Six years ago, after Jose Porla was utterly defeated by Makarov during a routine Guild Masters' meeting and he never challenged Fairy Tail directly again.
In recent years, the Phantom Lord branch guilds hadn't caused much trouble either.
At least, Raizel hadn't heard of any cases where missions were interfered with or failed due to Phantom Lord's meddling.
There had been clashes between members of the two Guilds, but they were just minor friction, and Fairy Tail usually came out on top.
Raizel had originally planned that as long as Phantom Lord didn't cause serious trouble, they could each go their own way.
Actually, Makarov had always felt the same.
Long ago, Makarov had told Raizel about the history of grievances between Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail.
He simply didn't want to start conflicts or continue the feud.
As for Jose Porla's intentions, Makarov had a rough idea. It was probably just about competing for the title of the Number One Guild in the Kingdom of Fiore.
The old grudges likely only accounted for a very small part of his motivation.
Frankly, those old grudges were ancient history.
Who was right or wrong back then held no meaning in Raizel's view.
But now, it seemed peaceful coexistence was no longer possible.
Ten years ago, Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail might have been considered neck and neck.
But now, the gap in strength and reputation between the two Guilds had widened significantly.
Currently, most high-value quests—even S-Class Quests—were directly assigned to Fairy Tail, even if the client had to bypass a closer Phantom Lord branch.
"Our Guild... What exactly happened to our Guild?!"
Natsu frowned deeply, his fists clenched so tightly his whole body trembled from the excessive force.
Smoke began to curl from his skin.
"Natsu..."
Lucy reached out a hand, wanting to comfort him, but stopped.
She was a bit scared seeing Natsu like this. Even when Bora had impersonated him, Natsu hadn't been this angry.
It wasn't just Natsu, Raizel was also furious, though he didn't show it as obviously.
His eyes were cold and calculating.
"Phantom Lord... It was Phantom Lord," Mirajane said, stepping out from the crowd of somber guild members gathered nearby.
"Mirajane, what did you just say?" Lucy turned and asked, shocked.
"What did you say about Phantom Lord just now?" Natsu half-turned, his face twisted in rage.
Mirajane pressed her lips together and replied with a hint of reluctance. "As much as I hate to admit it... we were attacked by Phantom Lord. Come, let's not stand here in the street. Everyone is in the basement."
...
"The basement was originally a storage room, but it's temporarily being used as a tavern now," Mirajane explained to Lucy as she and Raizel led the way down the stairs.
The atmosphere was heavy.
The usually boisterous guild members sat around on crates and makeshift benches, drinking somberly.
"Phantom Lord and us have never gotten along since the old days," Jet muttered after taking a gulp of his drink.
"Shouldn't we just go crush them? The Number One Guild in Fiore is clearly us now!" Droy leaned back in his chair, speaking with disdain.
"Don't be impulsive. Our opponent is Phantom Lord; they aren't weak either," Levy said, pressing her hands down on the table, trying to calm her teammates' anger.
"They have branches all over the kingdom and numbers on their side."
"Yo! You're back!"
Makarov appeared, sitting on a barrel.
He seemed to have drunk quite a bit already, his cheeks flushed red as he greeted Raizel and the others.
"Yeah, we're back. The quest is complete," Raizel answered, his voice steady.
He then noticed a small girl with blue hair approaching him.
"Wendy, Carla, when did you get back?"
"Carla!!!" Happy's eyes immediately turned into hearts at the sight of the white cat.
He rushed over to shower her with affection. "Carla! We earned lots of money this time—enough to buy you plenty of fish!"
"Hmph. Don't be vulgar, tomcat," Carla replied, turning her nose up, though she looked relieved to see them safe.
Wendy's voice carried a tinge of melancholy. "We returned yesterday, Raizel-nii. When we arrived, we saw the Guild had been destroyed."
"Don't worry, leave it to us." Raizel placed his large hand on Wendy's head and gently ruffled her hair.
"Gramps! How can you still be so carefree at a time like this?!" Natsu marched up to Makarov, slamming his hands on a nearby table.
"I haven't even held you accountable for sneaking off to take an S-Class Quest yet!" Makarov snorted, narrowing his eyes at Natsu.
"That's completely different!"
"Lucy, how was your experience following them on the quest?" Makarov ignored Natsu completely and turned to ask Lucy instead.
"Um... it was quite good... a lot happened..." Lucy stammered, flustered by the sudden question and the tension in the room.
"Gramps, stop changing the subject! Do you even understand the current situation? Our Guild was destroyed by someone!"
After taking a long sip of his drink, Makarov sighed. "Alright... everyone calm down. There's no need to make such a fuss over this."
"Phantom Lord or whatever, those fools only dare to go this far. Attacking an empty Guild—what's so impressive about that?"
"Empty?" Lucy asked in confusion.
Mirajane, who was standing nearby, answered quietly. "It seems they attacked the Guild late at night when no one was inside."
"As long as no one got hurt, that's the silver lining in this misfortune," Raizel nodded, though his gaze remained sharp.
He then asked, "Has Ultear and her group returned yet?"
Mirajane closed her eyes and shook her head. "Not yet. We haven't told them about the Guild incident either, as per the Master's instructions."
That made sense.
If Ultear or Erza knew, they would have already marched on Phantom Lord's headquarters, and a full-scale war would have erupted.
"What about Ur?"
"Ur is still training in Hargeon. She doesn't know about this either."
Makarov, thoroughly drunk, swayed as he spoke. "There's no need to stoop to the level of cowards who only dare to attack when no one's around. It shows they are afraid of us!"
"I want to know if the photos and paintings were damaged?" Raizel suddenly asked.
He remembered the numerous paintings and photos hanging in the Guild—memories of their history.
"The paintings and photos are fine. Since they were made from durable materials or protected by magic frames, they weren't damaged. We've already stored them all away safely," Mirajane assured him.
"I CAN'T ACCEPT THIS!"
CRASH!
Natsu punched a wooden crate, shattering it to pieces. "I won't be satisfied until I've beaten them to a pulp!"
Unfazed, Makarov continued, his voice firm despite the alcohol. "I think we should drop this matter. Until the upstairs is repaired, we'll continue accepting job requests down here. Business as usual!"
"This is no time to be working!"
"Natsu, calm down. The Master is just as frustrated as you are." Raizel placed a firm hand on Natsu's shoulder, signaling him to stop.
Mirajane nodded and continued Raizel's thought. "Yes. Actually, the Master shares everyone's frustration. It's just... the Council strictly prohibits any acts of armed conflict between Guilds. If we strike back now, we become the aggressors in the eyes of the law."
"But the problem is they attacked us by surprise first!" Natsu argued, tears of anger in his eyes.
Lucy and Happy both looked downcast.
They had returned happily after completing a major mission, expecting celebration, only to find their home destroyed and their Master refusing to fight back.
Raizel looked at Makarov.
The old man was drinking to suppress his rage, not his sorrow.
He was protecting his children from a war that the Council would use as an excuse to disband them.
'But Jose won't stop here,' Raizel thought. 'Attacking the building was just the opening move.'