Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.
December 3, x791.
After Alfonzo returned from this quest with Lisanna and Rika, the spar between Laxus, Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy continued after Wendy regained consciousness. To everyone's surprise, Wendy, after showing such a powerful spell, was not able to keep up with the other three.
No, that was inaccurate. Wendy was able to keep up. However, she was unable to take the upper hand in any of the clashes she had with Laxus, Natsu, and Gajeel. Especially now that they knew what kind of damage she could do if one of her attacks landed.
Though, there was one instance when Natsu, wanting to challenge Wendy's new spell head on, clashed his [Fire Dragon's Iron Fist] with her [Sky Dragon's Buster Fist]. And well… That went exactly as one would expect.
Natsu was sent flying with his arms receiving a number of lacerations. Yet, after slamming into the barrier surrounding the ring, he popped up like nothing happened, looked at his arm, and got even more excited for the fight.
But in the end, Laxus, being the most powerful of the four, ended up victorious.
After that, Alfonzo took Calvin home while Shizuka tended to the four Dragon Slayer's injuries, and Rika stayed at the guild hall to spend time with Shizuka and tell her about the quest.
After that time passed quickly. Elicia, Erza, and Mirajane returned from their own quest the next day. Then, the six wizards who took on the two quests took some time to relax, doing the things they enjoyed.
For example, Alfonzo spent most of his time in his workshop trying to create a computer. Though, he did not make much progress. Elicia spent her time working on the collection for the next season, Mirajane spent time with Bianca, Lisanna did the same with Miyako, and Rika had a drinking party with Cana.
There was an exception, however. And that was Erza. Instead of relaxing like the others, she spent her time with Sun and Saeko training their swordsman ship with Retsu.
Standing in the middle of the training chamber under the Mansion on the Lake, Retsu, with a blood thirsty expression on her face, was surrounded by Erza, Sun, and Saeko from three directions. Then, after an indeterminate amount of time, the three each charged towards Retsu with the intent to kill, just like she instructed them to do at the beginning of the match.
"[Water/Sword Compound Magic: Seventh form: Drop Ripple Thrust]." Sun chanted as she dashed towards Retsu, a thin blade of water forming at the tip of Kanade's blade.
At the same time, Erza, wearing her [Black Wing Armor], charged forward with Astraia in one hand and one of the swords Alfonzo crafted for her in the other.
*Ting!* *Ting!*
Reacting quickly, Retsu turned towards Sun, sweeping her sword in a circular motion, parrying Sun's thrust and redirecting it towards the normal sword Erza was wielding. In the same motion, Retsu, once she was sure that Sun's blade would block the common sword, adjusted her Zanpakuto, Minazuki, stopping Astraia in its tracks, as well.
"Incredible." Erza muttered in awe.
"She's a real master, ya see?" Sun added.
However, at that moment, Retsu felt the third swordswoman closing in.
"[Flying Heaven's Sword-Style: Kuzuryūsen]." Saeko chanted as she thrust her own blade at Retsu's back.
Throwing a kick to send Erza back, which also threw Sun off balance thanks to the blade lock they were stuck in, Retsu quickly turned. She then swung Minazuki in a flash, accurately blocking all nine of the simultaneous thrusts Saeko performed with what seemed like only one slash. Though, if one were able to see clearly, they would have noticed that Retsu swung Minazuki nine times in the blink of an eye.
In the next instant, all four women vanished in a burst of speed, the sounds of sword impacts echoing throughout the training chamber while the four moved faster than the eye could follow.
*Ting!* *Ting!* *Ting!* *Ting!* *Ting!* *Clang!**Clang!* *Clang!* *Ting!* *Clang!*
By the end of the flurry of movement, Erza, Sun, and Saeko were all disarmed, on their knees, covered in light cuts, and breathing heavily. Meanwhile, Retsu, with not even a single hair out of place, slowly sheathed Minazuki while her expression had returned to the gentle smile she often wore.
"The three of you are improving quickly." Retsu said in a serene tone. "I'm quite impressed."
"We still can't even touch you, though." Sun said with a pout.
"Indeed." Saeko added as she stood up and started walking towards her sword. "It still amazes me that Alfonzo was actually able to defeat you when you were going all-out."
"It shouldn't be that surprising." Erza said as she [Requipped] back into her [heart Kruez Armor]. "Alfonzo was able to drive off Acnologia. So, his strength is without question."
"That's true.' Sun and Saeko replied in unison.
"Then, it should also come as no surprise that Alfonzo did not need his full strength to best me." Retsu added.
That statement actually had the opposite effect, as Erza, Sun, and Saeko all shoed expressions of shock when they heard it.
"But enough of that." Retsu said, her smile not diminishing in the slightest. "Although it may take some time, I have no doubt that all of you will surpass me when it comes to handling a sword in the future."
"Yeah, if we had as much experience in swordsmanship, we would be just as strong as you." Sun said energetically.
"Experience really is important." Saeko added with a nod.
"If Cana were here, she would say something about us having more experience handling another kind of sword." Erza muttered absent-mindedly.
"She definitely would." Sun said with a smile.
"And Master Retsu would not be able to overcome any of us when it comes to that kind of sword handling." Saeko added.
Though it usually only surfaced in battle, Retsu was quite competitive. However, hearing that she would not be able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with someone when it came to handling a sword was something she could not tolerate. Even if the sword the three were talking about had nothing to do with actual swordsmanship.
"It sounds like you young ladies are challenging me." Retsu said, her tone sweet as sugar. Yet, the feeling it gave made the listeners sound like she was ready to go to war.
And when Erza, Sun, and Saeko heard the undertone in Retsu's words, they all turned towards her with their eyes narrowed. Because like Retsu, they were all quite competitive, as well. Though, in Sun's case it was not nearly as obvious in her everyday life.
The tension in the training chamber was palpable as the four women stared each other down. Especially since Erza, Sun, and Saeko did not only stare at Retsu. They also stared at each other, not wanting to lose to the other two, as well.
"Why don't we settle this." Erza said.
"How do you suggest we do so?" Retsu asked.
"With a competition." Erza replied. "And Alfonzo will be the judge."
"I suppose that is the fairest way to settle this." Saeko added.
"But wouldn't that put Alfonzo on the spot?" Sun asked, a bit worried that things could get out of hand.
"You have nothing to worry about, Sun." Erza said in a sure tone. "Alfonzo will tell us the truth. It's one of his best qualities."
"I guess that's true." Sun replied. "Still, I don't' know if this is such a good idea."
"Like Erza said, there's nothing to worry about, Sun." Retsu said in her usual, gentle tone. "If things were to get out of hand, I have no doubt that Alfonzo would put an end to it before our relationships could spiral."
"I guess…" Sun said, her tone much less apprehensive than before.
"In any case…" Saeko said after Sun's concerns were addressed. "If this is going to be a competition, we should agree on some rules, shouldn't we?"
Erza, Sun, and Retsu nodded in agreement. Then, the four began discussing the rules of their impromptu "Sword Handling" competition.
Meanwhile, Alfonzo was in his workshop trying to create the first PC, or personal computer, that Earth Land had ever seen. However, no matter how he tried, the thing refused to act the way he wanted it to.
Yet, Alfonzo was not alone in his workshop, as his assistant, Ai, was also with him. However, because she had no point of reference for how a PC was supposed to work, she was much less frustrated than Alfonzo. Yet, seeing Alfonzo's downtrodden expression, she found herself feeling down, too.
"Perhaps a break is in order, master Alfonzo." The third person in the room, Maria, said with a gentle smile. "Working to the point where you are frustrated so much is a sure fire way to miss something that you may have overlooked."
"*Sigh* You're probably right." Alfonzo said as he tossed the tools in his hands onto the workbench. "Honestly, I'm getting the feeling that I'm not even supposed to be able to build this thing. It's like the tech tree is already set and I'm trying to go against the world, or something."
Needless to say, the term tech tree was a foreign one for the natives of this world. And Alfonzo had no intention of explaining the concept. Instead, he picked up the tea Maria just poured for him and took a sip.
*Bang!*
At that moment, the door to the workshop was opened violently with the door slamming against the adjoining wall, causing the three in the room to turn and look towards it.
When Alfonzo, Maria, and Ai saw the four swordswomen standing at the door with slightly crazed, extremely competitive, expressions on their faces, Alfonzo showed a surprised expression while Maria and Ai each took an involuntary step back due to the four women's intensity.
As for why Alfonzo was the only one who was surprised to see Erza, Sun, Saeko, and Retsu, that was simple. When at home, Alfonzo very rarely kept [Magic Power Detection] active. Because he would be alerted as soon as someone entered the barrier surrounding the lake. But that also meant that if someone who was already in the vicinity of the lake were to sneak up on him, it would be easy to surprise him.
And for the opposite reason, Maria and Ai were not surprised that the four swordswomen showed up. Because as previously mentioned, the maids of the Marcus Estate, provided they were awake, always had [Magic Power Detection] active. In fact, Grayfia had even trained herself to keep it active while asleep. Though, she was the only one who had succeeded in doing so.
"Hey, what's up?" Alfonzo asked after getting over his surprise. "Did something happen? You all look kinda intense right now."
"Indeed." Erza said, stepping forward and speaking as the group's representative. "We've had something of a disagreement. And we need your assistance in determining who is correct."
"Oh…" Alfonzo intoned, surprise once again making it into his expression. "Yeah… That's unusual. Usually, you guys just have a fist fight whenever you have a disagreement. Then, after the fight is over, you move past it like nothing happened"
"Well, we can't exactly determine the winner of this argument with a fist fight, ya see?" Sun replied with a bashful expression on her face.
Seeing Sun's expression, Alfonzo was curious to know what kind of disagreement they were having. He was not the only one, either, as Maria and Ai, though they would not get involved due to their professionalism, were also curious.
Not to mention, this was a prime piece of gossip. And they had no intention of missing out on it… Unless they were asked to leave, that is.
But as good maids, they were fully capable of blending in with the background and lowering their presences to the point they were easily forgotten or overlooked. And after exchanging glances, Maria and Ai did just that, stepping back to the edge of the room and simply observing the scene.
"So, what's the issue that a good ol' Fairy Tail brawl can't fix?" Alfonzo asked with a chuckle.
'Actually, I didn't think that Fairy Tail wizards could solve any issues without violence and/or destruction.' Alfonzo thought to himself. 'It looks like they're growing. Then again, Retsu is with them. So, she probably stopped things from going that far.'
After having that thought, Alfonzo turned to look at Retsu, who was smiling gently, as she usually did. However, when he felt the intensity of her aura, he shook that naïve thought out of his head.
'What the fuck am I thinking.' Alfonzo asked himself. 'While Retsu is fully capable of de-escalating a situation, she's clearly not Retsu right now. And I know good and damn well that Yachiru is all about violence and destruction. Actually, it amazes me that she never found her way to Fairy Tail before she calmed down. Then again, Fairy Tail doesn't really tolerate killing on the level that she does it. So, it's probably a good thing she never found her way here.'
"I get the feeling you're thinking something rather rude, Alfonzo." Retsu said without changing her expression.
"Nah, just questioning stuff that I can't understand." Alfonzo replied with a dismissive wave. "Anyway, let's get back to the point. What kinda problem are you ladies having? And how do you want me to help settle it?"
In response, Erza, Sun, Saeko, and Retsu exchanged glances. Then, they all turned to face Alfonzo again.
"It's like this." Erza said.
"We were trying to determine who was the best at handling a 'sword' among us." Saeko said, picking up from where Erza left off.
"And we wanted you to be the judge of the competition." Sun said, taking the metaphorical baton from Saeko. "In fact, you're the only one who can be the judge, ya see?"
At that point, Alfonzo was starting to understand what they were getting at. Though, the way Saeko said the word 'sword' and the fact that he was the only one who could be the judge were more or less dead giveaways. But when he heard Retsu's next statement, all doubts were pushed out of his mind.
"So, please drop your pants and allow us to have a fair competition." Retsu said in her usual tone.