Caesar had thought that Phantom Lord would hold back a little longer, but he didn't expect them to act so impatiently. It had only been three days since the Serena incident. Early in the morning of July 7th, Caesar and Mirajane arrived at Fairy Tail in good spirits, only to find countless iron rods piercing through the guild building.
Caesar tilted his head and sighed helplessly. "A kid? They destroyed the building when no one was around."
Mirajane sighed as well, her voice carrying a hint of anger. "I guess they don't know much about your repair ability. But this is clearly a declaration of war."
Feeling the dark magic slowly gathering around Mirajane, Caesar knew she was angry. "Don't worry about this small matter. The situation is delicate right now. If you strike first, the Magic Council will seize the chance to punish you." Caesar rubbed Mirajane's head and continued, "Besides, the guild building was getting old anyway. It's no big deal if it's destroyed this time. I'll help rebuild it—a newer, bigger, and better one."
Mirajane nodded, though she looked a little displeased. The two walked into the guild. The hall was empty, so they went down to the basement and found Makarov sitting there, already drunk early in the morning.
Despite his cheerful exterior, Makarov was suppressing his anger with alcohol. He knew that acting rashly now would only put them at a disadvantage. Destroying a guild while no one was around—what kind of cowardly move was that? Just as Caesar had said earlier, "A kid?" There was no honor in such an attack.
"If they want war, we'll find their weakness and crush them in one blow," Caesar muttered. Then he smiled and walked up to Makarov. "Master, looks like our guild can finally get a new building. Do you have any sketches? It would only take me half a day to rebuild it."
"Ah, Caesar, you're here," Makarov replied with a small smile. "You're right, this old building has seen better days. Let's rebuild it. I have some great ideas—a girl's bath, a swimming pool, maybe even a shopping street…"
"Boom!"
Before he could finish, Natsu slammed his fist into the table, shattering it. "Old man! Caesar! Is this really the time to talk about that?!"
"Master, they've gone too far this time!" Erza said angrily. Even as Jellal tried to calm her, her voice was cold and sharp. "This is a declaration of war. We can't ignore it!"
"The guild's been destroyed!" Gray shouted, only to be smacked on the head by Ur. But he still looked frustrated.
"Calm down," Makarov said firmly. "It's not a big deal. Those fools from Phantom Lord are only capable of sneak attacks. What's there to be proud of in that? With Caesar here, we'll rebuild soon enough. There's no reason to get angry over opponents like them. Just ignore it."
"How could we possibly ignore this?!" several guild members shouted. "We have to fight back!"
Makarov sighed, waving his hand as he jumped off the barrel and ran toward the restroom. "When you get old, it's harder to hold it in…"
"Master!!!"
"Shut up!"
The room went silent as Caesar's cold voice cut through the noise. Everyone turned to him. Caesar sat down on a barrel, poured himself a drink, and downed it in one gulp. "Of course the Master's angry," he said evenly. "But he's also the Master. He has to think about the guild's future. Do you think he doesn't want revenge? But if we attack now, have you thought about the consequences?"
He smashed the glass in his hand, shards scattering across the floor. "If we strike first, Fairy Tail will be branded as a dark guild! Do you understand that?! Think before you act! Don't just charge in blindly!"
The guild fell silent. After a long pause, someone whispered, "But they destroyed our guild first…"
"Did anyone see it happen?" Caesar snapped. "Who saw it? The magic traces are long gone! We have no proof! If we retaliate now, the Council will crush us. So for now, we endure. But when we catch them red-handed—that's when we strike back!"
The anger in the room slowly faded into a tense calm.
Caesar then lifted his hand, and a large number of kunai appeared, glinting in the dim light. "Since they've already started this, they'll likely target our members next. Take these kunai. If they attack, I'll sense it instantly and teleport to your side. Then we'll have proof—and the right to fight back."
The guild members immediately grew excited, lining up to receive the kunai.
"Natsu, you don't need one," Caesar said when Natsu and Happy approached.
"Huh? Why not?" Natsu asked, frowning.
"They won't come after you. And even if they did, do you really think they could beat you?"
Hearing that, Natsu grinned and clenched his fists, flames bursting from them. "That's right! If they come for me, I'll knock every one of them down!"
"Aye, sir!" Happy chimed in, raising a paw.
The others, however, looked awkward. If Natsu didn't need protection, then Caesar must've given them kunai because he thought they were weaker and might get killed easily.
They wanted to refuse—but after glancing at Natsu's confident smile, they quietly tucked the kunai away.
They weren't afraid, of course. It was just… insurance. Yes. Just insurance.