Watching the direction Erigor had vanished, Hope toyed with the real lullaby in his hand, the corner of his mouth curling in a sly smile.
"I'd better hurry."
"Would be a shame to miss the next act."
Dusting off his coat, Hope activated Gods Foot again and shot through the streets like the wind, racing toward Clover Town.
This time the journey was uneventful.
A little over an hour later, Hope finally arrived in Clover Town.
The town's real name is "Croba," but because the terrain looks like a three-leaf clover everyone eventually started calling it "Clover."
With no mind for sightseeing, he headed straight for the routine conference hall on the north side of the city.
The hall was an imposing white building guarded by Council soldiers; after stating his business, Hope was waved right in.
Security for the routine meeting was laughably lax.
Then again, with this many Mage Guild masters present, anyone dumb enough to cause trouble would regret it.
Grumbling to himself, Hope stepped into the hall… The long, sleep-inducing morning session had finally ended; now it was free time for the masters to mingle.
In the buffet hall, friendly masters sat in twos and threes, chatting about nothing in particular—one table louder than the rest.
"I heard half of Harujion was leveled recently, Makarov. Your youngsters are as lively as ever~"
A bald, short, portly cross-dresser in a halter dress, garish rouge and heart-shaped lipstick, rested his cheek on his hand as he addressed Makarov.
Makarov hiccupped, unfazed by the teasing from his old friend—now master of Blue Pegasus. "Oh, that, Bob! Two kids trashed half a city—Natsu and the rookie Lucy are really something."
"Especially Lucy—those curves, heh~"
The old lecher was already red-faced from drink, sounding like some squad-captain rescued by a cunning diversion.
Goldmine, master of the Quatre Cerberus guild, adjusted his tall hat and shades and couldn't help warning, "Vigor in the young is fine, but they ought to show some restraint."
"I hear a certain Councilor fears Fairy Tail Mages will only cause greater damage and has proposed putting you lot on a leash."
Makarov waved a hand. "Only a proposal. Jigmat sent word—eight of the ten Councilors shot it down."
Hearing that their mutual friend Jigmat, a Councilor himself, had things in hand, Goldmine stopped worrying.
"Let's drop the subject. I've got something good to share!" With a mysterious grin Makarov pulled a magazine from his coat and held it aloft.
Goldmine's cool façade vanished; he stared at the book in Makarov's hand. "I-It couldn't be…!"
"That's right! The brand-new pictorial of our Fairy Tail beauty—Mirajane—hot off the press!"
At those words the hall fell silent; male masters flashed over to Makarov's table to "appreciate" the photos together.
"Wow, as expected of Mira-chan~"
"That smile, that figure…"
"I-I'm gonna get a nosebleed!"
Damn
…
These masters all look so dignified in public, yet in private they're hopeless.
The only female master present, old Madame Obra of Lamia Scale, listened to the rowdy old men and sighed.
"Honestly, none of you are young anymore—stop acting like you still are."
"Young at heart, madam."
A young man's voice answered. She turned to see a bartender-garbed youth holding a tray.
"Your vegetable salad—enjoy."
Hope set the dish down and turned to leave, but Obra stopped him. "Young man, I've attended countless meetings here and never seen you. New staff?"
"S-something like that."
Hope laughed it off; he could hardly admit he'd been dragooned as a temp the moment he stepped inside—shouldn't have worn a bartender uniform… After serving, he drifted toward Makarov's table, only managing to squeeze in once the lecherous masters dispersed.
Makarov closed the magazine, still savoring the view, then looked up and met Hope's amused gaze—his grin froze.
Ahem.
He quietly tucked the magazine away and, as though nothing had happened, asked solemnly, "Hope, what brings you here?"
Truly, age brings thick skin.
Hope tactfully ignored the earlier scene, drew a record crystal from his inner pocket and said, "Master, Mirajane asked me to give you this."
A message now?
Still tipsy, Makarov activated the crystal; Mirajane's projection appeared above it, explaining that Erza, Natsu and Gray had formed a team.
The alcohol fled Makarov's brain instantly.
The three biggest demolition experts in the guild—teamed up?!
Seeing Makarov still upright, Hope added mischievously, "Oh, Master, Mirajane forgot one person—Lucy's in the 'Strongest Team' too~"
The rookie who leveled half of Harujion with Natsu?!
The sky was falling!
Were they planning to annihilate an entire city?
Sober now, Makarov broke into cold sweat, trembling, mouth twitching, hand instinctively clutching his chest.
Hope quickly fished out a Fast-Acting Heart Pill Mirajane had prepared, popped it into the old man's mouth and patted his back solicitously.
Bob and Goldmine, however, caught the fleeting smirk that had crossed the bartender boy's face.
They strongly suspected he'd done it on purpose—who carries heart pills unless they're expecting trouble? And he'd saved Lucy's name for last…
This kid… seems a bit of a schemer…