Chapter 69: Genius Delayed by Magic
The next day, Wizards Weekly published the announcement that Dino Maxim had become one of the Ten Wizard Saints. The news sent shockwaves through the magical world. Five years ago, Dino had made a name for himself in the wizarding community, but he'd virtually disappeared after that. Only recently had he resurfaced in the public eye.
The battle between the two largest wizard guilds in the Kingdom of Fiore naturally became the focus of everyone's attention.
The final result: Fairy Tail emerged victorious, and Phantom Lord was disbanded. Dino had defeated Jose Porla, the former Ten Wizard Saints member and Phantom Lord Guild Master, in a one-on-one battle.
With such an undeniable record, the Magic Council had no choice but to acknowledge his strength. To deny him the title would cast doubt on the credibility of the Ten Wizard Saints themselves.
This was the Council's compromise—and their way of giving Fairy Tail an explanation while quietly erasing the incident of Dino's arrest and sentencing.
"Everyone! The request board is officially reopened starting today!" Mirajane called out cheerfully from behind the temporary counter. "It's only temporary, but let's get back to work!"
"YEAH! Jobs are back! Finally!" Several guild members rushed toward the request board, eagerly scanning for missions that suited them.
Lucy sweatdropped. "Seriously? You all spend every day drinking and goofing off, but now you're motivated?" She glanced over at Dino, who was sprawled lazily across a chair. "Dino, aren't you going to take a job?"
Dino yawned, soaking in the sunlight streaming through the guild windows. "Nothing really catches my eye. I'm tired of all the fighting. I'm a pacifist at heart, you know."
"A pacifist?" Lucy's eyebrow twitched. She wasn't even going to touch that one.
"Besides," Dino continued, covering his face dramatically, "I've been exhausted lately. I came back hoping for some peace and quiet, but it's been one disaster after another. And somehow, I still haven't made any money."
He groaned theatrically. "This shouldn't be happening! I'm one of the Ten Wizard Saints now! How am I still broke? My life wasn't supposed to turn out like this!"
Erza, sitting nearby with her arms crossed, gave him a pointed look. "Maybe it's because you don't actually work."
At the mention of being broke, Lucy's eyes filled with tears. She slumped over the counter beside him. "I'm poor too! Every time I go on a mission with Natsu, after covering repairs and collateral damage, I barely have anything left!"
She clutched her head in despair. "At this rate, I won't be able to pay rent this month! Isn't there any job that doesn't involve mass destruction?"
Mirajane's eyes lit up. "Oh! Actually, I have the perfect job for you—one that doesn't require any fighting at all."
Onibus City
A commercial hub just an hour by train from Magnolia Town. While Magnolia thrived as a city of magic, Onibus was a bustling center of trade and entertainment. In terms of sheer business atmosphere, it even surpassed Magnolia.
"W-Why…did we all have to come together?" Levy asked nervously, glancing around at the unusually large group.
Dino grinned. "You didn't have anything else going on, and it's not far. I figured you three could use a break after everything that happened with Phantom Lord."
After accepting the mission from Mirajane, Dino had noticed Levy and her teammates—Jet and Droy—looking withdrawn and guilty over the guild's recent troubles. He'd decided to bring them along to lift their spirits.
Lucy threw her hands up in exasperation. "Even so, there are eight people here! Nine if you count Happy!"
For this mission, Dino had invited Lucy, Natsu, Gray, and Erza—along with Levy's entire team.
Erza's eyes sparkled with excitement. "What's wrong with that? The more, the merrier! And this mission can handle a large group just fine!" She began doing vocal warm-ups. "Ah~! Ahhh~~!"
Lucy sweatdropped. "We're not here to perform. We're just providing behind-the-scenes support—using magic to boost the theater's popularity."
When they arrived at the theater, the building looked grand from the outside, but inside it was nearly deserted. The troupe leader explained that all the actors had quit after receiving terrible reviews.
Erza's eyes ignited with determination. "Then I'll be an actress!" she declared immediately.
The others perked up with interest as well.
Dino rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "An actor, huh? That actually sounds kind of fun." He turned to the troupe leader. "Let me see the script."
"Here you go!" The man handed over a worn booklet.
Dino flipped through it quickly, his expression growing more unimpressed by the second. After a moment, he tossed it to Natsu. "Burn it."
"Huh?" Natsu blinked, then shrugged and ignited the script in his hands, happily munching on the flames.
"W-WHAT?!" the troupe leader sputtered.
Dino grabbed a stack of blank paper and turned to Levy. "Levy, cast a text-transcription spell on me."
Levy hesitated, then raised her hands and activated her Letter Magic. Dino closed his eyes in concentration. Moments later, words began flowing from his mind onto the pages, filling them with elegant script.
Lucy leaned in curiously. "Dino, are you writing a script?"
Dino opened his eyes and smiled. "Done."
"Already?!" Lucy's jaw dropped.
She snatched the pages from him eagerly. As someone who loved novels and dreamed of writing her own stories, she couldn't resist. Scripts were just another form of storytelling, after all—and she'd always fantasized about seeing her work performed in a grand theater like this.
Natsu crossed his arms skeptically. "Dino writing a script? Yeah, right. He probably just scribbled down some nonsense about monsters punching each other. I've known him forever—he's never shown any talent for this."
Gray smirked, imagining two giant creatures slugging it out on stage. "Yeah, I can't picture him writing anything normal either."
Happy snickered. "Wow, you guys are imagining something really weird!"
Dino cracked his knuckles. "You two want to get punched?"
Both of them immediately shut up.
Meanwhile, Lucy stood frozen, staring at the script with wide eyes. "This is…incredible! You created something this good in just a few minutes? Is this even possible?!"
"What? Let me see!" Levy and Erza rushed over, grabbing the pages from her hands. Levy, who loved reading just as much as Lucy, scanned the script rapidly.
"The title is Cinderella? I've never heard of this story before…"
Since it was formatted as a stage play, the script wasn't overly long. Both women finished reading quickly—and their expressions mirrored Lucy's.
Their eyes widened in amazement as they looked at Dino with newfound respect.
"This is amazing!" they said in unison.
Levy stared at him seriously, her admiration clear. "Dino…maybe you're actually a literary genius who was delayed by magic!"