"Takeshi-san!"
Takeshi turned around and saw Sting standing behind him. Takeshi's impression of Sting was limited to the Grand Magic Games and he wasn't familiar with him, but he knew that Sting, like Natsu, was from 400 years ago, and Sabertooth would be considered an ally of Fairy Tail in the future.
"Ta... Takeshi-san... I am your idol... no... you are my idol. Please give me your autograph." Sting looked at Takeshi with some excitement.
He had already looked up to Takeshi as an idol when he was young. Later, when he grew up, he thought his strength had surpassed his idol's, but only today did he realize that the gap between his and his idol's strength was still great.
Furthermore, since his strength was even greater than seven years ago, he admired Takeshi even more.
"Uh… alright…"
Takeshi had never expected that Sting would turn out to be his fanboy.
Takeshi wrote his autograph on the signature board.
"Thank you! This is amazing!"
Sting clutched Takeshi's autograph as if he'd just won the lottery.
"Isn't this wonderful, Sting?" Lector chirped happily.
"Takeshi-san." Jura also came up to Takeshi.
"Jura-san." Takeshi nodded.
"Your strength is truly admirable. I thought seven years would let me close the gap, yet I find myself falling further behind you."
"Don't sell yourself short. I can only maintain that level of power for a few minutes. Once my magic power's exhausted, I'm the same as everyone else."
"Takeshi-san, you helped a ton this time. Should you ever need aid, Lamia Scale will spare no effort." Jura said with utter seriousness.
"Thank you."
Takeshi accepted with a smile.
There were still many battles ahead, and Lamia Scale's help might be required.
One after another, guests raised their glasses to Takeshi.
"Everyone!"
"Thank you for gracing this place with your presence!!"
"In honor of the valor displayed in this Grand Magic Games and the toil of saving the kingdom in its hour of peril, His Majesty will address you personally!"
At these words, the hall quieted and every eye turned upward.
Toma stepped out.
"Ahem!"
"First of all! Welcome, all of you, to this Grand Magic Games victory banquet!"
"This Grand Magic Games has been the most spectacular in the tournament's history! I was deeply moved by the courage I witnessed!"
"You all performed magnificently!"
"Secondly! Thanks to your efforts the kingdom weathered this crisis! You saved the nation!"
Every listener proudly straightened at the praise.
"Think nothing of it, Your Majesty! Fiore is our homeland, saving it needs no thanks! It is our duty and our honor!" Ichiya declared, chest thrust out.
"Claiming the credit again..."
"What has it got to do with you?"
Gray couldn't help sniping. Last time against Oración Seis, Ichiya had acted as though he'd done the heavy lifting.
"Here I wish to thank one individual in particular—Takeshi-san!"
A spotlight pinned Takeshi.
"It was thanks to Takeshi-san that the evil dragons were driven off and the kingdom preserved. Therefore I hereby confer upon him the title of 'Fiore's Knight'."
Clap... Clap...
Everyone applauded.
A title bestowed by the king of Fiore carried both honor and authority.
A royal knight could walk anywhere in Fiore with impunity, slighting Takeshi would be slighting the crown.
Takeshi nodded to the crowd.
He felt calm, perhaps too many memories from too many forms had left even a youth like him oddly composed.
Suddenly a frog-man entered, attendants in tow.
"Takeshi-san."
The frog-being halted before him.
"Hm? And you are?"
Takeshi was sure he'd never met a frog.
"Greetings. I am an envoy of the Magic Council."
"The Magic Council?!"
"What are Council people doing here?!"
"They're not here to make trouble, are they?!"
"We haven't caused any incidents lately!"
"Right! We haven't even had any jobs, no chance to mess up!"
To guild Mages, Council officials were like cats to mice. Fairy Tail in particular, forever in trouble, had written countless apologies.
"By order of the Chairman of the Magic Council! I come to bestow honors upon Takeshi-san!"
"Ahem! By command of Chairman Gran Doma of the Magic Council: Takeshi of Fairy Tail, whose mighty magic delivered the people from peril, is unanimously granted one of the four presently vacant seats."
"Takeshi is hereby appointed to the Ten Wizard Saints, ranked: First Seat!"
The frog-envoy proclaimed the Council's decree.
"What?!"
"Ten Wizard Saints?!"
"First Seat?!"
Everyone was stunned.
Takeshi's strength made the appointment no surprise. Seven years earlier, he had already defeated Jose Porla.
Now he had also overcome Jura, fifth seat of the Ten Wizard Saints.
They had watched him slay a dragon, first seat was only fitting. Still, seeing the title conferred before their eyes was a shock.
Takeshi himself froze, becoming a Wizard Saint had never crossed his mind.
"Takeshi-san, here is your certificate and the insignia of the Ten Wizard Saints."
Attendants lifted the red cloth: a certificate and the Wizard Saint's badge the Fairy Tail members knew well—Makarov wore one on his chest.
It was the highest honor Ishgar's magical world could bestow.
Mirajane took the badge and pinned it on Takeshi.
Thunderous applause sounded.
"Congratulations!"
"Congratulations to Takeshi-san on becoming a Wizard Saint!"
"Fantastic! Now besides Master, our guild has another Wizard Saint!"
Compared with Toma's "Fiore's Knight," the Ten Wizard Saints carried vastly more weight.
"Waaaah!"
Tears streamed down Makarov's cheeks.
His brat had become a Wizard Saint.
On a second-floor balcony, Lahar and Mest watched, they too had been invited.
"Aren't you going down to say hello?" Lahar asked Mest.
The affair had been too big to hide. After the event, they'd handed their recordings to the Council.
The councillors, astounded, had reviewed the Grand Magic Games data and, knowing Takeshi had defeated fifth-seat Jura, resolved to fill the long-vacant First Seat, silencing gossip while rewarding power.
"What right do I have to greet them? Forget it."
For seven years, Mest blamed himself for not saving Fairy Tail on Tenrou Island. He had only infiltrated the guild to dig up proof of its crimes. Still, he hadn't handed over the full recordings to the Council, that would invite too much trouble. So he used his Memory Magic to alter the memories of Lahar and several other Magic Council Members.
Lahar had always been strictly by-the-book. Mest couldn't guarantee he wouldn't report every detail.