Lucy was going to sleep for several hours, so Allen left Virgo in charge of her while he went to the guild to report on his mission. Once there, several people were surprised—missions of that kind, while simple, usually took a couple of days. Sometimes just the travel between cities accounted for most of that time. But some, like Cana, were not surprised, for they knew that Allen could teleport, which was terribly unfair to those condemned to travel in horse-drawn wagons and steam trains.
Allen walked up to the bar where Mirajane greeted him with a smile.
"Ara~ Welcome back~"
"Thanks, Mirajane..." Allen sat down and ordered something to drink.
"Allen-san, did your first job go well?" asked Laki with a smile, carrying a mug of beer.
Allen glanced at the lilac-haired girl and nodded. "If by 'well' you mean a Duke ended up in jail, then yeah, I'd say it went just fine."
"Huh? Hehe, what do you mean by that? Weren't you picking up a book or something?" Laki laughed nervously.
"That was the plan, but it turned out to be a request from the son of a famous author who had been threatened by Duke Everlue. One thing led to another… and before I knew it, I was stomping the Duke's head into the floor. Occupational hazards, I guess," Allen finished speaking as if it was nothing, but his words made more than one person spit out their drink.
"Is that true?" said a raspy-voiced man while smoking a pipe. "Back in my day, missions could get weird out of nowhere. It's normal."
Allen turned to look at the man who spoke—it was Wakaba Mine. He was 36 years old, though he looked older. His brown hair was styled in a long pompadour like an old-school Japanese delinquent. He wore a green sweatshirt decorated with dark green flowers. But his most recognizable trait was that he was always smoking from a pipe. Some might say excessive smoking is bad, but Wakaba had a reason: his pipe was the source of his Smoke Magic.
"Ne vous inquiétez pas," (Don't worry) said a calm voice to Allen's left. "Getting into trouble on your first missions is pretty normal."
Seated two stools away at the bar was a man who looked like a Christmas orb; literally, his torso was a giant sphere, and his arms and legs were still thin, his hair was auburn laughing, and he had a classic wizard hat—Reedus Jonah.
According to what Allen had heard from Mira, Reedus was an honorable and discreet man who loved painting and drawing. He didn't interact much with others, but he had a strong sense of camaraderie. He might've been a little cowardly...
"It's not just about trouble," Allen said. "The pay wouldn't be worth it if a simple cat-finding mission suddenly turned into defeating god."
"So true, haha..." Mirajane laughed, setting down a cup of tea in front of Allen with a smile. "Anyway, I'm glad you made it back safely~"
Allen observed Mirajane. She had been kind from the beginning. While it seemed to be in her nature, what really caught Allen's attention was how she had reacted that time when he hesitated to join the guild.
"Is something wrong?" Mirajane asked, not offended or uncomfortable at all by Allen staring directly at her.
Allen smiled slightly, "You've been very kind, thank you."
"Don't worry, Allen", Mira smiled back.
"Forget it, Allen," Wakaba chimed in with a laugh. "I've been asking her out forever and she's never accepted! Besides, Lucy-chan would get jealous, haha!"
Just then, Loke appeared from somewhere and leaned on the bar with a smirk, "You have to know your limits, buddy. Even I—being in the top ten most handsome mages—can't get Mira to give me a chance. Just listen to your elders and give up, Allen-kun~"
...
Kara – I don't want to sound superficial, but this is the level of the top ten handsome wizards?
Raven – We rarely talk about it, but being honest few men would be handsome after seeing Allen....
Samantha – Beauty is subjective, it's already clear with Count Everlue.
Orihime – That means that maybe Allen is considered ugly in that world.
The Chat started laughing at Orihime's comment.
...
Allen glanced sideways at Loke. For some reason, this guy seemed to have a slight hostility toward him. Allen ignored him and looked back at the girl who was smiling awkwardly at the situation.
Unbothered by the crowd's comments, Allen calmly and confidently asked with a piercing gaze, "Is that true, Mirajane? You wouldn't accept a date from me?", As he finished the question, a faint smirk formed on his lips.
"...!" Mirajane was stunned.
Allen's voice was low and composed, filled with a pleasant charm that tickled her ears like fine aged wine. He spoke as if it wasn't a big deal, yet his unwavering gaze held subtle charisma and a hint of teasing. Mirajane gasped.
Her eyes remained locked on Allen's smirk and gaze until he broke the spell by placing his tea cup on the bar.
Snapping out of her trance, Mira looked at Allen again—but the alluring aura was gone. Now, he looked like just any other young man, tired after a long trip.
Mirajane felt as if everything had been an illusion. She tried to return to normal… but realized she couldn't look Allen in the eye.
"Looks like you got rejected, haha!" Loke laughed, watching Mirajane fumble and distract herself by cleaning the bar.
"..." Allen ignored Loke and continued sipping his tea.
---
Gwen – …I kind of wish Allen had stayed depressed just a little longer…
MJ – If he puts his mind to it, he's basically a global threat…
Felicia – At least he's still using that spell... maybe he'll only end the world with five girls or less…
Eve – Do you guys seriously believe that? -_-
Amanda – Wait, look at Mirajane's reaction. She doesn't seem romantically interested in anyone. Maybe…
---
While everyone was expecting Allen to be rejected like all the brave fools before him, something was different this time—Mira blushed awkwardly and suddenly froze.
"I…" she avoided looking Allen in the eye, but it was obvious who she was talking to. "Well… if it's just coffee, I wouldn't mind…"
"Huh?!"
"What?!"
"…?!"
Laki froze in place, Wakaba dropped his pipe, Reedus's eyes nearly popped out, and even Makarov, who was watching from the second floor, spit out his beer.
Mirajane might seem approachable, but she always maintained her boundaries with men and made it very clear she wasn't interested in relationships. Many had tried, and all had failed. But today, a brave young man has done the impossible.
"I see…" Allen replied calmly. "Next week, then? Sound good?"
Mirajane nodded lightly, then quickly disappeared into the back like she was fleeing the scene. Laki left her tray on the bar and ran after her.
From a table nearby, Cana watched the scene unfold and smirked before taking another sip.
"Not bad~ Looks like we've got ourselves a man with some balls, hahaha."
The one most crushed by the outcome was Loke, who stood frozen like a statue at the bar as his sunglasses slipped off his face.
"This is impossible! How the hell did a guy like you get a date with Mira-chan?!"
Furious, Loke clenched his fist and threw a punch at Allen. In Fairy Tail, things often ended in a fight. But poor Loke had forgotten who he was messing with. His fist struck Allen's face—only to injure himself.
"Ah!"
Loke felt like he'd just punched a steel wall. His face went pale—he knew he'd messed up.
"It was a joke—!"
Allen grabbed Loke by the face, stood up, and walked out of the guild with the pale and panicked lion.
"Allen, don't kill him," Makarov called out from the second floor. Allen raised his hand in acknowledgment and left the building.
*RUMBLE*
Everyone inside the guild looked on in horror as screams began to echo from outside.
"Ah, wait, no—!"
Loke's voice cried out, but it was useless. The guild trembled from the heavy blows being dealt outside.
"Not the face!!"
After a minute, Allen returned to the guild carrying Loke—pale, lifeless, but without a single visible injury. It left everyone wondering what exactly had happened. But one thing was clear—Loke would never try to fight Allen again.
"We good?" Allen asked Loke, who flinched and nodded frantically.
"That's good. I wouldn't want to be on bad terms with my teammates…"
"Ugh!"
Allen threw Loke on the floor and returned to the bar. Laki served him more tea, almost as if she was afraid of angering him. He chuckled at this and looked at her.
"Don't worry, I'm a simple man. I show respect to those who respect me... I am hostile when provoked.... so you've got nothing to worry about"
Laki smiled. It was true that so far Allen had only responded to provocations and hadn't started a fight himself. The girl relaxed, feeling there was no reason to fear Allen anymore. Then she laughed.
"Allen-san, at first I thought you were scary after seeing how you defeated Natsu, but you're actually pretty kind, hehe~"
"Kind? Me?" Allen smirked mockingly. "Don't mess with me, girl. People often say I'm a bastard, but lately, I haven't really felt like acting that way..."
"Oh, Allen-san is a bad boy?"
"It'd be a really long story..." Allen smiled, a little tired. But Laki's eyes lit up.
"I've got plenty of time~"
Some of the guild members spat out their drinks for the second time. It hadn't even been three minutes since Allen got a date with Mirajane, and somehow he had already caught Laki's interest too.
Wakaba whispered to Nab, another guild member, "You once asked me the difference between being handsome and being attractive—well, here's your answer. That guy's got a pretty average face, but he's already winning over two beauties."
Nab was a simple man who dressed like he belonged to a mountain tribe. His most notable trait was that he was always staring at the Request Board without ever picking a job.
"But he doesn't seem to be flirting with Laki… and he didn't seem all that interested in Mirajane either…" said Nab, confused.
Wakaba grabbed him by the collar. "That's the point! Just look at him! Without even trying, he draws the attention of women. He's a pro! I'm telling you, that bastard probably has wives and kids all over the place!"
"But he barely looks twenty years old. Aren't you exaggerating, Wakaba?"
"...!" Allen overheard Wakaba and nearly spit out his tea. While the part about having wives was undeniable, he didn't have any kids… right?
Allen shot a cold glare at both of them and they went quiet. He brushed the weird thoughts from his mind and kept chatting with Laki for a little while longer. That was until Mirajane showed up and placed a cup of black coffee with no sugar in front of Allen.
"Ara ara~ seems like you're not wasting any time~" Mirajane's smile was like a demon's—beautiful, but cold and chilling.
Allen smiled, reminded of Unohana, and responded calmly, "Welcome, Mirajane..."
"..." Mirajane was caught off guard by Allen's calm demeanor.
He had plenty of experience dealing with jealous women. First of all, he didn't try to explain anything—because he didn't need to. Mirajane wasn't his girlfriend, they had just met, and he wasn't doing anything wrong. There was nothing to apologize for.
Allen grabbed the cup and stood up. "I'm going to check out the available missions. Thanks for the drinks, Mira, Laki..."
Mirajane puffed up her cheeks as she watched Allen's back. The most frustrating part was that she had nothing to criticize—there wasn't even a relationship to begin with. She didn't have the right to feel jealous.
'You'll pay for this...' Mirajane smiled coldly. She was determined to show Allen why she was one of the most desired women in Fiore. 'I'm going to make you fall for me, just to show you not to play with a lady's heart~'
For a moment, the old Mira surfaced. Laki rubbed her eyes—she even thought she saw flames surrounding Mirajane. A girl has her pride, too.
Allen had been acting calm and only wanted to build a bit of friendship with those who would likely be his companions for a long time. But the curse of a womanizer is strong. Somehow, he ended up asking Mirajane out, getting along better with Laki, and catching Cana's interest. The last one, he didn't even notice.
'I'm not interested in doing anything…' Allen thought. There were some interesting missions, but none that really motivated him. For him, completing missions was more a necessity for income than an RPG-style adventure.
"Hm?" Feeling Mirajane's gaze from the bar, Allen turned around only to see her smiling sweetly. 'Was it just my imagination?'
Unohana – Darling, I know you're still recovering, but you'll regret teasing that girl too much~
Allen paused for a second. He didn't know anything about Mirajane. To his eyes, she seemed like a sweet and kind girl. But did she hide a demon underneath? Allen couldn't know that—and the Chat wouldn't tell him either.
'I guess I'll have to deal with it later…'
[Host, sometimes I'm amazed at your ability to just roll with things.]
'If I didn't have that ability, I'd be in a mental hospital by now…'
Just imagine—one day you walk through a door and Lucifer's in your face. Allen had terrifying mental fortitude and adaptability. Anyone else would've gone crazy with all the things that happened to him.
Allen saw a mission that caught his attention. It was an evaluation mission.
"A merchant is requesting the evaluation of an unknown magical item. The reward varies depending on its value, but a minimum of 100,000 is guaranteed."
"Onibas? Evaluation? That caught your attention?" asked Nab in surprise, standing next to Allen. He had the impression that Allen would only pick missions that involved defeating or destroying something.
"I'm not Natsu, and this kind of job is actually interesting. You never know what kind of magic or curse it might have..." Allen said with a smile.
Nab nodded. "Mm, that's true. The job is important, but picking ones you enjoy makes it easier to get them done."
With that said, Allen tore the mission off the board and headed for the exit.
...
Makarov, who had been watching, didn't say much. 'Wait… Onibas… If Erza finished her mission, she should go through there… I really hope they don't run into each other. And if they do, I hope they don't fight… I don't want to have to explain how a city disappeared from the map…'
Makarov shook his head, thinking Allen and Erza weren't like Gray and Natsu. They wouldn't fight without a reason.
"It's time for me to head to the Regular Council... Mirajane, you're in charge," said the Guild Master, jumping down from the second floor.
"Huh? Oh, right—it's time for the regular meeting. Take care, Master."
"Be safe, Master," said Wakaba.
"Have a good trip," said Laki.
"Yep~" Makarov left the guild. As troublesome as they were, they were all good kids.
Outside, Makarov saw Gray with his head buried in a wall and not a stitch of clothing on him.
"What are you doing?" asked the Guild Master with a forced smile.
"I-I attacked him by surprise b-because since Allen defeated Natsu, I thought that if I beat him, I'd prove I'm stronger than Natsu..." said Gray, shocking Makarov that he could even speak in that situation.
Spoiler: He didn't succeed…
"I see," Makarov blinked. "But why are you naked with your ass out? Did you attack him while naked like a degenerate?"
"No! I don't know! It all happened so fast, I think he knocked all my clothes off with one punch..." As he spoke, Gray's tone got quieter, along with his pride. "I think that's what happened… but I'm not sure… Master, could you let me keep a little dignity and pretend you didn't see me, please..."
"I see… don't worry… I didn't see a thing."
"Thank you…" Gray said, trembling.
Makarov went back into the guild and grabbed a large mug of beer before stepping outside again.
...
Allen sighed. He might be in Fairy Tail, but he wasn't going to put up with any disrespect. He had just walked out of the guild when a naked pervert jumped on him. He had to give him a punch of justice and decency.
Allen quickly forgot about Gray and looked at the mission slip in silence. There was another reason he accepted the mission—it was because he had to go to Onibas anyway.
[Mission: Inevitable Encounter – Go to Onibas Town and find the Queen. Reward: Unknown]
"Queen? What queen? The Queen of Fiore?"
The Chat started buzzing with comments that caught Allen's attention.
...
Rouge – Is it really her?
Ruby – This is so exciting! Allen doesn't remember her, I wonder how their first interaction will go hehe~
MJ – I bet they're going to fight~
Tony – Nah, I think it'll be love at first sight, haha
Rick – Nonsense!, they'll probably try to kill each other. That'd be fun to watch! *Burp*
...
Allen didn't know what to think. Was he about to meet a queen—or a monster?
"Whatever..." Allen shoved his hands into his pockets and started walking. First to his building to see if Lucy was available, then off to the train station.
Unaware of who he was about to meet...
===
A/N: Well, one step away from meeting Titania 👀
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