Chapter 20: Go to the Magic Council? Are You New?
Ren found a seat at the bar and sat down. Guild members gathered around him, listening to the things he'd run into during his request.
Seeing the curiosity in everyone's eyes, Ren didn't hold back. He shared a few interesting stories from the job.
No one knew how long it went on before Makarov returned to the guild.
When he saw everyone crowded around the bar, he was a little surprised.
But then again, Makarov knew these people. They argued in the guild every day, and the only one who could really make them behave was Erza.
He squeezed into the crowd, and immediately saw Ren sitting at the bar, vividly telling stories.
The moment he saw Ren, Makarov's anger flared.
He pushed his way forward, hopped up onto the bar, and barked at Ren, "You little brat! You caused another huge mess during your request, didn't you?!"
Ren looked up at Makarov, stood with a smile, and set down the bottle in his hand.
Then he slid both hands under Makarov's ribs and lifted him up.
"Ah, Guild Master. Long time no see. I missed you so much."
Being held up over Ren's head, Makarov got furious and shouted, "You brat! Show some respect! I'm the Guild Master!!!"
He tried to smack Ren on the head, but his arms were too short to reach.
He was so angry his face turned red.
Seeing Makarov flailing, Ren decided he'd had enough fun and set him back down on the bar. Then he asked, "Guild Master, it's been so long. Why are you yelling the second we meet?"
"Back then you said we're family in this guild. What kind of person yells at family they haven't seen in ages?"
Ren was clearly the one at fault, but his words left Makarov completely speechless.
"Yeah, Guild Master, that's not right."
"Guild Master, you shouldn't do that."
"You can't be like that next time."
The guild members' voices kept pouring into Makarov's ears, making his face turn even redder.
Not from embarrassment, but from anger.
"You little punks, don't think you're off the hook!"
"All of you got reported to the Council, and it's all because of you!"
Makarov fumed, pulling out a thick stack of papers and shouting at everyone.
"Alright, alright."
"Let's go, let's go. Time to take requests."
The moment they saw Makarov truly mad, no one wanted to get dragged into it. Everyone immediately turned and left, laughing and chatting as they went.
"Hah…"
Makarov let out a heavy breath, grabbed a bottle from the table, and took a big drink.
"Seriously. Let your old man worry a little less, will you."
He complained, but the smile on his face gave him away.
"Go to the Council, then."
Looking at the complaints, Makarov snorted. The papers in his hand immediately caught fire and burned away.
Ren propped his cheek with his right hand and couldn't help laughing at Makarov's move.
"Guild Master, here's the completion report for this request."
Ren handed Makarov the report, stretched lazily, and turned to leave.
"Where are you going now?"
Makarov called after Ren.
"Been gone a long time. Going home to check in."
Ren didn't look back. He just raised an arm and waved.
Zeus and Prometheus floated on either side above Ren's head, and before long his back disappeared from view.
Makarov smiled, looked at the report in his hand, and put it away.
Erza had gone out on a request too and still hadn't returned.
Ren went home and couldn't find anything to eat, so he went back to the guild.
Even though night had fallen, the guild was still lively.
Ren found a seat and sat down, glancing at Cana beside him, hugging a barrel and drinking.
"Ren, didn't anyone tell you it's rude to stare at a girl?"
Being watched like that made Cana uncomfortable. She turned her head with annoyance and spoke to Ren.
Ren laughed and scratched his head. "It's just been a while since I've seen you drink like that. I got distracted."
He grabbed a bottle from behind the bar and returned to his chair.
He lifted the bottle toward Cana. Cana clicked her tongue, then raised her barrel in return.
"Ah, that hits the spot!"
After a mouthful of alcohol, Ren let out a heavy breath and shouted without thinking.
After eating a full meal at the guild, Ren walked home slowly in flip-flops.
Since becoming an S-Class mage, Ren could take higher-paying requests, and his earnings had increased a lot.
Not long ago, he'd bought a house in Magnolia.
It was fairly spacious and not far from the guild, and both Ren and Erza were satisfied with it.
That night, Ren went to bed early and fell asleep.
At home, Ren had even prepared a room for Prometheus, Zeus, and Napoleon.
They didn't need to sleep, but Ren never treated them like servants either.
The next day, Ren sat in the guild drinking as usual.
Suddenly, the guild doors were kicked open.
A pink-haired boy charged inside, shouting.
"I'm back!"
"I'm back too!"
As his voice rang out, everyone in the guild teased him.
"Natsu and Happy are back!"
"Welcome home!"
"Natsu! I've told you so many times—don't kick the door!"
Seeing the battered door, Makarov roared at the pink-haired boy walking in.
"Yeah, yeah, old man!"
Natsu grinned, clearly not taking Makarov's words to heart.
"Hey, who's this? A newbie?"
Natsu suddenly noticed Ren sitting up front, yawning, and leaned in curiously.
The people around were about to speak, but Ren raised a hand to stop them.
Ren showed a harmless smile and said, "Natsu, right? I've heard a lot about you."
Hearing his name from Ren's mouth, Natsu laughed proudly.
"Hahaha! So my reputation's already spread, huh?"
Seeing Natsu smugly puffing himself up, the guild members around him all looked at him like he was an idiot.
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