Chapter 155: The Spark of Discontent
Makarov's words about the interview were still hanging in the air when, suddenly, the new guild hall's lights went dim.
The raucous, midday chatter of the guild died down, replaced by confused murmuring. A few mages looked around, annoyed, thinking it was a power surge.
"Eh? What's this?" Natsu squinted toward the stage.
"Did the power go out?" Lucy asked, looking up from the table.
"Is Mira-nee going to sing for us?" Happy chirped hopefully, his mouth full of fish.
The curtains on the brand-new stage were drawn. A single, bright spotlight cut through the darkness, illuminating the center. And just as everyone expected to see the lovely Mirajane step out, they saw... Gajeel Redfox.
He was sitting awkwardly on a stool in a ridiculous, ill-fitting white suit that looked like it had been stolen from a wedding singer. He held an acoustic guitar, his large, metal-studded hands looking comically out of place on the instrument.
"Eh——?!!"
"GAJEEL——?!!"
Everyone in the guild was completely astonished. The silence was absolute. Natsu and Gray, who had been seconds away from starting their daily brawl, just froze, their mouths hanging open.
"What the hell is that metal-head doing?" Natsu whispered, his voice a mix of confusion and secondhand embarrassment.
Gajeel, looking incredibly serious and adjusting a microphone, strummed the guitar.
SKREEEEEEEONK.
It made a sound like a rusty gate being torn from its hinges, a sound so horrible that several members, including a hardened Erza, physically recoiled.
He leaned into the mic, his eyes closed in artistic passion, and began to sing. His voice was a gravelly, off-key, monotone roar:
"There aren't many guilds willing to hire me... Gihi. Even a sheltered wolf... will become docile..."
He strummed again. TWANG-THUNK.
"Even yesterday's enemy, I want to dedicate this song to... as a friend. This is my composition... 'Best Friend.' First, for everyone…"
"..."
The entire guild was dumbfounded, paralyzed by the sheer, unadulterated, weaponized awfulness of the performance. Lucy had her hands clamped over her ears, her face pale. "This... this is worse than I could have imagined," she whimpered.
At the bar, Mira, ever the optimist, tilted her head, trying desperately to find a silver lining. "Well... even though his guitar playing is... terrible... the lyrics aren't bad! It's actually quite sweet."
Ren, who was sitting next to her, had a pained, deadpan expression, his eye twitching. "He sang very well," he commented, his voice flat.
Mira looked at him, surprised. "Really? You think so?"
"Yes," Ren said, taking a slow sip of his drink. "Next time, don't let him sing again."
"Pfft... Haha!" Hearing Ren's dry, honest comment, Mira couldn't help but burst into laughter, covering her mouth.
Not only Ren couldn't stand it; the rest of the guild was rapidly recovering from their initial shock and replacing it with indignation.
"My ears! My ears are bleeding!" Macao wailed, clawing at the table.
"Shut up, you damn metal-head! I'd rather listen to Natsu scream for an hour!" Gray shouted, holding his head.
"Stop! Stop! In the name of all that is holy, STOP!" Wakaba yelled, throwing his cigarette butt.
Gajeel, incensed by the heckling, paused his song. "What?! You don't appreciate real art, you scu—"
He was cut off as a wave of projectiles flew toward the stage. Empty beer mugs, chicken bones, a stray boot, and even a chair were thrown, all aimed at getting Gajeel off the stage.
This, of course, escalated.
"You wanna fight?!" Gajeel roared, enraged. He grabbed a beer mug that had landed at his feet and hurled it back into the crowd. It sailed through the air and hit Natsu squarely in the back of the head.
Natsu, who had been about to throw his own table, froze. He turned around slowly, a wide, delighted grin spreading across his face. "Heh... Now you've done it, Gajeel!"
"Bring it on, Salamander!"
Natsu, delighted to have an excuse, launched himself at Gajeel. Gray, seeing an opportunity for chaos, joined in. Before anyone knew it, the Weekly Sorcerer interview had devolved into a massive, guild-wide brawl, far exceeding the usual level of property damage.
Jason, the reporter, was in heaven, his camera flashing nonstop from a "safe" position under a table. "CHAOS! VIOLENCE! PURE, UNADULTERATED PASSION! THIS IS FAIRY TAIL! COOOOL——!!"
Soon after, the Weekly Sorcerer Fairy Tail special edition was released.
It was an unmitigated disaster and a runaway bestseller.
Besides a few normal, beautifully posed pages dedicated to Erza's armor and Mira's gentle smile at the bar, everything else was a mess. The centerfold, rather than a majestic shot of the new guild, was a two-page spread of the brawl in full swing.
The magazine featured blurred photos of Natsu and Gajeel's fists colliding, Gray inexplicably in his underwear while drop-kicking Elfman, flying tables, shattered chairs, and a very prominent, tear-streaked photo of Gajeel crying after his song was rejected.
Makarov had to be revived twice after seeing it.
Far from Magnolia, in a rundown, smoky tavern in a remote, dusty village.
The air was thick with the smell of stale ale and unwashed bodies. Three rough-looking men, clearly mercenaries or low-level bandits, were huddled around a rickety table, cackling over the latest Weekly Sorcerer.
"Yah hahahaha! Look at this! They're so foolish, Fairy Tail! I really don't understand how these guys managed to grow so strong."
"The guild even has a swimming pool! What were they thinking? A resort? Hah!"
"And look at this guy," one of the men said, jabbing a grimy finger at the picture of Gray. "He's in his underwear! He looks so weak!! What a joke!"
"If it weren't for that super monster named Ren, Fairy Tail would probably be a second-rate guild! He's the only one holding them up."
"Second-rate? You're too generous. Third-rate, more like! A bunch of clowns and one scary bastard!"
"Hahahahaha!!!"
Just then, a massive, blond-haired figure in a fur-collared coat appeared behind the three hecklers, casting a shadow over their table. His mere presence seemed to suck the warmth out of the room.
Thinking someone was looking for trouble, the three turned around... and immediately froze, their faces going pale with terror.
"This… this guy is Laxus Dreyar! From Fairy Tail!!"
"Wh-what's he doing in a tavern in such a small village?!!"
"Ap-apologies!! We were just leaving!"
The three immediately scrambled away, throwing their money on the table and practically falling over each other to get out the door. Although they could mock Fairy Tail behind its back, they only dared to do so from a distance. There were many famous, terrifying Mages in Fairy Tail, and the S-Class Lightning Dragon Slayer, Laxus, was one of them.
Laxus glanced at the discarded Weekly Sorcerer special edition on the ground. He saw the pictures of the brawl, of Gajeel singing, of Macao's tacky merchandise stall. His eye twitched in disgust.
"There's a limit to how foolish you can be, old man."
Suddenly!
"Eek! Yah haha! As expected of a celebrity, just a glare scares people away. So cool!"
A new voice, grating and arrogant, came from the back of the bar.
"Makarov's grandson or something? What should I call someone like you? A 'prince'? Riding on your grandfather's coattails?"
A man with a wild afro, a mouth full of gold teeth, and the lanky, twitchy build of a monkey, mocked Laxus from his table.
Laxus stared at the man with an expressionless, cold face.
"Oh oh, so scary!" the man cackled, leaning back in his chair.
The tavern owner, a portly man named Dallas, was trembling behind the bar, polishing the same glass over and over. "Zat... Zat, please don't cause trouble… That's... That's Laxus-sama..."
He knew Zat was a member of a nearby Dark Guild, a small-time operation but still dangerous. But the other person was the famous Lightning Dragon Slayer. If they fought here, his small tavern would be pulverized.
"What kind of trouble can you cause with such a useless guild, Dallas?" Zat mocked, taking a loud swig of ale. "This useless guild... besides that guy named Ren, everyone else is trash. Total garbage."
Zat sneered with disdain. Ren's power was undeniable; the live broadcast of the fight against Jose had made that clear to the entire continent. But as for the others? They were just a bunch of clowns, famous for breaking things and stripping.
"Zat?" Laxus said, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. "Never heard of him. Must be trash."
"That's right, that's right! We just quietly do some real work in the shadows. We can't compare to those who make fools of themselves in magazines, 'Lightning-boy'!"
Crack! Crack!
Golden lightning, sharp and violent, sparked to life around Laxus's head. His eyes became sharp, his apathy replaced by a building rage. He was clearly, utterly, angry.
"If you really want to die that badly," Laxus growled, his voice dropping, "how about I help you?"
The owner quickly tried to dissuade him: "This… guest!! Please, it's better not to fight!! Zat is…"
"Go outside," Laxus said, not looking at the owner. He didn't want to involve innocent people.
"Yah! Only one of us is going outside!" Zat cackled, his body blurring as he lunged at Laxus, his fist aimed at the Mage's face.
Boom—!!
Before Zat's punch even landed, Laxus's entire body dissolved into a bolt of pure lightning. He crashed straight through the tavern's flimsy wooden wall and reappeared on the dusty street outside.
"Wah ah ah ah!!"
Everyone else in the tavern screamed and fled, to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
"Yah hahahaha!! So weak, Fairy Tail! All flash! No substance! Shall we go hunt some 'little fairies' tomorrow?!" Zat laughed triumphantly from the broken, man-sized hole in the wall.
Just then, a blinding, golden light appeared beneath Zat's feet.
Crack—!!
Golden lightning erupted from the ground, a pillar of pure electrical fury, directly sending Zat flying into the sky.
"Wah yah yah yah yah!!"
Bang!
Zat, completely scorched, smoking, and twitching, fell back through the hole in the wall, landed on the floor, and passed out.
"Lightning..."
"From the ground?!"
"You're kidding, right?!"
"That 'Dreesy Monkey' Zat... was defeated so easily?!!"
"Who... who was that man...?"
"Utterly boring," Laxus muttered, standing in the street. He felt no joy in winning. Instantly killing a mere minion was as easy as breathing for him.
His face was twisted in fury. He was enraged. Enraged that his guild... Fairy Tail... his guild... was now being underestimated and openly mocked by a third-rate minion from a no-name dark guild.
"Since when," he growled, clenching his fists so hard his knuckles turned white, "has my guild been looked down upon like this... old man..."
His anger wasn't just at the man he'd beaten. It was at the Weekly Sorcerer issue. It was at Gajeel's stupid song, Natsu and Gray's endless, childish fights, and Makarov for letting it happen. For letting the guild become a laughingstock.
He was the strongest. He was Fairy Tail's strength. And this weakness, this... foolishness... was a stain on him.
Fairy Tail Guild.
After the reporter's interview ended (or rather, was concluded by the brawl), Fairy Tail returned to being its usual, lively, brawling self.
"Is there any job that one person can complete?"
Lucy was searching the request board, her brow furrowed in concentration.
"What? You're not teaming up with Natsu anymore?" Mira asked curiously from the bar, wiping it down.
"Natsu said he needs to 'train' recently," Lucy sighed, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "He's been running off with Happy every morning. But if I don't go to work, I won't be able to pay this month's rent. It's due in a week!"
Mira encouraged her, "Then look carefully. There are many jobs on the request board; there's definitely one suitable for you."
"'Monster Hunting'...? No, I can't do that alone. 'Deep Sea Treasure Hunt'? Difficult for me alone... Hmm? 'Magic Class for Children: Teacher Wanted'?! This one! I can do this!! It's perfect!"
Lucy's eyes lit up. She immediately reached out to tear off the request... but a large, metal-studded hand was faster and tore it off first.
"Wait! I saw that first!" Lucy yelped, turning to face Gajeel.
"Whoever's faster gets it, right?" Gajeel growled, not even looking at her.
"But can you even do this kind of work?!" Lucy protested, gesturing wildly at the paper. "It's teaching children! You'll make them cry!"
"I'll do whatever work I want. Are you lookin' for a fight, bunny-girl?"
"Damn it!! Unfair!!"
Lucy stomped her foot in anger, watching Gajeel's retreating back. She deflated against the quest board. "My rent..."
Gajeel, holding the request, came to Ren at the bar and slapped the paper down. "I want to do this job."
Ren, who was looking over some documents, picked it up, glanced at it, and quipped, "You'll scare the children with that appearance. Are you sure you're not going to teach them how to sing?"
Because of the mounting issues with the Magic Council, Makarov had been busy with meetings and paperwork, so he had temporarily let Ren, as his named successor, act as Guild Master to approve and manage the day-to-day quests.
"Shut up! Just approve it!" Gajeel snarled, his face turning a bit red. "Gihi. I just need the money."
"Alright, alright. Go to work," Ren said, chuckling as he stamped the paper. "Try not to cause any property damage."
Just as Gajeel turned and was about to leave the guild, he bumped hard into someone who was just walking in. The guild doors slammed open with a bang.
"Tch. Sorry," Gajeel said gruffly, rubbing his shoulder, and then prepared to leave.
"Hey!"
A low, familiar, and utterly cold voice growled. The entire guild, which had been buzzing with noise, fell silent.
Laxus Dreyar stood in the doorway, his face a mask of cold fury.
"You bump into someone," Laxus said, his voice dangerously quiet. "And just say 'sorry,' and that's it?"
"You want to...?" Gajeel started to turn around, annoyance on his face.
Crack!!
A massive, golden lightning bolt struck Gajeel with no warning.
"Waaahhh!!!" Gajeel screamed as he was sent flying backward, his body smoking, crashing through two tables before skidding to a halt.
"Laxus!!" Makarov, who had just walked out of his office, shouted in shock.
"Gajeel!" Natsu yelled, jumping to his feet.
Everyone in the guild was startled by Laxus's sudden, unprovoked attack on a guildmate.
Crack!!
Another golden lightning bolt, even larger than the first, shot from Laxus's hand, aimed directly at the fallen Gajeel.
Snap!
A figure appeared in a blur between Laxus and Gajeel. The figure's hand, glowing with a faint magical-negating energy, casually swatted the lightning bolt away.
Boom!!
The lightning struck a nearby stone pillar, shattering it into a thousand pieces.
Ren stood calmly, his hand still raised, tingling from the deflected electricity. He looked at Laxus, his eyes narrowed and his voice cold.
"What are you doing, Laxus?"
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