Chapter 7: A Guild Newcomer? A Guild Monster!
Roland released his grip with a slight smile, and Laxus, who had long lost his strength, collapsed to his knees.
The fur coat and shirt he had been wearing were reduced to ashes by the burning Magical Power, leaving only his trousers intact.
His exposed skin bore numerous burn marks, and recovering would require at least one or two months of bed rest.
All of this was the result of Roland exercising extreme restraint.
He had a premonition that if he hadn't held back, the entire town of Magnolia would have evaporated into gas.
As the battle ended, an eerie silence fell over everyone present.
Clearly, no one had expected a newcomer to defeat Laxus—and in such an overwhelmingly dominant fashion.
Was this really a guild rookie?
More like a guild monster!!
Makarov was the first to react. He hurried to Laxus's side, looked at his grandson lying charred on the floor, and quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Though the injuries looked severe, most were minor burns. A three or four-day stay at Porlyusica's would likely suffice.
"I hope this incident teaches you some restraint..." Makarov muttered to himself helplessly.
As noon passed, Roland's temperament returned to normal, the arrogance and pride in his heart completely vanishing.
Most of the second floor had been burned down, with residual wooden planks still smoldering with sparks and thick smoke.
Seeing the scene that resembled the aftermath of a fire, Roland subtly took a step back.
Surely the guild master wouldn't demand compensation from him, right?
He was currently penniless and even owed Levy a considerable amount of money. If he were saddled with this additional debt, he'd probably end up sleeping under a bridge.
After Makarov instructed Elfman to take Laxus to the infirmary, the others gradually snapped out of their daze, and a deafening wave of excited discussions erupted.
"Did you see that? That Laxus... was completely helpless against that newcomer!!" shouted a young man with golden center-parted hair, his voice trembling with excitement.
"It's Roland, Roland! Remember his name, Max!" Levy corrected him eagerly, clenching her fists in exhilaration.
"That was terrifying—the sheer pressure earlier—" Macao took a deep breath, his heart still racing wildly.
"Indeed. With power like that, he'd be an S-Class Mage in any guild," Wakaba, puffing on his pipe, couldn't help chiming in. "I wonder how he stacks up against Gildarts."
All eyes were fixed on Roland, and the lively debates showed no signs of stopping.
"Alright, everyone!" Makarov leaped onto the railing again, cleared his throat twice, and drew everyone's attention.
"All of you here, clean up the guild hall first. And Roland, you come with me."
Not only had the fight between Roland and Laxus destroyed the second floor, but the earlier brawl had also shattered plenty of things—this would serve as their punishment.
At his words, the crowd's enthusiasm instantly deflated, and several tried to slip away under the pretext of taking on missions.
Seeing Levy's smile freeze as well, Roland snapped his fingers.
Shadows twisted gradually, and one after another, shadowy ninjas emerged from the darkness, swiftly and efficiently beginning to tidy up the chaotic guild hall.
Seeing these familiar ninjas, the blue-haired girl looked up toward the second floor, where she saw a young man tilting his head and smiling at her.
He likes me too!
Thinking this, Levy covered her flat chest, a sweet smile curling at the corners of her lips.
————
Following Makarov to the room on the second floor, Roland was unsurprisingly questioned about his earlier condition and the nature of his magic.
Roland didn't continue hiding things from this guild master who genuinely cared for his members.
After all, if he spent more time with the others in the guild in this state, they would eventually figure it out.
"So, that earlier appearance was a side effect of your magic?"
After learning about the magic called "Sun," Makarov looked dazed.
As expected—it truly was a Lost Magic, wasn't it?
To think he could even use the Magical Power of the "Sun"…
"What an incredible magic!"
After expressing his amazement, Makarov turned his attention back to Roland, who was sitting across from him, sipping hot tea.
Wait—where did you get that tea?
As if sensing his confusion, Roland pointed to the Gourmet Table Cloth spread over the table and said with a light laugh, "This cloth can produce all kinds of delicious food. Is there anything you'd like to drink, Guild Master?"
"Oh! There's such a convenient Magic Item?!"
Hearing this, Makarov's curiosity was piqued. He leaned in and whispered, "Can it produce fine wine?"
His own alcohol was strictly monitored by the girl downstairs. Except during banquets, it was hard for him to drink to his heart's content.
"How about some wine?" Roland thought of the famous wines from his previous life and snapped his fingers. "A bottle of Lafite!"
As soon as he spoke, a bottle of high-quality red wine materialized on the table.
There wasn't the slightest trace of Magical Power fluctuation.
"A wine I've never heard of…"
Makarov eyed the bottle labeled with unfamiliar text, took a tentative sip, and instantly his eyes lit up.
He had expected it to taste unpleasant, but its flavor far surpassed most wines on the market.
"Could it be that this tablecloth is also…"
"Yes, I came across it during my travels."
Roland nodded with a smile.
His explanation for the origin of the "Sun" magic was the same—obtained during his travels.
Nothing could be a more perfect story.
"How enviable! If only I'd traveled more when I was young!"
Makarov took a big swig from the bottle and mumbled drunkenly.
————
By the time Makarov came downstairs from Roland's room, Levy hadn't even had a chance to greet him before she was pushed aside by other guild members.
"Hey, little Roland, want to have a few drinks with your uncle?"
"You're really something, newcomer!"
"The new guy looks pretty cute—just my type! Want to go on a date with me, big sister?"
"Shut up, Cana!"
It seemed that being too popular wasn't necessarily a good thing…
Watching the enthusiastic guild members swarm toward him, Roland couldn't help but take a couple of steps back.