After coming out of the room, Ken began to carefully recall the details of the Fairy Tail Civil War and thought about what preparations were needed.
Makarov had entrusted him with such a heavy responsibility as a newcomer who had just joined the guild, so naturally, he couldn't let him down.
"I remember that Laxus had a careful civil war plan, and it seemed that he had to crack it step by step..."
"How about I just go and beat up Laxus and the Thunder Gods today? As long as they are seriously injured, tomorrow's civil war will definitely not happen, right?"
"Or... let me strike first and wear a yellow robe tonight to become the Fairy Tail president!"
"..."
His mind was a mess. After all, this time he had to face his own guild partners.
Unknowingly, after leaving Makarov, Ken returned to the front desk of the guild.
"Is there anything bothering you?"
The sweet voice pulled Ken out of his thoughts.
Looking up, Mirajane was holding her cheeks in her hands and smiling at him.
"Mira? Actually, it's not that annoying..."
"Here, I'll treat you to some cake~ Don't be unhappy~"
Before Ken could explain, Mirajane had already placed the plate in front of him.
A piece of white and delicate cream cake was placed in the center of the plate, with cherries dotting the top.
"This..."
"Would you like to taste it? I just made it this morning."
After a brief hesitation, Ken chose to pick up the spoon and take a big bite.
"Hao chi..." (The cake is stuffed in the mouth and the speech is unclear)
Mirajane smiled, "If you like it, come to me at the front desk anytime and I'll treat you to something~"
Ken felt comforted, his mind beginning to clear up. Maybe the sweetness of the cake or Mirajane's smile had a healing effect on him.
His mind seemed to light up.
He seemed to have a preliminary idea about what Makarov had told him.
"By the way, Mira, is there a magic item shop in Magnolia? Is there any craftsman who can do stone carving?"
Mirajane tilted her head and thought for a moment. "There seem to be many prop shops in the north of the city. As for stone sculptures, I remember there is a stone-shaping mage living there..."
Stone Shaping— a magic similar to Gray's Ice Shape; they both condense into other objects using magic power.
"Thank you very much!"
Swallowing the rest of the cake whole, Ken wiped his mouth casually, then left the guild and headed straight to the north of the city.
This trip to the north was likely going to determine the final outcome of the civil war that was about to happen tomorrow!!
...
Early next morning.
Since Ken got up, he had been hearing the faint noise from the town. Even though he lived in the suburbs, it was still audible.
"Did the event start so early..."
Posters for the Harvest Festival were everywhere, and the number of pedestrians coming and going had doubled compared to usual.
If it weren't for Makarov's mission, Ken might have wanted to stroll through the streets.
At this time, the Fairy Tail Guild was also very lively. In addition to most of the magicians in the guild, many residents of the town had gathered.
The hall was packed.
In five minutes, the grand "Most Beautiful Miss" contest would begin here.
As soon as he entered the hall, Ken heard heated discussions from the townspeople.
"It's said that Fairy Tail will have beautiful wizards joining this year. I'm looking forward to what they will look like~"
"Of course, I support Mirajane. She's the cover girl of Wizards Weekly. Without her, I wouldn't even read that magazine!"
"Don't you think Erza is also beautiful? In my dreams, I want to be stepped on by the Fairy Queen..."
"I'm Miss Levy's dog!"
"..."
Ken pushed through the noisy crowds, finally spotting the familiar short figure.
"Master..."
Makarov nodded, his expression slightly relaxed compared to yesterday.
"So far, we haven't seen any action from Laxus and the others, so... let's just watch the game first!"
Ken sighed. Such a perverted old man....
But as someone who had been there, he knew that most of the plans for the Thunder Gods' actions were under his control.
Admiring the swimsuits of the ladies from the guild... It shouldn't delay things, right...?
"Wait...."
Having dealt with the Thunder Gods before, Ken, as a Dragon Slayer Mage, naturally remembered their respective magical auras.
At this time, he sensed one of the magic powers approaching.
"This magic power is... Evergreen? Is it really here..."
Makarov, who was beside him, didn't know this.
"Ken, who do you think will win in the end? Mirajane? Erza? But I think Lucy has a good figure, and Juvia... What do you think, Ken? Hey?"
"Where are the people?"
Although he said that, Makarov was still focused on the matter concerning the Thunder Gods and Laxus.
And Ken's sudden disappearance made him even more suspicious.
"I hope there won't be any accidents..."
Makarov sighed lightly, straightened his body, and focused his eyes again on the center of the stage, waiting for the curtain to open.
...
After a while.
As the music sounded, the originally quiet crowd became lively again.
"Every citizen of Magnolia, welcome to Fairy Tail's annual harvest festival. The Fairy Tail Most Beautiful Miss Contest will be held soon!"
"Without further ado, I would like to invite contestant No. 1, Cana Arupelona!"
Amidst the applause and cheers, the lights focused, the curtain opened, and the beauties in costumes stepped out.
But when everyone saw her face, they were all stunned.
"Hello, everyone. I am today's contestant number one, Evergreen from the Thunder Gods."
After a few seconds of silence, the audience immediately erupted into discussion.
"Is it Evergreen? Why is she also participating in the competition?"
"She's not Cana either?"
"So, all the Thunder Gods have returned to the guild..."
"Let's not talk about this for now. The game will continue? Where's the next contestant? Where's our Bisca?"
"..."
Makarov had an ominous premonition in his heart.
Something was about to happen.
Looking at the chattering crowd in the audience, Evergreen spoke calmly.
"I am the only one participating in today's competition. There's no need to continue. Just declare me the champion."
"Fart! I clearly remember there were seven contestants!"
"Give me back Miss Mira..."
The audience's voices were growing louder.
Evergreen smiled contemptuously and slowly opened the curtain behind the stage.
"I'm sorry, I just came from backstage. I am indeed the only contestant..."
As the curtain slowly opened.
What caught everyone's eyes were actually seven stone statues, each as lifelike as real people. Their appearance could even be vaguely distinguished.
"Erza, Lucy, Mirajane... aren't they the seven people who were originally going to participate in the beauty pageant today!?"
"It's Evergreen's petrification magic. Her eyes can turn people into stone statues... Don't look into her eyes!"
Makarov finally realized that this was a conspiracy, and the Thunder Gods had already started their action. He quickly stood on a table and shouted to the crowd:
"All spectators evacuate outside the guild immediately! Quick!"
Most of the audience were ordinary people who couldn't use magic.
As soon as they heard there was danger, everyone rushed to the door of the hall.
It wasn't until he saw the last person leave that Makarov unleashed an astonishing amount of magical pressure and yelled at Evergreen on the stage:
"Asshole! Put them back to their original state immediately!"
But as soon as he finished speaking, a thunder suddenly flashed and landed in the center of the stage.
Seeing the appearance of the visitor clearly, Makarov immediately clenched his fists.
"Laxus!"
With an arrogant smile on his face, Laxus looked around everyone, but he couldn't find the person he wanted to see the most, and he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
"Laxus, remove petrification immediately!!"
Makarov warned again.
Laxus didn't take it seriously at all, declaring:
"Don't worry, if you want to save them, come and play a game with me first, a confrontation game..."
"The rules are very simple. All magicians in the entire Fairy Tail will fight against me and the Thunder Gods. The location is set to be the entire Magnolia."
"Within three hours, if we find and defeat us, these women will be able to return to their original state; if you lose, you must recognize me as the new Master of Fairy Tail!"
The last words came out.
Laxus finally showed his fangs and revealed his true purpose.
"Don't take the joke too far!"
Makarov yelled.
Finally, an astonishing amount of magic power erupted, and the originally short body continued to grow in size, until it became a giant as tall as the entire guild.
"It's the president's enlargement magic... This kind of magic fluctuation is so oppressive!"
"Laxus is going to suffer..."
While everyone was discussing, Laxus showed a disdainful smile and chose to ignore Makarov's warning.
"According to the rules, defeat me within three hours, otherwise there's no need to discuss anything!!"
"I now declare that the Fairy Tail Civil War has begun!"
Seeing that Laxus was still stubborn, Makarov was about to unleash his magic power to teach this rebellious grandson a lesson.
Suddenly, a flash of lightning flashed in front of him.
In an instant, everyone's sight was blocked.
There was so much light in front of him that it hurt his eyes.
When everyone regained their vision, there were only seven lifelike stone sculptures left on the huge stage.
"Laxus...isn't he no longer in the guild?"
"Evergreen can't be found either. He probably took advantage of the gap just now to escape together."
"This is too bad. We are not really going to war with the Thunder Gods, are we?"
"Master??"
After hesitating for a moment, Makarov looked at the petrified girl on the stage.
After learning from the pain, he finally made up his mind.
"This time is not only a challenge from Laxus, but also a test for our entire guild... Listen up, everyone! Within three hours, find the Thunder Gods scattered in Magnolia and do everything possible to defeat them!!"
As soon as this statement came out, there was an instant response in the guild, and the enthusiasm was high.
"Three hours to defeat the Thunder Gods!!"
"Makao, come with me to the west of the city! Move quickly!"
"Man!"
"..."
The guild members swarmed out like bees.
(Next Chapter: The Mission of a Prodigal Son)