บท 172: After the War
Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia
August, x784.
A week has passed since the battle with Phantom Lord concluded. For the most part, the Fairy Tail wizards were in high spirits after winning a hard fought battle with a guild that was held in as high an esteem as they were.
Over the past few days, they even found out that while the main force of the guild were fighting in Magnolia, Mystogan had destroyed all the other Phantom Lord strongholds in Fiore. Though, they were all curious to know how he did it in such a short time.
Naturally, there were a couple of things that brought the mood of the guild down, though. The first being the investigation the Fairy Tail wizards had to participate in. For a week… a whole week, they had to deal with the Magic Council's questions.
And even with the recording Makarov made, all the questions the Fairy Tail wizards received were quite pointed, making them out to be the culprits in this incident.
In the end, the Magic Council officers let it go. There was irrefutable evidence that Phantom Lord started the whole thing and they would be under suspicion from the public if this continued.
The other source of unhappiness for the guild was actually for just one person. And that person was Alfonzo.
During his fight with Jose, Alfonzo had the ability to win the fight. Though it would not have been easy, he could have won. The issue was that his anger was affecting him too much during the fight. And because of that, he wanted to humiliate Jose in the worst way.
Unfortunately, Jose was too experienced and two strong for anything Alfonzo tried, resulting in Alfonzo running out of magic power in an attempt to match all of Jose's spells with equal force.
'Fuck me….' Alfonzo muttered as he walked through the streets of Magnolia. 'All it would have taken is the [Gravity Well] spell at full power followed by the [Gamma-Ray Stream]. Yeah, it wouldn't have finished him off immediately, but it would have done enough damage that I could have just beat the shit outta him. Fuck!'
Even now, whenever he thinks about it, his anger spikes. Not at Jose, but at himself. He knew better than to lose himself in his anger. Yet, he still let it happen.
Even so, Alfonzo did not let the regret he was feeling get in the way of his other tasks. For example, he answered all the Magic Council's questions, concisely and politely. On top of that, he went to Nell Goldstein's workshop, .45 Caliber Art Warks every day to discuss the ideas he had come up with for the new guild hall.
And that design… Nell was completely dumbfounded when she first saw it. Using the original guild hall's basement as the center point of the building, Alfonzo would drive sturdy, metal stakes deep into the ground to act as the new eleven story building's support. On top of that, he would extend the building's foundation while adding an underground vehicle garage and fortifying the prison to hold people with special bodies, like Juvia.
Going up from there, the ground floor would be a common area, just like the original building's first floor. Also, it would take up nearly three times as much area as the original guild hall. The first floor would have not only the common area, though. It would also house showers, a medical facility, a bar, a fully stocked kitchen, a recreation room, and an indoor volleyball court.
The next nine floors would be where Alfonzo's real ideas came into to play. Every floor from the second to the tenth would have seven rooms. One of those rooms would be a breakroom while the other six would be training rooms with [Gravity Magic] controls so that the wizards could put extra pressure on themselves when training..
Also, with Ur and Natsu's help, he intended to add in a feature that allowed the wizards in the training rooms to adjust the temperature they trained in, as well. If possible, they may even be able to gain resistance to temperature fluctuations.
And then there was the top floor. That would be Makarov's office. From his new higher vantage point, Makarov would be able to look over the entire town at a glance, something Makarov really liked.
On top of that, all of the floors would be connected by elevators and stairs, for emergencies. Also, all the outer walls would be made with metal. However, there would be sigils that turned them seethrough for those who wanted to look outside. On top of all that, Gildarts would still need at least seventy percent of his magic power to break the defensive enchantments on the building.
"*Sigh* I really need to let this shit with Jose go." Alfonzo muttered to himself as he passed a side street. "It's over and done with… Besides, Jose will be stripped of his title as a Wizard Saint and the Phantom Lord guild will be disbanded."
A moment later, just after passing the side street, Alfonzo stopped in his tracks with an eyebrow raised. Then, he looked back and saw a blue-haired girl poking her head around the corner and watching him.
At the same time, the blue-haired girl, Juvia, locked eyes with Alfonzo. And when she did, her gaze grew harsh.
"Can I help you with something, Juvia?" Alfonzo asked with a wry smile.
By now, Alfonzo had heard about Ultear apparently being Juvia's soul mate, or whatever. And at first, he teased her about it with glee. However, a few days later, he noticed that someone was watching him every time he went out with Ultear, for any reason. And without even having to think about it, he knew it was Juvia.
'It's a good thing she can't get close enough to my house to look through our windows at night.' Alfonzo thought to himself while a bead of cold sweat dripped down his back. 'Otherwise, I don't know what she would have done.'
"Juvia wants you to leave Ultear." Juvia said in a solemn tone. "Ultear deserves better."
"Isn't that her decision to make?" Alfonzo asked. "But I do agree with you. Ultear does deserve better. She deserves someone who can give her all their love. Unfortunately, I can't do that."
Hearing Alfonzo's response, Juvia was taken aback. She expected him to defend himself. However, she did not stay shocked for long.
"Then, you should break up with her." Juvia said in a no nonsense tone. "Stop leading er on."
"Slow down, Sweetheart." Alfonzo said, his tone taking on a much more serious tone. "I never led her on. She knew exactly what she was getting into when she asked to be one of my girlfriends. So, you should get off your fucking high horse."
Once again, Juvia was taken aback. Still, she refused to back down.
"As she is Juvia's soul mate, Juvia would be able to treat her much better than you." Juvia replied, raising her voice.
"Now, that's the pot calling the kettle black." Alfonzo said with a derisive grin. "According to what I've heard, you have three soul mates. So, how are you any better than me? On top of that, one of them is her mother."
This time, Juvia had no idea what to say in her defense. So, she simply fell silent.
"Look, If you want Ultear, ask her." Alfonzo said nonchalantly. "If she decides to leave, that's fine. I definitely wouldn't be happy about it, but it's not like she's my possession. Just be up front about it. Though, I doubt you'll succeed. Same with Ur, too. But Gray, if you get Ur on your side, he's probably easy pickings."
After speaking his mind, Alfonzo ignored Juvia and went about his business. Meanwhile, Juvia was left standing in place with much to think about.
After walking for a few more blocks, Alfonzo ran into someone else he knew. Namely, Lucy.
"Hey, Lucy, what's up?" Alfonzo asked, having an idea what Lucy was up to.
"Oh, Alfonzo… Hey." Lucy replied with a wave. "What are you up to?"
"Oh, just finished making the final touches to the guild hall's design with Master Goldstein." Alfonzo replied with a smile. "What about you?"
"Not much." Lucy replied. "I was going to take a trip back home to give my dad a piece of my mind. I won't forgive him for what he did."
"Yeah, that's a pretty shitty way to get you back." Alfonzo said with a frown. "But don't be too hard on him."
"How can you say that?" Lucy asked with anger in her tone. "Because of him, Jet, Droy, and Reedus were hurt. It's his fault this war happened in the first place."
"But he's still your father, Lucy." Alfonzo said in a gentle tone. "And although everything you said is true, he's still family."
"How can you say that?" Lucy asked, almost sounding betrayed. As if Alfonzo was taking her father's side.
"Because I would kill to have the chance to talk to either my mom or my dad just one more time." Alfonzo said in a deadly serious tone. "I know you lost your mother, too. So, I'm sure you can understand."
In response, Lucy fell silent, suddenly remembering that Alfonzo had lost his parents tragically when he was young.
Seeing the expression on Lucy's face drop, Alfonzo shook his head. Then, he drew nearer and put his hand on Lucy's head, causing her to flinch.
"Look, Lucy, I'm not saying you have to forgive him for what he's done." Alfonzo said, starting to comb his fingers through Lucy's hair. "All I'm saying is don't hate him for it."
"*Sigh* I'll try." Lucy replied, leaning into Alfonzo's hand and the comfort his fingers running through her hair brought.
After a few more moments, Lucy pulled away from Alfonzo's hand reluctantly.
"Well, I guess I should get going." Lucy said with a smile. "I'll see you in a few days."
"You're going by train?" Alfonzo asked curiously.
"Yeah." Lucy replied with a nod.
"I can give you a ride, if you want." Alfonzo offered with a smile.
"As tempting as that sounds, I think I'll take the train." Lucy said with a wry smile. "You gave me a lot to think about. And I need some time alone to sort out my feelings."
"I understand." Alfonzo replied. "Well then, have a good trip, Lucy. See you in a few days."
With that, the two went their separate ways after Lucy waved Alfonzo goodbye.
Earth Land, Ishgar, Era.
In the Magic Council's headquarter building, the Councilors were meeting to discuss the investigation results of the war between Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord.
"What kind of fool is that Jose Porla and the members of his guild?" Org shouted as he slammed the report on the desk in front of him. "Not only was he so easily defeated by those Fairy Tail ruffians, but his guild even let themselves be recorded as proof of their wrong doings! Now, we can only disband Phantom Lord as punishment. "
"You make it sound as if you would have disbanded Fairy Tail if that evidence had not been presented." Yajima asked while reading over the report.
"Of course I would have!" Org shouted as he banged his fist on the desk. "This was the perfect opportunity to get rid of those ruffians."
In response, Yajima slightly opened his perpetually closed eyes and glared at Org.
"Would you mind reminding me, Org." Yajima said in a solemn tone. "The Magic Council is supposed to be an institution that judges Ishgar's magical community with fairness, correct?"
Realizing what he had said after hearing Yajima's question, Org quickly shut his mouth before saying something he might regret later.
"Now, now, calm down, Yajima." Crawford Seam said in a placating tone. "Org is just concerned with the damage that Fairy Tail causes on their quests."
"Like I said, judging the magical community fairly." Yajima replied, turning his glare onto the Council President. "In the last few years, Fairy Tail has done just as little damage as the average guild in Fiore. Yet, you still treat them as if they destroy everything they touch. You past bias is truly clouding your judgement."
With that said, Yajima placed the report he was reading down on the desk. Then, he stood from his seat and made his way out the room without another word.
Meanwhile, Siegrain and Junko watched this exchange with outwardly concerned, but inwardly elated expressions.
'The Tower of Heaven's construction will be complete in less than a month.' Siegrain thought to himself as he watched Yajima walk away. 'Soon, I will be able to resurrect Zeref. Then, everything will be as it should be in the world.'
'Not only will the Tower of Heaven be completed in a month or so.' Junko thought to herself, barely containing the deranged smile that threatened to make its way on to her face. 'But that man calling himself Father will be ready to implement his plan in less than five years. Oh, I wonder how much the people of Fiore will despair when it comes to light that he plans to transmute the entire country into a Philosopher's Stone? That despair will be absolutely delicious!'
With several evil plans looming on the horizon, the Magic Council was none the wiser all because of the spies in their midst.
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