Chapter 111: Laxus's Ambition
"Everyone! Work resumes today!"
Three days had passed in a flash. The ruined, skeletal remains of the Fairy Tail guild hall had been cleared away, and the massive reconstruction project was in full swing.
"Even though it's a temporary counter, everyone needs to work actively!"
Mira announced with a warm, encouraging smile from behind a makeshift bar counter, which was really just two barrels and a plank of wood set up under a large tent.
With the Magic Council's ruling—which had, miraculously, been a simple "Don't do it again" and a forfeiture of their 20 million Jewel prize money to pay for the Onibus Arena's destruction—Fairy Tail was finally allowed to resume normal operations.
"Awooooh! Awooooh!"
"We have work! We finally have work—!"
Upon hearing Mira's announcement that the quest board was open, everyone in the guild, who had been lazily hammering nails or carrying wood, rushed like mad to the temporary request board. They were eager, almost frantic, to pick their quests.
"What's going on?" Lucy, who was taking a water break, couldn't help but complain at their bizarre behavior. "Usually, they're just lounging around, drinking."
She had been in the guild for some time now, and normally, the request board would be full of quests, but no one would take them. Every day, they just came to the guild to drink and brawl.
Mira chuckled, her laugh like a small bell. "Hahahaha! They haven't worked for a long time, Lucy. They're all out of money!"
She knew everyone in the guild well; they were the type to enjoy themselves thoroughly when they had a bit of money, but they only worked when they were almost broke. Without a guild hall and with operations suspended, their savings were long gone. No one in Fairy Tail enjoyed being penniless.
"Mira, are there any S-Class Quests?"
Ren also hurried over to Mira, asking. He had just checked the request board and saw that all the quests were simple B-Class or A-Class jobs, which he wasn't interested in.
Mira shook her head, her smile turning apologetic. "S-Class Quests might take a few more days, Ren. Because of what happened with Phantom, the guild distributed all its high-level quests to other guilds to handle. Now that we've just regained the qualification to accept quests, even if there were new S-Class Quests, it would still take some time for the clients to send them here."
She brightened slightly, pulling a few flyers from under the counter. "If you want to do a quest, there are actually several high-paying subjugation quests here. This one is 2 million Jewel, just to take out a chimera."
High-level subjugation quests paid almost as much as S-Class Quests. Completing three or four of them would roughly equal the reward of one.
"No, then forget it," Ren said, waving her off. "I'll wait a bit longer!"
He was interested in money, yes, but he was far more interested in what S-Class Quests represented. He stalked off, frustrated.
No matter how high the reward for a subjugation quest, the system would only count it as an A-Class Quest. And the reward for an A-Class Quest would only be one draw chance. An S-Class Quest, however, guaranteed a ten-pull ticket.
The math was simple. He wasn't going to waste three or four missions doing A-Class work for a handful of single pulls when he could just wait for the big prize.
So, if he could wait, he would. He didn't want a new S-Class Quest to appear while he was off doing an A-Class Quest, only for it to be taken by Laxus or Mystogan. He would regret that immensely.
Ren grabbed a drink from Mira, paid for it, and then found a quiet, half-built corner to sit and drink.
"Why is Ren so fixated on S-Class Quests?" Lucy asked Mira, her curiosity piqued. "Is it just because of the high rewards? He seemed... almost angry."
"Nobody knows, really," Mira said, her gaze drifting to Ren. "Maybe he just really likes the challenge of doing S-Class Quests."
She didn't know either, but she could tell that Ren's attitude towards S-Class Quests was completely, fundamentally different from his attitude towards other quests. It was an obsession.
As Ren was drinking, his mind calculating how long he'd have to wait for his next gacha pull, a very unexpected figure sat down opposite him, his chair scraping loudly on the wood planks.
"Let's talk!"
Ren looked up. The newcomer wore a golden, leopard-print-trimmed coat, had spiky golden hair, and had a pair of magic headphones on his ears. His expression was one of bored, arrogant superiority that screamed 'I'm the best in the world.'
It was none other than Laxus Dreyar, one of Fairy Tail's S-Class Mages and the Master's grandson.
"Hmm?"
Ren hadn't expected Laxus to speak to him. He had been in Fairy Tail for almost a year and had seen Laxus a few times, but they had never spoken.
On one hand, Laxus had his own clique—the Raijinshuu—and barely interacted with other guild members. On the other hand, Ren was somewhat put off by Laxus's condescending, childish attitude, so he naturally wouldn't initiate a conversation.
"What is it?" Ren asked, his voice flat.
"Ren, what do you think of the current Fairy Tail Guild?" Laxus asked, leaning forward, his voice a low, conspiratorial rumble.
"Well... it's great," Ren said, taking a sip of his drink. "The Master takes good care of me, and everyone in the guild is very united..."
"No!" Laxus interrupted, his voice sharp. "That's not what I'm talking about. I'm not talking about feelings. I'm talking about strength. What I'm saying is... this guild is too weak!"
"Too weak?" Ren raised an eyebrow. "Aren't we currently the strongest Mage Guild in Fiore? We just proved that."
"'The strongest' is the strongest, but it's just a false strength," Laxus sneered. "It's a title supported by a few, strong individuals. Ren, look at this guild."
He gestured out at the construction site, where Natsu and Gray were now in a full-blown fistfight on top of a pile of lumber.
"Besides a few S-Class Mages... besides you, me, Erza, and Mystogan... what else is there but a bunch of worthless trash?"
His voice was full of contempt. "Look at them. They have no real ability, yet they get to enjoy the name of 'Fairy Tail', the 'strongest guild'. How can such individuals be fit to stay in the Fairy Tail Guild?"
"The strongest guild I envision is not these nobodies," Laxus said, his eyes glazing over with a fanatical light. "The strongest I want is for every single person in the guild to be a strong among the strong. A guild of lions, not a guild of lions protecting a herd of weak, pathetic sheep. Only then can it be called the strongest guild."
He leaned in closer, his gaze intense. "Ren. Work with me."
"You're strong. I've seen it. You beat Jose. You're not like the others. You're like me. Let's join forces and change this guild together. As long as we unite, we can create the strongest guild in Fiore—no, the entire Ishgar continent, or even the entire world! The strongest guild in history, surpassing all others!"
"And as for those weaklings," he finished, his voice dropping to a cold, cruel whisper, "we kick them all out of the guild."
Suddenly!
Bang!!
Crack!!
A nearby temporary table, loaded with construction tools, was smashed to pieces by a single, armored fist.
An angry voice rang out, "Try saying that again, Laxus!"
The voice immediately drew everyone's attention. All eyes focused on Erza, who was now staring at Laxus, her fists clenched, her body trembling with a furious expression.
"Oh, Erza. You're here too," Laxus sneered, not even bothering to stand up. "Since you're here, it's even better. Let's make it clear now: our guild doesn't need weaklings."
"Erza?!"
Lucy, who was nearby, had never seen Erza this angry before. Although Erza could be intimidating when serious, after spending time with her, Lucy knew she was actually very gentle and kind. This... this was a new, cold fury.
"Laxus is back?" Happy exclaimed, his voice small.
Gray, who had stopped fighting Natsu, looked over at Laxus with clear displeasure. "That scoundrel. He starts acting arrogant the moment he returns."
"Do you know why Phantom Lord looked down on us?" Laxus continued, his voice rising, ignoring Erza's rage. "The root cause is that there's too much trash in the Fairy Tail Guild! They make us look weak!"
"The old man is soft-hearted! He never refuses anyone who wants to join, no matter how insignificant! And that has led to more and more weaklings in the guild!"
"They contribute nothing! Yet they enjoy the best resources, and even a simple quest becomes a burden, tarnishing the guild's reputation!"
"Tell me, Erza! Tell me, Ren! What right do people like that have to join Fairy Tail?!"
"Laxus, you bastard!!"
Natsu, his rage at Laxus's words overcoming his usual fear of Erza's anger, couldn't hold back. He charged forward, his fist wreathed in flames, and threw a punch directly at Laxus's face.
Zzzzt!
Laxus's body dissolved into a bolt of golden lightning, instantly and effortlessly teleporting behind Natsu.
"Laxus, I'm going to fight you! You heartless bastard!!" Natsu roared, spinning around to attack again.
"Hahahahaha!" Laxus laughed, his lightning form appearing back on his chair, his leg crossed. "You can't even catch me, Natsu. So what right do you have to fight me?"
After speaking, Laxus ignored Natsu's furious, useless attacks. He turned his gaze back to Ren, his expression now serious, demanding.
"Ren. Will you join me in creating the strongest guild in history... or will you continue playing house with these weaklings?"
"Tell me your answer."
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