Meliodas walked past a large cathedral, following the route straight to the Fairy Tail guild.
Meliodas approached a large, stone building that appeared to be in the middle of construction. Several people walked by Meliodas, carrying a few stacks of wood over their shoulders. Behind them, two individuals walked side by side to each other, one being a lean, muscular young man with spiky pink hair and the other being a muscular young man with black spiky hair, who for whatever reason, was not wearing a shirt.
"Think you can keep up with me Natsu! Just give up!" The shirtless young man yelled while shakily carrying the large stack of wooden planks.
"I'll give up when you decide to actually put a damn shirt on Gray!" Natsu retorted, with his arms also shaking from carrying such a large stack of planks. Both of them stop walking and turn to face each other. As the two of them continued to argue, with their arms trembling as the wood they were carrying began to shift, Meliodas approached them.
"Yo!" Meliodas greeted them amicably. The two bickering young men turned their heads and looked at Meliodas.
"What do you want, kid?" Natsu grunted under the weight of the wooden planks. Gray glanced at Meliodas and his eyes widened as he remembered the young blond boy who had reflected the Jupiter Cannon's attack.
"Hey aren't you-" Gray's question was interrupted as his arms gave way from the weight of the planks. The large stack of planks crashed on top of him, causing Natsu to laugh. In turn, Natsu lost the strength in his arms as the wooden planks rained down on him. Meliodas tilted his head slightly as he stared at the two large piles of wood in front of him.
"HEY YOU TWITS! IF YOU'RE DONE PLAYING PATTY CAKE AND WASTING OUR RESOURCES, THEN GET BACK TO WORK!" A woman's angry voice yelled from behind Meliodas. Meliodas turned around and recognized the red haired woman who had originally placed herself in front of the cannon to stop its blast, only this time instead of a heavy suit of armor, she was wearing construction worker attire and holding a clipboard.
From the piles of wood, Gray and Natsu popped back out, with an arm around each other as if they were the best of friends.
"Aye aye!" Both of them replied in unison as they scrambled to pick up the planks off the ground. Meliodas slightly laughed at the stupid duo. 'These guys are funny.' Erza turned towards Meliodas who was chuckling.
"Sorry, but we're currently in the process of rebuilding. May I help you?" Erza said to Meliodas with her original angry tone suddenly replaced with a kinder professional tone.
"Are you all from Fairy Tail?" Meliodas asked.
"Yes we are Fairy-" Erza abruptly stopped her sentence as she immediately recognized Meliodas, the mysterious naked boy who stopped the Jupiter Cannon with only a stick, causing her to drop her clipboard on the ground.
"Hey aren't you-" Erza murmured for a brief moment before realization dawned on her.
"Thank you very much for assisting us with the Jupiter cannon." Erza said while slightly bowing her head. A few of the other guild members including Natsu turned towards Erza, slightly surprised at her behavior. The spectating guild members commented as they saw Meliodas.
"Hey! Isn't that the kid who stopped the Jupiter Cannon?!"
"He is.. I recognize him. Although he has clothes on this time."
"Well you were out there risking your life for your friends. So I also felt the need to put myself out there." Meliodas replied with a friendly smile.
In response, Erza extended her hand out to Meliodas.
"I am Erza Scarlet of Fairy Tail. If it hadn't been for you, we would have suffered some serious damage." Erza said.
"I'm Meliodas. Nice to meet ya!" Meliodas replied as he accepted her gesture and shook her hand.
"Hey, thanks for helping us!" A voice came from the side as Gray approached Meliodas.
"I am Gray Fullbuster, and the Pink Haired idiot is Natsu Dragneel." Gray said as he introduced himself and pointed at Natsu. Natsu glared angrily at Gray but stopped as Erza gave him a stern look.
"Nice to meet ya both!" Meliodas replied.
"We tried to look for you after the battle to properly thank you, but you just disappeared and we didn't know your name either." Gray said.
"Well I wasn't feeling so great so I had to leave early. Sorry about that." Meliodas said. He didn't want to think about the fact that he passed out naked on the street before being thrown in some random dumpster for many days.
"Thanks for coming by, if there is anything we can assist you with, please feel free to ask." Erza said.
"Well actually, I was hoping I could speak to the guild master. I'm looking for some information." Meliodas replied back.
"Unfortunately, the master is out at a meeting at the moment." Erza said.
" Do you know when he will return?" Meliodas asked.
"He will be returning soon. If you would like, you can wait inside for his return. The main cafe is set up so you can rest there." Erza said while gesturing to the guild entrance. "I can guide you over if you'd like."
"Sure, that would be great! Thanks!" Meliodas said as he followed Erza to guild hall.
As he entered the building, a familiar feeling swept over him, as if he was in his own tavern again with his friends. A slim young woman with white hair served alcohol to a group of men as they continued to drink and laugh. A large, muscular man with tan skin and white hair arm wrestled with another man. Several more people stood near the walls, hammering down wood as they continued with renovations.
"Here you are. Now, if you will excuse me, I will have to return to work" Erza said before departing.
Meliodas walked towards the bar counter and sat down. He saw a young blonde woman that was seated near him at the counter speaking with the barmaid. The barmaid looked towards Meliodas and approached him.
"Oh, you are the kid that helped us." She said with a bright smile. The young blonde woman also turned towards Meliodas before greeting him.
"That was you?!" The blonde woman said, surprised to see Meliodas as she recalled some of the guild members talking about a naked blond boy who reflected the Jupiter Cannon before it struck Erza. "Well thank you for saving us. By the way, my name is Lucy. It's nice to meet you."
"Meliodas." Meliodas replied with a smile.
"I am Mirajane. And again, thank you for your help." Mirajane also introduced herself.
"If there is anything you need, it will be on the house."
Meliodas's eyes lit up as he stared at the various alcohol selections on the wall. Magnolian Berry Ale, Wild Wyvern Ale, Clover Ale, were just a few that Meliodas saw on the shelves, all of which were unfamiliar to him, but he was excited to try them out.
"If that's the case, then can I get a glass of Wild Wyvern Ale?"
"Ale…?" Mirajane looked at Meliodas with a confused expression. To her, Meliodas looked like a young boy who couldn't have been more than thirteen while Fiore's drinking age was fifteen. Even Lucy, who was sitting at the bar was surprised.
"Sorry, but you shouldn't be drinking alcohol as a kid. How about some juice instead." Mira suggested kindly as she placed a fresh glass of orange juice in front of Meliodas.
Meliodas eyed the juice and shook his head, as in Britannia, many knew Meliodas as an adult and even those who didn't know didn't care if he drank.
'Juice...' Meliodas sighed. He didn't want to drink juice. What was he, twelve years old…
However, he still picked up the glass, quickly gulping it down in seconds before placing the glass down hard on the table.
"Now...I would like some alcohol please. Despite my looks, I'm not a kid." Meliodas persisted.
���No." Mira replied.
"Just one Mug." Meliodas countered.
"Nope."
"Half a mug."
"I don't think kids should drink."
"Just a small cup then." Meliodas persisted as he stared into Mirajane's eyes. There was a brief moment of silence between them until she finally answered.
"A-alright, but just this one, okay?" Mira said, finally acquiescing to Meliodas's wishes. She filled a small mug with Wild Wyvern Ale and handed it to Meliodas. It had a slightly lower alcohol content. Meliodas quickly grabbed it before she might have had the chance to change her mind and began drinking it.
"Ahhhhh!" Meliodas let out a relaxing sigh as he finished the ale. "This was some high quality booze!"
"More please!" Meliodas requested. "Don't worry, I am old enough, I just look young."
Mirajane smiled at Meliodas's comment before returning to Lucy and the two young women began conversing as Meliodas drank more ale for the next hour, experimenting with the different kinds as he waited for the guild master to return. In the meantime, Natsu and Gray had also approached the bar, finished with their construction duty for the day.
They noticed Meliodas and were about to approach in greeting, when Natsu was unfortunately struck by a flying table, knocking him down and trapping him underneath it.
"You dare say that again?!" Erza yelled angrily. Meliodas turned his head over to the commotion. He saw Natsu's pink hair sticking out from underneath the table and Erza arguing with someone beyond him.
"Then I'll say it more clearly. The guild doesn't need weak bastards!" A large, muscular young man with slicked back spiky blond hair and a distinct lightning bolt shaped scar over his right eye. "To be looked down upon by a guild such as Phantom Lord...How embarrassing!!"
"Who is this guy?" Meliodas asked Mirajane.
"He's Laxus Dreyar, an S class mage of Fairy Tail and the grandson of the master. I haven't explained the rank system to you yet but the S class is a rank reserved for the strongest mages of Fairy Tail." Mirajane answered.
"Well he looks pretty strong." Meliodas commented, taking another sip of his ale while he watched.
"I heard that you guys were beaten up by that Iron Dragon Gajeel?! Speaking of which, what are your names again? You're all a disgrace Ahahahahahaha!" Laxus laughed while pointing at a trio of mages sitting nearby. The three mages looked down in embarrassment as Laxus continued to mock them.
"And who are they?" Meliodas asked Mirajane, referring to the three mages Laxus had just pointed out.
"They're Team Shadow Gear. The girl with the blue hair is Levy McGarden. The two next to her are Jet and Droy." Mirajane answered. However, she still had a sullen look on her face as she watched the commotion.
"And you…" Laxus turned around and faced the bar table where Lucy was sitting. "Isn't this the princess who caused all of this?" Laxus began to walk towards Lucy but stopped as Mirajane slammed the table with her palm.
"Laxus! The matter is closed! There was no talk of blame from the start. You didn't participate in the fight and you don't need to add oil to the fire. Master said that."
"Of course it doesn't have anything to do with me. But if I was there, I wouldn't get beat up horribly." Laxus retorted. Next to Lucy, Laxus noticed Meliodas sitting aloofly, drinking his mug of booze.
"Hey you short shit. This bar is for guild members only. Why don't you piss off." Laxus declared, glaring at Meliodas. Meliodas ignored Laxus's provocation as he finished his ale.
"Laxus, he may not be a guild member, but he was there to help us in the fight against Phantom Lord, unlike you." Mirajane answered back. Laxus took a closer look at Meliodas and remembered the description of a young naked boy who had reflected the Jupiter Cannon's attack.
"So Fairy Tail has stooped so low that they needed help from a little child? AHAHAHA!" Laxus began laughing loudly and walking towards Meliodas. Meliodas continued savoring his drink, ignoring Laxus who was approaching him at the bar.
"I find it hard to believe this child could stop the Jupiter Cannon. Why don't we test that-"
"Laxus you bastard!" A voice yelled from behind Laxus as Natsu jumped out from under the table that was on top of him. Natsu charged at Laxus, preparing to punch him when Laxus suddenly disappeared from Natsu's field of vision, leaving only sparks where he originally stood and reappearing behind Natsu.
"Laxus, fight me you unfeeling unreasonable bastard!" Natsu yelled as he turned around and began charging at Laxus again.
"Ahahaha you can't even catch me, and you still talk about-" Laxus's laughs ended abruptly as he noticed a figure go flying by him. As Laxus turned around, he felt something tap the back of his head.
"Well well well. I think this is a bit too much tension for a friendly guild fight don't ya think?" Meliodas said with a relaxed smile, holding the mug he used to bonk Laxus.
"The hell you want from me shorty? You lookin to die today?" A vein appeared on Laxus's forehead as he glared at Meliodas. Meliodas's expression remained the same as he looked up and met Laxus's gaze.
"You're not even in this guild. Why don't you piss off if you know what's good for you." Laxus said as sparks began to form around his body. The guild hall became dead silent as everyone around watched in anticipation of what was about to happen. Erza ran forward to try to stop what she sensed was going to be a fight but stopped as Meliodas began speaking.
"I don't know the specifics as to why you feel the way you do about the guild, but there is more to a guild than power. You may have strength, but you're severely lacking right here." Meliodas pointed his thumb towards his chest, referring to the heart. There is a moment of silence after Meliodas's words, until eventually the tension in the room died down as Laxus's heavy glare turned into a cocky smirk.
"Tch...you sound like the old man. All of you weak minded shits think alike. Go ahead and join these weak shits then." Laxus laughed as he walked by Meliodas, with neither individual making further eye contact with each other.
"If I succeed the guild, I'll erase all the weak shits away along with anyone who opposes me! I will build the strongest guild! A guild that nobody will look down on! History's strongest guild!!!" Laxus yelled his last words before exiting the guild hall. The air became tense as everyone looked towards the exit.
A few moments passed, the tension cleared. Everyone gave Meliodas a quick glance. They were impressed that he actually stood up to Laxus. The atmosphere slowly became festive once again as everyone resumed their drinking and talking.
"So what's his deal?" Meliodas asked nonchalantly as he walked back over to the bar after Laxus exited. "Also I'll have another ale please!"
"Alright, but this will be the last alright?" Mirajane smiled at Meliodas and refilled his drink. "Also you should be careful of Laxus. He is becoming quite aggressive." Mira's friendly face turned a little solemn as she warned Meliodas.
"I'll manage". Meliodas replied aloofly before grabbing the mug.
As Meliodas drank his second mug of ale. He overheard Natsu and his friends begin talking when he observed a blue cat that was speaking like a human.
"A talking cat..." Meliodas commented, reminding him of his own talking pig back in Britannia.
"That's Happy, Natsu's best friend." Mirajane replied. "Natsu has looked after Happy ever since he hatched."
"I am sorry, did you say he hatched?" Meliodas asked, confused at the concept of a cat hatching from an egg.
"Yes, out of an egg."
"How did a cat hatch out of an egg?"
"Well Natsu found a large egg in the forest once, and he brought it back to the guild. Around a week later, Happy hatched out of the egg."
"That's a great story, but how does a cat hatch out of an Egg?" Meliodas kept asking.
"Happy is a magical Cat." Mirajane said smiling.
"Magical Cat?"
"He is a cat that is able to fly."
"A happiness bringing, flying magical cat?" Meliodas murmured. "All I had was a magical talking pig that ate all the leftovers..."
"What's that?" Mirajane turned to Meliodas.
"Nothing, just talking to myself." Meliodas replied.
"Alright then." Mirajane said as she turned back to Lucy, who was getting up from the table as she was joining up with Natsu. "Lucy, take care of yourself on the mission."
"Thanks Mira, bye!" Lucy replied as she turned to Meliodas. "It was nice meeting you."
"Likewise." Meliodas replied back.
"So they all went off on a mission huh?" Meliodas asked Mirajane.
"Mhm. There is a mission request board over there. It's how the mages here earn money. We haven't been accepting a lot of new missions because of the renovations but there are still some older jobs posted there. It's a great way to make money, but knowing those five, they'll probably cause more damage than what the mission pays for."
Meliodas continued to drink in silence as he thought about what Mirajane had just told him. However, while he was lost in thought, he did not realize that Mira was now replacing his drinks with juice.
'So joining a guild would definitely help me in making money to survive here while I gather information on potential magic that could help me return. ' Meliodas mused as he drank his juice. 'Hmm…' Meliodas smacked his lips. 'This is..' He looked towards his drink which was now just orange juice.
"Last one" he requested.
"Nope."
"Mix it with the juice." he offered.
"Nope.."
"What abou-"
"No." Mirajane looked at Meliodas sternly.
"Fine." Meliodas gave up and drank the juice instead. Mirajane smiled as she watched Meliodas drink.
For the next couple of hours, Meliodas remained at the bar and asked Mirajane a lot of questions pertaining to the guild and to the world in general. He also asked Mira about different magic to see if he could get a lead on powerful spatial magic, all of which were answered by her.
"That's about the gist of it. The book store owner is also right. There are indeed many different guilds in the continent of Fiore. The total count amounts to almost 500 in all of Fiore. All of these guilds may have some unique wizards that may be able to help you with what you're looking for. But the use of spatial magic for transport is quite rare. I am afraid I don't particularly know of anyone that uses it solely for travel. The master may be able to help you with that. He has seen much more of the world then I have."
"Then you must have been on a lot of missions as well." Meliodas said.
"Yes, but that was a long time ago" Mira replied. However, her expression became slightly dim as she mentioned it.
"Who is the current guild master?" Meliodas asked, trying to change the subject, noticing Mirajane's change in expression.
"Our master is Makarov Dreyar."
"Makarov Dreyar. What's he like?"
"See for yourself. It looks like he is back." Mirajane pointed to a very short elderly man with a thick white mustache who had just walked into the building. Meliodas looked curiously at the old man as despite his looks, could tell he was powerful.
"Master! Over here! Someone needs to see you!" Mirajane called. The old man turned his head and walked over to the bar where he took a seat next to Meliodas.
"That council meeting was tiring...and I still have a lot of paperwork to finish…" Makarov mumbled as he hung his head down with exhaustion. Mirajane quickly poured him a glass of booze that was gulped down quickly by Makarov. Suddenly, his tired demeanor disappeared and was replaced with a more upbeat jolly one.
"So this young man here wanted to see me?" Makarov inquired as he looked at Meliodas. Meliodas introduced himself as he felt Makarov's gaze analyze him.
"Nice to meet you! I'm Meliodas."