Chapter 173: Wendy
The atmosphere inside the opulent meeting room of the Blue Pegasus master villa was already thick with tension, but the moment Ren stepped across the threshold, the air seemed to curdle.
Lyon Vastia and Sherry Blendy, the delegates representing the Lamia Scale Guild, froze in place. It was an instinctive, visceral reaction—like prey animals suddenly sensing the shadow of a predator gliding over them. Their eyes widened, pupils constricting into pinpricks as they locked onto the young man from Fairy Tail.
For them, the memories were far too fresh. The events on Galuna Island hadn't just been a defeat; they had been a revelation of the vast, unbridgeable gap between them and the true monsters of the world. But it wasn't just the island. They, like the rest of the magical world, had watched the broadcast of the war between Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord.
They had seen Ren—this unassuming young man standing before them—systematically dismantle Jose Porla. Jose was not a common thug; he was one of the Ten Wizard Saints, a mage standing at the very pinnacle of the continent's hierarchy. Yet, under Ren's overwhelming might, the title of 'Saint' had seemed fragile, almost laughable. The image of Ren transforming into that titanic figure—the one the world now knew as "Whitebeard"—was burned into their retinas. The way he had cracked the very atmosphere, causing the sky to fracture like broken glass, was a nightmare that haunted their sleep.
"It's… him," Sherry whispered, her voice barely audible, trembling as she unconsciously took half a step back. Her usual dramatic flair for "love" and romance evaporated instantly in the face of raw power.
The reaction from the hosts, the Blue Pegasus guild, was no less dramatic. Initially, the "Trimens"—Hibiki Lates, Eve Tearm, and Ren Akatsuki—had been lounging with an air of practiced nonchalance, ready to charm the ladies of Fairy Tail with their renowned hospitality. But as they recognized the newcomer, their charming smiles faltered and died.
Cold sweat began to bead on Hibiki's forehead. He possessed the Archive Magic, a database of vast information, and his mind was currently screaming danger signals. Ren might not hold the official, council-sanctioned title of a Wizard Saint like their guest Jura Neekis, but in the court of public opinion, Ren was something far more terrifying. He was the "Saint Slayer." He was the only mage in the current era to have publicly engaged a Wizard Saint in a duel to the death and emerged not just victorious, but dominant.
He was the undisputed monster of the younger generation.
Even now, whispers circulated through the dark corners of the magical world. Many refused to believe a human could possess such power, theorizing that the old man, Whitebeard, was Ren's true form—an ancient entity masquerading as a youth.
While the mages of Blue Pegasus were known for their narcissism and obsession with beauty, they were not fools. They were elite mages in their own right. They knew that against the kind of destructive power Ren commanded—power capable of tilting oceans and shattering islands—their handsome faces and "Parfum" would offer no protection whatsoever.
"I… I must apologize for my earlier conduct."
A deep, resonant voice broke the suffocating silence.
Jura Neekis, the Ace of Lamia Scale and the Iron Rock of the Ten Wizard Saints, stepped forward. He was a towering man, bald and broad-shouldered, radiating a calm, earthen stability. But even he looked at Ren with a gaze that held no seniority, only profound respect and a hint of trepidation.
Jura had watched that battle too. As the lowest-ranked member of the Ten Wizard Saints, he was painfully aware of the hierarchy. Jose Porla had been a mid-ranked Saint, his magical power significantly eclipsing Jura's own. If Jose was a mountain, Jura was merely a hill. And Ren had crushed that mountain.
"You must be Ren-dono," Jura said, inclining his head in a bow that shocked his guildmates. For a Saint to bow to a regular mage was unheard of. "I witnessed your battle with Jose-dono via the lacrima broadcast. Truly, a hero emerges from the youth. To be honest, I felt a sense of shame watching you; your strength far surpasses my own."
Jura paused, his expression turning serious. "I didn't expect Fairy Tail to send you. I assumed they would send Erza or Natsu, but with you here… the success rate of this operation has effectively jumped to one hundred percent."
Ren looked at the large man, offering a polite, easygoing smile that did little to dispel the others' anxiety. "You're too kind, Jura-san. I'm just here to make sure my friends don't get into too much trouble."
Ren actually liked Jura. In the original story, and in this reality, Jura was a man of integrity. He was upright, reliable, and humble—rare traits in a world filled with eccentric maniacs. Ren couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for the bald monk, knowing the future that awaited him. During the Alvarez Empire arc, the power scaling would skyrocket so absurdly that even the "Gods of Ishgar"—the Four Emperors—would be fodderized. The fact that the strongest mages of the continent would be swept aside like trash by God Serena was a sore point in Ren's knowledge of the timeline. It made the title of "Ten Wizard Saints" feel somewhat tragic.
"You are humble," Jura noted with an approving nod. He then turned, his heavy cloak swishing as he scanned the room. "Blue Pegasus. Lamia Scale. And now, Fairy Tail. Three of the allied guilds have assembled."
Jura frowned slightly, his gaze drifting to the empty space near the door. "The only ones left are the folks from Cait Shelter."
"Folks?"
Ichiya Vandalay, the ace of Blue Pegasus and a man whose face defied conventional geometry, pulled himself up from the floor. He had been previously ignored by Erza and Lucy, but his spirit was unbreakable. He smoothed back his orange hair, sparkles of light seeming to manifest around him purely by force of will.
"I heard a disturbing rumor," Ichiya said, his voice dropping to a dramatic baritone. "My sources say that Cait Shelter is sending only one person."
"One person?!"
Lyon Vastia's eyes narrowed, his ice magic flaring slightly in irritation. "For a Coalition gathering? This is a mission to subdue the Oración Seis, one of the three pillars of the Balam Alliance. Are they mocking us? Or do they simply not care?"
"Wait a minute…" Hibiki interjected, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "If they are sending only one person to join a team comprising the Trimens, Lamia Scale's Ace, and Fairy Tail's monster… then that single person must be terrifying."
The logic took hold of the room. A heavy silence descended as imaginations ran wild.
"It must be a monster comparable to Ren-san," Eve whispered, swallowing hard.
They pictured a scarred veteran with eyes like cold steel. They imagined a towering giant clad in black armor, radiating an aura of death. They anticipated a mage whose very presence would crack the floorboards.
Thud.
A soft, dull sound echoed from the doorway. It wasn't the heavy footfall of a giant, nor the metallic clang of armor. It sounded like… a sack of potatoes hitting the carpet.
Everyone turned, their magic reflexively charging, ready to face the "monster" from Cait Shelter.
There was no giant.
Lying face-down on the floor, having apparently tripped over the completely flat threshold, was a small figure.
"O-Ouch…"
The figure scrambled to their feet, dusting off a dress that had seen better days. It was a little girl. She couldn't have been more than twelve. She had long, deep blue hair that cascaded down her back and large, fearful brown eyes that shimmered with unshed tears of embarrassment.
She looked at the room full of powerful, staring adults and shrank in on herself.
"Th-that… I'm sorry! I'm late!" she stammered, bowing so fast she almost headbutted the floor again. "I'm Wendy from Cait Shelter! P-Please take care of me!!"
The silence that followed was absolute. A pin dropping would have sounded like a cannon blast.
"A… child?!"
The collective gasp sucked the oxygen out of the room.
"They sent a child?!" Sherry looked as if she'd been slapped. "For a large-scale subjugation mission against the Oración Seis? What exactly does Cait Shelter want to do? Are they using her as a sacrifice? This is madness!"
It wasn't just disdain in her voice; it was genuine horror. Sending such a fragile, timid-looking girl into a battlefield filled with dark mages was tantamount to murder.
"It's not just one person, you heavy-makeup woman."
A sharp, haughty voice cut through the confusion.
Walking into the room with the stride of a queen was a small, white cat. She wore a scowl that could curdle milk and crossed her arms with an air of superiority that rivaled even the most arrogant noble.
"Carla! You followed me!" Wendy gasped, looking down at her Exceed companion.
"Of course I did," Carla huffed, twitching her pink ears. "I wouldn't feel at ease with just you alone. Look at you, tripping over nothing the moment you arrive. How do you expect to survive without me?"
"A cat?!"
On the Fairy Tail side, Happy's eyes nearly popped out of his skull. He stared at the white cat, and in that instant, the world seemed to slow down. Background music—something romantic and cheesy—began to play in his head. His heart pounded against his ribs like a trapped bird.
"She's… she's glorious…" Happy floated over, his face flushing a deep, beet red. He presented himself, trembling. "H-Hello! I'm Happy! I'm an Exceed too!"
Carla glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. She looked him up and down, analyzed his goofy expression, and made a decision in less than a nanosecond.
"Hmph."
She turned her head away sharply, ignoring him with extreme prejudice.
"Rejected instantly!" Lucy covered her mouth, trying not to laugh at the brutal shutdown.
Happy floated backward as if struck by lightning, tears streaming down his face like waterfalls. He flew straight to Ren, clutching onto his pant leg.
"Ren! Ren! Help me! Give my fish to that girl over there! She won't talk to me! My charm isn't working!"
Ren looked down at the distraught blue cat and chuckled, reaching down to pat Happy's head. "Happy, listen to me. If you like her, you can't rely on me to give her gifts. It's better to give it to her yourself. If you don't even have the courage to say you like her to her face, a girl like that will never respect you."
Happy sniffled, wiping his nose. "Is… is that so?"
"Of course!" Ren nodded with the solemn gravity of a sage imparting ancient wisdom. "That's how I won Mira over. Persistence and directness."
[Akarin's Note: Ren is referencing his romantic success with Mirajane Strauss, casually flexing his relationship status to encourage the cat.]
"Th-that…"
Wendy's voice wavered, drawing attention back to her. She was fidgeting with the hem of her dress, looking like she wanted the floor to swallow her whole.
"I… although I'm not good at fighting at all, and I know I look weak… I'll try my best! I can use all sorts of support magic to help everyone! So please… please don't exclude me!"
Her desperation was palpable. She was terrified they would send her home, terrified of failing her guild.
Seeing Wendy's timid appearance, Carla's expression softened for a fraction of a second before hardening again. "Chin up, Wendy! It's because you act so weak that people look down on you! Show some backbone!"
Erza Scarlet, who had been observing quietly, stepped forward. Her armor clanked softly, drawing Wendy's eyes. Erza's expression was gentle, lacking her usual sternness.
"I'm sorry if we frightened you," Erza said softly. "Although I'm a little surprised, we have no intention of sending you away. We are comrades now. Please take care of us, Wendy."
Wendy's eyes sparkled as she looked up. "Wow! It's Erza-san! The real Erza-san! Titania! Carla, look!"
"Hmph," Carla crossed her arms again, though she looked slightly appeased. "Better than I expected. This woman seems to have some sense."
"Hello! I'm Happy!" Happy tried again, waving enthusiastically at Carla.
Carla snorted lightly and turned her head away again. "Pesky male."
"She's shy… she's definitely shy… so cute~~!" Happy writhed in the air, interpreting her rejection as tsundere affection.
Ren watched the scene, a genuine smile playing on his lips. "Mm-hmm, that's right, Happy. Stay positive. If you keep this up, you'll definitely be fine."
"Stop feeding his delusion!" Lucy retorted from the side. "No matter how you look at it, she's completely ignoring him, isn't she? It's painful to watch!"
"Now that the pleasantries are exchanged," Jura interrupted, his voice booming slightly to command attention. "All the guilds are here."
"Indeed!"
Ichiya leaped into the center of the room. "Men! Formation!"
The Trimens—Hibiki, Eve, and Ren Akatsuki—fell into place behind him, striking poses that were equal parts impressive and cringe-inducing.
"I will now explain the operation plan to everyone!" Ichiya declared, pointing a finger toward the ceiling. "If you go north from here, you will see a vast, endless sea of trees known as the Worth Woodsea. And deep within that sea of trees, sealed away by the ancients, lies a powerful magic called—Nirvana!"
"Nirvana?" Natsu blinked, tilting his head. "Is that a type of food?"
"It's a magic, you flame-brain," Gray muttered, though he looked equally confused. "What kind of magic is it?"
"Never heard of it," Lyon admitted. "Mr. Jura, have you heard of it?"
"I have not," Jura said gravely. "To think such a thing was hidden in our lands…"
The room fell silent as everyone racked their brains. No one knew what kind of magic it was.
Ren, however, kept his face neutral. He knew exactly what Nirvana was. He remembered the Oración Seis arc vividly from his previous life. Nirvana was a terrifying ancient Magic Item capable of turning light into darkness, switching the morality of those caught in its range. It was a weapon of mass chaos. But he couldn't say anything yet; explaining how he knew classified ancient history would be too troublesome.
Hibiki stepped forward, activating his Archive Magic. Holographic screens floated in the air.
"We don't know the specific nature of the magic," Hibiki explained, his voice serious. "But we know that the Oración Seis's goal in gathering in the sea of trees is to get their hands on Nirvana. Our goal is simple: Prevent this magic from reappearing and eliminate the Oración Seis!"
"We have thirteen mages on our side," Hibiki continued, glancing at the group. "However, the enemy's specific number is unknown."
Lucy raised her hand. "Unknown? Aren't there only six of them? Oración Seis means six prayers, right?"
Hibiki shook his head, a grim expression overtaking his handsome features. "Yes, originally that was the assumption. But according to our latest intelligence gathering, the Oración Seis haven't come alone. They have summoned all the Dark Guilds under their command to the forest."
He paused, letting the weight of the situation settle.
"The Oración Seis sit at the top of a dark hierarchy. They have many guilds under them, comprising thugs, dark mages, and mercenaries. Conservatively estimated… the number of enemies is at least over five hundred."
"500 people?!!!"
The collective scream reverberated through the villa, shaking the chandeliers.
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