In the blink of an eye, the year X778 vanished like a drawing on the sand, washed away by the sea, never to return.
During this year, Raizel shifted his focus.
He didn't go on missions with Ultear and the others; instead, he completed several S-Class quests on his own and assisted the Council in dealing with a demon problem.
On the other hand, Erza and the others occasionally split up to mentor other guild members on missions.
Erza took Levy, who used Solid Script Magic, while Ultear guided Laki Olietta and her Wood-Make Magic.
This arrangement served the dual purpose of protection and training, fulfilling a suggestion Raizel had previously made about mentoring the guild's younger generation.
As they completed more missions, Ultear and Erza quickly gained fame.
It was during this time that Erza's title, "Titania" gradually became widely known throughout the kingdom.
Mira continued to lead Elfman and Lisanna. Although many had advised her to let Elfman attempt missions on his own to foster independence, Mira couldn't bring herself to worry less about him.
Raizel wasn't among those who urged her to change; he understood Mira completely.
The three siblings had relied on each other since childhood, with Mira acting as both sister and mother—their bond was far stronger than that of an ordinary family.
Besides, Elfman wasn't yet an adult, so there was no harm in his big sister accompanying him a little longer.
Kagura hadn't yet made a name for herself.
She spent far more time this year training than taking on missions, only venturing out when she was accompanying Ultear or Erza.
Otherwise, she remained in the Eastern Forest, honing her skills.
Raizel welcomed this company, as training alone could become tedious; with Kagura there, he had someone to talk to and spar with.
During this time, Simon returned once with his friends to visit Kagura and witness Magnolia's Harvest Festival before setting off on his travels again.
This year, more and more people flocked to join Fairy Tail.
Makarov began considering whether to expand the guild hall or slightly control the number of new members; if not for Fairy Tail's exploding reputation over the past two years, there wouldn't have been enough quests to go around.
It was also this year that Laxus's guard unit, the Raijinshū (Thunder God Tribe), was fully formed.
The team consisted of three members, each proficient in two distinct types of magic.
Freed Justine, utilized Dark Écriture and Jutsu Shiki, wielding a rapier as his medium.
Both of his magics required the use of his sword. Dark Écriture involved writing words on a target or himself to manifest their specific effects.
Jutsu Shiki, on the other hand, allowed him to draw rules and boundaries with his sword, trapping those who stepped within—a type of barrier magic that imposed absolute rules on intruders.
Those who disobeyed the rules couldn't leave the barrier, and Freed could even use the formulas to drain their power.
These defensive Formulas were the very same ones used to reinforce the arena during Raizel, Laxus, and Gildarts's matches.
The second member, Bickslow, specialized in Seith Magic and Figure Eyes.
His Seith Magic allowed him to attach wandering souls to dolls or objects to control them, while his Figure Eyes could manipulate the souls of his targets—a power so dangerous he usually wore a mask to avoid accidental eye contact.
The third member was a woman named Evergreen, who wielded Stone Eyes and Fairy Magic. Her driving dream was to one day become the Fairy Queen.
Cana occasionally accompanied Laxus on missions, but she never officially joined the Raijinshu.
By August, the competition venue in Magnolia was finally completed.
After consulting with Toma E. Fiore, the King of the Fiore Kingdom, the mayor officially named it Fiore Square Garden (FSG).
The name was a compromise—or rather, the result of Toma E. Fiore's excessive love for flowers.
Calling it "Fiore" instead of "Magnolia" was Toma's final, stubborn insistence.
Fiore Square Garden was a multi-functional venue suitable for competitions, concerts, theatrical performances, and political events, providing an excellent stop for touring singers.
...
Meanwhile, in the capital city of Crocus.
"I WANT ONE TOO!!!"
King Toma kicked his short legs on the throne.
"I want a venue bigger than theirs! Magnolia is showing us up!"
Though he had approved Magnolia's construction, he hadn't expected it to be built so magnificently.
Having visited Fiore Square Garden and being an avid fan of Mage battles, he had been insisting on building a similar venue near the capital of Crocus.
"Your Majesty, please reconsider!!!" Defense Minister Darton consistently opposed Toma's plan, deeply concerned about the enormous costs involved.
The capital lacked a "golden sign" like Fairy Tail to attract revenue and needed more careful consideration.
"Your Majesty, I share the same opinion. Perhaps we should first observe how Fiore Square Garden operates before making decisions," said Arcadios, captain of the Cherry Blossom Holy Knights, agreeing with Darton.
Fortunately, Toma had a mild temper; though frequently opposed by these two, he only sulked in response.
A more hot-tempered ruler might have ordered them dragged out and executed.
Although the mayor and Raizel had harbored grand ambitions before construction began, the newly completed venue didn't host any major official competitions this year, featuring only a famous singer and some dance troupes for warm-up events.
Raizel managed to obtain several VIP tickets through the mayor's connections, though he still had to pay for them.
Of course, given that tickets were extremely scarce, being able to purchase them at all was fortunate enough.
It could be said the mayor earned a substantial profit just from concert tickets, not to mention the additional income from beverages, snacks, and restaurants.
During this year's Harvest Festival competition at Fairy Tail, Raizel didn't participate but sat in the audience.
The event featured exciting matchups: Mira vs. Freed, Ultear vs. Erza, and Kagura vs. Cana.
While Natsu and Gray's duel might have excited foreign tourists, the residents of Magnolia wondered why anyone would pay to watch their fights when you could see them brawling for free on the streets every day.
They fought relentlessly, holding nothing back.
However, the most anticipated match featured Ur, one of Ishgar's Wizard Saints, facing off against Laxus.
Ultimately, Ur's superior skills prevailed, maintaining the prestige of the Wizard Saints.
This event brought great honor to Magnolia, a town that had built such a luxurious venue, and Fiore Square Garden directly graced the cover of Weekly Sorcerer.
As the year-end approached, Ur took a large group of the women shopping and traveling.
The men dared not approach, knowing that if they went, the sheer physical toll of carrying all the purchases items would exhaust them to death.
Erza still preferred her signature shopping method: pulling a flatbed cart.
Raizel had suffered this ordeal before, at his worst, he need to summon the Three Sword Spirits just to help carry things, laden down to their tail blades.
By the way, a brave soul had ventured forth—Elfman, who called himself a "real man," declared he would help his sisters carry their belongings.
'May God bless him; Amen, Amitābha, boundless blessings from the Heavenly Lord.'
The girls claimed they worked hard earning money all year round, so year-end was the time to spend, spend, spend.
Raizel didn't oppose this logic.
So, at this time, Raizel was training alone in the Eastern Forest.
Suddenly, Happy and Natsu emerged from the treeline.
Before Happy even arrived, the sound of him screaming at Natsu could be heard echoing through the woods.
He was running while crying.
"Raizel!!! Natsu is bullying me again!!!"
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speed running this boring chap, more chap coming!