บท 62: Chapter 62: Ian, So Young and Already a Father of Two!
"Ur will definitely win..."
"Master, I'm betting a million J that the person to pass the S-rank mage assessment this year will be Ur Milkovich! Enough talking, I'm going to sell my house..."
"Master, you know what? I'm also betting on Ur passing the assessment."
"Master, refund all the money I bet earlier!"
"Please allow me to bet again..."
"Not only am I betting that Ur will participate in the assessment, I'm also betting that she will pass..."
"I'm with them!"
"Same here, same here..."
"Long live Ur! Ur, you are my goddess."
After Ian pointed out that Ur had yet to become an S-rank mage in the guild, the group of gambling addicts in the Fairy Tail guild hall had their eyes light up with a radiant glow. If Ur was competing, wasn't it already a guaranteed win?!
No more nonsense—all in, all in!
This was a moment to go all-in, or you would regret it for a lifetime.
They would even sell their houses to go all-in!
"This..."
"No, this can't be right..."
Cold sweat continued to pour down Makarov's forehead...
If everyone bet on Ur winning, then he had no candidates left for the other side of the bet.
If Ur really passed the S-rank mage assessment this year, who would pay all these damn gamblers?!
Without a doubt, it would be him, Makarov, right?
At this rate, bankruptcy seemed inevitable...
Makarov fell to his knees on the ground, looked up to the sky, and murmured, "I'm doomed. I'm really going to have to sell the guild."
"Oh no, the master's soul is escaping!"
"Master, Master, pull yourself together!"
The people in the guild, seeing Makarov on his knees looking up at the sky while spitting out some transparent substance, began to grow anxious.
The guild members panicked, watching Makarov kneel and seemingly coughing up his spirit. Of course, these gamblers weren't worried about their Master's well-being. They were worried that if Makarov died, no one would pay them. Their filial piety was truly… unique.
"Ian, save me!"
Makarov knelt halfway on the ground, clutching Ian's pants, pitifully pleading.
Given the current situation, Ian seemed to be the only person in the entire Fairy Tail guild who could save him.
"Master, how about this."
"Why don't we set up an extra S-rank mage position this year?"
"In other words, unlike previous years when only one person was allowed to pass, we'll allow two people to pass this year."
"Moreover, in this year's S-rank mage assessment..."
"It's not enough to just guess one of the winners correctly. You must guess both winners correctly to win."
Ian, after giving it some thought, looked at Makarov, who was kneeling below him, and spoke with a grin.
"No way."
"From the first generation, our Fairy Tail guild has never had a situation where two people passed the S-rank assessment at once..."
"I absolutely cannot allow that rule to be broken while I'm here."
"We must strictly maintain the quality of our S-rank mages."
Makarov's expression turned serious after hearing Ian's proposal.
The S-rank mage assessment was not a game; it was a recognition.
Only by strictly ensuring the quality of S-rank mages could they prevent unfortunate accidents from occurring when the successful candidates went to take S-rank missions from the second floor.
Makarov insisted because he wanted to protect the lives of the guild members.
"I understand what you're worried about, Master."
"But I believe your concerns are completely unnecessary..."
"Do you think Ur, who is already among the 'Ten Saints,' isn't qualified to be an S-rank mage in the guild? Or do you think that Laxus or Erza, whose strength has far surpassed a typical S-rank and is approaching the 'Ten Saints' realm, isn't qualified either?!"
Ian looked at Makarov, slightly exasperated.
"Well..."
Makarov hesitated.
Indeed, whether it was Ur, Laxus, or Erza, their abilities had fully met the standards of S-rank.
Ur's power spoke for itself—she had the title of one of the 'Ten Saints.'
As for Laxus and Erza, their current strengths were even greater than Ian's when he had passed the S-rank assessment back in the day.
"If you still don't agree, then there's nothing more I can do."
"You'd better start finding enough funds to sell this old building, which has served as the mage guild for nearly a hundred years~"
"Though it may look a bit worn out, its location is still excellent. Turning it into an inn wouldn't be a bad choice~"
"Oh, and make sure to find some antique collectors~"
"They might be eager to buy when they see this building, which carries a hundred years of mage guild history. Who knows?"
"That way, you might even make a bit more money."
Ian shrugged, speaking with resignation.
"Ian, you're really leaving me with no choice..."
Makarov slowly stood up from the ground, looked at Ian with defiance, and declared, "Fine! As you wish, there will be two S-rank mage slots this year!"
"Hmph, I don't believe that..."
"Allowing two S-rank mages to pass in a year will somehow lower the quality of our assessments. It's simply nonsense!"
"But this will be the last time I break the guild's rules."
"Besides, since Ur has already been recognized by the Magic Council as one of the Ten Wizard Saints..."
"If we don't recognize her as well, wouldn't that mean we're disregarding the title granted by the Council?"
After deciding to give in to the pressure of money, Makarov hurriedly tried to justify himself, showing his sense of integrity.
Yes, in the face of money, the only thing Makarov kept firm was his mouth.
"Ah! No way..."
"This is just cheating!"
"Master, in the face of guild regulations, you need to stand strong like a man!"
Upon hearing this, the gamblers in the guild wailed in frustration.
They had been so close to collecting their winnings, only to see the opportunity snatched away before their very eyes.
Naturally, the one to blame was Ian...
Cutting off someone's financial gain was like hurting their parents!
The hateful Ian—they would make sure to win this bet and teach him a lesson.
Well, upon thinking about it again, teaching him a lesson was impossible...
Why? Because they couldn't beat him...
Not only could they not beat Ian, but they couldn't even beat Ian's daughter, Erza.
As for Ian's wives, whether it was Irene or Selene, they seemed like deities beyond their reach—utterly unbeatable.
"In any case, that's settled."
"Now, all of you shut up!"
"It's not up to you little brats to tell me how to follow Fairy Tail guild regulations..."
"Remember, I'm the guild master here."
Makarov crossed his arms, speaking with an air of absolute authority.
"Eh?!"
As for Ian, who helped the master scam all the gamblers, he seemed a bit dazed after hearing Makarov's words...
To be honest, third-generation master, weren't your lines a bit mixed up?!
In any case, it was decided: there would be two S-rank mage slots in this year's assessment, as Ian and Makarov had agreed on.
As for whether the rest of the guild agreed, that didn't matter.
Because gamblers deserved no sympathy.
Fairy Tail Guild Tip: "Small bets are for fun, big bets harm your health! Extreme gambling leads to ruin."
After the S-rank mage assessment was finalized, the previously boisterous guild finally quieted down.
Laxus hadn't returned to the guild since the day he snatched all the A-rank missions before Erza and the others could get to them.
Apparently, Laxus was not only doing missions but also training alone in secret...
"Damn that Laxus, he still managed to get away!"
"Since we can't take any of the hunting missions, we won't be able to gain combat experience, so all we can do is continue accumulating magic power..."
"Father, let us borrow your magic power development machine!"
"Don't worry, we definitely won't over-rely on it."
"Once the new A-rank missions arrive, we'll head out to fight."
Erza, Mirajane, and Ultear, having failed to catch Laxus, borrowed Ian's magic development machine stationed at the back of the Fairy Tail guild to start a competitive, comparative training session.
Of the three, Mirajane was the most driven...
Truthfully, ever since Ian gave Mirajane the Soul of Deliora, she was no longer lacking in strength...
One could say that Mirajane's path to the 'Heavenly King' level was now completely open! There were no more barriers. What she lacked was simply the magic power to wield this immense strength.
To be honest, the Soul of Deliora, which had the strength to match one of the Ten Wizard Saints, was being held back by the current Mirajane; she couldn't fully unleash Deliora's power...
To quickly live up to the gift of the demon soul Ian had given her, Mirajane trained like she was on fire every day.
"Happy, let's go on a mission!"
Natsu, unusually focused, did not pester Ian or Gildarts for a fight this time. His eyes burned with passion and determination—he was going to surpass Laxus and Erza and become an S-rank mage.
"Aye~"
The young Happy spread his white wings, hovering beside Natsu.
Happy was Natsu's companion, and he'd follow him everywhere, no matter where Natsu went!
"Uh, can I change my bet?"
"I think Ur and Erza are more likely to pass the S-rank assessment than Natsu."
Of course, before leaving, Happy bet five fish—his entire fortune—on Ur and Erza passing the S-rank assessment.
"Hey! Didn't you just say you would support Natsu forever?"
Hearing this, even Macao, who was busy recording, couldn't help but interject.
"Aye!" Happy grinned and nodded, feigning ignorance.
"What do you mean, 'Aye'?"
Macao and Wakaba sighed, shaking their heads at the little blue cat.
"Gray, let's go train together!"
Lyon looked at Gray and spoke up.
"No choice. Ur left this morning to train with Master Warrod, and Ultear is training with Erza and Mirajane. It seems like it's just you and me left for a team!"
Gray spoke while taking off his clothes.
"Indeed, it's been a while, junior brother."
Lyon curved his lips into a small smile, and with a flourish, returned to his shirtless state as well.
"You two, remember to put your clothes on."
Cana, seeing this, sighed as she rubbed her forehead in exasperation.
"What?!"
"When did we take them off?!"
Gray and Lyon, hearing Cana's words, were suddenly panicked, their fingers trembling as they quickly picked up their discarded clothes.
"Just now..."
Cana sighed.
Seriously, this house would fall apart without her.
And so, everyone in the guild became busy with various activities, which allowed Makarov, the guild master, to finally enjoy some rare peace and quiet.
For a brief moment, a look of serenity appeared on Makarov's face.
"If only Fairy Tail could stay like this forever..."
Makarov murmured to himself.
At the same time.
In a distant corner of Ishgar.
"Boom!!"
With a thundering sound, a pair of beautiful blonde teenagers—a boy and a girl who looked about seventeen or eighteen—finally landed steadily on the ground.
"We've finally broken through the barriers Aunt Irene set up on the outskirts of the continent."
"Aunt Irene is truly worthy of being the creator of Dragon Slayer magic and someone who rivals Mother in power. Even we had to spend several months to break through her barrier."
The blonde boy rotated his shoulder, letting out a series of 'crackling' noises.
"So, Brother Kurnugi, are we really going to do what Mother said—go against Aunt Irene and kill Sister Erza... too?"
The blonde girl thought for a while before looking at Kuronugi and asking hesitantly.
"What are you talking about, Eresh?!"
"How could we possibly kill our own little sister?"
"Anyway, we've managed to reach this continent, and right now Mother can't do anything to us..."
"We can do whatever we want!"
Kurnugi shook his head. He had no intention of following his mother Selene, the Moon Dragon's orders. From what he'd observed of human society, if he really killed Erza as Selene instructed, he was sure his father would hate him.
Moreover, Kurnugi had a premonition...
If Erza were to die, it would mean him getting beaten to death by Irene.
Considering how fickle relationships were between dragons, Kurnugi couldn't be sure if his mother, Selene, would even help him when the time came...
Yes, the blonde boy before us was none other than Ian and Selene's son, who liked to call himself the "Sword Saint Dragon" Kurnugi.
And why did he call himself that?
The reason was simple—his ability had almost nothing to do with swords...
If anything, it was connected, just like his mother, to space and the stars.
Like his name, Kurnugi was associated with the Sumerian underworld. His true ability was connected to the underworld, so if anything, he should be called the "Underworld Dragon." (In Greek mythology, Selene, the Moon Goddess, is associated with night, dreams, death, and rebirth, all connected to the underworld.)
"Understood."
After listening to her brother, the girl nodded firmly, as if she had finally come to a realization.
"Anyway, Eresh (short for Ereshkigal), let's head to the Fairy Tail guild!"
"I've already found out that Father is there."
Kurnugi looked westward and said loudly.
"So... do you even know the way?"
Eresh looked at her brother, her eyes filled with doubt.
No one knew how unreliable her brother was better than Eresh...
"Don't worry, we'll find it."
Kurnugi grinned confidently.
"We're doomed" Eresh muttered, already resigned to navigating herself.
When Kurunugi said "Don't worry," things were already half ruined. It wasn't completely ruined because she'd have to find Fairy Tail and their father herself.
As for Eresh's identity, she was Ian and Selene's daughter, Kurunugi's twin sister.
The reason she came to Ishgar was not only to reunite with their father but also to carry out her mission of eliminating her sister Erza and dragging Ian back to the Elentear world.
According to their mother, the Moon Dragon Selene, she had said, "Go and bring Ian back to me. I want to give birth to forty-eight more children with him."
Yes, Ian was still young and already a father of two.
"By the way, Brother Kurnugi, shouldn't you be calling Erza your older sister?"
Suddenly remembering something, Eresh corrected her brother.
"No, no, no..."
"Erza isn't our older sister; she's our little sister~"
"Though Aunt Irene conceived Erza before Mother had us..."
"Erza was born many years later, wasn't she?!"
"So, she's our little sister."
Kurnugi shook his head slightly at Eresh.
"Whatever you say!"
Eresh sighed, giving up.
"Anyway, follow me~"
Kurnugi spoke, confidently heading east.
"Uh, Brother Kurnugi, are you heading in the wrong direction?"
Seeing the direction Kurnugi had chosen, Eresh felt a headache.
She remembered clearly that the Fairy Tail guild should be to the west of the continent.
"We're in a new land, so of course, we should explore and have some fun first!"
Kurnugi laughed.
"I knew it, Brother, you're utterly unreliable..."
"You go play alone; I'm going to find Father."
Eresh had long guessed that, true to his nature, Kurunugi had no intention of meeting up with their father as soon as they arrived.
"Oh, don't be like that, Sister, come play in the human cities with me!"
"Don't be like that, lets have some fun!"
Seeing his sister about to abandon him and head west, Kurunugi grew nervous.
"No."
"I want to find Father."
"And when I do, I'll tell Mother you ran away."
With that, Eresh decisively set off.
At the same time.
In another corner of Ishgar.
"Boom!!"
With a rumbling sound, a blue-haired boy descended from the sky.
"The barrier over Earth Land has finally weakened."
"I must head to the Fairy Tail guild immediately and find the power to defeat Father before he walks down the path of no return."
With determined eyes, the boy looked ahead and began to walk, facing an arduous journey ahead, as he carried the fate of three worlds on his shoulders.
---
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