"What?!!!"
Natsu's shocked shout echoed through the entire camp. Even their tent seemed to twitch, as if it had been startled like a living thing.
"Hey! Keep it down in there! You want to be thrown into solitary confinement?!"
A guard's irritated voice barked from outside.
That finally calmed Natsu down.
Mistgun's eyes, however, lit up with curiosity at the mention of "solitary confinement."
But after thinking about it for a moment, he realized that would require making a huge scene.
…Probably not worth it.
"To be honest, we were all just as stunned when we first heard about it,"
Macao said with a sigh.
Mistgun hadn't said a word to them during the entire operation. They only found out what happened from the Master when everyone was gathered and being assigned rooms.
At the time, aside from Erza and Mira, the reactions from the rest of the guild weren't much different from Natsu's.
It wasn't that they doubted Mistgun's ability to wipe out all of Phantom Lord's branches. It was just… he was always so mysterious.
Even many long-time senior members had never witnessed Mistgun's power so directly until now.
"But after thinking about it calmly, it kind of makes sense,"
Wakaba said, chewing on the end of his pipe with a shrug and a knowing grin.
"Love! It's Mistgun we're talking about!"
Happy chimed in confidently.
Natsu's blood began to boil again, his fighting spirit reigniting. The urge to challenge Mistgun surged even stronger than before.
But this time, he forced himself to push the thought down.
Chase's words echoed in his head. Fighting here would cause too much trouble.
When it came to things that affected the guild's reputation, Natsu could actually be quite disciplined.
"…Hey, Mistgun, you hungry? Want me to treat you to some fire?"
Since the battle challenge didn't work, Natsu quickly shifted gears. A swirl of high-quality flames danced from his palm as he offered them up with a grin.
"Hey, hey! Are you stupid? Mistgun's not a Dragon Slayer,"
Macao muttered with a sigh.
"You're the stupid one! If he wants to eat it, he has to take off his veil!"
Natsu blurted out without missing a beat.
So that was his true motive getting a peek at Mistgun's real face!
"Ooooh, I see now!"
Macao said with a sudden look of understanding.
"Haha, didn't think you had that in you. Smart move, Natsu,"
Wakaba added, giving a thumbs-up.
"Hey, Mistgun, do you want some fish instead? It's not spicy~"
Happy offered, fluttering over with a cheeky smile.
The ever-eager Happy immediately pulled out a prized Karuna Island fish he'd been saving and held it out to Mistgun with sparkling, hopeful eyes.
This was a big offer a serious investment on his part.
Mistgun: "…"
Following that bold move, not only did Mistgun freeze, but even Chase who had been sipping tea with casual elegance nearly choked.
The plan was solid. The strategy was clear. But…
Setting aside whether Mistgun would really take off his veil and start munching on fire or fish, the fact that they were openly plotting in front of him like this
Was this really supposed to be a covert operation?
As Mistgun remained motionless, Happy and Natsu slowly drooped their heads in disappointment.
"Haha, no way that guy would fall for such a rookie-level trick,"
Macao said smugly.
"Too naïve, Happy! When it counts, you've got to rely on the tactics of us adults!"
Wakaba added with a serious nod.
The two of them exchanged a look and immediately understood what needed to be done. With a shared air of confidence, they marched forward.
"Brace yourself, Mistgun! Even if you know exactly what we're up to, this technique is unbeatable!"
"It's time we revealed the true identity of Fairy Tail's most mysterious man!"
Sensing the weirdly powerful energy coming off the duo, Mistgun's brows furrowed slightly. He began to feel a little more on edge.
The only reason he hadn't already put them all to sleep was out of consideration for Chase he was trying to respect the atmosphere.
But if these two got any further, things could definitely spiral out of control.
"Take this, Mistgun!"
After a short, dramatic pause, Macao and Wakaba shouted in unison and whipped out the secret weapons they had hidden behind their backs.
"The most scorching-hot page of our Special Attack Magic: Beautiful Women Photo Album!!"
x2!
A second ago, the tent had been full of excitement and suspense.
Now? The mood plummeted faster than a brick through the ocean.
Somewhere outside the tent, the cry of a crow echoed.
Mistgun stared at the pin-up girl in the open magazine, the corner of his mouth twitching twice in slow motion. He sat still, blankly, as if regretting all the caution he'd shown just a minute earlier.
"Huh? This was the big move you two were bragging about?"
Natsu said exactly what Mistgun was thinking.
"This stuff's so boring! Even Happy's fish was better!"
He had actually been a little excited after seeing Macao and Wakaba act so confident.
But this was the result?
He'd rather go look at Lucy!
"What? You're not even a little moved?!"
The two offenders stood frozen in disbelief, unwilling to accept the outcome.
It was one thing if only idiots like Natsu or card-obsessed Chase weren't interested but for even Mistgun to be unmoved?
This was supposed to be their ultimate technique! A secret weapon capable of breaking through the defenses of even a Wizard Saint like Master Makarov!
"Hey! Mistgun, are you nearsighted or something? Look carefully at these legs, that waist, and these these heavy, glorious blessings of the heavens!"
Macao jabbed his finger at the photo, about to deliver an in-depth, shameless lecture.
But before he could finish, his eyelids grew impossibly heavy.
Thud.
Without another word, he slumped to the ground right alongside his equally scandalous partner, Wakaba both instantly fast asleep.
A wisp of magic mist drifted by, neatly extinguishing Wakaba's fallen pipe on the floor.
"Ahahaha! Serves you right! You made Mistgun angry!"
Natsu burst into laughter, grinning gleefully…
Then he suddenly collapsed like a log.
Even Happy, who had still been hovering in the air, went limp mid-flight and plopped down perfectly onto Natsu's head, snoring softly.
Mistgun lowered his hand from his staff and sighed, turning to Chase.
"Sorry. I'm just really not used to that much noise."
"It's fine,"
Chase said, casually eyeing the now-silent pile of bodies.
"If you hadn't done it, I was about to put them to sleep myself."
"For real?"
Mistgun raised an eyebrow, clearly curious.
"I wasn't aware you had cards with sleep effects."
"Physical sleep counts too."
Chase gave a wry grin, flexing his sandbag-sized fist before setting it down and offering Mistgun a freshly brewed cup of black tea.
"Here. I tried some already. It's pretty decent. Probably one of the Council's special blends."
"I see… I must admit, I'm not very familiar with this kind of thing."
Mistgun took the teacup a little awkwardly.
For some reason, his posture was strangely cautious as if guarding against something.
He was clearly worried that Chase, like Natsu, might be trying to sneak a peek under the hood.
But Chase simply sipped his tea, unfazed.
"Come to think of it, you're pretty incredible. I remember Phantom Lord had dozens of branch guilds, right?"
So Mistgun had overthought it. Chase, who already knew the story, wasn't even slightly interested in "unmasking the mystery."
"Not as impressive as defeating Jose, one of the Ten Wizard Saints,"
Mistgun said, clearly relieved.
"That wasn't just me,"
Chase said with rare humility.
"If it weren't for the old man and everyone in the guild, I wouldn't have stood a chance."
And that was the honest truth.
If he had faced Jose one-on-one out in the wild, Chase would've had to weigh a lot more variables and he definitely couldn't have fought with the same freedom or ease.
"Now that I think about it, your magic seems even stronger than the last time we met."
Mistgun narrowed his eyes and observed Chase with a rare look of seriousness.
"Ahahahaha, well, a true wizard must have a strong will always pushing himself, challenging stronger opponents, and striving for breakthroughs."
Chase scratched his head with a sheepish grin.
"That's what Master always says."
"By the way, Mistgun, when "
"Go to bed. Good night."
Mistgun cut him off mid-sentence, calmly setting down his teacup. Without another word, he climbed straight into bed, pulled the quilt up to his chin, and nestled his head on the pillow. Then, with a flick of his hand, he casually activated a triple-layered magic circle around himself: Mirror Water.
The whole process was smooth, swift, and flawless.
Chase didn't even get the chance to finish his sentence.
"You bastard…"
Chase let out a soft chuckle and shook his head, but he didn't press the issue.
Instead, he scooped up Natsu, Happy, Macao, and Wakaba like a stack of squirming chickens and dropped them unceremoniously onto their beds.
Once that was done, he turned off the magic lamp and climbed into his own.
....
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