"Ta-da—!!"
"Everyone, look! Doesn't my new dress look great?"
Inside the tavern.
Mavis beamed, showing off her new dress to the whole guild.
It was a black-and-white lolita dress.
A white short-sleeved lining inside, with a black lace-hemmed pinafore over it.
White lace trimmed the collar in delicate patterns, and a black bow tie rested at her chest, making her already fair neck look even longer.
Tiny silver starlight motifs dotted the black fabric, as though she'd draped the night sky across her body.
The waist was cinched, as slender and pliant as a willow twig.
Because the hem only reached just above the knee, it drew a striking line across her thighs, baring two smooth, soft, milky-white calves standing side by side.
Like a pair of white radishes just pulled from the soil and rinsed in mountain spring water—one look and you couldn't help wanting to rush up and take a bite.
"Wow, Mavis changed her style today!"
"Such a cute dress!"
The Wizards paused mid-task, their gazes drawn to Mavis's new outfit.
Many eyes turned into pink hearts as sincere praise rang out.
"The dress is cute, sure, but the truly adorable one is Mavis herself!"
"Cute? At this point, shouldn't we say beautiful?"
"Exactly, she looks so much more mature in that outfit!"
Hearing the compliments, Mavis skipped in delight and spun on her heel.
Her skirt traced an elegant arc through the air, the little fairy-wing earrings on her ears trembled, and her twin ponytails swayed behind her. With sparkling eyes and a sweet smile, she looked like a magical girl straight out of a fairy tale.
"Zera picked it out for me!"
"Doesn't it give off a great Wizard vibe?"
How to put it… compared to a Wizard , she looks more like a maid!
No one voiced that thought aloud, afraid Mavis might stop wearing it if she heard.
They wanted to keep looking a little longer.
"Absolutely gorgeous, Mavis!!"
"You're the guild's angel, no, the guild's fairy!!!"
Though he'd already seen the outfit at home last night, Weston still couldn't help shouting when Mavis appeared in public like this.
To an outsider, he might've looked like some otaku nut who'd escaped from Akihabara, hopelessly hooked on two-dimensional lolitas.
Seeing Weston's reaction, Mavis felt both shy and delighted.
"Mavis, about going to the Council with Weston, why don't you think it over again?"
"Look at the way he's staring, he's a total pervert!"
Zera grabbed Mavis's hand and, like an anxious mom shielding her daughter from some blond delinquent, pulled her best friend behind her. Her eyes brimmed with concern for Mavis—and suspicion toward Weston.
Hey, who are you guarding against?
"All right, all right, Zera, relax."
"Weston's no pervert!"
"Besides, I'm not a kid anymore. I can take care of myself when I'm out, nothing bad will happen!"
Zera scuttled sideways like a crab, waving her fists wildly. "It's because you always think that way that I can't stop worrying!!"
Then she spun to Weston, hands on hips, finger jabbing his chest. "Listen up, once outside, no bullying Mavis, got it?!"
"Got it, got it…"
Weston raised his hands in surrender, amusement in his eyes. "Even if I'm going to take advantage of someone, I'd pick you first, okay?"
Zera's face flushed crimson and she lowered her head, speechless.
A straight punch answered him.
A solid 'thunk' landed on Weston's skull.
"You lecher!!"
This lovers' quarrel was a direct soul-strike to the guild's single men.
They howled in agony.
"Damn it!"
"Two gorgeous girls liking him at once, I'm so jealous of Weston!"
"God, what do I have to do to be popular like Weston?!"
"Haha… God would say: 'Simple, child, just be as outstanding as the master!'"
"Not only strong, but you also have to grow up together from childhood!"
"Ugh… then I'm hopeless."
"I can work on the strength, but where am I supposed to find a childhood sweetheart now?"
The day ended amid such playful chaos.
Weston sent a courier pigeon to the Council, accepting the title of Ten Wizard Saint and promising to arrive at the Fiore Kingdom branch on the tenth of next month.
When everyone learned Mavis would accompany him to the Council's 'Saint Conferment Ceremony,' they also found out Precht would act as guild master in their absence.
They trusted Precht's abilities as much as Weston and Mavis did.
To the couple's rare chance for a date trip, they offered heartfelt blessings.
Next morning, with Zera and the others seeing them off, Weston and Mavis set out for the Council.
With plenty of time, they didn't rush after leaving Magnolia, strolling instead through Fiore Kingdom's grand landscapes, enjoying sunrises and moonsets… Several days later, Weston and Mavis finally reached the Fiore Kingdom branch of the Council.
Ishgar's Council, officially the 'Magic Council ERA,' maintains magical order, oversees guild conduct, punishes violations, and hunts Dark Guilds.
Its headquarters sits somewhere in Ishgar, with branches in each kingdom and an enforcement unit for arrests.
Yet the organization is less than fifty years old.
Its youth relates to the shifting numbers of human Wizards.
In bygone eras, dragons ruled Ishgar. Against them, human Wizards stood no chance.
A single dragon could slaughter a hundred or even a thousand.
Under such conditions, humanity could hardly form a lasting, stable body.
Only after Acnologia slew the dragons did the human Wizard population surge, sparking conflicts that festered until the Council was born.