Once, Fairy Tail had been universally acknowledged as the strongest mage guild in the kingdom.
That was the past.
Now, with Rowan Mercer as the only remaining pillar, every S-Class mage and nearly all of the stronger members had vanished after the Tenrou Island incident. No one knew when, or even if, they could be brought back.
If Fairy Tail entered the tournament in its current state, they might not even survive the preliminaries.
If they didn't enter, their reputation would sink even further. Not that it had much farther to fall.
Rowan didn't answer right away. Instead, he asked calmly, "How has the guild been doing while I've been busy?"
For some time now, he had been locked away studying the Fairy Sphere and the ultimate artifact forged from the First Master's body. All daily affairs had been left to the vice master.
Macau's shoulders slumped. "Bad. Really bad. Without enough strong mages, we can't take high-level jobs. Fewer jobs means less income. Less income means people leave. The weaker we get, the fewer requests we receive. It's a downward spiral."
"I see," Rowan said, scratching at his cheek absently. He didn't look surprised.
This outcome had been expected. In fact, it was partially intentional.
Rowan had always thought Laxus's views were extreme, but not entirely wrong. Survival of the fittest wasn't cruelty. It was reality.
Friendship alone couldn't sustain a guild.
Fairy Tail cherished bonds more than anything, yet the moment its elites vanished, many members scattered. If that continued, the guild would eventually sink to the very bottom of the kingdom's rankings.
Rowan couldn't openly purge weak members. That would violate the First Master's ideals and poison morale. So instead, he stepped back under the pretense of research.
Those who had joined only for Fairy Tail's reputation left on their own.
What remained wasn't powerful, but it was loyal.
In Rowan's eyes, a guild member needed either strength or devotion. Lacking both made them dead weight.
If that hadn't been his goal, he could have cleared every difficult commission himself in a matter of days. Teleportation made that trivial. Fairy Tail would never have declined so far.
"Register us," Rowan said at last. "We'll take the title."
Macau froze. "You mean… aim for first place?"
"If Fairy Tail wins," Rowan continued, unfazed, "talented mages will come on their own. Jobs will return. The guild will recover fast."
And then he could go back to being hands-off and focus on magic again.
After all, when Makarov eventually returned, Rowan wasn't about to let the Fourth Master see Fairy Tail branded as the weakest guild in the kingdom.
"But… Master," Macau said hesitantly, pointing at the poster. "Guild masters aren't allowed to compete."
Rowan waved a hand. "I saw that."
Macau grew nervous. Rowan was strong. In the past, he'd defeated S-Class Laxus outright. But without Rowan competing, Fairy Tail's remaining lineup stood no chance.
"That's easy," Rowan said casually. "Starting today, you're the Fifth Guild Master."
"…What?"
Macau stared at him.
"You've been running the guild anyway," Rowan added. "This just makes it official. After the tournament, you hand it back."
It wasn't complicated.
If Fairy Tail placed well, recruitment would follow. Next year, this workaround wouldn't even be necessary. And if Rowan solved the Fairy Sphere problem fast enough, the original team would be back before then.
Macau blinked a few times, then slowly relaxed. "Ah… I see. That actually makes sense."
He didn't believe Fairy Tail could win outright. Other guilds had plenty of S-Class mages. And the tournament required five members per team. The other four would probably drag Rowan down.
Still, a solid mid-to-high placement would already be a victory.
"All right," Rowan said, shooing him away. "Go register as guild master. Tell everyone to gather in two hours. I'll pick the other four."
Once Macau left, Rowan returned to his interrupted research without another thought.
As for the team?
It didn't really matter.
In the end, he'd just carry them through the tournament himself.
...
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