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*****
"So few of them showed up... I guess most people really are practical."
Watching the group of just over twenty mages gathered in the guild hall, George sighed inwardly.
There used to be more than a hundred mages in the guild. Even after the Tenrou Island incident, there were still close to a hundred. But now, fewer than thirty remained.
"Macao should've already explained everything to you," George began.
"To restore the glory of our Fairy Tail, I've decided to participate in the Grand Magic Games held by the Kingdom.
We need five members to register. Besides me, who else wants to join?"
The moment George finished speaking, silence fell over the entire hall. Not a single person volunteered.
Back when Natsu and the others were still around, the guild was always full of chaos. People fought each other daily, often destroying the hall in the process. No one backed down from a challenge, and the place was full of life.
If the Grand Magic Games had been announced back then, the members probably would've fought each other just to claim one of the five slots.
But now, after the Tenrou Island incident and the recent changes in the guild—fewer missions, lost companions—everyone had lost confidence.
They felt that with their current strength, joining the competition would only drag George down.
"If Natsu and the others came back and saw this, they'd probably die laughing. You don't even have the courage to sign up for a tournament," George said, intentionally provoking them, fully understanding what they were feeling.
"Master, can Levi and the others really come back?"
Sarusuke, Levi's most loyal follower and a member of the Shadow Gear team, looked utterly dejected.
Although George had said Levi and the others were likely trapped within the Fairy Sphere's magic and hadn't actually been killed by the black dragon, no one felt certain in their hearts.
First of all, there was no way to prove that George's judgment was correct.
Second, the Fairy Sphere was one of Fairy Tail's three Great Magic Spells, and ever since the first Guild Master created it, no one had been able to master it. Could George really crack it?
Third, George had been locked away in the basement for so long without showing any progress or updates—was all of this just a way to comfort them?
Because of these three doubts, rumors had spread throughout the guild. Most members believed that the Tenrou Island group would never return, and many had gradually left.
For people like Sarusuke and Droy, who had lost both friends and the ones they loved, the depression ran even deeper. They stayed in the guild all day, no longer motivated to take on missions.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you," George said, sitting at the bar and pouring himself a drink. "I've finally reached the early stages of understanding the Fairy Sphere. If things go as expected, I'll fully master it in two or three years—maybe even one or two if I'm lucky.
And based on what I know so far, I can confidently tell you—Natsu and the others are fine. The Fairy Sphere protected them."
After downing his drink, George smiled at everyone and added,
"Come on, guys. You don't want the old Master and the others to come back and see the guild in this sorry state, do you?"
He wasn't just trying to reassure them. After years of research, George truly had begun to grasp the fundamentals. If everything went as planned, he was sure he could master the Fairy Sphere within three years.
And if he gained access to other time-related magic—like the "Time" card from the Cardcaptor Sakura world, or discovered a new world with powerful time magic—then shortening it to one or two years would be completely realistic.
"Really?!"
Upon hearing George's firm declaration, everyone's faces lit up with excitement.
"Of course it's true," George nodded. "So even if Natsu and the others aren't here, we can't let the name of Fairy Tail fall."
He raised his hand and extended his paw, making the signature Fairy Tail gesture.
"Let's show everyone in the Kingdom who we are!"
"We are—Fairy Tail!"
Everyone raised their right hands at once, striking the same pose and shouting in unison.
With morale restored, everyone began eagerly signing up.
George, meanwhile, picked the tallest among the short—selecting a few standouts from the current roster.
They included Marcus, who specialized in sand magic; Alzack and Bisca, a couple skilled in gun magic; and finally, Laki, who excelled in wood-formation magic.
One week later, at the entrance of Fairy Tail's guild...
Macao scratched his head as he looked at the fully geared-up guild members and said to George:
"Master, is it really okay for all of us to go? Shouldn't we leave a few people behind to watch over the guild? What if something happens while we're gone?"
The current Fairy Tail guild was no ordinary building—it was made from Phantom Lord's old mobile fortress and was worth a fortune.
Macao worried that if everyone left, someone might try to steal the entire place.
"I told you already—you're the guild master now. Stop calling me that. If you let it slip at the wrong moment, it could cause trouble."
George reminded him and explained:
"Don't worry, nothing will happen to the guild—because I plan to bring it with us."
To George, Macao's suggestion of leaving a few mages behind to guard the place was unnecessary.
If someone really wanted to attack the guild, the few left behind wouldn't stand a chance. They'd only end up getting hurt or worse.
That didn't mean George was going to abandon the guild entirely. Aside from the priceless mobile fortress itself, there were even more critical things to protect—like the magic books stored in the basement and the sealed artifact Meteor Star Radiance.
So, his solution was simple: take the whole guild, including both basement levels, with him. That way, there'd be no need to worry.
"Take the guild with us?"
Macao and the other Fairy Tail mages were stunned.
Was George seriously planning to activate the mobile fortress and fly it straight to the royal capital? That would never be allowed through city gates.
"Yes, we're taking it with us. And we'll bring it back when we return."
George retrieved a small case from his Requip storage space and opened it, asking everyone to step back. Then he began chanting a mountain-moving incantation.
Under the effects of this ancient magic, the entire guild building—along with a large chunk of ground beneath it—was lifted straight out and sealed into the magically expanded box, which had been enchanted with the Undetectable Extension Charm.
Thanks to his current mastery of Divine-Trace Magic, George could expand the space inside something the size of a suitcase to hold an entire city.
So, moving the guild? For him, it was child's play.
"Master, you really are something else!"
At that moment, everyone was reminded of the time George moved an entire mountain into a lake to create an island for the Fairy Tail Magic Tournament. They recalled how he had led them to victory again and again—and their confidence in the upcoming games surged.
Maybe this time, they wouldn't just aim for a middle ranking. With George leading the charge, even becoming the strongest magic guild in the kingdom didn't seem impossible.
When Natsu and the others finally returned, and saw that, under George's leadership, Fairy Tail had taken first place in the Grand Magic Games and become the Kingdom's top guild, they would be amazed—and probably more than a little envious.
"Let's go—Crocus, the City of Flowers!"
George used his powers to draw iron sand from the earth, forming a black cloud beneath everyone. With all the Fairy Tail mages aboard, they soared toward the royal capital.
(End of Chapter)