"Do you all really think I am the bad guy here?"
Finn Hoen's cold, authoritative voice cut through the heavy silence of the massive office. The acrid scent of burnt mahogany and ozone from Natsu's fiery outburst lingered thickly in the air, mixing with the rich, aromatic smoke of the cigar still clamped between Finn's teeth.
He leaned back in his leather chair, completely ignoring the ruined, three-million-Jewel desk smoldering between them. His predatory gaze swept over the core members of Fairy Tail. He noted the nervous sweat dripping down Lucy's neck, pooling in the deep, heavy cleavage exposed by her unbuttoned top. He saw Erza's chest heaving in contained fury, her massive breasts straining against the cold steel of her tight armor.
And standing off to the side was Bisca. Her thighs were still trembling faintly, her lips slightly swollen and glistening. Her cowgirl outfit felt incredibly tight as a wet, lingering heat pooled between her legs. She knew exactly what this "ruthless devil" tasted like, and watching him absolutely dominate her Guild Master was sending fresh, intoxicating shivers straight down her spine.
What is wrong with me? Bisca sighed, wondering why she leaned on Finn more now instead of her guildmates.
Finn didn't feel the slightest bit intimidated by Fairy Tail. They were, fundamentally, a good guild. If the plot of this world forced it, they might try to paint him as a criminal villain. But if his underworld empire collapsed, the resulting chain reaction would leave millions of innocent civilians impoverished, homeless, or unemployed. He was "Too Big To Fail." Compared to the apocalyptic villains Fairy Tail usually fought, Finn was a necessary, stabilizing evil. He had a bottom line.
Honestly, the only reason he had ordered his guards to stand down and not absolutely riddle the mages with magical bullets was because of the warm, incredibly enthusiastic "persuasion" Bisca had given him under his desk just moments prior.
Yet, Fairy Tail was being unbelievably shameless.
When no one answered his question, Finn exhaled a thick cloud of cigar smoke. "If I truly am the bad guy, perhaps I should retroactively increase your debt's interest rate by one hundred percent. Is that what you want?"
"No, no! You are a good guy! You are a very, very good guy!"
Makarov practically shrieked in absolute terror, dropping to his knees. The crushing weight of their financial ruin flashed before his eyes. The younger members relied purely on raw emotion, but as the Guild Master, Makarov had to handle the boring, ugly, bureaucratic reality of keeping his "children" fed. The debt they owed Finn was astronomical, but perfectly legal. Fairy Tail had begged for the loans, and now, they had just blown up the man's front gate and his custom desk.
"Then should I treat you like villains?" Finn's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Since you can't even offer a proper apology for destroying government property?"
"IT'S YOUR FAULT FOR IGNORING US!" Natsu roared, struggling to break free.
"NATSU, STOP BEING A CHILD! DO I NEED TO KICK YOU OUT OF THIS PLACE?!"
For the first time in a long time, Makarov screamed at Natsu with genuine, unbridled fury. Yes, Natsu was a good kid with a pure heart, but his reckless emotional outbursts were about to get them all legally executed.
"G-Gramps..." Natsu froze, his fiery aura instantly extinguishing as he saw the sheer terror and anger in the old man's eyes.
Makarov's heart squeezed, but he had to be the adult. "I know you are worried about the guild, Natsu. But in the real world, there are some problems you cannot punch your way out of."
Turning back to the desk, Makarov, a Wizard Saint, pressed his forehead firmly against the cold marble floor, prostrating himself in front of his entire guild. "I am deeply sorry for what my child has done. I beg for your forgiveness. It is entirely my fault as their Master. If you wish, I will kowtow until my head bleeds."
"...."
The entire guild stood in stunned, heartbroken silence. Erza bit her lip, and Lucy covered her mouth, tears pricking her eyes.
"Don't. That's enough," Finn said smoothly, waving a dismissive hand. "I can feel your sincerity, Master Makarov. But the problem of money is completely divorced from human emotion. Do you understand?"
"....."
Makarov remained on the floor, utterly speechless. In that single moment, he truly understood why a 19-year-old boy had become the supreme Head of the Magic Council.
"I have heard the sob stories from Yajima, Master Bob, and all your other allies," Finn continued, his eyes drifting lazily to Bisca, who subconsciously squeezed her thighs together under his gaze. "And frankly? While Bisca has been working her fingers—and mouth—to the bone to provide for her family, what have the rest of your members been doing? They have zero intention of paying the principal debt. They pay the bare minimum interest and then blow the rest on cheap booze, cigarettes, and prostitutes."
"..." Makarov visibly flinched.
"I don't entirely blame them. They thought you were all dead. But now that the legendary core members have returned, you plan to pay me back in full, right?" Finn smirked, tapping ash into a crystal tray. "I'll be generous. I'll forgive the blatant disrespect, but I expect the thirty million Jewels for my desk to be paid in cash. Right now."
Finn knew he was being more than fair. He had funneled secret jobs to Fairy Tail for years. He didn't owe them a single favor.
"I-I am so sorry, Chief Hoen, but we don't have that kind of money right now..." Makarov sweated nervously. "Please... give us some time."
"You know, Makarov, you are incredibly lucky you are dealing with me," Finn chuckled darkly, leaning forward. "If you owed this money to any other syndicate, they would have slapped a five-hundred percent interest rate on you. Or worse... they would have taken your beautiful female mages as collateral."
Lucy and Erza both stiffened, a sudden, cold dread washing over them as Finn's gaze briefly lingered on their curves.
"I know exactly how your guild operates," Finn stated coldly. "If I wasn't the Head of the Magic Council—if I was just a weak, mundane merchant—you would have used sheer force to get out of this debt. You would have beaten me to a pulp and called it 'justice'."
"W-We aren't a Dark Guild, Chief Hoen! We are a legal guild! We would never do something like that!" Makarov pleaded.
But Makarov knew the truth. Earthland was a world where the biggest fist made the rules. If Finn were weak, Natsu would have just burned the debt contracts and laughed it off.
"So, how will you pay me? As the official Guild Master, surely you have a viable guarantee to offer?"
As Finn spoke, he didn't look at Makarov. Instead, his gaze drifted upwards, locking directly onto a small, floating girl with long, wavy blonde hair and bare feet.
"You should just beat the absolute shit out of him, Makarov!" the little ghost cheered, pumping her fist in the air.
"I can hear you, you know," Finn said flatly.
"....."
Every single Fairy Tail member froze in absolute shock.
"Y-You can see me?!" Mavis Vermillion, the First-Generation Master of Fairy Tail, gasped, dropping her arms.
How the hell could he see her? Mavis existed purely in an astral form. Only those bearing the Fairy Tail crest were supposed to be able to perceive her presence! Yet, connected to the multidimensional DxD universe—where interacting with souls and biblical devils was completely normal—Finn's eyes effortlessly pierced the veil of the dead.
"How could I not see you?" Finn sighed, rubbing his temples. "You've been floating around my office for the last ten minutes, being incredibly annoying."
"Well, this is perfect then!" Mavis suddenly grinned, puffing out her nonexistent, flat chest. She floated down, placing herself protectively in front of Makarov. "I will take over these negotiations personally!"
"F-First Master?!" Makarov panicked.
Mavis Vermillion. The legendary founder of Fairy Tail. Known across history as the 'Fairy Tactician', she was a master strategist who had led the guild through its darkest eras using nothing but her brilliant, unparalleled mind. Everyone held their breath, waiting for the legendary tactician to unleash a flawless, inescapable logical trap to save them from their debt.
With a wildly smug, confident smile, Mavis crossed her arms and declared:
"If you wipe away our entire debt... You can become our friend!"
Finn stared at her dead in the eyes.
"Rejected."
"..."
---
By the way, I might have said this before, but I have uploaded my new original story. The title is "Checking Out at 5:15 PM" with the name "OnlyPureLove44," or I might change it to Akikan in the future.
Regardless, there are more than ten chapters now.
You can check when you want to read more of my work.
Thank you!