In Magnolia, Fairy Tail holds a special meaning for the locals.
As long as they don't cause too much trouble, residents don't even bother to write complaint letters.
More than ninety years ago, before the original four members founded Fairy Tail, the city was ruled by a Dark Guild called Blue Skull.
A Dark Guild openly occupying a city, extorting and oppressing the local populace, could be said to be extremely arrogant.
But what's strange is that the Magic Council and the Kingdom of Fiore at the time—one the maintainer of order in the Magic World, the other the nominal direct ruler of Magnolia—had no reaction to this.
It was as if they didn't see the dire lives of Magnolia's residents.
It wasn't until the arrival of Fairy Tail's original four members that this destructive Dark Guild was annihilated.
After destroying Blue Skull, Mavis, to prevent other dark forces from targeting the city again, persuaded her three companions to establish a Magic Guild there together.
Fairy Tail was thus born.
In the years that followed, the leadership changed hands several times, but Fairy Tail continued to uphold its original promise to "protect Magnolia."
And the residents and local government of Magnolia, in turn, hold a high degree of goodwill and tolerance for this "guardian."
Magnolia City Hall.
In the mayor's office, the mayor, over fifty years old, was effusively recounting the story of the city and Fairy Tail to an honored guest, his attitude even a little fawning.
To make a mayor act like this, the visitor must be a person of high status and power, right?
Unfortunately, Jude doesn't consider himself a person of power. He only has the small Heartfilia Konzern, just a rich man with a tiny bit of money.
Jude turned his head to look at the third person in the mayor's office, a short old man, and said respectfully:
"Protecting a region, benefiting the local people."
"Makarov, your guild is truly great."
Jude's heartfelt praise, however, sounded a bit sarcastic to Makarov's ears.
When Blue Skull was destroyed, Makarov hadn't even been born yet.
As for later taking over the guild, under Makarov's leadership, Fairy Tail did indeed repel and capture many ill-intentioned Dark Mages, bringing peace and harmony to the city.
But in times of peace, Fairy Tail became the biggest problem.
Today, they demolish a house; tomorrow, they shatter a wall; the day after, they destroy a bridge... Since taking over as Guild Master, the most letters Makarov has received are claims for compensation.
To be honest, when the mayor was just now praising the guild to the skies, Makarov, who was listening, almost couldn't keep a straight face.
What did you do to me?
Is the guild the mayor was praising still Fairy Tail?
Although there was some artistic embellishment, Makarov still shamelessly accepted it.
After all, the famous Heartfilia Konzern, which at its peak controlled one-third of Ishgar's railways, was coming to Magnolia to invest.
Rumor had it that the Konzern's helmsman had a bad temper and was a money-first businessman. But upon meeting him today, Makarov found that the other party seemed to respect him greatly, though he didn't know why.
"Mr. Jude, why would you think of investing in our Magnolia?"
Seeing Makarov and Jude chatting happily, the mayor's hanging heart relaxed, and he then asked the question on his mind.
Magnolia has no valuable industries or resources. It's just that due to long-term stability, its population is a little larger than other cities.
Logically, a capital like the Heartfilia Konzern, which prioritizes money, shouldn't even spare a glance here.
But not only did the other party want to invest here, he also asked the mayor to act as a go-between to meet Makarov, showing great respect.
Meeting the questioning gazes of Makarov and the mayor, Jude sighed. "Indeed, apart from tourism, Magnolia has no other industries worth developing. Investing in this city truly shouldn't be done."
"But I'm not here to make money."
It's a rare thing for a major Konzern to say he's not here to make money.
If it were the old Jude, he certainly wouldn't do this, and would even ridicule such a foolish act of losing money.
But now... Jude said seriously, "Makarov, my daughter greatly admires Fairy Tail. May I let her join your guild?"
Makarov was stunned. So, after all that circling, the investment and everything else, the real purpose was for his daughter.
But for a pampered Konzern princess to join a guild that requires combat and might often result in injuries, just out of admiration.
Is that appropriate?
"Whether she retreats after a brief burst of passion or perseveres out of love, that's her own choice. All I, as a father, can do for her is support her."
Jude's words resonated with Makarov. "I didn't expect Mr. Jude to have such insights. It seems your daughter must be very happy."
"I'm ashamed to say, I'm actually not a good father."
Jude shook his head, a hint of guilt on his face. "If it weren't for Mr. Noah from your guild enlightening me, I would still be that scoundrel father who neglected and hurt his daughter for money."
"Noah? Mr. Jude, are you sure the Noah you're talking about is a member of Fairy Tail?"
In Makarov's eyes, Noah was a master of slacking off and lying flat. He'd only completed two jobs in the few months since joining the guild, one of which he was forced to take on.
How could a kid who usually doesn't even leave Magnolia meet a Konzern as rich as a nation?
Seeing the confusion on Makarov's face, Jude said, "It seems Mr. Noah didn't tell you. He truly is a noble person."
If that kid is "noble," then I'm a saint!
Makarov grumbled inwardly, but outwardly, he maintained an expression of waiting for Jude to enlighten him.
"My friend, Roland, once posted a job to Fairy Tail. I wonder if Makarov still remembers? That job was actually posted by Roland to help me."
"I see, I understand."
Being old and wise, Makarov could roughly deduce what had happened from just one sentence.
With his doubts dispelled, Makarov said no more and immediately agreed to Jude's daughter, Lucy Heartfilia's, request to join the guild.
However, when Makarov asked when this Heartfilia heiress would arrive, Jude chuckled.
"Lucy came to Magnolia with me. If all goes well, she should have already arrived at Fairy Tail by now."
Hearing this, a flicker of surprise crossed the faces of Makarov and the mayor. As the Guild Master and locals, they knew all too well what Fairy Tail was usually like.
Since things have come to this, one can only hope that those eccentric kids in the guild can leave a good impression on the Konzern's young miss...