บท 61: Chapter 60 : Drunk Everit!!
In the afternoon, after everyone had eaten and had their drinks, the Fairy Tail guild hall was buzzing with excitement.
"Thanks for waiting, everyone!" the host announced with enthusiasm.
"The Fairy Tail Beauty Contest—Miss Fairy Tail—is about to begin!" he continued, with the crowd cheering. "I'm your host, Max!"
"Let's start off with our first contestant—known for her beauty and her love for drinks, she's Fairy Tail's own Dionysus—the one and only Cana Alberona!"
Cana strutted onto the stage, dressed in her usual revealing attire. The crowd roared with approval as she posed with confidence.
"Now, show us your magic!" Max urged.
Cana flashed a seductive smile and pulled out a stack of cards. As they spun around her in a dazzling display, she revealed a change of outfit—now wearing a swimsuit.
"I'm keeping the prize money for the drinks!" Cana declared, winking at the audience.
"Swimsuit? That's cheating!" Lucy, watching from the wings, couldn't help but blurt out.
Off stage, Natsu, Gray, Gajeel, Elfman, and Everit were sitting in a row, enjoying the show.
"So, who are you going to vote for?" Everit asked the others.
"What about you?" Gray replied.
"I'm voting for Lucy. She seems really determined to win," Everit said.
"I'll give mine to Lucy too," Natsu added.
"Your vote alone doesn't count for much," Everit teased.
"I'm also giving mine to Lucy," Gray said, feeling some obligation towards her enthusiasm. "She seems really into it."
"I'm voting for Levy," Gajeel chimed in.
"I'll definitely vote for my sister," Elfman declared, speaking of Mirajane.
Back on stage, Max introduced the next contestant. "She may be new to the guild, but she was an S-Class wizard in Phantom Lord Guild. Please welcome—Juvia Lockser!"
Juvia walked out in a stunning outfit, with her eyes locked onto Gray. She radiated a gentle confidence as she performed her magic, morphing into a swimsuit.
She had a graceful silhouette, and the audience was clearly impressed.
"Still voting for Lucy?" Everit leaned over and gave Gray a teasing glance.
"..." Gray said nothing, his eyes shifting away as if he hadn't heard the question.
Max stood on stage and announced with great enthusiasm:
"The third contestant——"
"The guild's very own iconic beauty——"
"Her charm captivates the entire world!"
"Mirajane Strauss!"
The sound of footsteps echoed as Mirajane gracefully made her way to the center of the stage. She was composed and calm, with her usual gentle smile.
A loud cheer erupted from the entire guild, filling the hall with excitement.
"She's so popular!" Lucy exclaimed, her eyes wide with surprise.
Mirajane took the mic and spoke with a warm tone, "I can transform with magic, so—"
With a swift gesture, she activated her magic, instantly transforming into the image of Everit.
Everit, who was on the stage, adjusted his glasses and scoffed, "Deception magic is just a weak magic."
The entire audience went silent, stunned by Mirajane's transformation.
Everyone had their ballot ready, but they weren't sure if they should vote for her or not.
Natsu couldn't help but burst into laughter, giving Everit a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Hahaha, Everit, that looks just like you!"
"Totally identical!" Gray agreed with a nod.
Everit tugged his hat down slightly and muttered, "It's not that accurate."
Mirajane, still in her Everit disguise, adjusted her hat as well and added, "Please vote for the lovely and kind Miss Mirajane. Thank you."
The audience remained quiet, with mixed reactions in the air.
Lucy sighed with relief, "Looks like Miss Mira's going to be eliminated."
But before the tension could settle, Max continued, "The beautiful fairy queen who needs no introduction—"
"Erza Scarlet!"
The crowd erupted into a loud cheer, chanting Erza's name.
Lucy's shoulders slumped. "We're done for," she said, feeling defeated by the competition.
After Erza made her grand entrance, the stakes rose even higher as Levy and Bisca, both wearing swimsuits, appeared on stage with dramatic effects.
"The next performer is—"
"Fairy Tail's sensational newcomer—"
"Lucy!"
Lucy stepped onto the stage, and the crowd's reaction was lukewarm.
"Go, Lucy!" Everit stood up, cheering her on.
"We believe in you, Lucy!" Gray joined in to support her.
"Do your best, Lucy!" Natsu shouted.
"Thanks," Lucy replied, taking a deep breath. With her friends cheering her on, she had to give it her all, no matter what!
"Alright, my act is called—Dancing with the Stars!" she announced.
Just then, a voice came from behind her, interrupting her performance. "Okay, that's enough. Losers can leave now."
Lucy turned around, annoyed. "Hey, I wasn't finished yet!" she complained. But she stopped when she saw someone she didn't recognize.
"The star here is me," the stranger said. "The beauty is also me. And the winner, of course, is me—Evergreen!"
The newcomer was strikingly narcissistic, holding a fan to her face in a dramatic way.
"Well, it's decided," Evergreen continued. "This boring Miss Fairy Tail competition is over. It's time for something more exciting!"
"Who are you?" Lucy was puzzled. She hadn't heard of this Evergreen, but she noticed the Fairy Tail emblem on the newcomer's chest. That reassured her that she wasn't an enemy, but she remained cautious.
"Lucy, don't look at her!" Gray yelled in a panic. "Stay away from her!"
"Huh?" Lucy turned toward Evergreen, but before she could react—
*Click*
In an instant, Lucy was turned into a stone statue, her expression frozen in surprise.
"Evergreen!" a voice shouted, filled with rage.
The room's temperature spiked dramatically as Natsu's anger flared.
"Natsu, calm down!" Laxus stepped out from behind the curtains, trying to defuse the situation.
"Laxus, what's the meaning of this?" Makarov demanded, clearly disturbed by the sudden turn of events.
"Just playing some more interesting games," said Laxus with a grin.
"Fairy Tail: the game to find the strongest!"
"This has nothing to do with Lucy!" Natsu, engulfed in flames, walked toward Laxus step by step, the ground cracking beneath him.
"Why is it irrelevant? She's also a member of Fairy Tail, though she's been... eliminated. And they—" Laxus gestured toward the stage.
As the curtains opened, Erza, Levy, Mirajane, and the other contestants had been turned into stone statues!
"Laxus!" Makarov shouted, his voice filled with anger.
"Asshole, Laxus!" Natsu erupted, rushing toward Laxus.
"Do you want her broken, Natsu?" Laxus moved swiftly, positioning himself behind Lucy's stone statue.
A loud crash echoed through the room as Natsu landed in front of the stage. He glared fiercely at Laxus, his anger palpable. "What do you want?!" he demanded.
"I told you, it's a game." Laxus explained. "The rules are simple: I've set up magical barriers around the town. Your task is to defeat the guardians at each barrier to break the spell. But you have to hurry—"
Laxus added, "If it takes longer than three hours, they'll turn to dust."
"There are over a hundred of us, Laxus. You really think you and Evergreen can handle all of us?" Gray scoffed.
Laxus smirked. "Who said it was just us?" he replied. "When have you ever seen only two members of the Thunder God Tribe in action?"
"Everit," someone suddenly shouted.
Everit turned around and was splashed with a bottle of wine.
The culprit? Freed, the leader of the Thunder God Tribe.
"Oops!"
"Everit passes out the instant he drinks wine."
Everyone paused, expecting Everit to collapse into instant slumber.
But he didn't. He stood firm, his body swaying slightly. Then he looked up and gave everyone a sinister smile.
"Hey, Freed, what did you give him to drink?" Macao asked, sounding concerned.
"Whiskey, of course," Freed replied with a chuckle.
"Whiskey!" exclaimed the older members who had been part of Fairy Tail for more than two years. Their faces turned pale.
"What's wrong with whiskey?" one of the younger members, who had been in the guild for less than two years, asked, puzzled by the older members' reactions.
"It's just that Everit is still standing and talking, which is a good thing, right?" a rookie said.
"It's better if he's drunk!" shouted Max, who was holding a microphone.
"If Everit drinks whiskey, he becomes... very scary!" another older member explained.
"It's like the darkness in his heart comes out!"
"He turns into someone who only cares about himself—a spiteful monster!"
The entire guild fell silent as everyone processed what that meant. Everit simply licked his lips, savoring the lingering sweetness of his drink.
By the way, how much did the outside world misunderstand him?
Misconception #1: "Everit acts alone," people would say.
Fact check: He's not. He only acts alone occasionally, and even then, it's just for fun.
Misconception #2: "Everit gets drunk easily, and different types of alcohol make him act differently. Beer makes him sleepy, whiskey makes him evil."
Fact check: Nonsense! It's all just rumors spread by Cana and the others to prank him. Some of them even slip sleeping magic potions into his drinks to mess with him.
This is a world of magic, after all, and it's not hard to create potions with varying effects.
Regardless, Everit didn't intend to let everyone off the hook so easily. This was a game he had planned long before Laxus approached him about it. The story's protagonist wasn't just Laxus.
No, the protagonist was everyone!
He grinned.
Cursed dolls—the hottest trend in the market, right? The new upgraded version already had over 500 orders, didn't it?
****
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