Earth Land, Ishgar, kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.
July 19, x790.
Two days have passed since Alfonzo, Elicia, Marin, Sun, and Brandish returned from their trip to Balsam Village. In that time, nothing of note took place. Since all the Fairy Tail wizards in Magnolia were prohibited from taking quests for the time being, the only thing everyone did was train, spend time at the guild, laze around at home, or in Alfonzo's case, start working on the Final Fantasy equipment order.
Though, Alfonzo was not working alone. Now that the design process was completed, Alfonzo spent most of his time in his workshop with Ai, who had become is magic item crafting assistant for quite some time.
As for those who were outside of Magnolia on quests, namely, Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe, Gildarts, Ultear, and Erza, the only one who had returned from their quests was Erza. And as soon as she arrived in Magnolia, the first thing she did was find Alfonzo to get her strawberry shortcake fix. However, today, the next group of wizards would return.
"Master Alfonzo, you have some guests." Maria said from the workshop's door.
"Huh?" Alfonzo intoned as he spread his [Magic Power Detection to cover the mansion. "Oh, Laxus, Saya, and Chico are here. I guess I know what this is about."
After saying that, Alfonzo put his hands on the workbench and stood up.
"Ai, can you take care of this and this?" Alfonzo asked while pointing at an [Archive Magic Screen]. "After that, I'll take care of the rest when I get back."
"Understood, Master Alfonzo." Ai replied with a polite bow.
Alfonzo then turned to Maria.
"Maria, let them know I'll be down after I change out of these work clothes.
Currently, Alfonzo was only wearing a sleeveless shirt and a pair of shorts. Though, they were a little old and worn, the reason why he wore them when working.
"As you wish, Master Alfonzo." Maria replied with a polite bow of her own.
With that, Maria took her leave. At the same time, Alfonzo made his way into his bedroom to grab a fresh change of clothes before taking a quick shower.
About twenty minutes later, Alfonzo was once again wearing a sleeveless shirt and a pair of shorts. Though, this set was much newer, and in better condition, than the earlier set. He then made his way down to the living room where he could feel Laxus, Chico, and Saya waiting for him.
"Yo, what's up?" Alfonzo asked with a wave as he entered the living room. "Did you three come straight here? Or did you stop by the guild first?"
"Came straight here." Laxus replied nonchalantly. "Fried can handle reporting on the quest."
"True." Alfonzo replied with a shrug. "And since you're here, I guess I'll tell you then."
Hearing that, Laxus raised an eyebrow while Chico and Saya looked at Alfonzo with inquisitive gazes.
"Tell us what?" Saya asked while crossing her arms across her chest.
"Did something happen at the guild hall?" Chico asked, sounding a bit worried.
"Nah." Alfonzo replied, waving dismissively as he did so. "Just something Ur said to everyone."
"Just spit it out." Laxus ordered.
"Sounds like someone's looking to get spanked again." Alfonzo said with a challenging grin.
"We'll see about that." Laxus said, a similar grin stretching across his face.
"You boys can have another fight later." Saya said while glaring at Laxus. "For now, can we just hear Master Ur's message?"
"Of course." Alfonzo said, his grin disappearing as quickly as it came. "Ur wants everyone to stay in Magnolia until the whole guild is assembled. "She said she has an announcement to make. Something that involves the whole guild."
After delivering Ur's message, Alfonzo could see the three in front of him tense for a moment.
"Take it easy." Alfonzo said as he finally decided to take a seat. "From what I could tell, it wasn't bad. But it did seem important."
"*Sigh* I guess that's fine, then." Laxus said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Anyway, that's not why we came here."
"I figured." Alfonzo replied. "Hell, you didn't even know about that before you got here. Anyway, so when's the wedding gonna be and what venue did you choose?"
Alfonzo's two questions caused the three to look at him with dumbfounded expressions on their faces.
"How?" Chico asked.
"Seriously?" Alfonzo asked with an eyebrow raised. "I mean, it's common for Laxus and Saya to drop by to see either me or the girls. But Chico, you almost never come by. So, for all three of you to be here, what could it be other than your wedding?"
Chico could not help but blush at Alfonzo's observation. Although she considered everyone living in the Mansion on the Lake her friends, especially since she had known them for most of her life, being around all these women with big breasts made herself conscious. So, she usually waited to meet them at the guild hall.
"Well, we chose a date." Laxus said with a shrug, not all that bothered by being seen through. "We want to have it in September. That way, we'll have enough for a honeymoon and can still be back by the Harvest Festival."
"As for the venue, we plan to ask Master Ur if we can use the guild hall." Saya added while adjusting her glasses. "It feels the most fitting, since the guild is what brought us all together."
"Sure." Alfonzo replied with a shrug. "I guess you should go talk to Lici next, then. She should be at the guild hall right now. I'm sure you want her to make your dresses and all that shit, right?"
"Of course." Chico said with a smile. "Is there anyone better in Fiore?"
"Probably not." Alfonzo replied. "If her sales numbers are anything to go by, anyway."
Like that, the four chatted about the upcoming wedding for a while longer. Laxus, Saya, and Chico left early in the evening to head to the guild hall to talk to the rest of the bridal party about the wedding's details, Elicia to talk about the dresses and tuxedos for the bridal party, and Ur to reserve the guildhall as the venue.
Meanwhile, Alfonzo, since he was free, decided to take a break from the Final Fantasy orders. Instead, he spent some time playing with his children until the ladies returned from the guild hall. After that, with Grayfia and Maria as his assistants, he started cooking dinner.
While Alfonzo was cooking, the ladies in his life returned from the guild hall, even Irene, who did not live there, and Brandish, who was not in a relationship with Alfonzo showed up.
"Allow me to assist, as well." Saeko said as she made her way into the kitchen.
"Maybe next time." Alfonzo said while pulling a pan out of the oven. "We're pretty much done here."
"I see." Saeko replied as she continued to approach Alfonzo. "Next time, then."
As soon as she finished speaking, while avoiding the hot pan floating next to Alfonzo, Saeko stood up on the tips of her toes before planting a kiss on Alfonzo's cheek. Then, she went back into the dining room to join the others at the table.
"Miss Saeko is really dedicated." Maria said with a smile. "She spends a lot of time learning how to cook from me."
"She's asked me for lessons, as well." Grayfia added. "Unfortunately, I have little time to teach."
"Well, I know she's in good hands." Alfonzo said as he put the finishing touches on another dish. "I mean, you made it so that Mira's cooking was not a---"
"What was that about my cooking?" Mirajane asked as she entered the kitchen. "Did you want me to cook tomorrow?"
"Nah, I was just thanking Grayfia and Maria for taking the time to help you improve your cooking." Alfonzo replied.
"Yes, they really did help a lot." Mirajane said with a smile. "By the way, where are the kids?"
"Oh, I put them down for a nap a little before I started cooking." Alfonzo replied. "They should probably be waking up soon, though."
As if they were waiting for Alfonzo to say that, Ikaruga and Mey-Rin led Amar'e and Bianca into the dining room while Miyuki followed slightly behind them with Calvin in her arms.
After that, Alfonzo contacted Ai telepathically and told her to take a break for dinner. Then, once she arrived in the dining room, the six maids tended to the family while they all sat down to eat.
July 20, x790.
The next day, everyone was called to the guild hall, as Ultear, the only one still on a quest would be arriving before noon. So, everyone living in the Mansion on the Lake took the time to get ready. Then, with the children in tow, they all made their way to the guild hall, even the six maids.
"Does anyone have any idea what this announcement Ur has been talking about is?" Lucy asked while holding Bianca's hand as the group walked towards the guild hall.
"No clue." Marin replied. "I mean, she's been keeping it under wraps the whole time."
"Yeah, she hasn't even told Tear yet." Cana added.
"Well, at least we'll find out today." Alfonzo said.
"Maybe she's gonna announce that Fonzie will be the next guild master." Elicia said in a playful tone.
Immediately, Alfonzo stopped walking as his body shuddered.
"No!" Alfonzo said sharply. "There's no way I'm becoming the master of our guild full of ruffians. Even with the point system in place, Ur spends most of her time doing paperwork and writing apology letters to the guild."
When she heard Alfonzo's reason for not wanting to become the guild master, Lucy could not help but blush. It was her team that was responsible for a good part of that paper work, after all. As for the other member of Team Natsu who was among the group, Erza seemed to be completely unbothered by the fact that she was one of the most destructive members of the guild.
Cana, like Erza, was also unrepentant. However, a mischievous glint sparkled in her eyes as she leaned towards Alfonzo to whisper in his ear.
"You know, if you became the guild master, you could call me to your office to punish me whenever I break too much stuff."
Alfonzo did not react to Cana's statement the way she thought he would. Instead of showing an excited, perverted smile, he only glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes before starting to walk forward again.
"What are you talking about, Cana?" Alfonzo asked, not lowering his voice. "I punish you in my office all the time already. The only difference in that case would be how high up we are when we do it."
To everyone's surprise, Cana actually blushed as she turned away.
"What is this about punishment in the office?" Elicia asked, a somewhat frustrated glint in her eyes. "Have you two been leaving me out of the fun?"
"N-No, of course not." Cana said. "It's not what you're thinking."
"Cana's right." Alfonzo added. "This has been a real punishment. I just don't wanna embarrass her like that one time on Sixth Sense."
"Aww! You should tell us whenever you do that." Mirajane said in a slightly sadistic tone. "I mean, that was pretty funny."
"It wouldn't be so funny if you were the one getting punished." Cana shot back.
"Then, maybe you shouldn't do stupid stuff all the time." Mirajane said. "I mean, you have enough control of your magic to not destroy whole streets, right? You deserve to be punished for being that impatient. And don't get me started about what you tried to do back in x784. The whole reason you were punished on Sixth Sense in the first place. I mean, seriously, how could you be so selfish?"
The more she spoke, the more irritated Mirajane felt herself getting. And the other ladies were showing similar expressions. So, Cana quickly spoke up before she became a public enemy.
"Okay, okay, I get it." Cana muttered. "You don't have to bring that up. I was stupid back then. I already know that."
Naturally, that caused all the girls who were present for Cana's punishment on the Sixth Sense to relax their expressions before starting to laugh. And because their mothers were laughing, Amar'e and Bianca also started laughing. Meanwhile, all the ladies who were not there for that event asked around to get some details. However, no one said anything, not wanting to take things too far with Cana, as she was prone to destroying things on a large scale.
Not long later, the group arrived in the guild hall. When they did, they saw that the stage had been lowered from the wall across from the bar. At the same time, most of the guild members were seated in chairs facing the stage. As for Ur, who had set up this environment, she was nowhere to be seen.
Ultear had not arrived just yet, either. So, they all knew it would be a while before the announcement was made. Even so, Alfonzo and the ladies made their way into the seated crowd and took seats near Irene and Brandish, who had arrived not long ago, as well.
"I get the feeling you know what this is about, Irene." Alfonzo said as he took a seat next to her. "And I don't wanna spoil the surprise, but I have to know..."
Reaching that point, Alfonzo's eyes were filled with solemnity before he asked his question.
"Is Ur going to appoint me the next guild master?" Alfonzo asked in a deadly serious tone.
Seeing the expression on Alfonzo's face, Irene only smiled. And when Alfonzo saw that smile, he could only fear the worst. Yet, before he could question her further, Irene turned away and started chatting with Brandish. And no matter how much Alfonzo tried to get her attention, Irene ignored him.
'Damn it...' Alfonzo groaned internally.
Though Alfonzo was unable to get an answer out of Irene, who he was now sure knew what was going on, the rest of the guild continued to chat and try to guess the reason for Ur's gathering. Then, about half an hour later, the guild's doors slid open, revealing that Ultear had finally arrived.
"Good, everyone is here." Ur said, stepping out onto the stage before Ultear could even greet anyone.
However, when Ur stepped onto the stage, she was not alone. Makarov had also walked with her onto the stage. And to everyone's surprise, he was tearing up as he did so.
"What's up with Gramps?" Elicia asked in a confused tone.
"Maybe he's getting out of his Magic Council duties." Gray said with a shrug. "I never understand what's going through his head, anyway."
"Alright, be quiet everyone." Ur said. "As I mentioned before, I have an announcement to make."
Stopping to build the tension, Ur looked around at the gathered wizards. And although they all drove her crazy from time to time, she could not help but feel a swell of pride for the wizards she helped nurture, even if it was only for a few years.
Yet, when she laid her eyes on Alfonzo, Ur almost broke the atmosphere. Seeing him with his hands clasped in prayer almost made her laugh at the top of her lungs. Luckily, she was able to hold it in, the only evidence of her struggle was the twitching of her lips.
"*Cough* Anyway, let's get down to business." Ur said sternly. "Today, I'll be stepping down as guild master."
*Gasp!*
The Fairy Tail wizards gasped in unison. Meanwhile, Alfonzo started praying even harder while sweat started to drip down his face.
"Yes, although I'm proud to be your guild master, I've realized that there is someone better suited for this responsibility." Ur continued, trying her hardest not to lose her composure over Alfonzo's actions. "This person has done more for the guild than any of its wizards ever have. In fact, without them, I doubt the guild would be even close to what it is now."
The more Ur spoke, some of the guild's smarter members started putting two and two together as they turned to stare at Alfonzo, who looked as if he was about to cry. Despite that, they all thought he would make a fine guild master, even if he was still relatively young.
"So, without further ado, allow me to introduce the sixth master of the Fairy Tail wizarding Guild." Ur said, her voice taking on a grandiose tone. She then paused for dramatic effect before continuing. "Mavis Vermillion, the founder of the guild will be once again taking the position of guild master. And with her guidance and strategic capabilities, I'm sure our guild will rise to heights never before seen!"
There were no cheers for Ur's announcement. Instead, they all looked at her with confusion, not expecting an old guild master to be reinstated. Meanwhile, Alfonzo looked as if someone had teleported all the bones out of his body as he just flopped back in his seat.
Mavis, on the other hand, hopped out of her seat with a wide smile on her face. Then, she started walking towards the stage to address her wizards as the guild master once again. And if you consider how long it had been since she did so, the excitement shining in her eyes was completely understandable.