Chapitre 222: Requests from the Royal Family

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.

November, x784.

Two and a half weeks have passed since Laxus was able to return to his wizarding duties. And in that time, nothing of note has occurred. Or that would have been the case if a messenger from the royal family of Fiore did not show up at the guild hall.

The messenger, a brown-haired, portly man accompanied by two a familiar squad of three knights strolled into the guild hall hesitantly. Something that was completely out of character for him.

The reason for his hesitance was simple, Fairy Tail's reputation for disregarding authority. On top of that, he had been warned by the king before he left that his usual high and mighty attitude would have no effect on the wizards of Fairy Tail. So, he was very careful with is actions.

Two of the knights, on the other hand, were following the messenger casually. The third, however, was looking around excitedly, hoping to see a certain member of the guild.

"Where is he?" Darkness muttered. "I heard how badly he beat up the guild master's grandson. I really wanna meet him. Maybe he'd have a spar with me and accidentally go a little too far."

Luckily, the female knight's voice was low enough that the royal messenger did not hear her. Her subordinates, on the other hand, heard everything she said, loud and clear.

The messenger, on the other hand, after wrestling with his hesitation and while wishing he was anywhere but here, finally decided to announce his presence as no one seemed to be paying him any mind.

"By decree of the---" The messenger began to say.

"What did you say, you frozen streaker!" A shout cut off the messenger's announcement.

Taken aback by the loud voice, the messenger flinched before looking in the direction the shout came from.

At the end of his line of sight, the messenger saw a pink-haired young man, Natsu, standing on a chair with one foot on the table in front of him glaring down at a black-haired young man, Gray, wearing nothing but a pair of underwear.

"Did all that fire burn your eardrums, Flame Brain?" Gray replied in a combative tone. "Or maybe you just didn't understand, proving that I was right and you are an idiot."

"I'll show you who the idiot is!" Natsu roared before lunging across the table and punching Gray in the face.

As a result of the force behind the punch, Gray was lifted off his seat and sent flying into the table behind him, flipping all the food and drinks on impact.

"Damn it, Gray!" A dark blue-haired, middle-aged man, Macao, shouted angrily after wiping the contents of his flipped mug out of his face. "I just spent the last of my points on that meal! Now, I'll have to do more quests to eat Alfonzo's food again!"

With that, Macao kicked Gray, sending him flying into another table where a similar angry roar followed shortly afterward.

This process repeated several times, with Gray being flung from table to table. Eventually, a guild wide brawl was started while the royal messenger watched on in horror.

Meanwhile, the male knights looked on without much change in their expressions. Which made sense, they had seen a similar situation when the representatives from the kingdom came to hand over the patent documents to Alfonzo after one of his inventions was approved. That was before they were assigned to Darkness' squad, of course.

Darkness, on the other hand, was watching the brawl with an excited gleam in her eyes while her breathing grew ragged and she started rubbing her thighs together in anticipation. Oh, how she wanted to join the fray and feel all those blows land on her body.

"I really hope someone comes to break up this brawl soon." One of the male knights whispered to his comrade.

"Yeah, before the captain does something to embarrass the knights… again…" The other knight replied in a whisper of his own.

"*Sigh*" Both knights sighed at what their lives have become after being assigned to Darkness' squad.

At that moment, a brown-skinned young man with dreadlocks, Alfonzo, came into the main hall from the restroom before scanning the area. Not that he was intimidated by the thought of making his way through the bedlam. Instead, he was calculating the path that would require him to beat up the least people on his way back to his seat.

When Alfonzo's gaze landed on the royal messenger and the three familiar knights, however, he decided that he needed to return to the bathroom… fast.

"Nope." Alfonzo muttered to himself as he turned around. "I'm definitely not dealing with this shit."

Before Alfonzo could make it back into the restroom, however, the elevator door opened, Makarov and Ur walking through it quickly.

"Knock it off, you brats!" Makarov shouted while washing the main hall in his magic power pressure. "Can't you see we have some very important guests?"

Immediately, all the fighting stopped. Natsu, who had been knocked into the air, falling to the floor a beat later. Alfonzo, on the other hand, did not stop walking towards the restroom.

"And where do you think you're going, Alfonzo?" Ur asked in a playful tone.

"Are your eyes going bad in your old age, Aunt Ur?" Alfonzo replied in an annoyed tone. "I'm obviously going to relieve myself."

Hearing the two jabs at her age, Ur's eyes narrowed while a tick mark appeared on her forehead. Then, with her magic power flooding her body, Ur vanished from where she stood in a burst of speed.

"What did you say, you brat?" Ur asked in a menacing tone as she appeared next to Alfonzo, trying to clamp her hand around the back of his head.

Expecting Ur's reaction, Alfonzo ducked the attack and sprinted away from Ur.

Unfortunately for Alfonzo, Darkness heard Ur mention his name. So, the masochistic knight's gaze was immediately drawn to him.

Alfonzo, feeling what he interpreted as the gaze of a predator, flinched while running away from Ur, which led to him being caught. Though, it seemed his luck had not run out completely as he heard the voice of salvation less than a second later.

"Ur, you can deal with him later." Makarov said with a jovial smile on his face. "For now, why don't you help me welcome our guests."

"Tch! Fine." Ur said, audibly clicking her tongue. Then, she leveled a glare that promised untold amounts of pain on Alfonzo. "Looks like you're off the hook… for now. But I'll be back."

Just as she finished, Ur also flinched as the same gaze that caused Alfonzo to pause momentarily landed on her. Looking around, Ur noticed that a blonde, female knight was staring at her like she was a juicy piece of meat.

"What the hell is up with that girl's gaze?" Ur asked quietly.

"She's the reason why I was trying to run away." Alfonzo replied just as quietly. "That's the super-masochistic knight we've told you about."

"Shit!" Ur exclaimed quietly. "And let me guess, the way I was glaring at you flipped her switch, or something."

"You probably hit the nail on the head." Alfonzo replied. "Anyway, you have fun with that crazy chick, I'm going home for the day."

'Thee's no way I'm gonna still be here when Gramps is done talking to them.' Alfonzo thought to himself.

"Tch! Traitorous brat." Ur muttered, envious that Alfonzo could escape such a world-level pervert.

Meanwhile, as if she could tell Alfonzo and Ur were talking bad about her, Darkness' breathing became even more ragged as her face reddened and she started fidgeting in place.

"I'm sorry for the ruckus." Makarov said while approaching the royal messenger. "Please excuse our inhospitality."

Makarov had also noticed Darkness. However he decided to pretend that she was not there. Even though that would most definitely rile her up more, he could not think of a better solution.

"Oh… Um… Ah… Yes, think nothing of it." The messenger said, unsure how to respond to everything he had seen in the short time that he had been in the Fairy Tail guild hall.

"I assume this is about the two request from the royal family, correct?" Makarov asked with a grandfatherly smile on his face, appearing as nonthreatening as possible. "If so, why don't we discuss this in my office. Ur, Alfonzo, as the strongest members of the guild present, you should come with us."

"Damn it." Alfonzo and Ur muttered simultaneously before slowly making their way to Makarov's side.

With that, the three Fairy Tail wizards, the royal messenger, and the three knights made their way into the elevator.

That short elevator ride was probably the most awkward any of the occupants, save one, had ever experienced.

While Alfonzo, Ur, and the two male knights remained silent, Makarov engaged the royal messenger in small talk. Darkness, on the other hand, was fidgeting with an excited flush on her face while her breathing became more and more ragged and her gaze repleatedly swapped between Alfonzo and Ur.

Eventually, after the longest forty seconds of their lives, the awkward atmosphere was slightly relieved when the elevator doors opened to reveal Makarov's office on the top floor.

A few moments later, Makarov was sitting behind his desk with Alfonzo and Ur flanking him on the left and right, respectively. Meanwhile, the royal messenger had taken a seat across from him with the three knights standing behind him in a line, with Darkness in the middle.

Once everyone who needed to be seated had a seat, the royal messenger reached into the magical storage bag on his waist and pulled out a pair of documents.

"The royal family has two requests that must be completed with haste." The messenger said as he placed the two documents on the desk. Then, as he slid them towards Makarov, he continued. "As the guild in Fiore with the most S-Class wizards, His Majesty requests that you send two S-Class wizards to assist with each request."

Once the documents were in reach, Makarov picked up the one on his right and began reading it.

"On top of the S-Class wizards, His Majesty also requests that two A-Class wizards accompany them on the quest you are reading right now." The messenger continued. "As for the other, an additional A-Class wizard is required."

"So, in total, you want seven of my wizards to join forces with wizards from other guilds on these quests." Makarov said with a frown.

"That is correct." The messenger replied with a nod. He grew nervous, however, after seeing the frown on Makarov's face. "Master Makarov, is there something wrong with the request? Something you are unsatisfied with?"

"No, there are no issues with the quests themselves." Makarov said as he set the request in his hand back on the desk before picking up the second one. "But why do these requests have the Magic Council's seal on them? Weren't they disbanded after the Tower of Heaven incident?"

"Ah, yes." The messenger replied, completely understanding Makarov's confusion. "By his Majesty's decree, and with the support of the other nations of Ishgar, the Magic Council has been reestablished as policing the magical community of Ishgar was proving too much for the varies governments."

'And I bet their reestablishment won't be made public until at least one of those quests is completed. Then, they'll be credited with organizing the teams that completed them, so that the Magic Council can be seen in a better light after its massive failure a month and a half ago.' Alfonzo, Makarov, and Ur thought disdainfully while keeping their thoughts from appearing on their faces.

"I understand." Makarov said in an even tone as he placed the second quest sheet back on his desk. "Fairy Tail will accept the kingdom's requests."

"Excellent." The messenger said in a relieved tone. "The dates and locations for the teams from each guild to meet are as stated on the request sheets."

In response, Makarov simply nodded in understanding.

"Then, I believe there is not much more for us to speak about." The messenger said, sounding a bit too happy to end the conversation.

A moment later, The messenger, shortly followed by Makarov, stood from his seat. Then, Alfonzo, Makarov, and Ur escorted their guests to the guild's entrance.

Just before the messenger walked through the open doors, he turned around and bowed his head in Makarov's direction.

"In my capacity as a messenger of the royal family, I thank you on behalf of the kingdom and its citizens." The messenger said in a sincere tone.

At the same time, Darkness and her subordinates stood at attention and saluted by placing their right fists on their chest plates, just over their hearts. Surprisingly, Darkness looked quite dignified as she did so.

After that, the four visitors turned around and left, Darkness turning around to glance at Alfonzo and Ur after every few steps with longing in her eyes.

Meanwhile, Alfonzo, Makarov, and Ur stood at the entrance, watching their visitors walk away, until the four were no longer visible.

"Ugh… That girl's stare was too much." Ur said when she could no longer feel Darkness' gaze on her. "How does someone turn out like that?"

"Beats the hell outta me." Alfonzo replied with a shrug.

"Let's head back inside." Makarov said, trying not to think about the masochistic knight at all. "We have some things to discuss. I want the two of you to each take the lead on one of those quests. We can discuss who will accompany you up in my office."

"Sure thing, Old Man." Ur said with a shrug. "It's not like I didn't expect this when you called us up to your office earlier."

"*Sigh* I was about to have a breakthrough on my research." Alfonzo said, though he did not seem all that disappointed. Then, he put on a bright smile as he continued. "Anyway, how much are we getting paid for this?"

With that, the three wizards returned to Makarov's' office to discuss the details of the two quests.

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Chapitre 223: The High Profile Quests

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.

November, x784.

After seeing off the representatives from the royal family, Alfonzo, Makarov, and Ur returned to Makarov's office. Alon the way, Makarov answered a few questions from the members of the guild who were surprised that the kingdom sent a messenger.

When they found out that a couple of high difficulty quests were assigned to the guild to complete, most of them were excited to take such a high profile quest. Though, most of them would be disappointed.

Eventually, after answering all the questions he was willing to answer, Makarov led Alfonzo and Ur back up to his office.

"So, what's the deal with these two quests, Old Man? Ur asked as she flopped onto one of the couches in Makarov's office. "I saw that strange expression when you looked them over."

"*Sigh* I really want Alfonzo to take on one of these quests." Makarov replied in a resigned tone as he took his seat at his desk. "But I know I won't be able to stop you from going once you find out about it."

"Stop trying to sound so cryptic." Ur said with an eye roll. "Just get to the point."

'Yeah, the quest he's talking about is definitely the Oración Seis subjugation quest.' Alfonzo thought as he watched the interaction between Makarov and Ur. 'Still, I really wanna know about the other one instead.'

"Fine." Makarov said, placing the quest sheets on his desk.

With that, Alfonzo, who was already standing walked over to the desk to check out the quests while Ur stood from the couch and did the same.

Reaching the desk first, Alfonzo picked up one of the quest sheets and started reading it.

'Just like I thought, one of them is the Oración Seis quest.' Alfonzo thought as he read the quest sheet. 'They want them taken alive, especially Brain, as he is a fugitive to the kingdom as the former head of the Bureau of Magical Development.'

"So, we'll be teaming up with Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, and another guild I've never worked with, Cait Shelter, on this one, huh?" Alfonzo said after seeing the expected list of participating guilds. 'Well, they have some pretty strong wizards in their guilds, so I guess it shouldn't be too bad."

At the same time, Ur arrived in front of Makarov's desk and picked up the other quest sheet, starting to read it immediately.

"Still, I guess I can see why Ur would jump at this one." Alfonzo continued, catching Ur's attention with his words. "The king is asking us to take down the Oración Seis."

Immediately, Ur snapped her head in Alfonzo's direction. Then, she snatched the quest sheet out of his hand.

"I guess I should have seen that coming." Alfonzo muttered with a wry smile.

"I'll be going on this quest." Ur said, bloodlust leaking into her words. Then, she pressed the other quest sheet against Alfonzo's chest. "You can have this one."

In response, both Alfonzo and Makarov could only shake their heads in resignation.

"Ur, I know you have a bone to pick with Brain, but remember, you have to bring him in alive." Makarov warned.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that, Old Man." Ur replied with a cruel grin on her face. "He'll be alive. Though he'll probably wish he wasn't."

"*Sigh* I guess that's the best outcome I could ask for." Makarov said, shaking his head once again.

Meanwhile, Alfonzo was reading the other quest sheet while Makarov and Ur had their short conversation.

'Seriously? Two more crossover characters?' Alfonzo exclaimed internally. 'Ugh. And I don't wanna deal with either of their creepy asses. How the fuck do people like Mayuri Kurotsuchi and Orochimaru end up working together? On top of that, what kind of subordinates will they have with them?'

"Damn, the kingdom has bad luck with hiring scientists, huh?" Alfonzo said to hide his shock. "With Brain from Ur's quest and the two in this one, the top three researchers from the Bureau of Magical Development have all gone rogue. And if you count that sick fucker Shao Tucker from that other quest I took, You'd get the idea that maybe that Bureau should just be shut down."

"Agreed." Makarov replied in a solemn tone. "But these people really are some of the worst scum I've ever come across. Brain, Orochimaru, and Shao Tucker all used children in their experiments. Meanwhile, Mayuri Kurotsuchi drove an entire race of people to near extinction just to research their biology."

"Well, I don't know about the kid, but when I'm done with Brain, I guarantee he won't be a threat to anyone else." Ur said, still leaking bloodlust.

"*Sigh* As long as you don't go too far…" Makarov reminded.

"Is bringing him back without limbs considered going too far?" Ur asked with an innocent expression on her face while still leaking a large amount of bloodlust, quite the jarring contrast.

In response, Makarov simply shook his head.

"Anyway, now that it's decided who will lead the team on which quest, the two of you have some decisions to make." Makarov said in a solemn tone.

"We need to pick our teams, huh?" Alfonzo said, finishing Makarov's thought.

"Correct." Makarov replied. "Naturally, I trust both of your judgements. So, I'll leave team assignments up to you, as well."

"I'll be bringing Tear and Gray with me." Ur said without hesitation.

"That leaves one more A-Class." Makarov said, having expected Ur's decision.

"I guess I'll take the fire kid." Ur added after thinking about it for a few moments.

"Natsu is a good choice." Makarov said with a nod. "Under the right circumstances, he's possibly the strongest wizard in the guild under S-Class."

"Yeah, plus his sense of smell might come in handy." Ur added once again.

"What about you, Alfonzo?" Makarov asked curiously.

"Honestly, I'm not sure yet." Alfonzo replied. "*Sigh* But I know I can't take Lici on this one."

"What do you mean?" Ur asked curiously. Then, she snatched the quest sheet out of Alfonzo's hand and began reading it again.

"Rude." Alfonzo said once he found himself no longer holding the quest sheet.

Ignoring Alfonzo's comment, Ur continued reading.

"I don't see anything that would make you keep Lici out of this." Ur said after she finished reading and put the quest sheet on Makarov's desk again.

"It's because of the participating guilds." Alfonzo replied, pointing at the section that mentioned the two guilds who would be joining Fairy Tail on this quest. "Though I don't have any issue with the ladies from Mermaid Heel, There will be issues with the fool Quatro Cerberus will be sending."

In response, both Makarov and Ur looked at Alfonzo in confusion.

"*Sigh* Their ace and only S-Class, Bacchus Groh, has a thing for Lici." Alfonzo continued with an expressionless gaze. "Usually that wouldn't be an issue. I mean, I know she's beautiful and has many admirers."

"Why does it feel like you're just bragging." Ur said.

"The problem is…" Alfonzo continued, ignoring Ur's interruption. "That drunk asshole has convinced himself that Lici is just as in to him, but I'm keeping her from being with him against her will."

With that, the light of realization shined in Makarov and Ultear's eyes. Yet, Alfonzo still was not finished.

"And if I brought her with me on this quest, I'm sure he'd do something that would force me to kill him." Alfonzo said, maintaining his expressionless gaze.

"Yeah, that would be bad." Ur replied with a nod.

"As guild master, I forbid you from bringing Elicia with you on this quest." Makarov said in a solemn tone.

'Now that he mentioned it, Goldmine mentioned something about that to me during the last annual meeting.' Makarov thought to himself while thinking back to a conversation from nearly half a year ago. 'And I'd rather not sour relations with my old teammate over something like this.'

"Still, that leaves Laxus, Erza, Mira, and Mystogan to choose from." Alfonzo said after nodding in understanding at Makarov's order. "Plus all the A-Classes to pick from."

"Oh, and after her showing in the tournament and her recent signs of improvement, I've also decided to promote Marin to A-Class later today." Makarov said with a smile.

"You're just trying to make this decision harder for me, aren't you, Gramps?" Alfonzo groaned.

"What could you possibly be referring to, Alfonzo?" Makarov asked with an innocent smile on his face.

"Please don't do that, Old Man." Ur said, recoiling in disgust. "You look creepy as hell when you smile like that."

Hearing that, Makarov looked like he had been physically struck. However, Ur decided that she would not give him the chance to respond to her insult. So, she turned around and walked towards the elevator.

"I'll go inform the kids." Ur said, waving her hand over her shoulder as the elevator door opened. "We have to leave the day after tomorrow to meet up with the other guilds on time."

"Huh? But you have to go all the way to the outskirts of the Worth Woodsea." Alfonzo said in confusion. "If you were driving, I could understand the time frame you mentioned. Hell, you could make it in about eighteen hours if you drove nonstop. But your car cant' seat that many."

"Oh, don't worry, I'll be taking the Old Man's new Escalade." Ur said casually without turning around. Then, she pressed the button for the first floor that was located on the wall opposite the open door. "I'm sure he won't mind."

As the door started to close, Alfonzo and Makarov saw Ur reach into her pants pocket and pull out a keychain that she started spinning on her index finger.

Recognizing the key, Makarov's eyes and mouth widened in shock. Theen, he started frantically checking his own pockets, the top of his desk, and the drawers of his desk, to no avail.

"Damn that woman!" Makarov shouted in frustration. "Other than bringing it home, I haven't even drove that new one yet."

"Seriously?" Alfonzo asked with a disbelieving expression on his face. "You bought that one from me back in August. It's November now, how the hell haven't you driven it?"

"Because I'm afraid of breaking it." Makarov replied sheepishly. "I have a terrible case of road rage, you know."

In response, Alfonzo could only look on blankly.

"Well, admitting you have a problem is the first step in solving it." Alfonzo said blandly.

"Don't make it sound like I'm an alcoholic or something!" Makarov shouted in response.

Alfonzo's gaze only grew more blank in return.

"Don't look at me like that, I could stop drinking if I wanted to." Makarov protested.

"Right…" Alfonzo replied dismissively. "And you actually ordered Cana to go to AA meetings. Pot, methinks thy name is Makarov."

"Just go pick the members of your team." Makarov said, blushing in embarrassment after being exposed so blatantly. "You have to leave the day after Ur if you wanna make it to Karakura Town in the south of the kingdom on time."

"So, I guess that means you're gonna let Ur use your new ride?" Alfonzo asked with an eyebrow raised.

Immediately, Makarov jumped out of his seat and rushed towards the elevator.

"Damn it, that's right." Makarov said in a panic. "I need to at least get some kind of promise that she'll either bring it back in good condition or replace it if it gets too heavily damaged."

A few moments later, the elevator doors closed and Alfonzo was left alone in Makarov's office. Then, he picked up the quest sheet to read it once again.

"Seriously, their hideout is suspected to be somewhere in the Hidden Leaf Ravine near the outskirts of Karakura Town…" Alfonzo muttered while looking over the details of the quest again. "What the hell is up with this world."

At the same time, all the previously mentioned guilds were preparing for the upcoming quests. While Fairy Tail would be sending two S-Class wizards on each quest, three of the remaining five, Lamia Scale, Quatro Cerberus, and Mermaid Heel, would only be sending one S-Class each.

Meanwhile, Blue Pegasus would be sending two S-Classes while Cait Shelter would not be sending any, a decision that baffled most of the wizards who were participating in the Oración Seis subjugation quest.