Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Crocus.
July 6, x790.
While most of the members of Fairy Tail were sleeping in their rooms after the hotel staff brought them there after the brawl in the dining hall, Irene strolled into the Sixth Sense Hotel with a satisfied expression on her face.
She then, without lingering in the lobby, stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor, where the suite she was staying with Alfonzo and his other women was located. Then, after a short walk, she made her way to the suite and opened the door.
"I'm back." Irene said as she entered the room.
"Welcome back." Alfonzo said. "So, how did everything go? Did you get anew apprentice?"
"I did." Irene said cheerfully as she closed the door behind her. She then started walking over to Alfonzo, who was going over some reports about Sixth Sense Holdings' earnings during the Grand Magic Games, before plopping down in his lap as she continued. "I made Jiemma run away, too. Now, Sabertooth is without a guild master, but I'm sure they can figure that out for themselves."
Seeing Irene in such a good mood, Alfonzo put down the report in his hand. Then, he wrapped his arms around the buxom redhead's waist and stole a kiss. After that, with her smile growing even wider, Irene recounted what she did after she saw Jiemma leave the stands when Minerva was defeated in the Grand Magic Game.
"Honestly, I didn't expect her to tell her dad about your offer while laid up in a hospital bed." Alfonzo said while shaking his head. "But I guess the stress of the situation and the helping hand you held out to her pushed her over the edge in the end."
"Yes, it was quite entertaining." Irene said with a nod.
"*Sigh* we really need to do something about that sadistic streak of yours." Alfonzo mumbled.
"Well, I can think of a way for you to help with that." Irene whispered into Alfonzo's ear in a seductive tone. "Besides, I didn't get enough yesterday."
Alfonzo could only smile wryly in response. Though, he seemed fine to work after such a long event, he was actually pretty tired. He used quite a bit of his magic power reserves during the fights with Yoruichi and Sui-Feng, and Yoruichi, Sting, and Rogue. Plus, he had quite the headache from overclocking [Lightning Enhancement] so that he could make surpassing Yoruichi in speed look so easy.
Irene, on the other hand, smiled even wider when she saw Alfonzo's reluctance.
"Good." Irene said as she stood up and grabbed Alfonzo by the arm. "I'm glad you can see things my way. And since I'm sure you're quite tired, you can leave everything to me. Don't worry, I promise I'll be gentle."
"Something tells me that's not true at all." Alfonzo muttered as he allowed himself to be pulled out of his chair towards an empty bedroom in the suite.
However, contrary to Alfonzo's expectations, Irene did not go full sadist when they entered the room. Instead, she gently took Alfonzo's clothes off before taking off her own, as well. Then, she laid down with him and hugged his head into her bosom while gently rubbing his head until Alfonzo fell asleep, Irene falling asleep shortly afterwards.
July 8, x790.
Time passed quickly after that. The following day, however, all of Crocus was shaken by the news that Jiemma, the master of the Sabertooth guild had fled Crocus after proof of his involvement with the Dark Guild Tartaros was reported in the evening news. Unfortunately, that also led to the members of Sabertooth being investigated during the night and following day.
Luckily, the evidence was rather clear cut. So, it did not take long for the rest of Sabertooth to be cleared of suspicion. And as it so happened, the investigation also ended fast enough that they were able to attend the customary banquet held by the Fiore Royal Family to congratulate all the guilds who participated in the Grand Magic Games.
This banquet was a formal event held by the Royal Family every year. So, all the wizards present were dressed much better than usual. For example, Alfonzo was wearing a three-piece suit with a black jacket and slacks, a blue vest, a black shirt, and a black tie with a blue Fairy Tail emblem embroidered on it. Meanwhile, Elicia wore a black, off the shoulder, long-sleeved evening gown with a slit that exposed her right leg and a large pink flower sewn onto the right side of her waist.
Even the three children were attending and dressed to impress while Grayfia, Maria, and Miyuki were assigned to look after them during the banquet, should they for whatever reason be separated from their parents.
After a short speech from King Toma E. Fiore, where he congratulated Fairy Tail for regaining the title of Strongest Guild in Fiore and handed over the prize money of thirty million Jewels, the banquet began and the wizards from the guilds were finally allowed to mingle. And the banquet, though upscale, was as rowdy as one would expect when so many wizards gathered in one place.
"Lyon!" Ur said with a rarely heard level of intensity.
Hearing Ur's voice, Lyon tensed for a moment. He then turned away from Gray and Juvia, the latter he was trying to flirt with and steal from Gray and turned to look at his Master in [Ice-Make Magic], who was approaching with a sweet smile on her face that for some reason sent chills down Gray's and Lyon's spines.
"Master, it's good to see you." Lyon said in a somewhat uneasy tone. "I'm sorry I haven't been able to come see you in a while. But I've been busy with quests. I hope you can forgive me."
Instead of replying immediately, Ur just continued to look at Lyon, making the silver-haired wizard start to sweat nervously. Meanwhile, Gray discreetly pulled Juvia away, not wanting to get caught up in what he knew was coming.
"Lyon, I have to say, I'm disappointed in your performance during this year's Grand Magic Games." Ur said calmly. "Other than when you eliminated Might Guy of Quatro Cerberus, you did not gain a single victory. And even that could hardly be called a victory. So, I had a discussion with Master Ooba."
When he heard Ur start talking, the sweat streaming down Lyon's forehead increased. Yet, when he heard that she spoke to Ooba Babasama, Lyon's knees almost gave out. Because he could tell what was coming next. And when Ur placed a hand on his shoulder and spoke in a gentle tone, his suspicions were proven correct.
"I asked her if I could retrain you." Ur said sweetly. "And she agreed. So, you'll be coming back to Magnolia with me after the banquet. Then, I'll be training both you and Gray again from the basics. And this special training will not end until I'm satisfied with your growth."
Immediately, the light in Lyon's eyes went out, despair clouding his expression.
"Hey! Why am I being drawn into this?" Gray shouted, having not gotten far enough to miss Ur's declaration. "I wouldn't have gotten my ass kicked as bad as Lyon did. In fact, I last a lot longer whenever I spar with Lici!"
"But you've never won, either." Ur shot back without mercy. She then continued with a vein bulging on her forehead. "And put your damn clothes back on! Stop embarrassing the guild like that!"
Meanwhile, when Lyon heard Gray shout, he instinctively turned his head towards his brother disciple. And when he did, his eyes lit up. Not because he had a thing for Gray. Rather, it was because he saw Juvia, shooting a jet of blood from each nostril and about to lose consciousness at the sight of his nearly naked body.
"I understand." Lyon said in a determined tone. "I'll follow you back to Magnolia to undergo training. I thank you for your care, Master."
Raising an eyebrow at Lyon's change in attitude, Ur turned to look at Gray and Juvia. Then, she grinned. Meanwhile, Gray also understood why Lyon's attitude changed while he held Juvia, who was acting like she was punch drunk, in his arms. He then glared at Lyon.
"Stop having ideas about Juvia." Gray said harshly. "She's mine and I won't give her up to you."
"I think that's for her to decide, Gray." Lyon said calmly while staring at Juvia with hearts in his eyes. "And as long as I can show her that I'm better than you, she'll come to me on her own."
"Damn you, Lyon!" Gray shouted, wanting to rush over and punch Lyon in the face.
Meanwhile, in another part of the ball room, Irene was sipping a glass of wine while watching Amar'e and Bianca explore their surroundings with Grayfia and Maria trying their best to keep them out of trouble. Luckily, Calvin was not quite old enough to be running around, as well. Otherwise, the banquet would be even more chaotic than usual.
"Hmm... Maybe I should have another child with Alfonzo." Irene thought to herself allowed. "I'm sure Erza would enjoy having a younger sibling. Plus, raising a child might be worth doing since I missed the opportunity with her."
"Excuse me." A female voice said, drawing Irene's attention away from the children and her own thoughts. "I hope I'm not interrupting you, Master Irene."
Turning towards the voice, Irene was not surprised when she laid her eyes on Minerva, who was dressed in an elegant qipao-style dress.
"Oh, it's you." Irene said nonchalantly. "Do you need me for anything? It's not like I can start training you here and now."
If anyone who knew her saw Minerva at this moment, they would be thoroughly dumbfounded by what they saw. Currently, Minerva was fidgeting nervously in response to Irene's question. However, she eventually gritted her teeth and spoke what was on her mind.
"Do you... Um... think you could introduce me to Alfonzo Marcus?" Minerva asked with her head lowered. "I want to... apologize for what I tried to do during the Games."
"Oh." Irene intoned as she raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Sure, why not. Come along."
With that, and without waiting for a response, Irene turned around and strode towards where she could feel Alfonzo's presence with a smile on her face. Minerva also did not hesitate to follow her. However, when they reached Alfonzo, who was sitting with Elicia, Mirajane, and Shizuka, with Calvin in Shizuka's arms, they were just in time to see Sting, Rogue, Rufus, and Orga arrive in front of him.
Then, before she could ask what her guild mates were doing, Minerva saw the four wizards bow at their waists.
"Please forgive us!" Sting, Rogue, Rufus, and Orga shouted in unison, drawing the attention of those nearby.
"I know what we tried to do was despicable." Rufus continued. "And I take full responsibility for the plan we tried to enact.. So, if you have any anger towards our guild, please take it out on me alone."
"No way, Rufus!" Sting shouted. "At the very least, the four of us should all be punished."
"Sting is right." Rogue said in his usual tone. "We're a team. So, the responsibility lies with all of us."
"Yeah." Orga added. "Don't try to take all the responsibility on your own."
With that, the four began to bicker over who was responsible while Alfonzo, Elicia, and Mirajane watched them with amusement flashing in their eyes. Meanwhile, Shizuka was smiling at Calvin, who was reaching out to play with Lector and Frosch, who landed on the table they were sitting at and hovered around the baby.
A few moments later, the bickering stopped. Though, it did not seem as if a resolution was reached. Even so, the four Sabertooth wizards all turned back to Alfonzo and once again spoke in unison.
"No matter who you blame for what happened, just know that the Princess had nothing to do with it."
"Oh my, it would seem you are quite loved, wouldn't it, Minerva?" Irene said as she stepped towards the spectacle.
After saying that, Irene glanced over her shoulder. And she could not help but giggle when she saw the embarrassed blush on Minerva's face.
At the same time, Irene's voice drew everyone's attention to her and Minerva. And like Irene, Alfonzo, Elicia, and Mirajane could not help giggling when they saw Minerva's expression. Meanwhile, Sting, Rogue, Rufus, and Orga wore similarly embarrassed expressions after being caught trying to steer the blame away from Minerva.
"*Sigh* What are you four doing?' Minerva asked after she managed to get her blushing under control.
"Nothing." X 4
Sting, Rogue, Rufus, and Orga replied to Minerva's question in unison while turning their heads away to avoid making eye contact with her. However, Minerva's stare that was boring into them was making them sweat nervously. Luckily, just before one of them could crack and spill the beans, Alfonzo spoke up, giving them a way out.
"Well, I don't blame any of you for what happened." Alfonzo said with a shrug and an amused smile on his face. "I mean, I read about your former guild master. So, I'm guessing he put you up to doing something like that. So, you don't need to worry about it."
Sting, Rogue, Rufus, and Orga exchanged confused glances upon hearing Alfonzo's response to their apology. However, they did not know how to react. Not being the sharpest tools in the shed, Sting, Rogue, and Orga were confused because Minerva and Rufus had admitted to them that it was the two of them who made the plan to get Alfonzo and Team Fairy Tail disqualified. Rufus, on the other hand, just did not know how to react to the fact that Alfonzo let it go so easily.
"Then, we'll thank you for your understanding." Minerva said, quickly interjecting before any of the less intelligent members of her team could say something to change Alfonzo's opinion. "And now that the truth about my father's misdeeds has come to light, there is no reason for Sabertooth to isolate itself any longer. So, as the acting guild master, I would like to formally request an alliance with Fairy Tail."
As Minerva finished her sentence, she bowed to show her sincerity. However, Alfonzo could only smile wryly at her request.
"Slow down a little." Alfonzo said while raising a hand. "That's something you should take up with our guild master, you know?"
"Yeah, Ur is the one who deals with things like that." Elicia added with a smile. "But she's around here somewhere. Probably scolding her disciples. I'm sure you'll be able to find her easy enough."
"Still, it's a good thing you know about this beforehand, Alfonzo." Mirajane said with a grin. "Because if an alliance is formed, you know she's gonna ask you to take a trip to their guild hall, right?"
"*Sigh* I know." Alfonzo replied. "Just so long as I get paid, I'll make it happen, though."
While Sting, Rogue, Rufus, and Orga were confused by the conversation happening at the table, Minerva's eyes lit up, as Irene had told her about the training chambers a couple of nights ago. And it would be a lie if she said she was not interested in something that could help make her guild stronger.
"Alfonzo, save me!"
Yet, before any of the confused Sabertooth wizards could ask any questions, a woman's panicked and scared voice rang out over the ball room. And when Alfonzo recognized it to be Erza's voice, he stood up from his seat with a frown on his face.
"It looks like the little perfume gremlin hasn't learned his lesson yet." Alfonzo muttered in an annoyed tone. "I'll be right back. I just need to put that fake gentleman in his place."
*Zap!*
Then before anyone could react, Alfonzo disappeared in a flash of violet light. Then, a shout of "Men~~~~~~~~~~~~~!" rang out over the ball room accompanied by the sound of flesh pummeling flesh. Yet, because this had become such a common occurrence over the years, no one really paid it any mind and the banquet continued.