"Laxus, you'll be on this year's S-Class Mage exam, right?"
On their way to the guild, Marco struck up a casual conversation with Laxus.
"Of course. Just wait and see—this ti, I'm one hundred percent confident."
Laxus wore a look of absolute self-assurance.
His Lightning Dragon Slayer Magic had grown increasingly proficient over the years, earning him quite a reputation.
By now, he was already one of Fairy Tail's most renowned mages.
At just 17 years old, Laxus Dreyar would break records if he passed the S-Class Mage exam, becoming the youngest S-Class Mage in the guild's history.
"Go for it, Laxus! The sooner you pass, the longer you'll get to enjoy the honor. Otherwise, once I take the exam, that title definitely won't be yours anymore."
Marco teased Laxus with a grin.
"You talk big without even thinking, kid. Save it for when you actually pull it off."
Laxus snorted, brushing off Marco's words without a second thought.
Up ahead, Makarov listened to the brothers' banter, the corners of his lips quirking upward.
At least Laxus was still willing to talk to Marco.
*****
The three of them quickly made their way to Fairy Tail and rang the assembly bell in the guild hall.
The distinct chi of the bell echoed outward, spreading through the town.
The citizens of Magnolia were taken aback.
They were well aware of what that bell signified—Magnolia had many bells with different anings, such as 'Gildarts Mode' or, in this case, the 'Assembly Bell'.
Before long, all of Fairy Tail's mbers in Magnolia had gathered in the guild hall, filling the space with their presence.
"What's going on? What happened?"
Macao dug at his nose, looking puzzled as he turned to Wakaba beside him.
"How should I know? Get away from !" Wakaba grimaced in disgust, shoving Macao aside to avoid getting any boogers on him.
"Airo is so beautiful~" Macao didn't resist, his gaze drifting toward Airo as he sighed in admiration.
"Tch!" Wakaba rolled his eyes and scooted even farther away from his old rival.
"Silence—!"
Makarov leaped onto the bar counter, shouting to quiet the murmuring crowd below.
"I've called you all here because we're going to take down the Dark Guild, Eisenwald."
He cut straight to the chase, announcing their mission without preamble.
"Eisenwald?" The guild mbers exchanged confused glances.
Unaware of Marco's history with the Iron Forest Guild, they couldn't help but feel bewildered.
"Those bastards dared to attack a mber of Fairy Tail!" Makarov continued, revealing the reason for their retaliation.
"What?!"
"How could they?!"
As soon as Makarov gave this reason, it imdiately caused an uproar.
The guild mbers below quickly beca furious.
The Fairy Tail guild was a united whole.
If one mber was attacked, it was a slap in the face to everyone in the guild.
No matter who was attacked, none of them could tolerate it!
And when they learned that the victim was Marco, their anger intensified.
This was the guild's beloved mascot—those Eisenwald bastards must have a death wish!
Amidst their rage, everyone also breathed a sigh of relief.
At least no one had actually been hurt in this attack.
If it had been another child or one of the weaker mbers who was assaulted by Eisenwald, they might have been seriously injured.
But attacking Marco? Those fools really have a bad luck.
"They must be wiped out!"
The crowd roared with righteous fury, their morale soaring.
"Good! Everyone, get ready! We move out imdiately!" Makarov was pleased with their reaction.
This was the guild atmosphere he wanted—this was the united Fairy Tail, where all hearts beat as one, where everyone's strength could be directed toward a single purpose.
"Tch, why call so many people?" Laxus watched the scene with displeasure.
He saw no need to mobilize the entire guild for this easy mission.
There were plenty of weaklings in the guild who wouldn't be any help—they might even need protection themselves.
"This is called unity. It's what makes Fairy Tail different from other guilds. This is a guild filled with love," Marco said beside Laxus.
"Fairy Tail doesn't need weaklings. Love won't make the guild stronger. When I beco guild master, I'll change Fairy Tail," Laxus declared, tilting his chin up.
"Laxus, if you really do beco master, I advise against that. Trust , you'll regret it," Marco said seriously, eting Laxus's gaze.
He didn't believe this edgy, rebellious teen wouldn't feel remorse once he ca to his senses.
"Shut up, Marco! I'm the older brother here!" Laxus glared at him.
"..."
Marco was montarily speechless.
'Should i reply with, You regret this Laxus!? wait nvm it makes sounds like danzo'
Shaking his head, Marco dropped the subject.
Watching Laxus, Marco silently made a decision: one day, their roles would be reversed.
Then it would be Laxus saying "You'll regret this" and Marco would retort, "I'm the guild master Laxus!"
Marco and Laxus's private exchange didn't disrupt the others.
Soon, the entire guild was ready.
"Next, we'll split into two teams. One will follow to assault Eisenwald's headquarters. The other will remain here to protect Magnolia."
Looking at the guild mbers, Makarov spoke up.
Fairy Tail was, after all, just a mage guild, not a nation army.
He couldn't force everyone into life-and-death battles and not every Mage was skilled in combat.
However, he couldn't simply kick out a group of people and outright say the weak weren't worthy of participating in the assault on the Dark Guild.
That would be too hurtful.
Thus, dividing into two teams was the most appropriate solution.
Moreover, these two teams could be chosen voluntarily.
This way, those not adept at combat could opt to join the defense team.
And since the assault team had strict quota limits, for the sake of the bigger picture, those with insufficient strength who still wanted to join the assault would naturally have to yield to those universally acknowledged as stronger.
This arrangent truly took care of everyone: those unsuited for combat stayed behind, the strong went on the assault, and it even motivated those who didn't make the cut to work harder to improve their strength.
A win-win situation.
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