October 4th, X783. Clear skies.
The sunlight was still strong but no longer scorching as in previous days. Not a single cloud graced the sky, making it appear exceptionally blue and vast.
A gentle breeze blew frequently, not only stirring the various flags and balloons along the streets but also refreshing everyone's spirits.
This must be what people mean by "clear autumn skies and crisp air."
Today, the guild was unusually full.
People like Erza, Natsu, and Gray, who hadn't gone on distant missions since returning from their last one, were all present.
Erza's good friend Bisca was there, as was Alzack, who secretly paid attention to Bisca.
Macao and Wakaba, who had family ties and didn't particularly like taking missions far from home, were also around.
Then there were slackers like Nab and Max, who didn't like taking missions as long as they could get by.
Adding to that, Levy's "Shadow Gear" team, Miki's "Young Million Dead" team, and Loki, who usually avoided Rhodes.
Familiar faces like Warren, Reedus, and Vijeeter were all present as well.
With so many people, Rhodes was starting to worry that the guild might get torn apart.
And yet, the guild master had gone out early in the morning, saying he had some matters to discuss with the mayor.
In such a situation, the absence of the guild master made everyone uneasy.
"Finally made it back!" Cana plopped herself down at the counter. "Mira! Get me a drink!"
"Welcome back, Cana." Mira poured her a glass.
Cana cheerfully downed it in one gulp. "Ah! That was great! I was dying of thirst! Another one!"
"Oh my, not controlling your alcohol intake today?" Mira smiled as she poured her another glass.
Cana hesitated for a moment, then quickly said:
"Because the festival is coming! The festival! How can I not drink at times like this!"
After she finished another glass, she took out the mission sheet to report her completion.
"Cana, you're back?" Rhodes had just finished serving someone. "You went somewhere quite far this time, didn't you?"
"Rhodes, you seem even more energetic," Cana said leisurely.
"After setting out, I remembered that the Harvest Festival was approaching, so I completed the mission as fast as possible to get back."
"The fastest speed?" Rhodes thought for a moment and asked,
"You didn't get the client drunk and trick them into signing while they were woozy, did you?"
Mira's small hand, which was writing, trembled. That did seem like something Cana might do.
"How could I do such a thing!" Cana was displeased with Rhodes's malicious speculation, but then she laughed heartily,
"But that's a good idea! I'll have to try it next time, hahaha!"
"Well, well, well..." Mira didn't know what to say.
She felt that Rhodes's thought process, combined with the guild's problem children, might cause even bigger troubles.
Fortunately, Rhodes had a reliable personality.
Cana waved her hand. "Just kidding. Of course I'd rush back at times like this.
I just saw the Thunder God Tribe on the street. Even Laxus and his group have come back, right?"
"Really? The guild master will be happy to know that Laxus has returned."
Mira knew that the relationship between the guild master and Laxus was a bit tense and thought that this festival might be a good opportunity for the grandfather and grandson to mend their relationship.
Hearing them mention Laxus, Rhodes thought of someone else. "For an event like the magical parade, will Mystogan make an appearance?"
"Of course not," Cana said. "At most, that guy will sneak back and blend into the crowd to watch our performance."
Mira added, "He might also be asked by the guild master to cast some spells to enhance the atmosphere, as long as he can hide and doesn't have to show himself."
Hiding backstage to cast magic to enhance the atmosphere... Is Mystogan a special effects artist?
An S-class mage serving as a special effects artist—Fairy Tail is really extravagant, but...
"What a troublesome person." Rhodes pondered whether Mystogan might simply be more reserved than himself, rather than just having difficulties as the guild master said.
Cana played with the empty glass in her hand and said seemingly casually:
"In that case, all the S-class mages in the guild have returned."
"I remember Laki mentioned that our guild has a super-strong uncle?" Rhodes recalled that he was also S-class. "Will we see him this time?"
Cana was secretly delighted, silently giving Rhodes a thumbs-up, and almost held her breath waiting for Mira's answer.
Mira thought for a moment and said, "Gildarts? I'm not sure; we haven't heard anything from him."
Cana unconsciously tightened her grip on the empty glass, her head lowered so her expression couldn't be seen:
"It's been two years now. What mission did that guy take on?"
Mira shook her head. "I only know that the difficulty exceeds regular S-class missions. The mission content is confidential; even I don't know.
And the mission location seems to be on another continent. Maybe because it's so far away, there's been no news."
Rhodes asked, "People on other continents know about our guild?"
"Maybe." Mira asked, "Are you interested in other continents, Rhodes?"
Rhodes nodded. "A little. I'd like to see them if I have the chance. But it's too early to talk about that; I haven't even left the Kingdom of Fiore yet."
"Mira, another drink—no, bring me a barrel!" Cana looked up, smiling. "I want to drink to my heart's content today!"
"Sure~" Mira assumed she was just happy because the festival was near. Actually, it was Cana's sudden effort to control her drinking recently that seemed strange.
Rhodes felt that something might be up.
He could pay a bit more attention, but his main focus was still on how to solve Mira's problem.
Cana hugged the barrel and drank heartily. Occasionally, someone would come to chat, and they'd have a few drinks together.
Rhodes also busied himself with his work.
Not long after, the guild's door was pushed open heavily.
Laxus had returned.
Behind him were the three members of the Thunder God Tribe.
The tavern quieted down slightly. Some looked at Laxus with admiration; others glanced and went back to what they were doing; some wanted to greet him but couldn't bring themselves to.
But the most proactive was Natsu. He jumped out immediately, rubbing his fists:
"You're finally back, Laxus! I've been waiting for you! Come and duel with me!"
Freed, with his long green hair, partially drew his sword:
"To challenge Laxus, you must first get past us, the Thunder God Tribe!"
"Daring to challenge Laxus—what an overconfident guy." Evergreen unfolded a fur-trimmed folding fan, posing like a noblewoman.
"Overconfident, overconfident..." Several strange dolls floated around Bickslow.
The dolls spoke with him, creating a cacophony of voices even though he was alone.
Natsu ignored them, focusing solely on his target. "So, Laxus, are you afraid of losing to me?"
Laxus didn't care about his provocations and said nonchalantly, "Oh, it's Natsu. If you want to fight, come on."
"Laxus?" The three members of the Thunder God Tribe were a bit puzzled.
"Since I'm quite bored, finding some fun before that boring festival starts isn't a bad idea."
Laxus's indifferent attitude seemed somewhat arrogant. "Come on, Natsu. Let me show you just how big the gap between us is."