Chapter 9
We were currently standing in front of the Fairy Tail guild hall.
The journey through Magnolia had been quite interesting.
As we walked through the streets, people kept glancing in our direction and whispering among themselves.
I couldn't really blame them.
Our group was… noticeable.
Irene was an incredibly beautiful woman with striking scarlet hair.
Nina and Yuna were beautiful blonde twins.
Juliet and Heine also stood out wherever they went.
Then there was Erza, who was an adorable little girl with scarlet hair.
And finally, there was me.
I wasn't exactly trying to attract attention, but apparently my white hair and golden eyes made me rather memorable.
'Well, I suppose our family isn't exactly subtle.'
But I didn't care about that right now.
My attention was focused entirely on the building in front of me.
Fairy Tail.
I had seen this building countless times in my previous life.
But seeing it in person was completely different.
This wasn't an anime anymore.
This was a real place.
Real people lived here.
Real friendships would be formed here.
And today, my family and I were going to become part of it.
I pushed the large doors open with excitement.
"Let's go!"
CRASH!
A wooden table came flying directly towards my face.
I didn't even flinch.
My enhanced magical perception had already picked up the movement.
I stepped forward and caught the table before it could hit me.
I could have simply transformed into light and allowed it to pass through me.
But there was one small problem.
There were several ladies standing behind me.
Allowing a flying table to pass through me and hit one of them wouldn't exactly be gentlemanly.
I carefully placed the table back on the ground.
Then I looked inside.
"…"
There was chaos.
Absolute chaos.
Tables and chairs were flying through the air.
Several men were brawling in one corner.
Someone was apparently trying to climb onto another person's back.
People were shouting.
Others were laughing.
And at the bar, several members were casually drinking as though none of this was happening.
I stared.
'What the hell?'
This was Fairy Tail.
I knew it was supposed to be chaotic.
But actually seeing it was something else entirely.
Irene walked up beside me.
"I am beginning to question our decision."
I couldn't help laughing.
"Hahaha! Come on, Irene. It's fun!"
"Fun?"
She pointed towards two men currently wrestling over a broken chair.
"That's your definition of fun?"
"Absolutely."
I looked around with amusement.
Most of the people were unfamiliar to me.
That wasn't surprising.
This was still several years before the main events of the original story.
Many of the characters I remembered wouldn't even be members yet.
Still…
I spotted someone familiar.
Near the bar sat a blond-haired boy who looked to be around my age.
Unlike everyone else, he wasn't participating in the chaos.
Instead, he was watching the fight with sparkling eyes.
His expression practically screamed excitement.
'That must be Laxus.'
Laxus Dreyar.
Son of Ivan Dreyar.
Grandson of Makarov Dreyar.
And one of the future S-Class mages of Fairy Tail.
He would eventually become one of the strongest members of the guild.
Seeing him this young was strangely fascinating.
He looked nothing like the intimidating man I remembered from the anime.
Right now, he was simply a kid enjoying a good brawl.
Erza peeked around me.
"Are they okay?"
She sounded genuinely worried.
I smiled.
"Don't worry. They're probably fine."
I had barely finished speaking when—
"STOP!"
A loud voice echoed throughout the guild hall.
The voice sounded old, but it carried enough authority to instantly silence everyone.
I looked towards the first floor.
An enormous, muscular man was standing there.
Without warning, he jumped down from the upper floor.
BOOM!
He landed directly in the middle of the guild hall.
The entire building seemed to shake.
Every single person stopped what they were doing.
The muscular man looked around.
"We have guests."
His gaze landed on us.
Every member of the guild followed his gaze.
Suddenly, all those eyes were directed towards me and my family.
I waved cheerfully.
"Hello~"
Erza immediately moved behind me.
I looked down at her.
She was peeking out from behind my shoulder.
Although she had been incredibly excited about joining a guild, this was the first time she had been surrounded by so many strangers.
The people in our hometown had known her since she was a baby.
These were completely new faces.
She was understandably shy.
I reached down and held her hand.
"It's okay."
She nodded.
The muscular man suddenly began shrinking.
His body became smaller.
His muscles disappeared.
His face changed.
Within moments, the gigantic man had transformed into an elderly, thin dwarf-like man.
He smiled warmly and walked towards us.
I immediately recognized him.
Makarov Dreyar.
The third Guild Master of Fairy Tail.
A man who would eventually become one of the most respected figures in the guild.
"Hohoho."
He smiled.
"Hello, children."
He looked around.
"What are you doing here all alone?"
I smiled innocently.
"We wanted to join the guild."
Makarov raised an eyebrow.
"Join?"
"Yes."
I glanced at Irene.
Then I looked back at him.
"Also, could we please speak with you privately?"
Makarov studied us for a moment.
Then his smile returned.
"Of course."
He gestured towards the staircase.
"Come along. My office is on the first floor."
We followed him.
I held Erza's hand as we walked through the guild.
She kept looking around curiously.
I smiled and nodded whenever someone greeted us.
"Hello."
"Hi."
"Welcome."
Erza slowly became less nervous as she realized nobody was hostile towards us.
At least…
Not yet.
We reached the first floor and entered Makarov's office.
He walked behind his desk and sat down.
I sat with Erza and Irene in the chairs in front of him.
Nina, Yuna, Juliet and Heine stood together on one side of the room.
Makarov looked at us.
"Now…"
He leaned back slightly.
"Can you please show yourselves?"
I raised an eyebrow.
He was looking towards an apparently empty part of the room.
Irene smiled.
"Hoh."
She stepped forward.
"You can sense us."
She raised her hand.
The enchantment surrounding our group disappeared.
Makarov's eyebrows rose.
Seven people suddenly appeared in his office.
Irene stood beside me.
Nina and Yuna stood together.
Juliet and Heine were behind us.
Makarov looked over the entire group carefully.
His expression became more serious.
"You concealed yourselves rather effectively."
Irene smiled.
"We didn't want to cause a scene."
Makarov chuckled.
"Fair enough."
He gestured towards the remaining chairs.
"Please, sit."
Irene sat beside me.
I sat with Erza next to me.
The others remained standing.
Makarov folded his hands on his desk.
"I am Makarov Dreyar, the Guild Master of Fairy Tail."
He smiled.
"Now, what can I do for you?"
I answered immediately.
"Like I said earlier, we want to join the guild."
Makarov nodded.
"Alright."
He looked towards Irene.
"Who exactly is your guardian?"
Irene raised her hand.
"I am."
Makarov looked at her.
"And these two?"
He gestured towards me and Erza.
"My children."
Makarov's eyes widened slightly.
"Both of them?"
Irene smiled proudly.
"Yes."
He looked at me first.
Then Erza.
Then the others.
"That's quite a large family."
I smiled.
"We're not exactly an ordinary family."
"I can see that."
Makarov laughed.
He then looked at me.
"And you're the one who spoke to me at the entrance?"
"Yes."
"You seem rather confident for a seven-year-old."
I smiled innocently.
"I've been told that before."
Makarov chuckled.
"Fair enough."
I leaned forward slightly.
"There's one more thing."
"Oh?"
"I don't just want to join."
I pointed towards the people standing behind us.
"All of us do."
Makarov's smile disappeared for a moment.
He looked at each member of our group.
Then he looked back at Irene.
"All of you?"
"All of us."
The room became quiet.
Makarov leaned back in his chair.
It seemed our little family had just given him quite a lot to think about.