"Still not big enough?" Ur asked, her eyebrows shooting up in surprise.
She had been mentally calculating the area of the hill where the Fairy Hills dormitory was located.
She estimated it at roughly 3,000 square meters—a massive space by any standard.
To her, that seemed more than sufficient for a guild tournament.
The Mayor of Magnolia offered her a patient, "you're still too young" smile.
He shook his head, leaning forward as his eyes gleamed with the fire of a true bureaucrat with a dream.
"My dear Ur, you are thinking like a Mage. I am thinking like a leader," the Mayor explained, gesturing broadly with his hands.
"Our plan is for a minimum of 8,000—no! At least 10,000 square meters!"
In the Mayor's vision, the venue needed to be much more than just a dirt pit for brawling.
With the competition arena, the warm-up zones, and the spectator stands combined, 8,000 square meters was his absolute baseline.
He was factoring in Magnolia's own growing population plus the massive influx of tourists the event would attract.
"If we are going to build this, we must do it properly from the start," the Mayor insisted, his voice rising with excitement.
"Expanding a stone structure later is a logistical nightmare. We must build for the future!"
He wasn't drunk, but he was clearly intoxicated by his own grand design.
He was already mentally moving past the "square meter" baseline and into the realm of a world-class landmark.
"My plan is this: This venue shouldn't just be for the Fairy Tail tournament. It should be a multi-functional, state-of-the-art arena! A cultural hub! A concert hall!"
He began sketching on a napkin with a fountain pen.
"Besides the main competition area in the center—which must be reinforced with the strongest magic-resistant stone—there will be spectator stands on all four sides. I'm planning three tiers of seating. The bottom for the common folk, the middle for the enthusiasts, and the top tier..." He tapped the napkin.
"...luxury boxes. Private suites reserved for the wealthy, the nobility, and VIPs from the Council."
Makarov and Ur exchanged a glance.
"And amenities!" the Mayor continued, oblivious to their shock. "There should be at least three snack and beverage stalls on each level to maximize revenue. Plus, two high-end viewing restaurants and a bar where people can drink while they watch the mages tear each other apart! The venue needs a professional lighting system for night events, a high-fidelity sound system, and four giant Lacrima's screens suspended above the center so even the people in the back can see every drop of sweat and every spark of magic!"
He paused to take a breath, his face slightly flushed.
"We'll have a dedicated commentary booth for journalists. During the opening and closing ceremonies, we'll hire the finest bands and dance troupes in Fiore to warm up the crowd! With ten thousand people, we'll need dozens of ticket counters and hundreds of entry and exit passages to avoid a stampede. So, you see? 10,000 square meters is actually a very conservative estimate."
Makarov and Ur sat in stunned silence, their jaws nearly hitting the tablecloth.
'Are you building a stadium or an illegal city?' Raizel thought, suppresssing a chuckle.
'The King, hears about this, he might think you're building a fortress for a rebellion!'
The Mayor's secretary produced a large, detailed map of Magnolia and laid it over the table.
Several locations were already circled in red ink.
"We need your professional opinions on the site," she said, looking at Raizel and the two Wizard Saints.
The first location she pointed to was the current site of the Fairy Tail Guild itself.
The plan suggested demolishing the surrounding blocks and integrating the Guild into the stadium complex.
"No," Raizel said immediately. "The Guild is a home, not a tourist attraction. Putting it in the center of a stadium would be a nightmare for daily life. Plus, Natsu would accidentally melt the ticket booths every Tuesday."
The Mayor nodded, crossing it off. "Next is the East Forest."
Raizel's heart skipped a beat.
'That's literally my backyard!'
"I strongly object to the East Forest," Raizel said, adopting a look of deep concern for nature. "The environmental impact would be devastating. We must preserve our natural greenery for the future of Magnolia. We shouldn't destroy the forest just for a building."
In truth, he just didn't want construction crews and ten thousand screaming fans trampling through his training grounds and disturbing his afternoon naps.
The group debated back and forth, rejecting site after site.
Finally, Raizel leaned over the map and pointed to a rugged, mountainous area on the outskirts of the town.
"What about the North Peak?" Raizel suggested.
The Mayor blinked. "That's a mountain, Raizel. It's not flat."
"So make it flat," Raizel said simply. "Blast the top off. If you level that peak, you'll have a plateau of over 12,000 square meters. It's solid rock, so the foundation will be indestructible."
He smiled, playing into the Mayor's ego.
"Think about it, Mayor. If you build it there, the stadium won't just be big—it will be lofty. The restaurants and bars will serve as observation decks overlooking the entire town of Magnolia and the sea beyond. It would be as imposing as the Magic Council's ERA headquarters."
The Mayor's eyes widened. "Commanding the view... an arena in the clouds..."
He loved it.
The location was far enough from Raizel's house to keep the noise away, but close enough to the Guild for easy access.
For Raizel, distance was irrelevant—a single teleportation spell would get him there in a heartbeat.
"As for funding," the Mayor whispered, leaning in closer. "I have already secured tentative investment from a major merchant consortium. They will provide the capital in exchange for a percentage of the ticket and concession revenue. With concerts and festivals year-round, the return on investment will be massive. Magnolia will become the entertainment capital of the East!"
Raizel nodded.
The Mayor was right. If this went through, Magnolia would be overcrowded within a year.
'Maybe I should buy some land nearby and build a hotel,' Raizel mused.
"Now that the venue is decided," the Mayor said, clapping his hands together. "Have you discussed the tournament format? We need to market this. What is the draw?"
Makarov and Ur both froze.
They lowered their heads, suddenly very interested in their tea.
The truth was, ever since the Harvest Festival, they hadn't given it a single thought about it.
Makarov had been too busy drinking, and Ur had been too busy dealing with Council politics.
Seeing his elders floundering, Raizel raised his hand.
"I have some ideas," Raizel said.
He hadn't planned anything either, but in his previous life, he had watched countless hours of the NBA, the Champions League, and League of Legends tournaments.
He could improvise a professional-sounding format in his sleep.
Makarov and Ur looked at him with silent pleas for help in their eyes.
"Please, elaborate," the Mayor said, leaning back.
"We should split it into two categories: Individual and Team," Raizel began, finding his rhythm. "For the Team competition, we want to ensure balance so it's not just the S-Class mages squashing everyone. We use a 'Point System' for drafting."
"A point system?"
"Yes," Raizel explained, drawing a quick diagram. "Every mage is assigned a value based on their rank. An S-Class might be 5 points and B-Class 2 points. Each team has a 'Salary Cap'—say, 10 points total. This forces the strong mages to team up with weaker members, creating a mentorship dynamic and ensuring the matches are actually competitive."
The Mayor nodded vigorously, scribbling notes.
"Then, we have the Regular Season," Raizel continued, borrowing heavily from professional sports.
"Teams fight in a round-robin format to earn points. The top-ranked teams then advance to the Playoffs—a high-stakes single-elimination bracket leading to the Semi-Finals and the Grand Final."
"This... this is brilliant!" the Mayor exclaimed. "It's not just a fight; it's a season of entertainment! Could you refine this and draft a formal document for me?"
The Mayor was ecstatic.
No such organized magical tournament existed in Fiore yet.
He could market this as the first "Pro-Magic League."
"I'll work on it tonight and submit it to you tomorrow," Raizel promised. "I'll include some ideas for the Individual brackets as well—maybe some environmental challenges to keep it interesting."
"Excellent! Truly excellent!"
...
The rest of the lunch passed in a blur of casual chatting and high spirits.
The Mayor and his secretary left soon after, looking like they had just conquered the world.
As soon as the door closed, Makarov let out a long, shuddering sigh of relief.
"Good thing you were here, Raizel," the old man groaned, sinking into his chair. "I had completely forgotten I promised him a tournament. I was just trying to figure out how to fake my way through the conversation."
"Me too," Ur said, pressing her hands together apologetically. "I've been so distracted. Thank you, Raizel."
Raizel shook his head, finishing his tea.
"I just came up with it on the fly," he admitted with a shrug. "But if the Mayor is this fired up, we might as well do it right. It'll be fun to see Natsu try to understand what a 'Playoff' is."
Makarov laughed. "He'll probably just think it's a fancy word for 'fire'."
"Hahahahahahaaha."
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