"Whoa! I'm back! Man, the air of freedom is the best! This is great!" Natsu shouted the moment he stepped back into the guild.
"Hey, hey, watch your mouth. You make it sound like I was torturing you," Chen Fan grumbled from the side. He hadn't even let the boy stay in a real dungeon;
the standard cell facilities were actually quite decent. As for the Special Cell, Chen Fan had originally prepared it for his own use, but he had given it to Erza this time.
"Oh, sorry. My bad. Forget I said anything," Natsu said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.
Seeing Natsu apologize, Chen Fan decided not to press the issue. "Forget it. I can help out with small things like this, but from now on, you're on your own when you cause trouble. You're all grown up now."
He sighed with a touch of melancholy. Between his two lives, he was technically in his late forties. It was the only reason he felt comfortable hanging out with the older crowd like Macao.
"What are you talking about? You sound like an old man," Natsu muttered, sticking his tongue out before running off and resume his shouting. "Freedom is precious! This is awesome! Hahaha!"
"Be quiet, you're too loud!" Droy yelled after him, though secretly relieved the idiot was in such high spirits.
Erza and Chen Fan walked over to Makarov. "I'm back, Master," Erza said.
"Mm. It's good to have you back. I trust they didn't treat you poorly over there?" Makarov asked.
"Thanks to Chen Fan, everything went well. I didn't suffer any unfair treatment."
"Good. Chen Fan, thank you for your hard work," Makarov said.
"It's nothing, just doing what I should. But Master, if you're the one who messes up, I'm not coming for you," Chen Fan quipped.
"Aw man! I can't believe it was just a formal arrest. I was worried for nothing," Lucy said, slumping onto a table.
Gray seemed to have a sudden realization. He struck his palm with his fist and said, "So that's it! The 'frog messenger' just meant they'd be coming back 'toad-ally' soon!"
"Spoken like a true Ice Mage. That joke was freezing," Elfman said, staring at Gray in disbelief. Then, remembering something, he turned to Natsu. "So, Natsu, how did your 'manly showdown' with Erza turn out?"
Natsu stopped in his tracks. "Right! I almost forgot!" He spun around to face Erza, flames igniting around his fists. He kicked off the ground and charged at her. "Erza! Let's finish our duel! Here I come!"
THUD!
Erza buried a single punch into Natsu's stomach. Natsu collapsed instantly, his eyes rolling back into his head.
"I suppose we should start then," Erza said calmly.
"It's already over," Happy declared, appearing out of nowhere to announce the result.
"Hahaha!"
"Man, Natsu is so weak!"
"Erza really is the strongest, haha!"
The guild erupted in laughter. Chen Fan laughed along with them. The guild was always lively with Natsu around; if Chen Fan actually joined the fray, they'd probably blow the roof off the building.
Suddenly, Makarov's expression grew weary. Mirajane noticed and asked, "Master, what's wrong?"
"Mm... so sleepy. It's that guy."
"Huh?" Before Mira could ask who, she collapsed to the floor. One by one, the guild members slumped down, falling into a deep slumber. Only Makarov remained upright, struggling to stay awake. And, of course, Chen Fan, who was still energetically sipping his drink.
A figure draped in a heavy black cloak, their face completely masked, walked into the hall. It was Fairy Tail's other S-Class mage: Mystogan.
"Hey, Xiao Gang! It's been a while. How've you been? By the way, what did you think of that song 'Twilight' I wrote for you?" Chen Fan greeted him warmly.
"It was... fine," Mystogan replied. Though he seemed a bit reluctant, he still answered. Chen Fan was the only one in the guild who could really talk to him, and the only one who had ever truly seen his face.
Chen Fan pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it over. "I wrote a new one for you. It's called 'Loneliness at the Cold Sandbar.' Take it."
"Stop with the small talk! If you want to chat, go to your own house! Mystogan, hurry up and undo the Sleep Magic!" Makarov yelled anxiously.
"Ah, right. The Master has spoken. We'll talk later," Chen Fan said.
Mystogan took the paper, walked over to the request board, and picked a mission. He showed the sheet to Makarov, looked at Chen Fan, and said, "I'm leaving."
"5, 4, 3, 2, 1."
As soon as he finished the countdown, everyone in the guild woke up—except for Natsu, who was still out cold from Erza's punch.
"That feeling... was it Mystogan?" Macao asked as he sat up.
"That bastard," Droy grumbled.
"His magic is as powerful as ever," Levy remarked, rubbing her eyes.
Lucy looked around, still dazed. "Mystogan?"
"He's one of the candidates for the strongest man in Fairy Tail," Elfman explained to her.
"For some reason, he doesn't want anyone to see him. Whenever he comes for work, he uses Sleep Magic to put everyone out," Gray added, picking up where Elfman left off.
"What? That's so suspicious," Lucy said, frowning.
"That's why almost no one has seen his face, except for the Master," Gray continued.
"Actually... I've seen it," a voice rang out from above. "Hehe. And that pervert standing next to you has seen it too. In fact, they're quite close."
"Laxus! You're actually here? That's rare," Wakaba said, looking up toward the second floor.
Gray continued the introduction for Lucy. "That's the other candidate for the strongest."
"Mystogan is just shy, so don't push him. Isn't that right, Chen Fan?" Laxus said, resting his chin on his hand with a lazy smirk.
"Hmm? Were you talking to me?" Chen Fan looked up at Laxus with a confused expression. Laxus's brow twitched in annoyance.
Zzt!
Laxus sent a bolt of lightning down at him.
Whoosh!
Chen Fan dodged it effortlessly. He patted his chest and said with an exaggerated sigh of relief, "Whoa, that was dangerous! Xiao La, don't greet me like that. It's very risky!"
Hearing that, Laxus's body erupted in golden arcs of electricity. "I told you! Don't call me Xiao La!"
He dropped into a combat stance, his eyes locked onto Chen Fan. "Come on. I'm challenging you to a duel today. Let's see which of us is truly the strongest in Fairy Tail."
Chen Fan waved him off as if he hadn't heard. "Now, now, let's not be like that. We're all civilized people. If there's an issue, let's sit down and talk it out over tea. Why all the fighting and killing? And as for the strongest..."
Before he could finish, Natsu leaped up from the floor. "Strongest? Who's the strongest?!"
He looked up and spotted Laxus on the second floor. "Laxus! Fight me!"
"Didn't you just get wrecked by Erza?" Gray interjected.
"Yeah, you can't even beat Erza, and you want to take on me?" Laxus mocked.
"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" Erza asked, her face darkening. Gray jumped back in fear. "Calm down, Erza!"
"Don't you get it? My meaning is simple," Laxus said, spreading his arms wide with supreme arrogance. "I am the strongest mage in Fairy Tail."
The guild members frowned, but Chen Fan just went back to casually sipping his drink, completely unbothered. Seeing that Chen Fan wouldn't be provoked, Laxus grew even more irritated.
"What did you say, you bastard? Get down here!" Natsu yelled, unable to take the insult even if Chen Fan could.
"You come up here," Laxus taunted.
"Challenge accepted!" Natsu roared, sprinting toward the stairs.
BAM!
A giant fist slammed down, pinning Natsu to the floor at the base of the stairs. Makarov had intervened.
"You aren't ready to go up there yet," Makarov said sternly. Natsu struggled but was held firmly under the Master's fist. Seeing that Chen Fan truly had no intention of fighting him, Laxus lost interest and turned back into the second-floor rooms.
"Why can't he go up there?" Lucy asked.
"It's too early for you to know, but the requests on the second floor are on a completely different level than the first," Mirajane explained. "They are all extremely difficult S-Class missions."
"S-Class?"
"Jobs where a single split-second error in judgment can lead to death. The rewards are great, but only those recognized by the Master can accept them. That includes Erza, Laxus, Mystogan... and Chen Fan."
"Chen Fan? Wait, I've heard he was strong for a long time, but I never knew why. Is it just because of his healing ability?" Lucy asked, puzzled.
"You could say that, but it's not quite accurate," Mira replied. "The real reason is that he has the power to influence the decisions of the Magic Council."
"The Magic Council? That's incredible!" Lucy looked at Chen Fan with newfound awe. She hadn't expected the guild's resident pervert to be such a powerful figure. She began to scan him up and down, making Chen Fan feel very self-conscious.
Chen Fan didn't approach them. Whenever Erza and Mira were both present, he tended to behave himself. He chatted idly with Macao, keeping his distance.
The atmosphere in the guild remained somber following Laxus's outburst. Sensing the mood was spoiled, Chen Fan decided to head out. He waved goodbye to Erza, Mira, and the Master, then started the walk back to his home.
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