He turned and saw Mira's gloomy expression, then continued with a nonchalant tone, "It's been a while since I've seen that look on your face."
At this moment, Makarov spoke, asking Mira, "Oh no, the missing request form is..."
"The Cursed Island, Galuna."
"What!!! The Demon Island?"
"They're too reckless!"
"They're really idiots!" Everyone in the guild exclaimed in shock.
"Laxus, bring them back," Makarov said in a somewhat loud voice.
"Are you kidding? I'm going to work. This guild doesn't need wizards who require others to clean up after them, does it?"
"Besides you, who else can forcibly bring Natsu back now?" Makarov yelled at Laxus.
"Who says there isn't? There's one right there, always idle." Laxus pointed his chin at Chen Fan, who was sprawled on a table downstairs, but seeing Chen Fan didn't react, his eyebrow twitched in annoyance.
It turned out that as soon as Chen Fan heard the request form was missing, he knew trouble was coming, so he played dead on the table, waiting for Gray to impulsively take on the quest before waking up. He didn't expect that plans don't always go as expected, and Laxus would actually drag him out.
"Chen Fan!"
"Chen Fan."
"Pervert."
"Weirdo." The insults grew louder, making Chen Fan unable to pretend anymore. If they kept going, who knows what he would be called.
So, he opened his eyes, groggily rubbed them, and said, "Oh, good morning everyone. You all look tired, rest earlier. Alright, I'm going home." After speaking, he tried to sneak away before anyone could react.
"Hold on a minute," Makarov spoke, and Chen Fan could only turn back helplessly, looking at Makarov with a bitter face and saying, "What is it, Master? Look at me, I'm skin and bones. You're not going to force me to feed a demon, are you?"
"Yes, Master."
"Chen Fan doesn't even use offensive magic, how can you send him?" Everyone echoed, and for the first time, Chen Fan thought these fools were quite cute. He thought, Makarov must have nothing to say now, right?
Suddenly, Gray stood up and said, "With me, there won't be any problems, right?"
Chen Fan almost collapsed. He thought, why didn't you say it earlier, or later? Why now? His resentful glare startled Gray. Thinking Chen Fan was scared, Gray patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, I'll protect you. You just need to be able to save the severely injured Natsu."
"Oh, oh, oh, Chen Fan, you're being underestimated! Aren't you going to say something?" Laxus said, laughing from the second floor.
"What is there to say?" Chen Fan turned around and said, his tone a bit sharp.
"Hahahahaha..." As if Laxus had finally seen Chen Fan suffer a loss. He laughed heartily, leaving the other guild members confused, not knowing how Chen Fan had offended Laxus. They all silently grieved for Chen Fan, their eyes clearly showing pity for him.
"Cough, cough, in that case, Chen Fan and Gray will go together to bring Natsu back," Makarov said after a light cough, having made a decision. As long as Chen Fan took action, nothing would happen to them.
"But Master..." Mira was about to say something, but Makarov stopped her.
With no other choice, Chen Fan and Gray quickly packed their things and set off. Chen Fan was still looking at Makarov with a bit of reluctance, scaring Makarov into quickly turning his gaze away, pretending not to see him.
At this point, the guild had quieted down, with some gentle discussions about Chen Fan and his companions. Mira was tidying up the cups nearby, her mind a bit elsewhere.
Makarov glanced at Mira, smiled, and called her over, "Mira, pour me some wine."
Mira was startled back to attention and said to Makarov, "Oh, coming, Master."
Watching Mira pour him wine, Makarov whispered, "Are you worried about Chen Fan and his companions?"
Mira's face flushed, and she immediately said, "Worried about Chen Fan? What are you talking about?"
"I didn't say it was Chen Fan, I said Chen Fan and his companions," Makarov said with a mischievous grin.
"Ah, Master, you really are something, always teasing me." Although Mira was smiling, her inner worry was still palpable.
Makarov saw this and said, "You don't have to worry about them. As long as Chen Fan is there, nothing will happen to them." He then leisurely drank his wine.
"Chen Fan?"
"Yes, him. He is very strong, so strong that I don't even know how strong he is." Makarov's tone was filled with emotion.
Hearing Makarov say Chen Fan was very strong, Mira knew Chen Fan must indeed be powerful. She knew her Master wouldn't joke about things like that; Makarov must know something, so she was relieved. The smile on her face became brighter.
She said to Makarov, "Master, would you like another glass?"
Makarov saw Mira's smile and understood that she had grasped his meaning, so he said loudly, "Alright, one more glass!"