Dragon Slayer like Natsu called Gajeel, the Iron Dragon. The iron rods used to destroy our guild—it's likely his doing."
"Tch." Natsu turned his head away in frustration.
"Natsu," Lucy sat beside him and began petting his head absentmindedly, as if stroking a cat.
"Hmph." Natsu grunted softly.
"..." To her surprise, Lucy found herself getting oddly addicted to the sensation. His hair had an unexpectedly soft texture—she seemed to have discovered a surprisingly adorable trait of Natsu's.
Encouraged, she continued petting him more enthusiastically.
Natsu didn't protest, simply lying there sulking.
"Natsu, don't think about war lightly. Fighting such a powerful guild carries the risk of death," Erza warned sternly.
"If Jehfrit were to get involved..." Gray rubbed his temples, exasperated. "His attacks are delivered through guns. Anyone who can't dodge or block bullets will either die or suffer severe injuries."
"Ah, I see..." Lucy finally understood why everyone had acted preemptively to knock Jehfrit out.
"Come to think of it, Jehfrit gets drunk off even the smallest sip of alcohol," Lucy joked half-heartedly. "Even kids wouldn't react like that."
"So, Lucy, remember this clearly: whatever else you do, never reveal this fact," Erza said gravely.
"I understand!" Lucy nodded solemnly.
---
"Jehfrit, please go out with me!" A blonde-haired noblewoman grabbed Jehfrit's arm, blushing and confessing bravely.
"Uh..." Jehfrit froze, scrambling to come up with a polite rejection. Just as he opened his mouth—
"Jehfrit!" A voice called out from afar.
A striking white-haired beauty approached, grabbing Jehfrit's shoulder firmly. "Come with me on a mission."
"Huh..." Jehfrit sighed. "Give me a break—I just spent the whole afternoon sparring with Natsu."
"Don't lie," Mirajane said bluntly. "Didn't you ditch Natsu in the forest and go fishing with Happy instead?"
"How dare you slander me without proof!" Jehfrit protested indignantly.
"You reek of fish from miles away," Mirajane pointed out dryly. "And before lying, maybe try hiding the evidence first." She gestured toward Jehfrit's right hand, which usually held his cane—but today, it was holding a rope tied to a two-pound fish that had clearly been dead for hours.
"Gray saw you pacing back and forth past the guild entrance three times pretending to be lost," Mirajane added casually.
"If they saw me, why didn't they call me over?!" Jehfrit exploded in anger. "Damn it!"
"..." Mirajane paused, slightly baffled. "Happy said you ran home excitedly after catching that fish. Based on his timeline, you got lost in town for at least two hours."
"With that kind of free time, you might as well join me on a mission."
"No thanks, I'm tired," Jehfrit insisted stubbornly.
"Is that so?" Mirajane smiled sweetly, but her hands slowly transformed into demonic claws.
She grabbed Jehfrit's head, squeezing tightly. "Ow, ow, ow!"
The pain was unbearable, ringing in his ears and clouding his vision.
Slowly, consciousness faded into chaos, only to be pierced by a sliver of white light.
He gradually came to.
Was that...
A dream?
But...
The headache felt real enough.
It throbbed painfully across his temples, forehead, and scalp.
Master Makarov and Cana... damn them.
They drugged him with sleeping pills!
This pounding headache must be the side effect of overdosing!
"Jehfrit," a voice called softly.
He turned his head.
It was Mirajane.
She sat dejectedly on a stool, her eyes red and puffy from crying.
"What happened?"
Jehfrit gingerly sat up, clutching his throbbing head. The dizziness caused by the drug made every movement nauseating.
He massaged his temples, hoping the pressure would dull the sharp pain inside his skull.
This was... one of the infirmaries Fairy Tail rented permanently at Magnolia Hospital.
"Levy..." Mirajane hesitated, then pulled back the curtain separating the two beds.
On the adjacent bed lay a blue-haired girl covered in bandages, her body battered but stabilized. Even in sleep, her brows remained furrowed, as if the pain lingered in her dreams.
///////
Translator's note:
Hello dear readers! So it's the first translation note for this chinese fanfic.
I'm thrilled you've made it this far, and I hope you're enjoying the story as much as I enjoyed translating it to you. Over the past few chapters, I've taken a few creative liberties—adding occasional sentences here and there, smoothing out some cultural references, and adapting certain Chinese idioms so the story "feels" more natural to "Western" eyes and minds. My goal was to preserve the original spirit of this fanfic while making each scene pop in English while tweaking chapters left and right so the typical strange chinese rythm that i dislike don't happen often and to keep readers immersion.
If you have a moment, I'd love to hear from you:
What do you think of the translation quality so far?
Have my tweaks and added lines helped or distracted? Or where you even aware of my tweaks ?
Are there any jokes or references that still feel too "foreign"/"chinese"/"disconnected" or others you'd like to see explained?
Your feedback really helps me fine‑tune future chapters and ensure that the story remains engaging and true to its roots. Feel free to drop a comment below—whether it's a quick thumbs‑up, a suggestion, or just to say hi. Every bit of input is incredibly valuable.
Thank you for reading this translation. I can't wait to hear your thoughts!