After the Phantom Lord incident ended, Caesar repaired the railway and the station. Then, the group returned to the guild.
"Sorry for bothering you."
That night, Lucy, who had already become good friends with Mirajane, came to Caesar's house carrying a bag of desserts.
"Here you are, come in quickly."
Mirajane was wearing a house dress with an apron that had the Fairy Tail guild crest on it.
"Sister Mira, no matter when you look at her, she's always even prettier than in the magazine."
Lucy's sweet words made Mirajane laugh nonstop.
"Lucy is here, wait a minute—there are two more dishes."
At that moment, Caesar walked out of the kitchen carrying two plates of food.
"What a surprise, Caesar! You can actually cook!"
Lucy looked at the man wearing a pink apron with hearts on it and felt it was completely out of place. After all, it was nothing like the image of the legendary tyrant she had imagined.
"Just messing around."
Caesar said calmly, setting the dishes on the table before turning back to the kitchen. Mirajane told Lucy to sit down first, then went back to help.
Lucy peeked through the half-open kitchen door and watched Caesar and Mirajane cooking together, chatting and laughing. Smiling like a proud aunt, she whispered, "Perfect match. They're totally made for each other."
Soon, all the dishes were ready, and the three of them sat down to eat. When Lucy took her first bite, she froze in surprise—then started eating nonstop.
She gave Caesar a thumbs up. "If you stop being a wizard and open a restaurant, it'll be packed every day!"
"Cooking is just life. I'm more interested in becoming stronger."
Caesar poured himself a glass of wine. After the three of them clinked glasses, they ate and chatted. When they finished, Lucy slumped on the sofa to digest, while Caesar and Mirajane cleaned up the dishes.
Afterward, the desserts Lucy brought were placed on the coffee table. The three sat together, talking about the Phantom Lord incident.
"This time the commotion was huge. I bet we'll get in trouble again soon," Mirajane said. "Caesar, what do you think?"
"No opinion," Caesar replied calmly. "When have we ever not caused a disturbance? The Council will definitely send someone to hold us accountable, but it'll just be something trivial. They'll find a scapegoat, lock him up for a bit, and that's it. I know their methods too well."
"What?" Lucy asked, raising her hand. "Does Fairy Tail have a bad relationship with the Council?"
"You've been here this long and don't know?" Caesar and Mirajane exchanged a glance.
"I've only been here for like ten days!" Lucy protested.
"Well, the guild's been a lot livelier since you joined," Mirajane said with a smile.
"I'm really sorry that I'm such a jinx," Lucy sighed. Still, she admitted that her time in Fairy Tail had been far more exciting than the years before.
"In short," Caesar explained, "the old stubborn fools in the Council only care about keeping their positions. They want peace and quiet, not chaos. When a guild like ours causes trouble every other day, of course they don't like us."
Lucy finally understood, though she couldn't help feeling a little worried about Fairy Tail's future. If Caesar had known her thoughts, he probably would've laughed out loud.
The Council had Yajima as a supporter, and the Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale guilds often cooperated with Fairy Tail. Leon, who owed Ur a debt, would also come to help if things got serious. With Makarov and Caesar—two of the Ten Wizard Saints—Fairy Tail wasn't afraid of anyone. So even if the Council made noise, it would only be for show.
They talked late into the night before Lucy finally said goodbye and left. Her rented house was only two streets away, so it took less than ten minutes to walk. On her way home, she made up her mind to visit Mirajane often—not only for the company, but because Caesar and Mira's cooking was incredible. Plus, it would save her a lot of Jewels each month.
She clenched her fist determinedly as she walked down the street.
...
The next morning, at the gate of Fairy Tail.
The match between Natsu and Erza was about to begin.
"Caesar, want to bet on it?"
Cana squatted beside him, looking at Caesar, who was rubbing his waist. "The odds are great!"
Caesar glanced at Erza, who had already equipped her Flame Emperor Armor, and at Natsu, who was eager to fight. Then he looked at Cana's barrel of bets and shook his head. "Gambling dogs never end well."
"I'll bet on Erza to win," Happy said, placing a smelly fish-scented bill in Cana's hand.
"You heartless cat!" Lucy complained.
Caesar only shook his head—not at Happy's realism, but at Cana's impending loss. This fight was destined to be interrupted, meaning no one would actually win. Anyone who bet on a winner would be doomed.
Just as Caesar expected, when Natsu and Erza were about to fight, a frog messenger from the Council squeezed in and interrupted the match.
The guild erupted in groans and complaints—everyone had lost their money. Cana, however, happily stuffed the cash into her pocket. It would buy her enough wine for days.
"Wait a moment," Caesar said as the Council officials tried to detain Erza. A flash of light surrounded him, and his cloak—symbol of a Ten Wizard Saint—appeared.
Seeing this, the frog messenger immediately dropped to one knee, trembling.
"I remember the station and railway. I already repaired them," Caesar said coldly. "What does the Council want this time?"
"I… I don't know," the frog stammered, drenched in sweat.
Caesar looked down at him, calm as ever. "Forget it. I won't embarrass you. No need to cause a scene—I'll go with Erza. Is that fine?"
The frog could only nod rapidly. He stood up, signaling for the others to back away. They escorted Erza and Caesar respectfully.
The guild members, seeing Caesar take charge, finally relaxed. With him around, nothing major would happen.