Chapter 25: Erza Returns
After a while, Natsu was pulled out of the ground. He was almost uninjured—the Dragon Slayer's physique was incredible. His resistance to physical damage had grown significantly stronger. Even a pistol bullet to the body would only sting a bit.
Once freed, Natsu pumped his fist in the air. "Next time! I'm definitely gonna beat you next time!"
Dino grinned. "Looking forward to it. Challenge me whenever you want."
As for the so-called "fighting master" title, Dino had never claimed it himself. He'd just given some pointers here and there. After all, he'd watched plenty of fighting anime back in his world, so he picked up a thing or two.
Having witnessed an excellent fight, everyone returned to the guild in high spirits. Some had won money betting on the match, others had lost—but the winners were grinning ear to ear, and the losers had no complaints. After all, they'd witnessed a spectacular show worth far more than the coin they'd wagered.
Makarov breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the damage hadn't been too severe, and that troublesome brat Dino seemed to have gotten even stronger. His control over his magic power when defeating Natsu was extraordinary. "You punk, you still caused an earthquake when you got back. If the Magic Council finds out, I'll be the one getting an earful again."
Dino scratched his head with an embarrassed laugh. "My bad, my bad. I wasn't paying attention. Won't happen next time."
"This IS your first time back! Just try to keep it under control these next few days. I have to attend the regular Guild Masters' conference. Want to come along?"
Dino immediately waved his hands in refusal. "No way! It's just a bunch of old geezers sitting around talking—not a single cute girl in sight. Why would I go?"
"You brat!"
Dino immediately slipped away toward the bar where Mirajane was working. No matter what happened in the future, a man should always take the initiative, right? Mirajane's face lit up when she saw him approaching, though she tried to hide her smile. After all, everyone in the guild was watching—she couldn't be too obvious about it.
Three days passed, and the atmosphere between Dino and Mirajane grew increasingly charged with unspoken feelings. When Dino asked her out on a date, Mirajane reluctantly turned him down, saying she was swamped with work. Since Master Makarov had left for the conference, she was responsible for handling guild affairs in his absence.
Though his date request had been rejected, Mirajane did agree to let Dino help her with some shopping later. In a roundabout way, she'd accepted his invitation. Dino considered that a victory.
Suddenly, the guild doors burst open.
Loki rushed inside, eyes wide with panic. "Everyone! Bad news! Erza's back!"
The entire guild fell deathly silent, as if frozen by some terrible spell.
Lucy blinked in confusion. "Huh? What's wrong? What's the big deal?"
A moment later, a figure strode through the guild entrance carrying what looked like an enormous demon's horn on one shoulder. Long scarlet hair cascaded down her back, and her beautiful, refined features were set in a serious expression. Clad in silver armor, she radiated an aura of absolute authority—this was Fairy Tail's S-Class mage, the "Titania" Erza Scarlet.
"THUD!" Erza set the massive horn down on the floor.
"I've returned. Is the Master here?"
"W-Welcome back! The Master's away at the conference!"
"Miss Erza… what is that huge thing?"
Erza smiled pleasantly. "Oh, this? It's the horn of a demon I defeated. The locals presented it to me as a gift, and I thought it was rather beautiful, so I brought it back. Is it in the way?"
"N-No, not at all!"
"A demon's horn? How powerful must she be?"
"As expected of Titania…"
Then Erza's expression shifted, her brow furrowing. The temperature in the guild seemed to drop ten degrees. "More importantly—you've all been causing trouble again, haven't you? Even if the Master forgives you, I won't. Cana, how can a young woman be guzzling from a barrel all day? Wakaba, you're flicking cigarette ash on the tables again. Nab, you're still just standing in front of the request board doing nothing? Get to work! And Macao…" Erza looked at Macao and let out a heavy sigh.
Macao's face burned with embarrassment. Compared to causing trouble, being defeated by monsters on missions was far more humiliating. "Could you just say something already?!"
"Honestly, all of you worry me. Now then—where are Natsu and Gray?"
Gray and Natsu immediately threw their arms around each other's shoulders, grinning nervously. "H-Hey there, Erza! We… we've been getting along great today!"
"Aye!"
Lucy's jaw dropped. "Natsu and Happy are on the same wavelength!"
"That's because both of them have been beaten down by Erza before."
Erza nodded with satisfaction. "Is that so? Well, even good friends quarrel sometimes. I'm glad to see you two in harmony."
"We've told you a million times—we're NOT friends…!"
"Aye…!"
Erza completely ignored them, her sharp gaze sweeping across the guild. "Dino Maxim—where do you think you're going?" She stopped Dino mid-escape attempt.
"Ah! Erza! Long time no see—wow, you've gotten even more beautiful!"
Erza was completely immune to flattery. She crossed her arms and began her lecture. "You vanished without a word for six months, and for all I knew, some woman had charmed you away for good. I thought you might never come back."
Dino felt a distinct sense of déjà vu. Hadn't he heard this exact speech recently?
"You didn't take a single job, and the moment you returned, you caused tsunamis and earthquakes. I heard reports on the way back about tremors disturbing the local residents. That was your doing, wasn't it?"
Dino broke into a nervous sweat. "Well… I wasn't exactly paying attention to collateral damage…"
"Have you taken any jobs since you've been back?"
Dino puffed out his chest self-righteously. "I just got back! A guy needs to rest, doesn't he?"
That excuse worked on Makarov, but Erza wasn't having it.
"You're an S-Class mage of this guild. If you don't work diligently and spend all your time drinking and flirting with girls, how are you supposed to set an example for the other members? Which other S-Class mage in this guild is as lazy as you…"
Erza launched into a full sermon that lasted a solid half hour without stopping. Everyone else in the guild watched with barely concealed relief—thank goodness Dino was the one taking the heat, or they'd all still be getting lectured.
Lucy leaned over to Happy and whispered, "Is she like… the guild's disciplinary committee or something?"
Happy whispered back, "If Dino's the strongest male mage in Fairy Tail, Erza's the strongest female mage."
"Wait—did she beat him up too?"
"Not exactly, but Dino's been scolded by Erza more than anyone else, so he's kinda scared of her."
Lucy watched as Dino practically shrank in on himself and nodded in understanding.
Finally, Erza's lecture concluded. "You happen to be free right now, so I need your help with something."