Uh… did all that really happen?
Everyone stared at the grumbling Weston, cold sweat trickling from sheer guilt.
They quickly thought it over and realized… it actually did!
Though it was all more than a year ago.
Back then, the guild had just been founded, so they didn't know the proper workflow or what to watch out for, and so those "accidents" kept happening.
Later, Weston released a "Work Manual" and the mess gradually died down.
Eventually the numbers stabilized, and on average there was one big screw-up and two small ones per person each month.
Looked at that way… they really had caused the clients and the guild plenty of trouble. "W-well
"And it was ages ago, things got better later!"
"Ahem… So, Guild Master, you're sure you want to accept the title of Ten Wizard Saint?"
"Of course I'm accepting it! Why wouldn't I?!"
Weston carefully tucked the letter and invitation away. "Perfect. I've been meaning to write the Council about my 'Wizard Employment Standardization' proposal anyway!"
Ah!
Another brand-new term!
"Wizard Employment Standardization?"
"What's that?"
"Guild Master, don't tell me… you're no longer satisfied with tidying up Magnolia and now plan to stretch your hand across the entire Magic World?"
Weston promptly produced the Super Archive's "interactive 3-D demonstration model".
"Right now the Magic World's handling of Wizards and job requests is far too crude. It leads lots of Wizards to accept commissions they can't finish and gets them killed for nothing."
"To fix that, I'm rolling out an 'Evaluation System' that splits both requests and Wizards into five ranks: S, A, B, C, D."
"A Wizard can only take requests of the same rank or lower."
"For example, an A-Class Wizard can only accept A, B, or C jobs, but no S-rank quests."
Everyone instantly grasped how the system worked.
"That really would cut down on workplace deaths… Did what happened in the City of Outlaws make you worry?"
"Uh… more or less."
Truth was, Weston had had the idea ages ago; he was just using this chance to push it through.
Why hadn't he brought it up before?
Mainly because Fairy Tail's jobs had all been around Magnolia, low-risk stuff.
But once towns grew, transport improved, and their range widened, danger would naturally rise.
So it had to be done.
And if they did it, they'd do it properly.
Weston wanted the Council to adopt the system, set up dedicated "examination centers", and run an annual S-Class assessment for every Wizard, just like getting certified in modern society.
The test would open once a year; Wizards could register freely.
The Council would then pass or fail them based on their scores and performance.
If it worked, you'd never again see "so-and-so guild's S-Class Mage can't even beat so-and-so guild's B-Class Wizard".
The others hadn't formed strong opinions yet.
An S-Class test sounded lofty, probably only the six founding veterans would ever qualify.
The rest were ordinary mages; odds were they'd never reach that level in their lives.
Distant things are easy to ignore.
After listening a while longer, everyone drifted back to their own tasks.
Weston seized the moment to take Mavis's soft hand, his voice suddenly gentle.
"Say, Mavis."
"Want to come with me to the 'Ten Wizard Saints bestowal' ceremony?"
Since arriving in Magnolia, Mavis had stayed in town helping run the guild and the local economy, rarely leaving.
The only long trip had been during the war.
But back then they were either drafting battle plans or racing to quell chaos, and there was no time to stop.
So she'd never had the leisure to tour the continent, enjoy the sights, adventure, or hunt for fairies.
This trip was a rare, danger-free outing, so Weston planned a romantic "two-person journey".
Come to think of it, Mavis was sixteen this year.
The age of "a girl so sweet she could topple fools with a mere flick of her sword".
This life she'd never cast Law and thus never bore Ankhseram's curse, so her body matured naturally.
After all these years she was no longer the tiny, delicate loli of the original tale.
She still wore the same white one-piece and fairy-wing earrings, and when she lowered her head you could see those perpetually bare feet… but she had grown up.
Since hitting puberty she'd turned into a poised, wise, sweet-scented young beauty who made you want to cradle her in your palms.
Every time he saw her, Weston felt a strange illusion.
As if they were still green middle-schoolers—he the class rep and Mavis the gorgeous, top-grade, sweet-natured study commissar.
As for the other four: Yuri was the physics rep.
Warrod the biology rep.
Precht the math rep.
Zera… the discipline rep.
"Eh? Go to the Council with you?"
"Yes, yes!!"
At Weston's invitation Mavis's eyes went wide and sparkling, her ten plump toes dancing with joy.
You could see she was tempted, yet still hesitant.
"But if both of us leave, what happens to the guild?"
Weston and Mavis were Fairy Tail's master and vice-master.
One handled external affairs, the other internal, perfectly coordinated.
Except for the war year, at least one of them had always stayed behind to cope with any sudden crisis.
Usually it was Weston who went out while Mavis stayed.
That was another reason she rarely traveled.
"Leave the guild to Precht for now."
"After the City of Outlaws incident I put him through strict scrutiny; he's more than capable of running things while we're gone!"