Bam!
Natsu instantly faceplanted into the floorboards, coincidentally landing right next to the exact spot where Gildarts had flattened him earlier.
The entire guild erupted into roaring laughter.
“Hahaha!
That’s embarrassing, Natsu!” Macao cheered, raising his mug high.
“You got one-shotted by the new guy!” A dark-haired boy, completely shirtless, strolled over to mock him.
“You really suck, Natsu.” Hearing his bitter rival’s voice, Natsu immediately yanked his head out of the floor.
“What did you just say, you naked pervert?!” Gray blinked, looking down at himself.
He realized his shirt had vanished completely at some unknown point in time.
“When the hell did that happen?!” Recovering quickly, he leaned down and pressed his forehead aggressively against Natsu’s.
“So what, you fire-breathing bastard?!
At least I didn’t get one-shot!” “Huh?!
I’m still stronger than you, droopy eyes!” The crowd cheered them on, and within seconds, the two of them were violently grappling on the floor.
Caelan watched the whole display, thoroughly exasperated.
Just then, a young girl in gleaming armor marched up to him.
“Welcome to the guild.
I hear you’re strong.” “Uh…
I guess I’m alright,” Caelan muttered.
He shot a dark glare at Finn and Rook, who were still loudly boasting to a crowd of wide-eyed Mages nearby.
“Don’t listen to a word those idiots say.” Erza’s eyes practically sparkled with excitement.
She had overheard Finn bragging about Caelan’s exceptional swordsmanship.
Up until now, aside from Laxus, no one her age in the guild could match her in a fight.
And since Laxus flatly refused to spar with her, meeting Caelan sparked a deep, burning urge to test her skills.
Caelan stared at the battle-hungry look on Erza’s face.
He casually scanned the bustling hall but didn’t spot Mirajane anywhere.
‘It’s the year X778…
Has Mirajane not joined the guild yet?’ “Look, how about we skip it for today?” Caelan said, rubbing the back of his neck.
“I just joined, and I’ve got a lot of setting up to do.” Erza considered this for a moment before giving a firm nod.
“Very well.
I will be waiting for you tomorrow.” With that, she spun around and delivered a devastating, double-fisted hammer blow straight down onto the heads of Natsu and Gray, who were still rolling around by her feet.
“Friends do not fight one another!” Massive, cartoonish lumps instantly swelled up on both their heads as they yelled in perfect unison.
“Ow, that hurts!” “Why are you copying me?!” “You wanna go, you bastard?!” “Bring it on!
I’m not scared of you!” A sudden, terrifying chill washed over the two boys.
They slowly turned their heads to see Erza glaring down at them, her eyes glowing with a demonic crimson light.
“Go to hell, you two.” What followed was a flurry of muffled screams and frantic apologies.
A minute later, Natsu and Gray were left paralyzed on the floorboards, beaten completely beyond recognition.
Caelan had wisely taken that opportunity to drag Rook and Finn out of the guildhall.
The three of them headed straight to the guild dormitories to claim and organize their new rooms.
After a chaotic hour of unpacking, Caelan called the two of them over.
“Rook.
Finn.” “What’s up, Boss?” Caelan looked them both in the eye.
“We’re members of Fairy Tail now.
You know we can’t act like we did in the mountains anymore.” The two of them nodded earnestly.
“We know, Boss,” Rook said.
“So, what’s next?
Are we gonna go take on some jobs and rake in the reward money?” Finn grinned, crossing his arms proudly.
“Don’t you worry, Boss!
With your twin tactical geniuses on the case, we’ll clear those quests in minutes!
You can just kick back at home and count the cash!” Caelan shook his head, sighing in exasperation.
“I’m starting my first quest tomorrow, but I’m not taking you two with me.” “Whaaat?!” they gasped.
Finn was the first to protest.
“Boss, how could you?!
You’re gonna go get rich all by yourself?!” Rook looked equally disappointed, but he quickly realized what Caelan meant.
Right now, the two of them were nothing more than reasonably fit, ordinary guys.
If they tagged along, they’d only slow Caelan down—or worse, put him in actual danger.
Rook nudged his partner.
“Finn, shut up a sec.
Let the Boss finish.” Finn instantly clamped his mouth shut.
Caelan nodded at him.
“Looks like you get it, Rook.” He leaned against the wall.
“So, for the near future, I’m having the Master awaken your Magic.
I already asked Gildarts about your magical potential, and honestly, your raw talent isn’t great.
So I’ve asked the Master to teach you some basic physical enhancement Magic—just enough to strengthen your bodies.” He crossed his arms.
“Once you’ve got a handle on that, I’ll teach you all of the Rokushiki techniques.
How far you go after that is entirely up to how hard you work.” Finn and Rook were absolutely thrilled at the prospect of finally learning their boss’s signature martial arts.
Finn wiped a fake tear from his eye.
“Boss!
You’re finally passing on your legacy to us?!” Smack!
“Ow!” Finn clutched his head where Caelan had just punched him.
“Don’t phrase it like I’m already dead, you idiot!” Caelan snapped.
Finn rubbed the lump on his head, grinning foolishly.
“Hehe, don’t worry, Boss!
You go do your thing!
Once me and Rook master this stuff, we’ll be right there fighting by your side!” “We’ll see about that when you actually meet my standards,” Caelan replied dryly.
He clapped his hands once.
“Alright, we’re pretty much unpacked.
The Master is throwing us a welcome banquet tonight, so we’d better head back.” That night, the Fairy Tail guildhall was a madhouse.
The welcome banquet was in full swing, though the heavy drinking looked closer to an all-out war than a party.
Naturally lazy, Caelan had zero interest in joining the mosh pit.
He sat peacefully on the bar counter next to Makarov, nursing a quiet drink as he watched the chaos below.
Seeing Finn and Rook already fitting in perfectly and laughing with the other guild members brought a small, genuine smile to his face.
Makarov took a sip from his massive tankard and glanced sideways at Caelan.
“You brat, why aren’t you down there celebrating with them?
I threw this banquet specifically for you three.
Yet here you are, hiding up here to keep an old man company?” “Eh, I’m just lazy, Master,” Caelan admitted with a casual shrug.
“Honestly, aside from cold, hard cash, not much really motivates me.” Makarov nearly choked on his beer.
“Hey!
You’re way too young to be obsessed with money!
Is that all you ever think about?!” “You don’t get it, old man,” Caelan said, his eyes filled with absolute conviction.
“I’m going to become the biggest landlord in Magnolia.” Makarov stared at him, utterly bewildered.
“Huh?
Shouldn’t your ambition be to become the strongest Mage in the world?!” The guild master leaned in, his tone turning serious.
“Gildarts already told me everything.
At your age, you already possess power that surpasses an ordinary S-Class wizard.
And with your insane speed…
there are very few people in this world who could actually catch you.
And with all that potential, you’re sitting here telling me you want to be a landlord?!” Caelan clicked his tongue, wagging a finger.
“Tch, tch.
Master, don’t underestimate real estate just because property values are low right now.
Mark my words, in a few years, housing prices are going to skyrocket!
I am a man destined to be the strongest landlord!” He folded his arms, clearly incredibly proud of his master plan.
“I’ve got it all mapped out.
Tomorrow, I’m going to take a high-paying subjugation quest, save up, and buy my first property.
Then, I rent it out.
I repeat the cycle, compounding my passive income until I reach critical mass.
After that, I can just sit in the guild, drink tea, and coast through an early retirement.
Honestly, I think I might be a genius.” Makarov’s face turned beet red.
“You absolute brat!
How can you have such zero ambition?!
I absolutely will not allow you to bury your incredible power just so you can collect rent!” Caelan remained totally unfazed.
“You can’t stop me, old man.
This is my dream.” “Argh!
Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!” Makarov roared.
Caelan patted the furious guild master gently on the shoulder.
“Master…
when you get to my age, you’ll understand.” Makarov froze.
“Huh?!
When I get to your age?!
Try listening to the words coming out of your mouth, you little punk!”