The Pict Magic Of Fairy Tail

Chapter 31: Return to the Guild

The Magic Council's personnel arrived quickly, summoned from the nearest branch.

Watching the magical airship they arrived on, Silver couldn't help but marvel at the council's wealth and resources.

The handoff went smoothly. Mira handed over all the members of Devil's Toe to the Magic Council, and in return, they gave her the reward money.

The next morning, Silver and Mira headed back to the guild.

As they stepped inside, they saw Natsu and Happy dancing on a table, while Lisanna stood nearby clapping enthusiastically.

Not far from them, Cana and Levy were playing chess, with Elfman standing by as an observer.

"Hey, Elfman, long time no see. Hi, Cana! And Levy, not in the library today?" Silver greeted each of them as he approached the table.

"Long time no see, Silver. Sis, you're back!" Elfman turned around and greeted them warmly.

"You're back," Cana said with a wave, glancing up from the chessboard.

"We just got back from a mission. Planning to relax today," Levy said as she turned to see who was speaking, recognizing Silver.

Hearing Silver's voice, Lisanna ran over excitedly. "Sis! Silver! Welcome back."

"Mm." Mira simply nodded at everyone in acknowledgment.

"Hey, long time no see. So, how's it been going, working on missions with Elfman?" Silver asked Lisanna with a grin.

"Brother Elfman is amazing. The missions went really well," Lisanna replied with a cheerful smile.

"Haha," Elfman scratched his head, chuckling bashfully at her praise.

"What's Natsu doing? Did something good happen?" Silver asked, noticing Natsu twisting and turning on the table.

"Natsu's celebrating," Elfman replied.

"Celebrating?" Silver looked puzzled.

"He's celebrating the fact that he can finally get out of bed and move around again," Cana answered from her spot near the chessboard.

"Ah, I see. Knowing Natsu, he must have been miserable being stuck in bed. That guy can't sit still for long," Silver said with a chuckle.

At that moment, Natsu, hearing his name mentioned, turned his head and spotted Mira. He immediately shouted, "Mira! Why can't I beat Erza even after all my training?"

"Huh?" Mira sighed, walking over to Natsu. "Natsu, you trained for just one afternoon and expected to defeat Erza? That's not how it works."

"Really? Then how long do I need to train?" Natsu asked, taking Mira's words seriously.

"Hmm, at least a few years," Mira said with a mischievous smile. "After all, Erza's strength is on par with mine."

While Mira teased Natsu, Silver glanced around the guild, looking puzzled. "Where are Gray and Erza? They're not here?"

"Erza went on a mission and hasn't returned yet," Lisanna replied, tilting her head thoughtfully.

"Gray is out on a mission too," Elfman added. "Magnolia's shops have been running low on ice lately."

"I see," Silver nodded. He chatted with Elfman and Lisanna for a while longer before heading over to the mission board to search for a new task.

Elfman followed Silver to the mission board, scratching his head in confusion. "Didn't you and Mira just finish a mission? Why are you looking for another one so soon?"

"Yeah, we just got back, but I'm short on money," Silver replied as he scanned the requests pinned to the board. "I need to take on more missions to save up."

"You're short on money? If it's urgent, I've got some—" Elfman began to offer, but Silver interrupted him.

"It's not urgent. I'm just saving up to buy a house in Magnolia," Silver explained.

Before he could finish, Mira appeared behind them. "What's going on? Since when did you get so hardworking?" she asked, her tone laced with curiosity.

"It's not that he's hardworking," Elfman replied quietly, explaining on Silver's behalf. "He wants to save up for a house in Magnolia."

"Huh? Why the rush to buy a house?" Mira asked, her confusion evident.

"No particular reason. I just want to," Silver shrugged nonchalantly.

"Alright then, so what's our next mission?" Mira asked casually.

"Not sure yet, I haven't decided," Silver replied, shaking his head.

"Let me know when you've decided," Mira said with a nod before walking away.

Once she was out of earshot, Silver turned to Elfman. "Have you noticed that Mira seems a bit different lately?"

"Not really," Elfman said, scratching his head as he thought about it. "She's always been the same."

"Really? I feel like her personality has softened a bit," Silver mused, still uncertain.

"I know why," Lisanna chimed in with a playful smile as she walked up behind Elfman.

"Oh? Why?" Silver asked eagerly.

"Because Sis thinks being too harsh isn't good, especially when dealing with a certain someone," Lisanna teased, throwing Silver a knowing look.

"You mean me, don't you?" Silver wasn't slow to catch on, immediately pointing to himself for confirmation.

Lisanna smiled but didn't respond directly, just as Natsu's loud voice echoed across the guild. "Silver! Mira told me you easily defeated a B-Class wizard. Come on, let's duel!"

The guild members turned their attention to Silver as Natsu's challenge rang out. Silver looked surprised and called back, "Huh? You want to duel me?"

"Yeah! Just the two of us!" Natsu leaped off the table and landed in front of Silver, grinning.

The guild buzzed with chatter.

"Silver's dueling Natsu?"

"This is his first duel, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but I hope Silver doesn't lose too badly. His pict magic isn't really suited for combat."

"So, what do you say? Let's duel!" Natsu asked again, ignoring the murmurs around them.

Silver thought about it for a moment. Curious about how his abilities stacked up against Natsu's, he nodded. "Alright, but not today. I'm a bit tired. Let's do it tomorrow."

"Yes! I'm fired up!" Natsu cheered, pumping his fist into the air. Flames even burst from his mouth in excitement, drawing laughter and cheers from the guild.