Chapter 275: The Fairy Tail Civil War Begins (Part 1)
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Nightfall, on the high slopes outside Magnolia City.
Draped in a black coat, Laxus Dreyar stood atop the hill, gazing at the iconic silhouette of the newly rebuilt Fairy Tail guild hall in the distance. A manic grin spread across his face.
"The Thunder God Tribe has finally returned, and this moment has finally arrived. The fairies will soon tear each other apart... and as for you, old man, your era is over. From now on, I will lead this guild to become the strongest!"
"The Thunder God Tribe has arrived!"
From the shadows, two men and a woman stepped forward, standing behind Laxus.
Laxus turned to one of them—a green-haired mage—and issued his command:
"Fried, when you set up the rune barrier tomorrow, add an extra condition: no cats can leave the guild."
"No cats? You mean... Happy?"
Fried blinked in surprise. To his knowledge, the only cat in the guild was Happy, the one raised by Natsu. But Happy had no combat ability, so preventing him from leaving seemed pointless.
After all, when setting up a rune barrier, the fewer conditions there were, the stronger the spell. Adding more conditions weakened its effectiveness.
Originally, the plan had only two restrictions: no one over eighty years old and no statues could leave the guild. The goal was to prevent the strongest guild master from joining the battle while keeping the statues as hostages.
Now, by adding a restriction on cats, the total number of conditions would increase to three.
"It's not about Happy. While you were out on your mission to eliminate dark guilds, a new cat arrived at the guild—his name is George. If we don't restrict him, he might become an even bigger problem than Erza or Mystogan."
Laxus' expression remained serious.
He had spent a long time preparing for this plan, closely monitoring the guild's every move.
Even though he often ridiculed Fairy Tail's mages for being weak and softhearted, deep down, he understood the guild's strength all too well. That was why he was being extremely cautious.
As for George—the new cat in the guild—Laxus didn't have the full picture, but he had gathered enough information.
From what he had seen, George possessed the power of an S-Class mage and had a variety of formidable techniques. He had to be dealt with before the battle even started.
"The repair magic mage… That guy is a cat? And he's that strong?!"
Fried and the others exchanged shocked glances.
While on their mission, they had heard about the guild's so-called "Repair Mage"—someone who frequently handled aftermath and recovery work for Fairy Tail's mages.
But they had no idea that he was a cat.
More importantly, they definitely didn't expect him to be someone even Laxus took seriously.
After all, in Laxus' eyes, the only mages in Fairy Tail worth acknowledging—besides the guild master and Gildarts, who was away on a century quest—were Mystogan and Mystogan alone.
Even Erza was nothing more than a minor inconvenience to him.
---
The Next Morning
George flapped his wings as he carried a bag full of supplies for the evening's Grand Magic Parade.
All around town, colorful balloons and ribbons decorated the streets, and households adorned their homes and storefronts in preparation for the Harvest Festival.
Smiling citizens bustled about, their faces brimming with joy. Children played in the streets, pretending to be Fairy Tail mages as they reenacted imaginary battles.
For the people of Magnolia, the Harvest Festival was just as important as Christmas or the Lunar New Year—perhaps even more so.
As he walked, George noticed a steady stream of people pouring in from the train station.
Some were townsfolk returning home for the festival, much like workers returning home for the holidays.
Others were tourists from different cities, eager to experience the famous celebration firsthand.
After all, Fairy Tail's annual Grand Magic Parade was a legendary event known throughout the continent.
---
"Master, Mira, have you finished shopping?"
Turning a street corner, George spotted Mirajane and Makarov waiting for him at the crossroads. Like him, they had been out gathering supplies for the festival.
The three of them quickly compared their purchases, making sure nothing was missing, before chatting and strolling back toward the guild.
"The whole town is wrapped in the festival spirit!"
Makarov's old face was filled with a warm smile as he took in the joyful sight around him.
Mirajane nodded with a soft smile.
"Yeah. Everyone in the guild is busy preparing their magic acts for tonight's Grand Magic Parade."
"Of course! This is Fairy Tail's grand parade—renowned across the entire continent!"
Makarov lifted his chin with pride.
"In that case, George, you'll lead the way with that Lightning Titan spell Erza mentioned. Let's give everyone a real spectacle!"
Unlike combat magic, the spells used in the Grand Magic Parade didn't need to be powerful—they just had to be dazzling. And George's Lightning Titan was nothing if not spectacular.
"It'd be great if Laxus could participate," Mirajane said with a hint of regret. "His lightning magic would pair perfectly with George's. The effect would be even more stunning."
She still remembered how, during Phantom Lord's attack, Laxus had refused to return and help. But later, from what Gajeel and Juvia had told her, she learned that when Phantom Lord launched its final assault, none of their branch members were involved.
Part of the reason was that Mystogan had destroyed many of their bases, but another major factor was that Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe had wiped out a large number of them as well.
That guy… he always pretended not to care, yet deep down, he still did.
As George had once put it—Laxus was just rebellious and tsundere.
Makarov's expression darkened the moment he heard Laxus' name.
"Hmph! Don't mention that ungrateful brat to me."
"Master," George said, sighing. "I really think you should just sit down and talk things through with him. If this keeps dragging on, the misunderstanding will only get worse. Eventually, it's going to cause a real problem."
Over time, George had often sought Makarov's advice on magic and had heard plenty of old stories from him as well.
He knew that Laxus had once idolized his grandfather. That admiration only turned into resentment after Makarov banished Laxus' father—Ivan—from the guild.
Fearing that the truth would traumatize young Laxus, Makarov had never told him the real reason behind Ivan's exile.
So Laxus never knew that his father had secretly allied with Dark Mages and betrayed the guild.
All he knew was that his beloved father, who had always treated him well and even gone to great lengths to implant a Dragon Lacrima in him, was suddenly expelled—just because his ideals clashed with his grandfather's.
From Laxus' perspective, it was understandable.
His mother had died young, and his father—despite everything—had always been good to him. Then one day, that same father was banished from the guild by his grandfather, with what seemed like a flimsy excuse.
How could he accept that?
That was why he always talked about forcing Makarov to step down so he could take over as Guild Master.
Having spent time with Laxus and occasionally using his mental abilities to sense his emotions, George had come to a firm conclusion:
Deep down, Laxus still cared about his grandfather and still loved the guild.
He was just too stubborn and too proud to admit it.
If Makarov truly opened up to him and laid everything on the table, things might not be as hopeless as they seemed.
Makarov let out a weary sigh.
"…Forget it. Even if I tell him now, he probably wouldn't believe me."
(End of Chapter)