https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-18-The-Women-of-the-Guild-Are-Tigers/12809317/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-20-What-Kind-of-Pet-Doesn-t-Do-Chores-/12809319/
Chapter 19: A Forbidden Area?
Chapter 19: A Forbidden Area?
"Ragoss?" Mira stood in front of Rod, raising an arm to shield him.
"Rod is a new member who joined the guild just the day before yesterday. He was just practicing his magic."
"Magic? That? Don't make me laugh!" Ragoss sneered. "That pitifully weak magic, what good is it?"
Worm was trembling in fear, and Rod frowned. This was the most hostile attitude he had encountered in the guild.
Even Porlyusica, who claimed to dislike humans, was incredibly meticulous when tending to the injured.
But this man in front of him seemed to genuinely dislike him...
No, it wasn't dislike, more like disdain. He seemed to exude a sense of superiority from head to toe.
New to the guild, Rod didn't want to stir up trouble. "If I disturbed you earlier, I apologize."
"Sure enough, not only is his magic weak, but his character is just as pitiful. I really wonder what the old man sees in someone like him."
Ragoss looked down, not just at Rod, but at Mira and the others. "There are already too many weaklings in Fairy Tail. Why should these guys even have the right to be my comrades? Huh?"
These words ignited the ire of many in the tavern, especially Natsu and Gray.
The two, who had been sitting quietly under Erza's watchful eye, slammed their hands on the table and stood up. "What did you say?"
The sound of glasses hitting the tables echoed throughout the room as everyone glared up at the blond youth. "Ragoss is still the same!"
Erza stopped chatting with her friends and said coldly, "No matter what, those words are going too far, Ragoss."
Ragoss's gaze met Erza's, and the tension was palpable. "Oh? Erza, are you going to defend these—"
"Enough!" Makarov, who had suddenly sobered up, slapped a mission sheet on the table. "Ragoss, there's a mission specifically for you. Go handle it."
"..." Ragoss looked at Makarov, who didn't even lift his head to meet his gaze.
He huffed and went downstairs to pick up the mission sheet before turning to leave. "Boring."
Everyone watched Ragoss depart, their dissatisfaction evident.
Natsu looked ready to charge up and start a fight, but Gray held him back with an arm around his neck.
In a corner of the tavern, two men and a woman silently got up and followed Ragoss.
The atmosphere in the tavern cooled as the group left. It took a while for everyone to settle back down and resume their conversations.
"Sorry, everyone, for causing trouble."
Rod felt that Ragoss might have issues, but the conflict today was because of him. Next time, he would practice in the courtyard.
"It's not your fault, that guy has always been like that," Laki said with a pout. "If he weren't the guild master's grandson, he would have been kicked out—"
"Laki!" Mira stopped her from continuing. The guild master was probably more hurt by Ragoss's behavior than anyone else.
"He's the guild master's grandson?" Rod compared the tall and imposing Ragoss to the short and stout guild master.
You wouldn't know it just by looking.
"Yes, he is my grandson, but..." Makarov looked in the direction of the guild's entrance. "I'm sorry, it's my responsibility that Ragoss has become this way. Don't pay any attention to what he says."
"No, no, you don't need to apologize..." Rod had a pretty good idea of what was going on.
Following the usual story pattern, this kid was likely told things like "No wonder you're the guild master's grandson" from a young age, leading to a rebellious attitude.
At first, it might not have been a big deal, but over time, he started wanting to earn recognition for his own abilities, not just his status as the guild master's grandson.
It seems that Moegi from the neighboring set is similar in that regard.
Laguzas, on the other hand, has been rebellious for a longer time, and it seems he's taken a bit of a wrong turn.
Rod tried to recall anything related to Laguzas but couldn't come up with much.
However, since Daisuke said it would be a happy ending, this kid will probably turn things around...
The guild gradually returned to its usual noisy state.
---
As the sun set and night fell, the guild hall was lit with lamps, and only a few patrons remained, drinking and chatting.
Rod was preparing to split the cleaning duties with Laki.
"Today, I'll clean the downstairs by myself," Laki said apologetically. "Because I came in so late this morning."
Rod replied, "Then I'll go upstairs."
Laki stopped him, "No, the upstairs needs to be cleaned by Mira."
"Huh?" Rod was confused, "I can do it too, Mira has been working hard today."
"No, you can't," Laki insisted, "The guild has a rule. Only a few approved people are allowed upstairs."
"…Why?"
It's like a secret area in a gang, Rod thought to himself. "Because the upstairs has a special bulletin board with extremely difficult S-Class missions," Laki explained.
"Although the rewards are substantial, one wrong move and you could lose your life. So only S-Class mages are allowed to take on those missions."
S-Class mages made sense to Rod; they were probably the strongest few in the guild.
He asked, "But why forbid everyone else from going upstairs?"
Laki sighed, "Because there are too many reckless people in the guild."
"That makes sense," Rod thought about the guild members and immediately understood the rule.
For example, someone like Natsu, who is both reckless and the protagonist, might sneak off to take on an S-Class mission one day.
This rule might have been made specifically for him.
No wonder only the most reliable member, Mira, is allowed upstairs.
"By the way, how many S-Class mages are there in the guild? Who's the strongest?"
"Hmm…" Laki thought for a moment, "Not counting the Master, the strongest is probably that old man, but he's been on a mission for two years and hasn't returned to the guild."
"Two years? What kind of mission takes that long?" Rod asked, both surprised and worried, "He must be in some kind of danger…"
"No, no…" Laki waved her hands, "Mr. Gildarts is like a monster in strength. No matter what the mission is, he won't be in any danger."
It seemed Laki had a lot of trust in the old man, so Rod stopped worrying. "What about the others?"
"Besides him, there are Laguzas, Mystogan, Erza, and… well, now it's just the three of them. As for who's the strongest, I'm not sure."
"You've met Laguzas and Erza. Mystogan… you probably won't see him. It seems only the Master knows his true identity."
Another mysterious person, Rod silently noted Mystogan's name.
The most troublesome one was Laguzas.
Rod was thinking about when he could help the Master teach the disrespectful grandson a lesson, to stop him from being so arrogant.
But considering his current summoning magic—Poro and the Rift Scuttler—it seemed he wouldn't be able to accomplish that anytime soon.
(End of Chapter)
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