The inside of the guild fell instantly silent. Almost all members who were drinking, chatting, or even fighting stopped their actions, their gazes turning in unison toward the three standing by the wall.
Immediately after, an even louder noise erupted:
"Gildarts! You bastard! You broke the guild wall again!"
"How many times is this?! The Master is going to kill you!"
"Hmm? Brought back fresh faces this time?"
"Two little ones..."
Shane and Erza stood behind Gildarts. Through the big hole he had smashed open, they could clearly see the bustling scene inside the guild.
The air was filled with the smell of ale, the aroma of food, and vibrant vitality and... chaos?
Because of this farce-like entrance, a dozen gazes sized them up without concealment.
Having experienced the Tower of Heaven, Shane didn't feel much about it. On the contrary, Erza, who had always been tough, subconsciously puffed out her chest, looking a bit nervous.
Just then, a voice suppressing anger came from the second floor of the guild, accompanied by heart-palpitating magical pressure:
"GIL—DARTS—!!!"
"The complaint letters from the Council are piling up like a mountain! It's one thing to use magic recklessly in the city, but you actually dared to use drunkenness to flirt with women! You've completely embarrassed me!"
"Do you know how much effort it takes for me to appease them?!"
A short figure leaped down from upstairs. The small dome hat on his head could barely cover his erupting anger, and spittle flew directly onto Gildarts' face.
Shane, standing aside, was slightly stunned. He inexplicably felt that the point of the person in front of him being angry wasn't about the street or flirting with women, but about the "effort"...
Gildarts dug his ear, looking nonchalant:
"Ma ma, don't worry about such small things, Master." He wrapped his big arm around Shane and Erza behind him, pushing them to the front. "Look, I brought back two newcomers with infinite potential this time!"
He turned his head to introduce to the two: "Kid, lass, this is our Fairy Tail's Guild Master, Makarov. Don't look at his small stature; he is a Great Mage ranked among the 'Ten Wizard Saints'!"
Shane nodded seriously. The terrifying Magic Power on Makarov was clearly perceivable even by him.
"The 'Ten Wizard Saints' is a title that can only be obtained by the ten strongest Mages on the Ishgar continent!" An uncle beside him with a pipe in his mouth and an exaggerated pompadour added triumphantly.
"Hey! Wakaba!" A drunk uncle with spiky hair beside him immediately spoke up. "Don't introduce the Master with that tone of bragging about yourself!"
"Bastard Macao, do you want to fight?" Wakaba glared back immediately.
"Come on! Who's afraid of whom!"
In less than two sentences, the two uncles were nose to nose, quarreling like two fighting cocks. Instead of dissuading them, the surrounding members raised their glasses and booed:
"Oh! A fight is starting!"
"I bet 500 Jewels on Macao winning!"
"Wakaba! Don't lose this time!"
"You bastards—!" Makarov was so angry that his beard curled up. He turned and roared, "It's rare for new members to join; at least behave decently at a time like this!"
The noisy atmosphere quieted down for only a second, then rebounded with even greater volume.
Quarreling, jeering, and the clinking of glasses were even louder than before.
A wooden chair flew past Shane's eyes accompanied by someone's laughter, followed by a tumbling mug, ale spilling out and drawing a messy arc in the air.
Shane subconsciously stepped aside to avoid the liquor. Looking at this battlefield-like scene, he couldn't help murmuring, "Um... is this really okay?"
Erza looked vigilant, her right hand already pressing on the hilt of her newly bought longsword.
She leaned close to Shane, lowered her voice, and said with a trace of disbelief, "Be careful, there's a pervert over there wearing no clothes."
The direction she pointed to was a spiky-haired boy completely naked except for a pair of boxers, arrogantly putting his feet on the table and spacing out.
The attitude of the two left Makarov unsure how to explain. He opened his mouth but felt a wave of powerlessness.
My heart hurts...
He turned his head sharply to settle accounts with the culprit, only to find that Gildarts had slipped into the crowd at some point, his arm around someone else's shoulder, laughing loudly and drinking freely, completely acting as if it had nothing to do with him.
"Sigh..." Makarov sighed helplessly, rubbed his brow, and had to wave to Shane and Erza. "You two, come over here first."
The two walked around the fruit cores and overturned stools thrown by who-knows-who on the ground and arrived at the relatively tidy counter.
"You want to join the guild, right?" Makarov looked at them, his tone softening.
Shane nodded and said seriously, "Yes, Master. If there are any tests we need to complete or..."
Before he could finish, Makarov interrupted him with a smile, taking out a uniquely shaped stamp from somewhere: "Hold out your hand."
Although Shane was a bit puzzled, he extended his right hand as told.
Snap!
With a soft sound, the stamp was pressed cleanly on the back of his hand, leaving a pattern of a fairy with a playful tail.
"Alright! Welcome to Fairy Tail!" Makarov nodded with satisfaction, smiling kindly.
Shane looked at the emblem on the back of his hand, which was still slightly warm, feeling a bit dazed: "This... is it? No need for a test or to check our strength?"
Makarov waved his hand casually, his gaze sweeping over the noisy hall: "There is no need for any reason to become companions and family."
This kind attitude made Shane a bit uncomfortable; he wasn't used to being overly close to people yet.
Then, Makarov turned to Erza, who had been standing quietly: "Little girl, what about you? Want one too?"
Erza nodded, extended her left arm, and rolled up her sleeve neatly: "Right here is fine."
With another crisp snap, the Fairy Tail emblem was branded on her arm.
Makarov looked at the pair of teenagers in front of him with satisfaction, thinking secretly that they would definitely look good when they grew up.
Suddenly, his gaze stopped on Erza's red hair, as if discovering something interesting. He stroked his beard and smiled: "Hmm... both red hair, don't tell me you're the daughter brought back by that kid Gildarts?"
His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the ears of certain people secretly paying attention here.
"Pfft!" At a table not far away, a black-haired girl playing cards was visibly shaken, looking at Erza and Gildarts in disbelief. "No way?! Although red hair is indeed rare... but how is that possible!"
"Although I indeed don't know who my parents are... but..."
Hearing this, Erza glanced at the scumbag uncle picking his nose and guzzling beer not far away.
After observing for just one second, she shook her head decisively.
"Impossible. Absolutely impossible!"