Oak Town — Two Days Later.
The news spread like wildfire through the underworld of Fiore.
"Damn Fairy Tail... damn Makarov!" Jose Porla slammed his fist onto the armrest of his throne, his magical aura flaring a sickly purple.
"They've even stretched their hands into our territory!"
Raizel and his companions hadn't concealed their movements in Oak Town.
News that Duke Grant—the most influential noble in the northeast—had specifically assigned Raizel of Fairy Tail for a lucrative mission had reached the Guild Master of Phantom Lord.
Phantom Lord considered the northeast their backyard.
For Fairy Tail to snatch such a high-profile client right from under their noses was a slap in the face.
However, Duke Grant didn't care about guild politics.
He wasn't aware of the budding rivalry between the two guilds, and even if he were, as the supreme authority in the region, he answered to no one but the King.
Jose ground his teeth. "Raizel Bael... the Knight. He's becoming a problem."
...
After leaving Oak Town, Raizel's group smoothly completed several more extermination missions on their way back to Magnolia.
Raizel didn't dwell on them; he used them as live-fire exercises for Ultear and Erza, letting them sharpen their skills while he supervised.
For him, fighting regular monsters offered no improvement. To truly push his limits, he'd need to face a Wizard Saint or a high-tier demon.
Back in Magnolia, life returned to its peaceful rhythm.
The afternoon sun filtered through the leaves of the Eastern Forest.
Raizel sat by the lake with fishing rod in hand.
Beside him sat Laxus Dreyar, who's also fishing, with his signature headphones around his neck.
"You've changed quite a bit recently," Laxus commented, watching his float bob in the water. "You're actually taking missions regularly. I used to ask the old man where you were, and he'd say 'training in the woods.' Now it's always 'out on a job.'"
"I was forced..." Raizel muttered darkly.
He felt a scorching gaze from nearby. Ultear was sitting on a rock, teaching Kagura to read, but her ears were definitely perked up.
Raizel coughed, averting his eyes. "I mean... mainly because I've developed a love for work. Yes. Work is great."
"Tch," Laxus snorted dismissively. "Liar."
They sat in comfortable silence for a moment.
Among the male members of the guild, Raizel preferred Laxus.
Gray and Lyon were too noisy, constantly stripping and shouting challenges.
Laxus was quiet, strong, and understood the burden of expectations.
"Don't you have any thoughts about teaming up?" Raizel asked. "Why do you always work alone?"
Currently, the Thunder God Tribe (Raijinshuu) hadn't formed yet.
Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen were still out there.
Raizel suspected they would join soon, drawn by Laxus's strength.
"I've thought about it," Laxus admitted, leaning back. "But there's no one in the guild right now I'd want to work with. Most of them are weak. I don't want to end up babysitting. Except for you, but doing missions with you is boring. We finish everything in five seconds."
"I can't just ignore that, Laxus!"
Erza, who was practicing sword swings in a nearby clearing, marched over.
She looked offended!
"I'm not weak!" she declared, planting her hands on her hips.
"Sorry, sorry," Laxus raised his hands in mock surrender. "Excluding you and Ultear. But you're already teamed up with Raizel. I'm not going to be a third wheel."
Laxus respected Erza.
When she had disciplined Gray and Lyon for stripping in the guild hall the other day, she had handled both boys with brutal efficiency.
Laxus had watched with amusement; the girl had the spirit of a warrior.
'The Queen has inherited her mother's talent perfectly' Raizel mused internally.
In the original timeline, Erza became an S-Class Mage at 15.
Now, starting her training earlier under his and Ultear's guidance, she was growing even faster. In terms of pure attack power, she might already rival Ultear.
"If you need help, I can lend a hand too," Erza nodded proudly, satisfied with the acknowledgement, before returning to her training.
Raizel turned back to Laxus. "By the way, where did your Dragon Slayer Lacrima come from? I've been meaning to ask that."
"I heard from my father that he bought it from a black market merchant in the Western Continent," Laxus said, touching his chest absently.
"Cost a fortune."
"Can they still be bought?"
"Why?" Laxus looked at him suspiciously. "Are you interested in Dragon Slayer Magic? You've never shown interest in anything other than your Take Over."
"No, not for me," Raizel shook his head. "I just thought you could look for more. I've heard rumors... there are people out there with multiple Dragon Slayer Lacrimas inside them. They wield different elements."
Raizel was thinking of God Serena, the God of Ishgar who held eight lacrimas.
"Multiple?" Laxus's eyes widened. "Implanting one was agonizing enough. It nearly killed me. Eight... that sounds impossible."
"It's risky," Raizel agreed. "But it's a path to power. If you can find another one—maybe something that complements lightning, like wind or sound—it could boost your abilities exponentially."
"Wind and Lightning..." Laxus mused. "That would be a storm."
"How do you come up with all this?" Laxus asked, eyeing Raizel. "You don't study magic theory."
"I have a lot of free time to think," Raizel grinned. "I sometimes wonder if my Take Over forms can be fused or enhanced with elemental attributes. But I haven't figured it out yet."
"Aren't you afraid I'll surpass you by giving me these ideas?" Laxus smirked, a competitive glint in his eyes.
"I'd welcome it," Raizel said sincerely. "The stronger you are, the happier I'll be. If you're stronger than me, you can be the one to hold up the sky when it falls. I can finally retire and fish all day."
"Has no one ever told you that smile of yours is fucking annoying?" Laxus scoffed, looking away at the lake to hide a small smile on his face.
"Sorry, never."
"Good. Keep it that way."
Suddenly, Laxus reeled in his line. "Speaking of which, it's been a long time since we last sparred, hasn't it?"
Raizel looked up at the sky, blinking. "It has. What? Want to go a round right now?"
Laxus shook his head. "Not today. I've already heard from the old man. You're going to be one of the examiners for the S-Class exam next year, right?"
"That won't be until X776," Raizel noted. "Gramps wants you to wait until you're fifteen."
"I know," Laxus nodded. "I've talked to him about it. I agreed. I still have some shortcomings to work on. So let's save our fight for the exam. A match with no regrets. No holding back."
Raizel didn't say anything. He simply extended his fist.
Laxus smirked and bumped it with his own.
"Train hard, Raizel," Laxus warned. "Don't actually let me surpass you. It wouldn't be any fun to beat you if you're weak."
Raizel flashed a fearless grin.
"Unfortunately for you, I have no intention of losing. You'll have to pry the title from my cold, dead hands."
"Deal."
Nearby, Erza watched the exchange with shining eyes. She nudged Ultear.
"Their relationship is really good," she whispered. "Rivals, but like brothers."
"We can be like that too," Ultear smiled, looking at Erza and little Kagura.
"We already are actually."
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