Lucy and Mirajane ended up having a simple breakfast at Raizel's place.
Lucy hadn't eaten anything all morning due to her anxiety, and her stomach had been growling loudly.
To make Lucy feel less embarrassed, Mirajane kept her company and ate a little, though she wasn't actually hungry.
After Lucy finished eating, Raizel spoke to her.
"Lucy, you should go back to your apartment first to pack your things. Once you're ready, meet us at the Guild."
Lucy glanced at Mirajane. "What about you, Mira? Aren't you going back?"
Mirajane, who was standing by the sink cleaning up the dishes, nodded at Lucy over her shoulder.
"You go ahead first. You can take horse back with you."
The two had ridden over on the same horse-drawn carriage.
Lucy had received equestrian training since childhood as part of her noble education, so riding back alone was no problem for her.
"Alright." Lucy didn't dwell on it.
She nodded and left
The road back to Magnolia wasn't particularly dangerous, just a bit long.
There were houses belonging to residents living in the suburbs along the way, though they were sparse.
Raizel's estate was considered the most remote; living out here wasn't like living in the city—safety was a concern, mainly due to the Magic Beasts wandering from the deep Eastern Forest.
The previous owner had sold the house cheap because they couldn't stand the harassment from the monsters.
However, things had improved significantly since Raizel moved in.
He hadn't exterminated the beasts but had simply asserted his dominance.
Submitting to Raizel's overwhelming magical pressure, the creatures followed his unspoken rules thoroughly and stayed deep in the woods.
Raizel leaned against the kitchen wall and looked at Mirajane. "There's not much to clean up. I can handle it."
Mirajane didn't stop washing the plates as she replied, "Isn't this what you always say? 'Division of labor and cooperation'?"
"Fine." Raizel shrugged helplessly.
He couldn't argue with that. He did often say that, mostly to lecture Gray and Natsu about teamwork.
After finishing in the kitchen, Mirajane untied her apron and hung it on the rack. She tilted her head and smiled at Raizel. "All done. Shall we head back to the Guild now?"
"Yeah, let's go."
Mirajane instinctively stood close beside Raizel as a complex magic circle appeared beneath their feet.
ZWOOP.
A flash of light later, they vanished from the estate and materialized instantly at the side entrance of the Fairy Tail Guild.
It wasn't even 9:00 AM yet.
Pushing the heavy wooden doors open, they found the Guild was still empty, just as expected.
Mirajane had only lightly closed the door without locking it when she left earlier that morning.
Makarov often didn't arrive at the Guild until noon these days.
After all, administrative tasks and quest assignments could be handled by Mirajane, Lisanna, and the others.
Having been the head waitress and administrator for two years, Mirajane had a perfect grasp of the members' strengths.
She knew which tasks were dangerous and who was capable of taking them on.
All Makarov had to do now was attend the regular Council meetings and write apology letters...
Makarov was even considering slacking off further and selecting a Fourth Generation Guild Master, though he hadn't decided on a candidate yet.
Returning to the bar counter, Mirajane reached for a specific jar from a row of tea containers.
She scooped out some dried leaves and brewed a fresh pot, the aroma filling the empty hall.
"Here, your Oolong tea."
Mirajane had become quite familiar with Raizel's preferences.
Compared to black or green tea, Raizel preferred the roasted taste of Oolong.
Some of the tea in that row was bought by Raizel, while the rest were gifts.
Raizel placed the tea there for everyone to drink if they wished, though unfortunately, most of the guild members preferred alcohol.
Only Mirajane occasionally joined him for a cup.
This particular Oolong tea was a gift from Laxus. It was hard to come by in Fiore, where black tea dominated the market.
Laxus had met a merchant who traveled between continents during a previous quest and often asked him to bring some back for Raizel.
"Thank you." Raizel didn't mind the heat, lightly blowing on the steam before taking a sip. "Perfect as always."
After brewing the tea, Mirajane went upstairs to the second floor—the S-Class level—and retrieved a specific quest flyer.
She brought it down and placed it on the counter.
Raizel glanced at it and nodded. "I doubt Gramps will come in the morning. You can tell him when he arrives this afternoon."
"Are you sure about this?"
"Yeah. If Natsu really went to Stuhl mountains, he's heading into dangerous territory."
Raizel only took this step to ensure Natsu faced punishment, but not expulsion.
Secretly undertaking an S-Class Quest violated a Guild regulation.
If Makarov were strict, he would have to expel Natsu. Raizel knew Makarov wouldn't want to do that, so finding a loophole saved everyone the heartache.
Around 9:00 AM, the doors opened again.
Ultear, Erza, and Kagura walked in together, geared up and ready to work.
Ultear glanced at the quest sheet beside Raizel's tea and raised an eyebrow. She saw the bright red "S" stamp prominently displayed.
"Are you taking this quest?" she asked, surprised.
In recent years, Raizel had embraced a semi-retired lifestyle, avoiding quests whenever possible unless they were SS-Class threats.
Usually, Erza and the others would accept a quest and then drag Raizel along.
Raizel smiled wryly. "Natsu secretly went to do this quest last night. I plan to accept it formally and go fetch him."
Ultear's lips twitched in amusement. "That sounds like something he'd do."
Kagura nodded silently, clutching her sword.
"Indeed."
Erza, however, clenched her armored fist, a dark aura flaring around her.
"That Natsu! Taking an S-Class Quest without permission?! He needs a good lesson when he gets back! He is disrespecting the rules!"
Mirajane smiled, her eyes closed. "It seems everyone has the same opinion of Natsu."
Having grown up together, they all knew exactly what the fire dragon slayer was like.
Mirajane had actually guessed that Natsu had gone off to do a quest secretly the moment Lucy mentioned his visit, but she had gone to his house first just to be thorough.
Ultear turned to Mirajane. "We came to take on a quest too. Are there any S-Class jobs left upstairs?"
Mirajane nodded with a smile. "Of course. Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe took one yesterday. Aside from the Stuhl mountain one Raizel is taking, there are two S-Class quests left."
Erza immediately headed for the stairs. "I'll go take a look."
Soon, Erza returned with two flyers. Ultear examined them critically.
"They're not exactly on the way to each other, but the rewards are good. Let's take both."
One of the quests offered a reward close to 10,000,000 Jewels, which was rare even among S-Class jobs.
"Alright, I'll register you," Mirajane said, pulling out the logbook. "I'll notify the clients that you've accepted the tasks. You want to start with the one closest to our Guild, correct?"
"Yes, thank you, Mira."
"No trouble at all, this is part of my job anyway."
The reason for asking was to confirm the approximate timeline with the client.
Otherwise, merely informing them that "someone" had taken the task without specifying an arrival date could lead to the awkward situation of the client waiting endlessly with no one showing up.
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