Edolas, Edolas Continent, Royal Capital.
August, x785.
"If you say so." Alfonzo replied with a shrug before stopping his magic. Then, he turned towards Mystogan with a wide smile on his face. "It's been a while, Mystogan. So, what did you think of my parting gift?"
Hearing that, Mystogan, Coco, and all the soldiers' expressions changed into something strange as they tried to keep a straight face while holding back laughter. They all knew exactly what Alfonzo was referring to when he mentioned his parting gift, after all. The only exception was the Edolas Erza, who gritted her teeth even harder.
Still, none of them would ever forget the expression on the former king's Faust's, face when he realized there was a permanent, hyper-realistic drawing of an erect penis on his forehead. And when he found out, everyone, without exception, thought that it would not be long before Faust committed suicide.
To their surprise, however, Faust did not commit suicide, still living in a cottage in one of the forests around the capital and vowing to have that image removed from his forehead before taking revenge on the one who put it there.
"Ahem..." Mystogan cleared his throat awkwardly, trying to get the image of his father out of his head. "Anyway, you said you had something important to talk about. What might that be?"
"Oh yeah." Alfonzo said with a grin. "Lici and I are finally getting married. And I need your help with something."
Hearing that, Mystogan was pleasantly surprised. Although he did not mingle with the members of the guild very often, he did know about Alfonzo and Elicia's relationship. And since they were among the few who could stay awake when he came to take a quest, he spoke to them more than a few times, as well.
Like Mystogan, Coco was also pleasantly surprised, feeling elated for Elicia, who resembled the woman who raised her so much. Erza Knightwalker, on the other hand, was bubbling with anger. Even though she knew that Elicia and Elicia Phyllis were different people, she did not like the thought of someone with the same face as that woman being happy.
"My help?" Mystogan asked in confusion. "What could you possibly need my help with?"
"Well, why don't we go inside?" Alfonzo replied with a smile. "I don't think this is the best place to talk about stuff like this, ya know?"
Looking around at all the soldiers who were listening to their conversation, Mystogan nodded his head in agreement. Then, while gesturing towards the castle, he turned around as he replied.
"You're right." Mystogan said. "You should come inside so we can talk."
With that, Mystogan started walking back towards the castle with Coco in tow. A moment later, Alfonzo followed them, passing by all the soldiers that had surrounded him.
Before any of them could get too far, however, Erza Knightwalker interjected.
"Your Majesty, please allow me to follow you as protection." The Edolas Erza said as she saluted.
"*Sigh* Very well." Mystogan said while shaking his head.
'It's not like she could do anything to Alfonzo, anyway.' Mystogan thought as he continued to walk.
Receiving a positive answer to her request, Erza Knightwalker hurried past the rest of the soldiers. Then, as she passed Alfonzo, she gave him the stink eye, before falling in line with Coco as she followed Mystogan.
Shaking his head with a wry smile on his face, Alfonzo simply followed Mystogan, the Edolas Erza, and Coco into the castle.
'I really hope Mystogan's plus one is Coco and not the other Erza.' Alfonzo thought to himself. 'I really don't wanna deal with the trouble that sadistic redhead will bring on our big day.'
Not long later, Alfonzo and Mystogan were seated in a small meeting room while, Coco stood behind Mystogan respectfully. Meanwhile, Erza, with surprisingly graceful movements, served Alfonzo and Mystogan a cup of tea each.
"Before we get started, mind if I ask a question?" Alfonzo asked while glancing at the Edolas Erza.
"By all means." Mystogan replied before picking up his teacup and taking a sip.
"What's up with the maid uniform?" Alfonzo asked curiously. "That your fetish, or something?"
*Spurt!* *Cough!* *Cough!*
Immediately upon hearing Alfonzo's question, Mystogan spat out the tea he was drinking and began coughing violently. Meanwhile, Coco opened her large eyes even wider. At the same time, Erza, with her spear in hand, lunged towards Alfonzo once again.
"You shall pay for your disrespect to His Majesty!" Erza shouted as she thrust her spear forward.
And just like last time, Alfonzo used his magic to stop the Edolas Erza's spear before it could get too close.
"Captain Knightwalker." Mystogan said sternly. "Stand down."
"But Your Majesty..." The Edolas Erza tried to defend herself.
"Don't make me repeat myself." Mystogan said, his tone growing sterner.
"Yes, Sir." The Edolas Erza said as she tried to retract her spear.
"I think I'll hold onto this until it's time for me to leave." Alfonzo said, using his magic to rip the spear from the Edolas Erza's hands. "I promise I'll give it back, though."
With that, Alfonzo pulled Ten Commandments into his hand. Then, he spun it around for a moment before leaning it against the side of his chair. As he did so, he frowned minutely.
"This thing's balance is terrible." Alfonzo muttered. "It's a wonder she can use it as proficiently as she does."
Hearing that, the Edolas Erza's anger rose even higher.
"I could make a much better one." Alfonzo continued without paying the angry redhead any mind.
"If you would, I'm sure Captain Knightwalker would appreciate it." Mystogan said, also not paying his Second War Division Captain any mind.
"Yeah, but she'd probably only use it to try and stab me again." Alfonzo said with a shrug. "Then again, I guess that doesn't matter. It's not like it would ever get close enough to do that. Fine, as repayment for the favor I'm going to ask you, I'll make her a new one. I'll have to study it a little bit, though. My Erza told me that it has the ability to change spearheads."
"I don't need anything from the likes of you!" The Edolas Erza shouted angrily.
"Sure, whatever you say." Alfonzo said while waving dismissively.
Once again, the sound of Erza's teeth grinding was audible as she stewed in her anger.
"Anyway, what is this favor you were referring to?" Mystogan asked, trying to change the subject as he could see that Alfonzo was only trying to get under his captain's skin by this point.
"Oh, right." Alfonzo said with a grin. "There are actually two things I need to ask you for."
"Go on." Mystogan replied simply.
"First, I need you to use that spell you used to use whenever you visited the guild and put everyone to sleep." Alfonzo said, his expression becoming much more solemn. "This time, however, I need you to use it on a bigger scale."
"What kind of scale are we talking about?" Mystogan asked with his eyebrows furrowing slightly.
"The whole town." Alfonzo said with a shrug. "And I need it to be strong enough to put everyone, including people like Gramps, Laxus, and Lici to sleep."
Hearing that, Mystogan's eyes widened in surprise. A moment later, however, he gently shook his head.
"Unfortunately, I don't have enough power to do that." Mystogan replied. "And even if I could spread my spell's range to include the entire town, there's no way I can put people on Master Makarov's level to sleep."
"Well, that shouldn't be a problem with my help." Alfonzo said with a smile. "I'm sure I could whip up something to amplify the power and range of your spell. But since I can't emulate your spell. So, I'd need your help."
Hearing that, Mystogan started to consider Alfonzo's proposition. Then, after a few moments of consideration, he opened his mouth again.
"Let's assume that I was to agree to this request..." Mystogan said, curiosity lacing his tone. "Why would you need to put the entire town to sleep."
Hearing that, Alfonzo could not help but smile brightly. A smile that made the Edolas Erza look at him with a heated gaze.
'His smile is just like that man's.' The Edolas Erza thought to herself. 'Because of that woman, I couldn't take him for myself and make him my plaything. But maybe I can with this one.'
As that thought ran through the Edolas Erza's head, Alfonzo began shuddering violently. Then, with his guard raised to its limit, he extended his [Magic Power Detection] to its maximum while looking around warily.
Naturally, Mystogan, the Edolas Erza, and Coco were surprised at Alfonzo's change in demeanor. And while Mystogan and Coco started to worry when they saw him like that, the Edolas Erza frowned.
'Did his instincts let him know someone was plotting against him?' Erza Knightwalker thought to herself after seeing Alfonzo's expression. 'His instincts are sharper than I thought. But that's what makes the chase thrilling.'
"Alfonzo, are you okay?" Mystogan asked in a worried tone.
"Yeah, I think so." Alfonzo replied while continuing to warily scan his surroundings. "I just felt like someone was plotting against me."
A moment later, Alfonzo shook his head to rid himself of that thought. Then, he made eye contact with Mystogan again.
"It's to move a surprise for Lici into the town without her knowing." Alfonzo said, finally revealing his purpose. "The problem is that it's pretty much a huge lump of magic power. So, even without spreading [MPD], any wizard in the area would be able to feel it."
Hearing that, Mystogan was taken aback. But considering how skilled a magic item crafter Alfonzo was, he did not find it all that surprising.
"And... If I may ask, what is this surprise?" Mystogan asked, interest evident in his tone.
By now, not only Mystogan, but coco and the Edolas Erza were also listening with rapt attention.
"It's our new home." Alfonzo replied proudly. "Ever since Lucy joined us, our current place has gotten a little crowded. So, I decided to build us something bigger and better..."
Alfonzo then went on to tell Mystogan about the new mansion in great detail.
On a side note, Alfonzo ended up having to make quite a few modifications to the floor plan of the Playboy mansion he saw on the internet in his past life. And the reason for that was simple, the original only had six bedrooms. So, he ended up ditching most of the rooms that he knew he would not need. For example, he did not need the zoos, aviaries, or pet cemeteries.
Then, while keeping the floor plan as close to the source material as possible, Alfonzo molded it to his needs, making fifteen of the twenty-nine rooms bedrooms. On top of that, there would be a state-of-the-art kitchen, an indoor basketball/tennis court, as well as the infamous grotto.
Meanwhile, the other three people in the room were dumbfounded by everything Alfonzo told them about this behemoth of a mansion he had built.
"And last, but certainly not least, the whole thing will be powered by a number of rechargeable lacrima and the same system that will eventually allow the new Anima devices to be self-sufficient." Alfonzo said, ending his explanation with an excited smile.
Once his explanation ended, Mystogan, Coco, and the Edolas Erza could only look at Alfonzo with flabbergasted expressions. However, while Mystogan and Coco were only impressed, the Edolas Erza was thinking more.
'Maybe it would not be so bad to have a new spear built by this man.' Erza Knightwalker thought to herself. 'On top of that, this is a great reason for me to turn him into my possession.'
Once again, Alfonzo had that feeling as if he were being plotted on. However, this time, he decided to simply sharpen his senses. While he did not appear outwardly worried. Reacting like this allowed him to notice the glint in Erza Knightwalker's eyes.
'So, it was her, huh?' Alfonzo asked himself. 'I remember Lici telling me she had some kind of sick desire for my Edolas counterpart before Lici's counterpart killed him and herself. Is she thinking of replacing him with me? Oh, hell nah! After today, I'm not coming back here unless it's absolutely necessary. Damn, how are my weirdo admirers so much worse than Lici's? Even though hers are freaks, at least hers aren't violent...'
Eventually, Mystogan was able to come back to his senses.
"If things are like you said, I can see why you would need to put everyone to sleep to keep it a secret." Mystogan said with a nod.
"So, will you help me out with this?" Alfonzo asked with anticipation.
"Before I decide, let me here your other request." Mystogan replied, not answering Alfonzo's question.
"*Sigh* Alright." Alfonzo said, releasing the tension he was feeling in that sigh.
Then, with the flames of determination burning in his eyes, he made eye contact with Mystogan again. With that, the atmosphere in the room grew tense. Meanwhile, Mystogan, Coco, and the Edolas Erza were growing more and more curious about what Alfonzo would ask for with every passing second. Then, just when Erza Knightwalker was about to lose her patience, Alfonzo opened his mouth.
"Mystogan, will you be one of my groomsmen?" Alfonzo asked with a brilliant smile.
*Bang!*
In response, Mystogan, Coco, and the Edolas Erza all fell to the floor comically when the tension was cut so abruptly.