Fairy Tail: Starting with Marrying the Dragon Queen Irene

Within the Kingdom of Fiore.

"Are they doing construction outside?!"

"How strange, that street was just fixed not long ago..."

"Is the mayor out of funds again?!"

Many townspeople, looking at the destroyed streets, docks, or train station, were utterly puzzled. They mistakenly assumed it was another tax-raising tactic by the mayor.

At the Magic Council ERA meeting hall—

Underneath the statue of a goddess, Makarov stared at a long string of bills before him, his hand clutching his chest, cold sweat dripping from his forehead.

"You've got to be kidding..."

"What are those brats doing out there?!"

"Didn't I tell them, no matter what happens, wait until I get back?!"

Makarov could feel a heart attack coming on.

"Letting them get away with beating up a member of the 'Ten Saints' is one thing..."

"But this bill—you can't deny responsibility, Fairy Tail!"

"Even if your guild's wizards were the first to go after the Dark Guild—"

"The property damage you caused to the citizens is also a fact! Compensation is still due!"

Crawford finally regained his composure as ERA's chairman, standing tall and speaking to Makarov with a cold tone.

"Could you grant me a few more days...?"

Makarov covered his face, speaking helplessly.

"I'll personally take care of the damages to public property."

In response, Ian maintained a calm demeanor. After all, they were in front of outsiders – he couldn't embarrass Old Man Makarov or the reputation of Fairy Tail.

"Ian, it's a blessing for Fairy Tail to have you!"

Upon hearing this, Makarov clung to Ian's leg, sniffling.

"Don't cry, Old Man..."

"When we return, we'll still have to settle the accounts."

Ian gently patted Makarov's bald head, chuckling.

"Are you a devil, Ian?!"

Old Makarov stopped crying immediately, looking up at Ian in dismay.

"Heh, I'm just balancing the accounts, like any close brother would."

Ian looked at Makarov beneath him, smiling slightly.

Thus, the gathering of the Ten Saints ended rather anticlimactically.

Crawford couldn't wait to send these Fairy Tail calamities back to Magnolia. He secretly vowed that, as long as he remained the Magic Council's Chairman, he'd never let Fairy Tail's wizards set foot in the Council again.

As Ian, Ur, and the others walked out of the Council's main gate—

Ian happened to catch sight of a statue in the plaza, one that seemed very familiar.

"That statue is still here?!"

A hint of nostalgia flashed across Ian's expression.

"This is the statue of the legendary hero, Siegfried, who repelled dragons in the ancient times, four hundred years ago. A paragon of virtue and power, one of the founders of the Magic Council ERA. Of course, it's all just legend; whether such a hero truly existed, no one knows..."

Seeing Ian stop to gaze at the statue, Crawford couldn't help but explain its history.

"Heh."

"I know more about that statue than you do."

Hearing Crawford's explanation, Ian merely chuckled softly and walked away.

Siegfried was the alias Ian used four hundred years ago. Back then, only a select few, like Irene, knew his true name.

"Hmm?"

Crawford's expression was puzzled as he watched Ian's departing figure, lost in thought.

Thus, the Ten Saints meeting came to an end at last!

In this incident, the dark guild wizards received their punishment.

The citizens got their compensation.

The Magic Council promoted its authority!

Fairy Tail affirmed its title as the strongest guild.

Only Jose Porla was inexplicably beaten.

And thus, a world where only Jose Porla got hurt was born!

"I can't stand another moment here!"

"If we don't return to Fairy Tail soon..."

"These kids might level the entire Ishgar continent!"

Makarov shouted, announcing Fairy Tail's return.

With Ian, Makarov, Gildarts, Warrod, and Ur—a full five people squeezed into a magic-powered car, Makarov's magic on full blast—they kicked up dust as they sped away from the Council.

"Phew..."

Crawford finally breathed a sigh of relief. He'd stood there, watching them leave, not feeling secure until every Fairy Tail wizard was out of sight.

"So, Lord Hyberion, Lord Wolfheim..."

"What business might the two of you have here still?"

Turning back, Crawford addressed Hyberion and Wolfheim, who had apparently not intended to leave after the meeting ended, with a confused expression.

"Well, you see..."

"In fact, our business has something to do with you."

Hyberion and Wolfheim exchanged glances, stepping in front of Crawford, and spoke in low voices.

"What is it?!"

Crawford asked, bewildered.

"Allow me to explain."

After another shared glance, Hyberion finally stepped forward. He looked at Crawford, bowing slightly, and spoke softly, "From today on, Wolfheim and I will be officially joining the Magic Council."

"So?"

"Why is it that I, the Chairman of the Magic Council ERA, knew nothing of your appointment as members? What is going on?!"

Cold sweat formed on Crawford's forehead. He had a sense that things were not quite right—this seemed aimed directly at him...

"In fact, this decision..."

"Has already received the unanimous approval of all other council members, except you!"

"Also, from today onward, I, Hyberion, will be the new Chairman of the Magic Council ERA! This too has been agreed upon by all other council members, except you."

Hyberion looked at Crawford, with a trace of pity in his eyes.

"Why 'except me'?!"

"I don't agree! I absolutely refuse..."

"If you become Chairman, then what about me?!"

Crawford panicked, his plump body waddling up to Hyberion, grabbing his lapel in desperation.

"Thank you for your service to the council all this time."

"The Magic Council ERA will not forget your contributions..."

Hyberion's eyes turned slightly red, squeezing out a few tears for Crawford's forced retirement.

"Don't you understand yet? You're fired..."

Wolfheim cut off Hyberion's sentimental speech, producing Crawford's packed belongings, prepared by the council members in advance, and dumped them at Crawford's feet...

He then slammed the council doors shut in Crawford's face.

"Huh?!"

Crawford stared blankly at Hyberion and Wolfheim, who were now waving at him from inside the council building.

So the entire point of this Ten Saints meeting wasn't to deal with Fairy Tail, but to deal with him, the Chairman of the Magic Council ERA...

Or rather, the former Chairman, Crawford Seam.

Thus, a world where only Crawford and Jose Porla got hurt was born.

"Wait, weren't we supposed to be targeting Fairy Tail?!"

Crawford looked at his luggage, falling into deep contemplation.

At that moment, Crawford suddenly felt a desire to take revenge on society.

"The Magic Council! And Fairy Tail! Just you wait!"

"One day, I'll make you pay..."

Crawford shouted, picking up his belongings, leaving the heartbreaking Magic Council ERA in disgrace.

As the former Chairman, Crawford knew many secrets of the Magic Council.

Additionally, he was fluent in ancient script, which made him valuable to any force on the continent—if he was willing to sell council secrets...

But now that he was no longer Chairman, why should he care about this damned council? They could all go to hell!!!

"Maybe I should take this guy along."

"At least he could serve as a bodyguard..."

Crawford looked at the still-unconscious Jose Porla, who had also been thrown out of the council. His mind started working overtime.

With Jose Porla, a Wizard Saint, by his side, he could work with those who truly lurked in the shadows of the continent.

"What I've lost today, I will one day take back with my own hands!"

Crawford cast a deep look at the Magic Council ERA—the place that had consumed his entire first half of life—vowing to destroy everything there and reclaim what he'd lost.

Meanwhile—

One day later—

Thanks to Makarov's reckless driving, Ian and the rest finally returned to Fairy Tail.

"You brats..."

Makarov cursed, kicking open the doors to Fairy Tail.

"Old Makarov, aren't you just destroying your own guild now?!"

Seeing this, Ian couldn't help but tease Makarov.

"Mind your own business!"

Makarov blushed, storming inside.

However, upon entering, instead of the usual lively atmosphere, everyone was sitting quietly in their seats—

It was like they'd made a colossal mistake, akin to scaring away the homeroom teacher and then preparing to get scolded by the principal.

"You all..."

Seeing this, Makarov suppressed his rage.

However, his expression remained stern.

"It seems you all know what you've done while I was away."

"To eliminate the dark guild that invaded Fairy Tail, you tore down a century-old cathedral, destroyed half the neighboring town's dock, blew up a dozen mountains, and even dismantled the Heartfilia family train station!"

Makarov grew increasingly infuriated, his voice rising.

"Master, the responsibility is entirely mine. I led everyone in the attack, so if you're going to punish anyone, let it be just me."

Before Makarov could continue, Erza stepped forward. Her expression was stern, ready to accept punishment on behalf of everyone.

"But I was the one who destroyed the streets!"

"So, old man, punish me instead!"

Natsu stood up right after Erza spoke, his tone filled with pride when admitting he destroyed the streets.

"You brat..."

Makarov glared at Natsu.

Was this really something to be proud of?!

"Heh, it was me who destroyed the dock!"

Gray and Lyon exchanged glances, accepting their punishment.

"I was the one who blew up the mountains."

Eresh also stepped forward, owning up to her actions.

"We burned the shops..."

Macao yawned, speaking impatiently.

"They had it coming, hiding in the alleys like that."

Wakaba puffed on his cigar, smoke trailing from his lips.

"Old man, truth be told, everyone here contributed to destroying the Dark Wizard Guilds."

"So if there's punishment to be handed out, punish us all!"

"Including me. As for the cathedral, yes, I destroyed it! A church occupied by dark wizards has no reason to remain standing..."

"A church tainted by scum isn't a place God would visit..."

Laxus spoke from a corner, addressing Makarov on the platform.

"Punish me!"

"Punish me too!"

"I was also at fault..."

All at once, every member in Fairy Tail stood up, ready to face whatever punishment Makarov would decide.

However, none of them regretted what they'd done.

If someone attacked them, would they just do nothing?!

Wouldn't that make them a joke?!

"Punish me too!"

"I'm the one who told them to attack..."

Just then, the First Guild Master, Mavis, also raised her little hand, admitting her mistake to Makarov.

"First Master, why are you joining in on this?!"

Makarov said helplessly upon seeing this.

However, his exasperation was short-lived; he quickly regained his composure.

Golden magic surged within Makarov, enveloping all of Fairy Tail in a warm atmosphere, as if cradling everyone within his gentle embrace.

"You fools!"

"Why would I punish you?"

"If those bastards only came to destroy the guild, we'd just ignore them! The guild can always be rebuilt..."

"But if they come to hurt our family, our friends, our comrades in Fairy Tail—we'll pay them back a hundredfold!"

"As for the Magic Council's reprimands?!"

"Let them eat dirt!"

Makarov looked warmly at all the kids standing in the guild hall. They were willing to admit their mistakes, willing to protect their comrades at any cost—he hadn't educated these kids for nothing.

Fairy Tail had never feared any enemy.

"Yeah!!"

"I knew it'd be like this..."

"Long live the Master! Long live Makarov!"

As Makarov finished, the entire guild erupted in waves of cheering.

"Don't curse me!"

Makarov glared at the cheering crowd, feigning anger.

No, he had no desire to live for ten thousand years...

If he lived that long, he didn't know how many times he'd have to clean up after these brats. He was exhausted—he just wanted to retire as soon as possible.

"So heartwarming~"

Ian stood in the corner, watching everything, feeling a sense of warmth.

Indeed, only in Fairy Tail could you get this feeling of being home.

"Oh right, let me introduce a new member."

Just as Ian was about to leave the stage to Makarov, the First Guild Master Mavis, barefoot as always, stepped beside Makarov and took the microphone from him.

"Huh?!"

"At a time like this, there's actually someone who wants to join Fairy Tail?"

"Is this newcomer alright in the head?!"

Ian was dumbfounded. With Fairy Tail's reputation in Fiore, anyone who still wanted to join was either very brave or completely insane.

As Ian stood puzzled, a beautiful woman with long golden hair, dressed in a kimono, walked gracefully in front of the guild members.

"Nice to meet you all~"

"My name is Selene~"

"From today onward, I will be a member of the Fairy Tail Guild, just like all of you!"

"I hope you'll take good care of me."

The newcomer was none other than the 'Moon Dragon,' Selene.

"Wha...?!"

Ian was utterly dumbfounded, unable to believe what he was seeing.

"Wait a second."

"What's going on here?"

"How did Irene allow Selene to join?!"

With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Ian glanced towards Irene.

"Selene and I have reconciled."

"From today on, she gets you during the day, and I get you at night."

Irene said, her smile broad, her words leaving no room for ambiguity.

"Thank you, Irene."

Selene, now standing beside Irene, took her hand and smiled.

"Thank you too, Selene."

Irene returned the smile, but both women held a hint of rivalry in their gazes.

"Hold on! Did either of you even consider how I feel?!"

"Daytime for one, nighttime for the other—do I look like an object to you?!"

Ian was overwhelmed. He already found it exhausting to handle Irene, and now there was Selene too?!

I'm done for, really done for!