Chapitre 316: Naming a New Guild Master

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.

December 17, x784.

"Ugh… Where am I?" Alfonzo groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. "It feels like someone smashed me in the head with a sledgehammer."

*Clang!*

Though his eyes were open, Alfonzo was having trouble seeing his surroundings. So, he decided he would sit up and try to explore his surroundings while getting a glass of water for his hangover. Unfortunately, before he could raise his head too high, his forehead bumped into something cold and hard.

"Oww… What the hell is that?" Alfonzo muttered while raising his right hand to feel what he just bumped into.

Immediately, Alfonzo realized that his head had bumped into something metallic. But thanks to his hazy state of mind and the pounding from the hangover, he could not immediately identify the object. So, he ran his hand along its surface.

"This feels really familiar." Alfonzo muttered once again as he ran his hand along the curves of the metallic object hanging over his head. "Is this a chest plate? And are these curves for… titties? Big Titties…?"

As that thought escaped his lips, Alfonzo felt the chest plate shift slightly. As a result, more light fell on his face. It also allowed him to see the scarlet red hair that hung along with the chest plate.

"I see… So, I was sleeping on Erza's lap." Alfonzo muttered as he let his hand run down the curves of Erza's armor until it reached her plump thighs. Then, his hand slid along Erza's skirt until he reached her butt, before giving it a little squeeze. "And I guess Erza passed out while leaning on the table, huh? Well, I could think of… and have definitely experienced worse places to wake up with a hangover."

With that, Alfonzo carefully pushed himself from between Erza's thighs and chest plate, doing his best not to wake her up. Then after freeing himself, he stood up and stretched. At the same time, he looked at the state of the guild hall after last night's party.

"Well, pretty much everyone is here." Alfonzo said after scanning the room. "I wonder what happened after I passed out. I can tell there was definitely a lot of drinking involved, at the very least."

Shaking that unnecessary thought out of his head, Alfonzo looked towards the bar, more accurately, the kitchen.

"I guess I'll go make something for this hangover." Alfonzo muttered as he staggered over to the kitchen's entrance.

Unfortunately for Alfonzo, once he started cooking his hangover remedy, the smell reached the rest of the guild. As a result, he did not get to eat for the next few hours while the others ordered breakfast.

A few hours later, Alfonzo, sitting at his usual table, shoveled eggs, toast, and honey into his mouth to combat his hangover.

"Seriously, you guys couldn't wait until my hangover was gone?" Alfonzo asked.

"Sorry, Alfonzo." Lisanna replied with a wry smile. "We smelled the food and got hungry."

"What the hell did you even smell?" Alfonzo asked in a disgruntled tone. "I barely even seasoned the eggs, and I didn't add anything to the toast, either."

"It's instinct." Natsu replied while eating his own breakfast. "We just know when you're in the kitchen, Alfonzo."

In response, everyone at the table nodded in agreement with Natsu's statement. Alfonzo, on the other hand, pouted in response.

"Anyway, last night was really fun." Cana said with a smile while sipping a Mimosa. "I really like it when Fonzie is drunk. He's so affectionate."

Hearing that, Most of Alfonzo's girlfriends nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, Lucy, whose face was now beet red, lowered her head in embarrassment.

"What's wrong Lucy?" Elicia asked while nudging the shy blonde with her elbow. "You looked really happy to spend all that time in Fonzie's lap last night."

"Lici~~!" Lucy squealed in embarrassment while covering her face with her hands.

Just like Elicia said, last night, there was a rather long stretch, before Alfonzo got too drunk, where Lucy sat in Alfonzo's lap with his arms wrapped around her waist. And the reason for that was simple, while standing next to Alfonzo and chatting with Cana and Marin, Cana playfully bumped her with her hip. Unfortunately, that caused the slightly intoxicated Lucy to lose her balance. But before she could fall, Alfonzo caught her and sat her on his lap. Something that Lucy enjoyed immensely at the time.

"Anyway, *Cough* so what are everyone's plans for today?" Lucy asked, trying to change the subject.

"Sleep!" Everyone who took part in the S-Class exam replied simultaneously.

Everyone else decided to carry on as usual. Meaning, they would train, take quests, or just hang out at the guild hall.

A little while later, after everyone finished their breakfast, they were just about to break up to do their own things. However, just at that moment, the doors to the guild hall opened. And through the open doors Lahar, Doranbolt, and an entourage of accompanying Rune Knights walked in.

Needless to say, the two from the Magic Council were not welcomed warmly.

"What does the Magic Council want with us after all that they didn't do over the last two days?" Laxus, with his arms crossed, asked in a hostile tone.

'*Sigh* I knew this would happen.' Lahar grumbled internally while adjusting his glasses. 'Couldn't the Council at least give them some time to cool down after all that happened? Instead, they send us here immediately to make demands.'

"The Magic Council demands that the method used to detect Acnologia from a distance be shared." Doranbolt said in an authoritative tone. "Our job of keeping the continent safe would become much easier were we to have this method."

Hearing Doranbolt's demand, the entire guild looked at Lahar and Doranbolt as if they were idiots.

"I think it would be best if you returned to Era." Makarov said as the elevator doors slid open. "On top of the Magic Council not having the authority to demand a guild hand over their secrets, Fairy Tail and the Magic Council are on even worse terms than usual at the moment. And if we were to go to war with the Council at this time, I'm sure that all the legal guilds on the continent would side with us."

"What insolence..." Doranbolt replied angrily.

Before he could continue, however, Lahar placed a hand on Doranbolt's shoulder to calm him down.

"You may not be happy to hear it, but Master Makarov is correct." Lahar said. "We don't have the authority to make such demands."

After speaking his piece, Lahar bowed towards Makarov.

"Please forgive our rudeness." Lahar said politely. "Since our request was declined, we shall take our leave."

With that, Lahar dragged Doranbolt and their entourage away from the Fairy Tail guild hall before things could get any worse. Meanwhile, the Fairy Tail wizards looked on in confusion, thinking they would be insulted and threatened until the Magic Council got what they wanted.

"Anyway, now that that little interlude is over…" Makarov said, drawing everyone's attention to himself. "I have an announcement to make."

Hearing that, all the wizards in the guild began to murmur. Before that could go on for too long, however, Makarov continued speaking.

"After the events of this year's S-Class Promotion Exam, I feel it's about time that I retire as Fairy Tail's guild master." Makarov said calmly.

With Makarov's announcement, the guild hall fell into silence. But after a few moments of tense silence, it was broken by a cacophony of uncertain shouts and complaints.

"Calm down, my children!" Makarov shouted, cutting through the noise. "I know this is quite sudden. But I realized just how old I've gotten during the Grimoire Heart and Acnologia attacks. And unfortunately, that has made me realize that I am no longer suited for the position of guild master."

While it was clear that most of those present still did not like Makarov's decision, they could see the fatigue in his eyes. So, they decided to let it go… for now.

"Naturally, since I'll be stepping down as the guild master, I will be naming a successor, as well." Makarov continued. "Before I make my decision, however, I will discuss it with the guild's S-Class wizards and take into account their opinions."

By that point, everyone knew there was no changing Makarov's mind. However, since the new guild master would more than likely be chosen from the S-Class wizards, no one really had anything to complain about. Well, except for two of the possible candidates. Namely, Laxus and Cana.

While Laxus' attitude had improved greatly over the last few months, the way he treated everyone before that was still fresh in everyone's minds. Cana, on the other hand, would have to do something about her drinking problem before she ever had a chance at being approved by the rest of the guild. The guild already knew what it was like to have a drunk hooligan as their guild master, and they did not want to go through it again with an even heavier drinker.

"Before I go back to my office, I would ask that none of the S-Class wizards take any long term quests until the matter of the new guild master has been decided." Makarov said, ending his announcement.

Either way, with his announcement made, Makarov made his way back into the elevator and returned to his office to consider his options. Meanwhile, the Fairy Tail wizards took some time to process what just happened.

January, x785.

A few weeks have passed since the participants in the S-Class Promotion Exam returned to Magnolia. And in that time, the calendar closed on x784. On top of that, none of the S-Class wizards had taken any quests that took longer than two days to complete. Also, over that time span, Makarov had called each of them into his office to discuss their thoughts on the new guild master.

To Makarov's surprise, despite how much he had done for the guild, Alfonzo denied his request to become the new guild master immediately. And his reason was quite simple. He had no interest in being stuck in the guild hall and doing paperwork.

Despite the disappointment he felt at Alfonzo's refusal, he did ask everyone about their opinions on who they thought would be a good guild master. And something else that surprised him was the fact that Laxus did not nominate himself, siting that he did not have the best track record with e other guild members.

But eventually, Makarov did come to a decision for the new guild master. And when he did, he called all the wizards of the guild to meet on the guild halls first floor.

"Does this mean that the new guild master has been decided?" Jet asked from his seat in the audience in front of the stage.

Probably." Levy replied.

"Then, who do you think it will be?" Droy asked curiously.

"It'll probably be Gildarts, Ur, or Alfonzo." Levy replied.

"Seriously?" Jet asked. "You really think Alfonzo is in the running?"

"But he's so young." Droy added.

"Yeah, but he's done a lot for the guild." Levy said. "And no one can deny that."

Usually, Jet and Droy would oppose most things having to do with Alfonzo due to jealousy, since Levy spends a lot of time talking to him about magic theory. But since Alfonzo saved everyone from Acnologia's [Dragon's Roar], they have scaled back their disagreements quite a bit over the last few weeks.

Like Levy, Jet, and Droy, most of the other wizards in the guild were discussing the possible new guild master as well. Before the conversations could continue any longer, however, the lights in the guild hall dimmed as a spot light fell on the stage.

"My children, let me thank you for gathering once again on such short notice." Makarov said as he stepped into the spot light. "I'm sure you all have speculations for this meeting. And let me tell you, your speculations are more than likely correct."

The murmurs in the guild hall started once again while Makarov gave his children time to digest his words.

"Alright, Old Man, don't keep us in suspense!" Gildarts shouted from his seat at the bar. "Just tell us who's gonna be the new guild master, already."

Gildarts exclamation silenced the crowd and caused all eyes focus on Makarov with anticipation.

"Ahem… Very well." Makarov said after clearing his throat. Then, with a solemn expression on his face, he continued. "From today forward, the Fourth guild master of the Fairy Tail guild will be…"

Once again, Makarov paused for dramatic effect. Then, just as the audience started to get restless, he continued.

"The Ice Witch, Ur Milkovich!" Makarov shouted with enthusiasm.

*Spurt!*

Immediately after Makarov made his announcement, the sound of someone spitting out a mouthful of liquid could be heard echoing through the guild hall.

Hearing that noise, all the wizards present looked back to the bar and saw Ur with a shocked expression on her face and wine trickling from her lips and down her chin.

"Are you fucking serious?" Ur roared in confusion. "Why the hell didn't you pick Gildarts?"

"Do you really think I could stay in one place long enough to do the job of a guild master?" Gildarts asked with a chuckle.

"Shut up, Asshole!" Ur shouted in an irritated tone. "I wasn't asking you!"

Meanwhile, Alfonzo, who was seated in the audience in front of the stage with his girlfriends, had just wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead.

'I'm just glad it wasn't me.' Alfonzo thought to himself while a wide grin spread on his face. 'Even though I refused outright when Gramps asked me to be the next guild master, I was still worried. I mean seriously, there's no way I would be able to handle all the paperwork that comes with being a guild master. Anyway, now that the whole business with the fourth guild master is over, I can focus on my date with Lucy and the trial against the Magic Council.'

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commentaire Commentaire 13

Voter

Chapitre 317: A Date with Lucy; Part 1

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.

February, x785.

After Makarov announced Ur as his successor, guild business returned to normal for everyone other than Ur. While the other Fairy Tail wizards went back to taking quests, training, and goofing around, Ur was stuck going over all the rules a guild master was expected to follow.

And after seeing the state Ur was in each day, Alfonzo thought it was only a matter of time before she threw Makarov through one of the walls on the top floor of the guild hall, which was now her office. And the reason for that was simple. The smug smile Makarov wore while he walked Ur through all the paperwork would be enough to send anyone off the deep end.

Alfonzo, on the other hand, spent most of his time researching the mechanisms in the Grimoire heart airship, which he docked on the shore of Lake Sciliora behind the mansion. And although he had no plans to use the Grimoire heart airship as is, he did plan to sell it to the guild after removing the Grimoire Heart emblem and modifying it for ease of use.

And today was no different for the Master of Metals. What was different, however, was that he had plans to take Lucy out for the evening.

"So, have you decided where you're gonna take Lucy yet?" Elicia asked while sitting on one of the engine blocks in the airship's engine room.

"Yeah." Alfonzo replied while running his magic power through the entire airship's engine. "I hear Yajima opened his restaurant in Hargeon last week. So, I thought I'd take her to have dinner there. Then, we could walk around the town and talk. Maybe I'll even buy her a little gift if I see anything that suits her."

"Oh, that doesn't sound too bad." Elicia replied with a smile while swinging her legs. "What time are you supposed to pick her up?"

"Around 3." Alfonzo replied just as he got a full image of the engine.

"Then, you should probably get going sooner rather than later." Elicia said while looking at her wrist watch.

"Huh? What time is it?" Alfonzo asked in a surprised tone.

Unfortunately, as a habit he picked up from his past life, Alfonzo never wore a watch while he's working. Even though the chance of damaging his timepiece was much lower now that he could use magic.

"2:15" Elicia replied casually.

"Shit!" Alfonzo said while springing to his feet. "I completely lost track of time."

With that, Alfonzo dropped everything and rushed out of the airship to get ready for his date. Meanwhile, Elicia just watched him go with a smile on her face.

"I wonder if this is what it will feel like when I watch my own son get ready for his first date." Elicia wondered aloud as she locked up the airship on her way back to the house.

Half an hour later, Alfonzo, wearing a black polo shirt, blue jeans, and white sneakers, was standing in the mansion's garage, unlocking the doors to his Vanquish, while Elicia, Cana, and Sun saw him off.

On a side note, the other girls were all off on quests.

"So, should we expect to see you tonight or tomorrow morning?" Cana asked with a playful smile.

Shrugging his shoulders, Alfonzo pulled the car door open before sitting in the driver's seat.

"Honestly, I don't know." Alfonzo replied with a smile. "But I doubt we'll go all the way tonight."

With that, Alfonzo pulled his car door shut, put the key in the ignition, and started the car. Then, after opening the garage door, he backed out before heading towards Fairy Hills, where Lucy had been living since the Phantom Lord attack.

Meanwhile, Lucy, wearing a hot pink, single-shoulder tank top, a mid-thigh length white skirt, and black, high heels was constantly checking herself out in front of a full length mirror.

"I look okay, right?" Lucy asked in a somewhat panicked tone.

"You need to calm down, Lu." Levy, who spent most of the day with Lucy to help her get ready for her date, replied in an exasperated tone. "You look great. Where's all that confidence you usually have in your looks."

"Yeah, but all his girlfriends are so pretty." Lucy said while smoothing out a non-existent wrinkle on her skirt. "I just don't know how I---"

*Smack!*

"Kya!" Lucy yelped before glaring at Levy, who had just slapped her on the butt. "What was that for."

"Good, the fire in your eyes is back." Levy replied with a smile instead of answering Lucy's question. Then, she grabbed Lucy's hands and spoke in a sincere tone. "Lu, you're gorgeous. Easily one of the most beautiful girls I've ever met. Plus, you have a body that most girls would kill to have."

As she spoke the second part, Levy glanced at Lucy's curvy body before looking down at her own petite body. Then, she sighed in resignation before she continued.

"Anyway, I'm sure everything will be fine." Levy said with a smile. "Especially since Alfonzo is actually making the effort to spend time with you instead of the other way around. So, just be your usual confident/vain self and everything will be fine."

Deciding that she hadn't heard Levy call her vain, Lucy smiled brightly as she pulled her best friend into a hug. And Levy returned the hug with a smile of her own on her face.

"Anyway, do you know where Alfonzo is taking you for your date?" Levy asked as she released the hug.

"Yeah, it's a new restaurant called 8-Island in Hargeon." Lucy replied.

"Oh, that's the one that Yajima opened not too long ago, right?" Levy asked excitedly. "I heard the food there is really good. Like, almost as good as Alfonzo's."

"Really?" Lucy asked with anticipation in her tone. "Then, I'm looking forward to it."

*Knock!* *Knock!* *Knock!*

"Hey Lucy, Alfonzo asked me to tell you that he's waiting outside." Chico's voice sounded from the outside of Lucy's dorm room door.

"Uh… Okay." Lucy replied, sounding a bit nervous again. I'll head out now. Thanks for letting me know, Chico."

"Don't worry about it." Chico replied as the sound of footsteps leaving from in front of the door could be heard.

"Now's the time." Levy said as she put her hands on Lucy's shoulders. "Go get 'im, girl."

"Yeah." Lucy replied with a resolute expression after taking a deep breath to calm her nerves.

With that, both Levy and Lucy left the latter's dorm room and made their way to the front entrance of Fairy Hills. And when they arrived, they found Alfonzo leaning against the driver side door of his Vanquish.

"Alright, girl." Levy said quietly while pushing Lucy forward. "Go knock 'im dead."

"Right." Lucy replied with a nod while walking towards Alfonzo.

Meanwhile, Alfonzo, after hearing the sound of high heels clicking towards him, looked up and caught sight of Lucy. Then, after admiring her looks for a moment, he put on a smile and walked around to the passenger side door. Then, like a gentleman, he opened the door for her.

"Hey, Lucy, you look great." Alfonzo said with a smile while holding the door open.

"Thanks." Lucy replied bashfully while pushing her bangs to the side. "You look pretty good yourself."

"Thanks." Alfonzo replied with a smile of his own.

At the same time, Lucy climbed out of the passenger seat, and Alfonzo carefully closed the car door. Then, he made his way around to the driver's side.

"You better take good care of Lu!" Levy shouted from the dorm's front doors while waving her fist at Alfonzo threateningly.

"Yes, Ma'am." Alfonzo replied with a nod before opening the door and climbing into the driver's seat.

"Bye, Levy!" Lucy said, rolling down the window and waving at Levy.

"See ya later, Lu!" Levy shouted as she waved back. "And I expect to hear all the juicy details when you get back!"

Rolling her eyes with a smile, Lucy rolled the window back up as Alfonzo started the car.

"So, what kind of juicy details were you expecting to be able to share when you get back?" Alfonzo asked playfully as he pulled away from Fairy Hills.

Upon hearing Alfonzo's playful question, Lucy's face reddened immediately. Even so, she decided to return fire. So, she turned towards Alfonzo and raised her right hand. Then, she stroked his cheek.

"Well, that all depends on you, doesn't it?" Lucy said in a flirty tone. "If you play your part well, you might be rewarded."

The moment after she finished speaking, not only Alfonzo froze in surprise, but even Lucy froze, as she had surprised herself.

'O.M.G. What did I just say?' Lucy asked herself as her face reddened even further in embarrassment. 'I'm not such a loose girl. But what if Alfonzo thinks I'm some kind of floozy after saying something like that? Oh my God, what is wrong with me today?'

'Holy shit, I wasn't expecting that.' Alfonzo said to himself while making sure to keep the car steady. 'I've seen Lucy try to be seductive several times in the anime, to no effect. So, I didn't think anything of it. But holy hell, that was fucking sexy.'

While both young people's thoughts were racing, the Vanquish's interior fell into an awkward silence. However, around the time they reached the town gate heading towards Hargeon, Alfonzo had broken the ice again. Then, for the next two hours, they chatted happily, if not a little awkwardly, until they reached 8-Island in Hargeon.

Earth land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Hargeon.

"Well, we're here." Alfonzo said as he took the key out of the ignition.

In front of the Vanquish was an average sized, two-story building. On top of that, it was quite close to the harbor.

"it's smaller than I thought it would be." Lucy said while looking through the front wind shield.

"That's what she said." Alfonzo muttered.

In response, Lucy glanced at Alfonzo with a helpless expression.

"Anyway, let's head inside." Lucy said as she reached for the door handle.

"Don't touch that handle." Alfonzo said sternly.

Looking back, Lucy gazed at Alfonzo with confusion. Then, she watched as he quickly opened his own door, climbed out of the car, closed the door, walked around to her side of the car, and opened the door for her. Then, with a bright smile on his face, he offered her his hand.

Blushing slightly, Lucy accepted Alfonzo's offered hand and stepped out of the car. Then, once Lucy was clear of the door, Alfonzo closed it. A moment later, he offered his elbow.

"Shall we?" Alfonzo asked with a smile.

"Let's." Lucy replied with a smile of her own as she linked arms with Alfonzo.

Like that, Alfonzo and Lucy made their way toward the restaurant's entrance.

"So, Levy told me that the food here is supposed to be almost as good as yours." Lucy said with a smile. "What do you think about that?"

"Well, it makes sense." Alfonzo replied as he reached for the restaurant's front door. "Gramps asked me to help Yajima with the recipes, after all."

"Seriously." Lucy asked with a shocked expression on her face.

"Yeah, but I never got to taste the finished products." Alfonzo replied. "So, I don't know how close Yajima got to my standard."

At that point, Alfonzo and Lucy had reached the front doors. And just as Alfonzo pulled the door open and held it for Lucy to enter, Lucy spoke once again.

"Now, I'm even more excited to try the food here." Lucy said excitedly with anticipation shining in her eyes.

"Good evening, and welcome to 8-Island." A familiar voice said as soon as Alfonzo and Lucy walked through the door. "Table for two, I assume."

Hearing that voice, both Alfonzo and Lucy froze up. Then, like machines needing oil, they slowly turned their heads towards the restaurant's hostess. And at the end of their lines of sight was a fair-skinned, blue eyed woman standing at about 5'6" with long, wavy white hair and a an upward styled ponytail in the front wearing a frilly, orange, strapless, thigh-length maid dress that revealed her shoulders and a healthy amount of cleavage with the name of the restaurant printed on the front, a white collar with a maroon ribbon tied around it, a white apron tied around her waist, and a pair of white stockings.

"Mira? Why are you here?" Lucy asked in a confused tone.

'*Sigh* For some reason, I feel like I should have seen this coming.' Alfonzo thought to himself while shaking his head in exasperation.