The moment Weston announced their 'entry into the war,' the guildmates erupted in chatter.
Most of them were commoners who only wanted a safe, happy, and comfortable life; they'd never imagined they'd see a battlefield, let alone fight on one.
"Master, you've got a plan, right?!"
"Just tell us what to do and we'll do it!"
Since Fairy Tail's founding, Weston's unmatched 'wisdom' had steered countless decisions that benefited both guild and town.
To his comrades, he had become an irreplaceable spiritual pillar and guiding light.
Even if that pillar and light happened to be a youth who'd only just turned eighteen.
"Oi, oi… are you lot idiots?"
"Listen up, we're talking about a war of two hundred thousand men!"
"Our whole guild barely numbers sixty. Even if we all band together, what difference could we make?"
"If you ask me, we'd better pack up and run while we can."
"What's there to fear? We're Fairy Tail!"
"Damn right! Anyone who threatens this town or our families and friends, we'll beat them black and blue!"
"Geez… what kind of lunatics did I join up with?!"
"Hahaha!! With everyone here, nothing feels impossible. Even if we die on the battlefield together, it'll still feel warm!"
"Buzz off! Who says I'm dying with you on any battlefield?!"
The rowdy banter shattered the solemn tension, restoring the hall's usual cheer.
No one likes war, but when it can't be avoided, you face it with everything you've got.
Fortunately, they wouldn't face it alone.
They had their comrades beside them, ready to advance or retreat as one.
"Ahem…"
Weston cut through the clamor. "Calm down and hear me out!"
Only after a long moment did the hall finally quiet.
"My calculations do show a war will erupt on the northern plains one month from now."
"However!"
"If we intervene early, we can erase that war before it begins!"
"We could even end this year-long royal succession war in one stroke!!"
What?!
Could a few dozen of them really stop an entire war?
Gasps swept the room as every stunned eye fixed on Weston.
Past wars had death rates of forty percent; stopping this one would save eighty thousand lives.
Split among the guild, that was over a thousand lives saved per person.
If they pulled it off, they could march straight into heaven, and maybe end Fiore Kingdom's civil war to boot.
"Master, you've never been wrong. We trust you without question!"
"Just tell us the plan!"
Weston nodded, shifting the huge map of the kingdom behind him as he sized up the board.
"Three upcoming battles will decide Fiore's fate."
"One of them is imminent."
"By steering that single battle to the right outcome, we can eliminate Magnolia's crisis!"
In war, victory isn't about how many battles you win, but whether you win the decisive one.
Claim that one, and previous defeats mean nothing.
In Go, they call it the 'Divine Move', a single stone that flips the game.
That was the very battle Weston now had in his sights.
"In the coming clash, we won't be facing hundreds of thousands of troops."
"Our foes will be a handful of elite squads and Wizards like us, or assassins hired by dark guilds."
"Elite, every last one."
"Yet with my plan, our odds of victory hit seventy percent!"
"Crush them, achieve our objective, and guide the war's course, Magnolia will be safe!"
Even at full stretch, Fairy Tail could handle maybe a few tens of thousands of soldiers; taking on hundreds of thousands would be pure fantasy.
But as a strike team, they were more than enough.
Weston had chosen the perfect tactic for a Magic Guild: hit fast, hit hard, vanish.
His audacious claim left everyone gaping, speechless.
"Oi… seriously?!"
"A few dozen Wizards end Magnolia's crisis and erase a war, is that even possible?"
"The master's calculations are never wrong, but this is nuts!"
"If we pull it off, Fairy Tail goes down in history!"
"Haha… sounds fun! Let's show the world what Fairy Tail can do!!"
With just a handful of words, fear and tension flipped into excitement and anticipation.
"As expected of you, Weston!"
Warrod rushed forward and gave Weston a crushing bear-hug of delight.
"Suddenly I'm not scared anymore…"
Yuri slumped across the table, the sweat on his brow gone, his whole body relaxed.
"Only he could pull off something like this."
Precht maintained his 'cool' pose, though a rare smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"That's not true, Mavis could do it too."
"Right, Mavis?"
Zera munched on snacks, glancing at her best friend.
Mavis didn't answer.
The most tactically gifted girl present was utterly dazzled by Weston's wild idea; her eyes sparkled, cheeks flushed, bare feet swinging excitedly beneath the bench.
She looked ready to drag Weston under the covers and make him explain every detail of that brilliant strategy…
Two days later.
Fairy Tail's Wizards packed light, left Magnolia in small groups, and headed north to intervene in the war.
Their travel method was anything but ordinary, neither walking nor riding.
A newly joined Wizard could control plants, animating trees as high-speed transport faster than horses.
In under two days they reached a peak in eastern Fiore Kingdom.