Chapitre 448: Since We Have Some Free Time...

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Margaret.

January, x786.

While Ultear and Juvia were talking to Jura and Sherria, Alfonzo was on the second floor of the Lamia Scale guild hall in Ooba's office, discussing the finer details of the training room installations.

"So, you had a space dug out below the guild hall for the six training chambers?" Alfonzo asked while looking over the guild hall's floor plans.

"Thats' right." Ooba replied with a nod. "I was going to send a message asking you to install one of those elevators, too. But I decided against it in the end. The shaft necessary for the elevator would not have been finished by the time you arrived."

"Yeah, I guess that would have been an issue." Alfonzo said, finally looking up from the blueprints. "Other than that, everything looks to be in perfect order. So, I'll get started tomorrow morning. And I'll spend each morning installing the chambers. Then, once all the chambers are installed, I'll run the lines so that you can have control over them from your office."

Nodding in response, Ooba expected nothing less. That was what they discussed back when she visited Magnolia, after all.

"Good, all the materials are loaded onto my ship." Alfonzo said. "So, I'll bring them over tomorrow morning when I arrive."

"Do you need me to send someone to help transport the materials?" Ooba asked.

"Nah, that won't be necessary." Alfonzo replied while waving dismissively. "I'll bring it all over with my magic. Unfortunately, since the space for the chambers is underground, it will take a little while for me to move them through the guild hall."

"I figured as much." Ooba replied with a nod. "Why don't I show you the way to your work space. Then, you can use the rest of the day to rest before getting to work tomorrow morning."

"Sounds good to me." Alfonzo replied with a smile.

A moment later, Ooba picked up her cane before standing from her seat.

Following Ooba's lead, Alfonzo also stood up. Then, he followed Ooba out of her office as they both made their way towards the stairs.

A few moments later, Alfonzo and Ooba had just reached the first floor. When they did, Alfonzo looked towards the table where Ultear, Juvia, Jura, and Sherria were sitting and chatting happily.

"Hmm... That girl looks like someone I've met before." Alfonzo muttered while looking towards Sherria, knowing exactly who she was.

"Hmm..." Ooba hummed as she also turned her head in the same direction. "Oh, that's Sherria, Sherry's younger cousin. Sherry came along with me when I attended your wedding a few months ago."

"Right... Now that you mention it, I remember her." Alfonzo said while cupping his chin with his right hand. "She was talking with that one guy from Blue Pegasus the whole time, right? She talked about love a lot, too, didn't she?"

"That's right." Ooba replied. "She and her cousin are a lot alike in that regard. They're both very serious about... {Love}."

As she spoke the last word, Ooba mimicked the tone Sherry used whenever she spoke of love. Somehow, she managed to get her voice to reverberate the same way, too. However, when she said it, it was not nearly as heartfelt. On top of that, Alfonzo found it quite cringe.

"Not to be rude, Master Ooba." Alfonzo said while wearing a wry smile. "But I really don't think that... fits your style, ya know."

Instead of flaring up with an offended expression, Ooba simply shrugged her shoulders.

"I agree." Ooba replied. "It felt wrong to me when I did it, too."

Hearing that, Alfonzo smiled as he continued to follow Ooba towards the staircase leading to the guild hall's basement. And when they finally reached the stairs, Ooba gripped the railing with her free hand as she struggled to climb down.

"Ugh! Age is really catching up to me." Ooba said as she climbed down one step at a time. "Ten years ago, these stairs would have been nothing. But now, they feel so steep."

Instead of replying, Alfonzo hurried to Ooba's side. Then, he offered her his arm to help her climb down the stairs.

"Such a gentleman." Ooba said with a slight smile. "It's hard to believe that you were raised by that Makarov."

Hearing that, Alfonzo smiled as he carefully helped Ooba down the stairs.

"Despite his short comings... pun intended... Gramps is a good guy." Alfonzo said. "And he helped me and Lici a lot over the years."

"Ha! You probably wouldn't speak so highly of him if you had heard him talk about how alike you and he were." Ooba replied with a scoff. "He used to say how you were just like him. Your talent, your good looks, and your luck with women."

Hearing that, Alfonzo's breath caught in his throat while he almost fell down the stairs, something that would have been catastrophic. Since Ooba was still holding on to his arm, he would have undoubtedly pulled her down with him.

"*Cough* Okay, I can give him talent." Alfonzo said as he got himself back together. "But good looks and luck with women? Was he cursing me or something? Hell, I'm not saying he was ugly... But to call himself good looking is a bit of a stretch. And if I had his luck with women, I would have several women who either never wanted to mention my name because of something I did or want to turn me into a eunuch."

This time it was Ooba's turn to almost fall down the stairs. Luckily, Alfonzo was supporting her. So, like last time, nothing happened. Ooba did start laughing, though. And she laughed hard. Hard enough that everyone on the floor above could hear her.

"Is that Ooba Babasama?" Sherria, who was still sitting at the table with Ultear, Juvia, and Jura asked in a shocked tone as she heard the laughter echoing through the guild hall.

"It would seems so." Jura replied with a nod. "I wonder what could have tickled her so."

"It was probably Alfonzo." Ultear replied with a smile. "He has a knack for making people laugh like that."

"Hmph! He isn't that great." Juvia, while snorting disdainfully, said in a jealous tone.

"Maybe if you ever gave him a chance, your opinion of him might change." Ultear replied with a wry smile."

"Maybe I will when he gives Juvia back her soul mate." Juvia said as she turned her head away.

While Jura and Sherria wore confused expressions, Ultear could only smile wryly, having expected Juvia to reply like that. However, like Alfonzo, she was hoping to get Juvia to lose her hate for Alfonzo. And while she was at it, she was hoping to get Juvia to stop stalking her. Though, she felt like the latter was little more than wishful thinking.

About twenty minutes later, Alfonzo and Ooba returned from the basement. And when they did, they made their way over to where Ultear, Juvia, Jura, and Sherria were sitting.

"Alfonzo, how is it?" Ultear asked once she noticed Alfonzo and Ooba approaching. Will installing the training chambers be an issue?"

"Nah, no trouble at all." Alfonzo replied with a smile. "The only issue will be getting the materials down into the basement. But that's just an issue of time rather than difficulty."

As he spoke, Alfonzo and Ooba arrived at the table. Then, like a gentleman, Alfonzo pulled a chair out for Ooba before helping her to take a seat. After that, he took a seat next to Ultear.

"Just a playboy." Juvia muttered discontentedly in response to Alfonzo's kind gesture. "That's why Ultear should be with Juvia."

In response, Alfonzo and Ultear could only smile wryly while shaking their heads. Meanwhile, Ooba, Jura, and Sherria looked at Juvia as if she grew a second head.

"What do you mean?" Ultear asked curiously.

"Anyway... when I installed the training chambers at the Mermaid Heel guild hall, they wanted them attached to the exterior walls. So, I could just fly all the materials to where I needed to work." Alfonzo explained. "But since I'll be building underground this time, I won't' be able to move as much material at one time as I did back then. And when I get to the final stages, I'll have very little space for the materials. So, I'll have to move them one at a time, more or less."

"Do you mean to say..." Jura said after taking a moment to process what Alfonzo said. "... that you need more space underground?"

"I wouldn't say I need it, but it would be nice." Alfonzo replied with a shrug.

"Then, if you're willing to accompany me, I could expand the space." Jura suggested. "Since you're doing this for us, it's the least I could do."

"You are paying me for this, you know." Alfonzo said with a wry smile. "Don't make it sound like I'm doing you a favor. Otherwise, I'd feel a little bad."

"I think you're misunderstanding something." Jura replied calmly. "Originally, I was the one who dug out the space for the new training chambers. However, I did not consider the space needed to prepare the materials. Instead, I only dug out the space to the specifications Master decided on."

"Ah... That makes sense." Alfonzo replied, finally understanding what Jura was getting at. "In that case, if you wouldn't mind, it would make completing the work much easier. Also, if you could, raising a few support pillars would be good for the stability of the underground space and the guild hall, too."

"That won't be a problem." Jura replied with a nod.

Like that, Alfonzo and Jura spent a little more time talking about what would be best for the underground space where the training chambers would be built. Meanwhile, Sherria, who had only heard about Alfonzo from Ooba and through Sorcerer Weekly was impressed by the professional tone he spoke to Jura with.

"Ooba Babasama, do you know what they're talking about?" Sherria asked quietly.

"They're talking about construction." Ooba replied. "It's nothing you need to worry about, Girl."

"Oh, okay." Sherria replied as she completely stopped paying attention to Alfonzo's and Jura's conversation as Ooba said.

"So, Sherria, I can tell you have quite a bit of magic power." Ultear said in an interested tone. "What kind of magic do you use?"

When she heard Ultear call her name, Sherria's attention turned to her immediately. However, when Ultear asked what kind of magic she used, Sherria turned her head back towards Ooba, waiting for permission to answer the question.

"It's fine, you can tell her." Ooba said.

Nodding in response, Sherria turned back to Ultear.

"I use [Sky God Slayer Magic]." Sherria said as she puffed out her chest proudly.

"Hmm... That would explain the feeling I was having." Ultear replied while nodding her head.

"What do you mean?" Sherria asked curiously.

Not only Sherria, but Ooba was also looking at Ultear with curiosity.

"Oh, are you referring to young Miss Marvell?" Jura asked as his and Alfonzo's conversation came to an end. "She's a [Sky Dragon Slayer], if my memories are correct."

"A [Sky Dragon Slayer]?" Sherria asked in wonder.

"Well, that's partially correct." Ultear replied. "But not all of it."

"You thought she felt similar to both Romeo and Wendy, didn't you?" Alfonzo asked with a smile.

"Exactly." Ultear said with a nod. "With Wendy practicing [Sky Dragon Slayer Magic] and Romeo practicing [Fire God Slayer Magic], I felt that your magic felt like a strange combination of the two. And what do you know, I was right."

"Fairy Tail has a [God Slayer] now, too?" Ooba asked with disbelief in her tone. "You already have four [Dragon Slayers], is that not enough?"

Alfonzo and Ultear only smiled in response while Juvia did not seem to be paying attention to the conversation.

"Anyway, Jura..." Alfonzo said, doing his best to change the subject. "Since we have some free time this afternoon, how about a little spar?"

Hearing that, Ultear looked at Alfonzo while wearing a pout.

"No fair, Alfonzo." Ultear said in a pitiful tone. "I wanted to spar with him, too."

"You snooze, you lose." Alfonzo replied with a shrug as he wrapped his arm around Ultear's waist. "But we'll be here for two months. I'm sure the opportunity will present itself again."

"Indeed." Jura replied. "Comparing notes with strong wizards is something I enjoy. I'm sure we'll have the opportunity to spar multiple times during your stay.'

"Hmph! Fine." Ultear said with a snort as she snuggled into Alfonzo's arms.

Meanwhile, Sherria blushed at the display of affection while Juvia began to quite literally boil in anger. Jura, on the other hand, stood from his seat before gesturing towards the doors leading to the Lamia Scale training ground.

"As you said, since we have the afternoon free, what better time than the present to have our spar?" Jura asked with a smile.

"Looks like Fairy Tail wizards aren't the only ones who enjoy a good fight, huh?" Alfonzo asked as he, too, stood from his seat. "Man, Natsu is gonna be so jealous. I heard about how he asked you to spar back then. But time did not allow it. I'm definitely gonna rub this in his face when I get back."

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Chapitre 449: Alfonzo Vs. Jura

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Margaret.

January, x786.

On the Lamia Scale training grounds, Alfonzo and Jura were standing opposite each other. Meanwhile, Ultear, Juvia, Ooba, Sherria, and most of the Lamia Scale wizards who were hanging out at the guild hall were standing nearby to witness the spar between the two S-Class wizards.

"I've heard stories about how strong Alfonzo is." Ooba said as she, along with all the other spectators, waited for the spar to begin. "But I've never seen his strength for myself."

After speaking her peace, Ooba turned her attention to Ultear and Juvia.

"What do the two of you think?" Ooba asked in apparent interest.

Meanwhile, Sherria and the other members of Lamia Scale who were standing nearby also turned their attention to the Fairy Tail wizards to hear their opinions. Though, as members of Lamia Scale, they believed Jura, a member of the Ten Wizard Saints, would emerge victorious.

"Honestly, I only know how strong Jura was back in November of x784." Ultear replied. "But I can tell he's gotten quite a bit stronger since then."

Nodding her head in agreement, Ooba waited for Ultear to continue.

"But in all the years I've been a member of Fairy Tail, I've never seen Alfonzo lose a fight." Ultear continued. "And the only fights I've heard of him not winning were one against Laxus when they were still children. And then there was the time he fought Jose Porla, which did not have a decisive outcome. But I heard he was running on fumes by the end. Well... Before Master Makarov interfered, anyway. Actually, now that I think about it, he did lose to Gildarts the year he became an S-Class wizard while teaming up with Lici… I mean, Elicia."

"That still doesn't answer my question, though." Ooba pointed out.

Nodding her head in response, Ultear stopped to think for a moment.

"How strong is Jura in comparison to Gildarts?" Ultear asked.

"He's not as strong." Ooba replied.

"Then, at the very least, it will end in a draw." Ultear said after another moment of contemplation. "But I think Alfonzo has a pretty high chance of winning."

"Hmph!" Juvia snorted after hearing Ultear speak positively about Alfonzo. Though, she did not say anything to the contrary.

"No way!" Sherria shouted. "Uncle Jura is really strong!"

"Well then, we'll just have to wait and see.' Ultear replied with a smile. "But Alfonzo is pretty strong, too."

Meanwhile, in the middle of the training field, Alfonzo was stretching lightly while Jura stood calmly with his palms pressed together.

"Alright, I think it's about time to get started." Alfonzo said as he dropped into his fighting stance. "Are you ready, Jura?"

"I am." Jura replied calmly. "You may begin whenever you are ready."

"Then, let's go." Alfonzo said as he was covered in arcing, violet electricity. "[Electromagnetism Magic: Lightning Enhancement]."

In the next instant, Alfonzo vanished from where he stood in a flash of violet light. He then reappeared to Jura's left with his left hand swinging at Jura's abdomen.

Reacting quickly, Jura moved his left hand gracefully as he deflected Alfonzo's hand downwards.

Riding the momentum of Jura's parry, Alfonzo pivoted on his right leg and lashed his left heel at the back of Jura's head. Once again reacting quickly, Jura crouched down, lowering his head beneath Alfonzo's leg. Then he made a quarter turn and pressed his palms against the thigh of Alfonzo's kicking leg in an attempt to destabilize his balance.

In response, Alfonzo did not fight the force from Jura's push. Instead, he went with it, propelling himself into a cartwheel. At the same time, as he pulled his right hand away from the ground, Alfonzo's palm lit up with electricity.

"[Electromagnetism Magic: Spark Cannon]." Alfonzo chanted as he fired the gathered electricity from his palm.

"[Earth Magic: Iron Rock Wall]." Jura also chanted while extending his right hand forward with its index and middle fingers extended.

In the next instant, a pillar of hardened and condensed stone shot up from the ground, dispersing Alfonzo's spell on contact.

"Although that boy is powerful, Jura trumps him in experience." Ooba said while watching the ongoing spar.

"That may be true, but Alfonzo defeated Hades, the master of Grimoire Heart on his own." Ultear replied. "So, he's overcome the gap in experience before."

Although what Ultear said was correct, Elicia did play a major part in Alfonzo defeating Hades. Though, that was only because he wanted to take custody of the Grimoire Heart airship. In actuality, Alfonzo could have simply crushed the entire airship with his magic, destroying the [Devil's Heart] in the process.

Meanwhile, as the conversation continued between Ooba and Ultear, Alfonzo continued to fire [Spark Cannons] from varying angles, looking for a gap in Jura's defense.

"If that's not gonna work, then how about this?" Alfonzo asked as he materialized chunks of adamantite all around Jura. "[Metal Magic: Kunai Barrage]."

Watching as the chunks of metal shaped themselves into kunai, Jura made his next move before they could be fired.

*Clap!*

"Earth Magic: Rock Mountain]." Jura chanted as the sound of his clap echoed around the training grounds.

A moment later, just as the many kunai shot in Jura's direction, a large, humanoid construct made of stone and wearing armor, which included a helmet, with glowing eyes grew from the ground behind Jura. Then, once the giant rock golem was completely formed, it swung its arm and deflected all the incoming kunai with ease.

Meanwhile, as the golem defended from the kunai, Jura did not remain still. Repeatedly striking each of the pillars he raised earlier in the fight, he sent pieces of each pillar flying in Alfonzo's direction at high speed, and with great force.

In response, Alfonzo showed off his agility and flexibility by dodging each projectile. However, as the number of stone projectiles increased, Alfonzo began defending himself with his magic.

"[Electromagnetism Magic: Gravity Well]." Alfonzo chanted, causing the magnetic force in the area to skyrocket.

*Boom!* *Boom!* *Boom!*

As a result of Alfonzo's spell, all of Jura's projectiles came crashing to the ground, cratering and leaving ditches on the training ground on impact. Even Jura and the large golem standing behind Jura was affected. Though, with Jura pumping his magic power through his body and the golem, they recovered quickly enough.

However, by the time they recovered, Alfonzo was already pointing his right arm, which was sparking with electricity, at the golem's head.

"[Electromagnetism Magic: Railgun]." Alfonzo chanted as a conical piece of metal was conjured in front of his outstretched right index finger.

*Boom!*

In the next instant, as the metal fragment made contact with Alfonzo's finger, the golem's head was shattered while a line of super-heated air was drawn from Alfonzo's finger into the sky for miles.

This time, not only the wizards of Lamia Scale opened their eyes wide. But even Juvia reacted in the same way. She had never seen Alfonzo use that spell before, after all.

The first to recover from their shock was Jura. However, it did not happen naturally. Instead, he was snapped back to his senses when a jab from Alfonzo, who had no intention of waiting for his opponent to start paying attention again, landed on his chin.

Reacting swiftly to the follow up attack, Jura batted Alfonzo's straight to the side as he and Alfonzo once again engaged in an exchange of martial arts.

"Juvia has never seen that spell before." Juvia said, finally snapping out of her stupor. "He never uses it during training or in the tournament."

"That's because it's too dangerous." Ultear replied. "Although a few of us could handle a projectile at that speed, the heat from the super-heated air isn't so easy to deal with."

Snapping back to her senses, as well, Ooba nodded in understanding.

"So, he only uses a spell like that against beasts and magical constructs, I would suspect." Ooba guessed.

"Not exactly." Ultear replied. "He uses it against particularly disgusting dark wizards, too."

Nodding in understanding, Ooba returned her sight back to the match between Jura and Alfonzo. Meanwhile, many of the less experienced wizards among the onlookers wore mortified expressions.

"Does that mean he's killed people before?" Sherria asked with a pale expression.

"*Sigh* Though it's unfortunate, he has." Ultear replied. "But most wizards have killed at least one or two dark wizards over their careers."

"She's right, Sherria." Ooba added. "Some dark wizards simply cannot be reasoned with. On top of that, they can be too strong to hold back against. As a result, some of them end up dying after a battle."

Although Sherria was still shaken by the thought of killing someone, she trusted Ooba. So, she calmed down significantly. However, she began scanning the crowd of wizards, wondering who else had taken a life before.

Meanwhile, Jura was once again able to create some distance between himself and Alfonzo. And when he did, instead of casting a spell immediately, he chose to speak.

"I'm surprised, Alfonzo." Jura said as he placed his palms together.

"About what?" Alfonzo asked curiously.

"I have heard of those tonfa strapped to your back." Jura continued. "What surprises me is the fact that you haven't drawn them yet."

"Oh, that's simple." Alfonzo replied with a smile. "This is just a friendly spar. There's nothing on the line here."

Nodding in understanding, Jura began flaring his magic power. Meanwhile, Alfonzo lowered himself into a fighting stance once again.

'Besides, I don't need the boosts they give me for you.' Alfonzo thought to himself. 'Although you're strong, Jura, you can't compare to Ur. And I can break even with er without Riot and Bedlam.'

["Still, you should let us out to play."] Bedlam said while smiling from Alfonzo's inner world.

["Hmph!" Riot snorted in response. ["You only want people to see you, you conceited ass."]

["What's wrong with that?"] Bedlam asked while smiling at Riot.

Ignoring his [Armament Spirits'] usual bickering, Alfonzo prepared himself to deal with whatever Jura was preparing.

"[Earth Magic: Supreme King Rock Crush]." Jura chanted as his surging magic power came in contact with all the stones present on the training ground.

In the next instant, despite the gravity in the surroundings, all the projectiles, as well as the body of the destroyed golem, levitated into the air before they all went careening towards Alfonzo, burying him in pieces of rubble.

Seeing that, the wizards from Lamia Scale, other than Ooba, began to cheer. Meanwhile, Ultear, Ooba, and Juvia watched the match calmly.

Eventually, the cheering quieted down. And when it did, everyone noticed that Jura was still exerting a large amount of magic power. On top of that, they could see sweat flowing down his bald head.

Then, just before anyone could question why Jura was still trying so hard, they heard a muffled voice coming from the pile of rubble.

"[Metal Magic: Giga Drill Break]."

A moment later, the stones facing Jura exploded outwards as Alfonzo, with a large metal drill rotating in front of his outstretched right fist, rushed forward towards Jura. Then, before Jura could react, the tip of the drill came to a stop less than an inch away from his chest.

With their eyes opened wide in surprise, all the wizards on the training grounds fell silent. The only source of sound being the drill mounted on Alfonzo's arm. Then, after several seconds, Jura was the one to break the silence.

"*Sigh* I yield." Jura said as he raised his hands in a sign of surrender.

With that, Alfonzo pulled his arm back, letting the drill dispel as he did so. Then, he smiled brightly while extending his right hand to Jura for a handshake.

"Good fight." Alfonzo said in a sincere tone. "That's the first time I've fought someone who uses [Earth Magic] the way you do."

"Indeed." Jura replied as he reached out to accept Alfonzo's handshake. Then, once he gripped Alfonzo's hand firmly, he continued. "You're actually the first practitioner of either [Metal Magic] or [Electromagnetism Magic] I've ever pitted my skills against. And I must say, I treasure the experience. Perhaps we can do this again once I've thought up a few counter measures."

"Sounds fun to me." Alfonzo replied while maintaining his smile as he and Jura released the handshake.

Hearing that short conversation and seeing the two shaking hands was enough to finally break the wizards of Lamia Scale out of their stunned silence.

"Jura... lost...?" A male wizard in his late teens stammered out.

That eventually led to all the other wizards from Lamia scale exclaiming in disbelief, as well. Naturally, the only exception was Ooba, who was far too experienced to panic over the outcome of a spar.

"That boy really is strong." Ooba muttered while the rest of her wizards lost their composure. "Makarov had been talking about how talented he was for years. For once, he wasn't exaggerating."

"Did you expect this to happen, Ooba Babasama?" Sherria asked in a confused tone.

"No... I can't say I expected it." Ooba replied while shaking her head gently. "But from what I've heard and the amount of magic power I can feel, it doesn't surprise me, either."

"What do you mean?" Sherria asked. "What have you heard about him?"

In response, Ooba went on to tell some of the stories Makarov used to tell while he was bragging about his children at the Annual guild Master's Meeting. However, she also mentioned that those stories should be taken with a grain of salt.

"Yeah, Master Makarov exaggerated quite a few of those stories." Ultear said while smiling wryly. "But Alfonzo was strong enough to subdue my mom without hurting her when she went on a rampage last year."

While Ooba was not surprised that Alfonzo had defeated Jura, hearing that he could subdue Ur without hurting her made her open her eyes wide in surprise.

"But from what I've heard, Ur should be on par with Makarov in terms of power, right?" Ooba asked, her disbelief seeping into her tone.

"Yeah, more or less." Ultear replied with a nod.

"Nothing less should be expected from one of Juvia's soul mates." Juvia said proudly.

Deciding to ignore the clearly delusional girl, Ooba turned her attention back to Jura.

"I see...I guess he's stronger than I thought." Ooba said calmly. A moment later, she turned her attention back to Ultear with a quizzical expression on her face. "But why would Ur have been rampaging in the first place?"

Though Ultear did not answer her question, the way she laughed made Ooba even more curious to know the answer.