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"What do we do now?"
On the train heading back to Magnolia, the wizards of Fairy Tail gazed at the unconscious Makarov. Like a flock of sheep without their shepherd, their expressions were filled with confusion, and their morale was at an all-time low.
Seeing this, George shook his head. He realized that while Fairy Tail's wizards were exceptional in battle, they weren't as sharp when it came to strategizing outside of combat.
Using an amplification spell to project his voice, George addressed everyone:
"Joseph won't let this go. He's likely rallying all the wizards from Phantom Lord's branch guilds right now. If he moves quickly, they might launch an attack as early as tomorrow morning."
Hearing this, the Fairy Tail members turned pale, their faces heavy with worry. Without Makarov, who could stand against Joseph and his army of wizards? A wave of despair began to wash over them.
But George wasn't done.
"So here's my suggestion:
*First*, we need to find a way to heal the guild master and restore his magic as soon as possible.
*Second*, as soon as we return, we'll fortify the guild with defensive structures, set up protective barriers, and prepare every magical tool in our arsenal.
*Third*, we'll report Phantom Lord's attack on our guild to the Council immediately. If the Council intervenes and launches an investigation, it will buy us time for the master to recover.
*Fourth*, summon every Fairy Tail wizard we can, especially the S-Class mages Laxus and Mystogan. And if we can get Gildarts to come back, even better.
Finally, don't lose heart. Just now, we managed to retreat successfully right under Joseph's nose and even took out one of his Elemental Guardians. If we stand united, then if Phantom Lord dares to come, we'll ensure they regret it and never return!"
"Exactly! George is right! What's there to fear? We're Fairy Tail—the strongest wizard guild!"
Natsu, hovering in the air, burst into flames with renewed vigor. The others, listening to George's analysis, began to regain their confidence, their faces lighting up with determination.
That's right. Even though Makarov's magic had been drained in a sneak attack, it didn't mean Fairy Tail would lose. This was Fairy Tail, after all!
"In the Eastern Forest, there's a reclusive healing mage named Porlyusica. She's highly skilled in healing magic and is a close friend of the master. If we take him to her, she should be able to heal him," Erza suggested, raising her hand.
Erza recounted how, when she first joined Fairy Tail, she had lost her right eye. Porlyusica had crafted a magical prosthetic eye for her, seamlessly blending it with her real eye through advanced healing magic. The only difference was that the prosthetic couldn't shed tears like a natural eye.
"Great. As soon as we get back to the guild, the first priority will be taking the master to Porlyusica," George nodded in agreement.
At this point, Mirajane chimed in:
"Once we return, I'll write to Councilor Yajima immediately. He was once a Fairy Tail wizard and is one of the master's closest friends. He's always spoken up for our guild in the Council.
Additionally, I can use a magic communication crystal to contact Laxus and his Thunder God Tribe, urging them to return as soon as possible."
"Perfect! With those plans in place, we just need to prepare for battle and make sure every Phantom Lord wizard who comes crawling to us runs back crying!"
George's confident demeanor ignited the spirits of Fairy Tail's wizards. They roared in unison, their morale skyrocketing to its peak.
"George has such a reassuring presence!"
Watching him rally the group with just a few well-placed words, Mirajane couldn't help but admire him.
Erza, Natsu, Gray, Happy, and Lucy all nodded in agreement, their respect for George evident.
At this moment, George, with his earlier display of strength and his current display of wisdom, had earned the full recognition of every Fairy Tail wizard present.
George couldn't help but smile faintly.
"If this continues, once I master transformation magic and can maintain a human form long-term, I might truly have a chance to succeed as guild master," he thought.
After witnessing Makarov wield Fairy Law, George had already set his sights on becoming the next guild master. Only by doing so could he learn that powerful light-based super magic. But the first step to becoming the guild master was earning the approval of every wizard in Fairy Tail.
Eventually, he would also need to master transformation magic to maintain a human appearance. Constantly representing the guild in the form of a cat wouldn't be ideal for its public image. He was already learning transformation magic from Mirajane, though he hadn't yet made much progress.
In this world, transformation magic was divided into three stages: basic, intermediate, and advanced.
- *Basic transformation* allowed one to change their appearance.
- *Intermediate transformation* extended to altering clothing in addition to appearance.
- *Advanced transformation* removed all limitations, allowing one to maintain full power while transformed.
In the basic and intermediate stages, magic users could only wield half their original strength while transformed. George wasn't even at the basic level yet.
---
When the train arrived in Magnolia, Arzak and Bisca, a couple from the western continent, took on the task of transporting Makarov to Porlyusica in the Eastern Forest.
Mirajane wrote a letter to Councilor Yajima and used a magic crystal to contact Laxus.
Macao and Wakaba, senior guild members, gathered various offensive and defensive magical tools from the guild's storeroom.
Levy led the guild's wizards skilled in magic arrays to construct a defense barrier that covered the entire guild.
Meanwhile, George pulled Natsu aside to test a certain idea of his.
Once everything was set, the guild members cleaned up, prepared to rest, and waited for Phantom Lord's impending attack.
---
Later, as they rested, Mirajane approached George with reddened eyes.
"George, Laxus refuses to return with the Thunder God Tribe unless the guild master agrees to hand over his position to him."
"I can't believe someone like that is part of our guild... and the master's own grandson, no less," Mirajane said, her voice tinged with frustration.
"What an idiot," George replied, raising an eyebrow. "Doesn't he understand? You don't become guild master to earn approval; you earn approval to become guild master."
Hearing this, the other wizards nodded in agreement.
"The guild is in such a crisis, and Laxus refuses to come back and help? There's no way I'll support him becoming the next guild master," one wizard muttered.
In Fairy Tail, it wasn't enough to inherit the title through family ties. Even though Laxus was Makarov's grandson, he wouldn't become guild master without the approval of the guild members.
Fairy Tail wasn't a guild that passed leadership through bloodlines. The second guild master had been an elder who co-founded the guild with the first master and only took over when the first master died unexpectedly. The third guild master, Makarov, wasn't related to the second master either. He shared the first master's ideals and had earned the respect of the entire guild, which led to his appointment.
If Laxus didn't change his selfish ways, he could forget about ever becoming guild master.
(End of Chapter)