Fairy Tail: Collapsing Stars

Chapter 318: The Poisoned Wine Bestowed by the King

Shortly after Precht left the guild, news spread throughout Fairy Tail that their second guild master, Precht, had departed to continue his travels.

"What? Master Precht has already left?!"

"Damn, I wanted to talk to Master Precht and experience the depths of magic!"

When Erza heard of Precht's departure, she looked disappointed. She had genuinely wanted to spar with Precht.

"Did that old man leave the guild?"

Laxus was also somewhat surprised. He had thought his grandfather would persuade Precht to stay longer, as he too wanted to learn from the powerful Precht.

"If I had known, I should have challenged the second master yesterday. What a mistake."

Mirajane, dressed in a simple white dress with her bangs styled into a little brush, appeared calm but spoke rather harshly upon hearing of Precht's departure.

"See, Precht? I told you, the kids in the guild really like you~"

"Now that you've left, they all feel reluctant to let you go~"

Sitting at a table near the bar, Evan smiled faintly after hearing Erza, Laxus, and Mirajane's remarks, feeling quite touched.

After all, in Fairy Tail, they always respect their elders and honor their predecessors.

"I think the second master felt too embarrassed to stay, which is why he left."

"Yeah, especially since the guys he brought with him were all beaten up by us~"

"Hahaha, that's true..."

The gamblers in the guild chuckled lightly at Precht's departure. Despite losing their bets because almost everyone bet on their own guild members winning, they were still happy about Fairy Tail's victory and took the opportunity to mock Precht's lack of proper teaching.

Fairy Tail is all about respecting the elders and caring for the young...

"Excuse me, is this the Fairy Tail guild?"

Amidst the laughter and joy, the guild's main door slowly opened, and a warrior in armor walked in.

"That insignia... is he a soldier of Fiore?"

"What is a soldier from Fiore doing at our Fairy Tail guild?"

"I have a bad feeling about this..."

As the soldier entered the guild, the lively atmosphere quieted down. All the guild members paused their activities, warily eyeing the soldier, prepared for any threat. As members of Fairy Tail, they naturally harbored some hostility towards soldiers.

"Excuse me, is this the Fairy Tail guild?"

The soldier asked again, receiving no response. He needed confirmation that he was in the right place.

"Ah, yes, this is Fairy Tail. What business does a soldier have here?"

Gildarts, who had been sitting at the bar drinking, stood up and approached the soldier, asking with a slight smile. At the same time, Gildarts subtly positioned himself to protect the other guild members, giving them a sense of security.

"Phew, good, this is the Fairy Tail guild."

"I am the captain of Fiore's Third Infantry Corps. I'm here to fulfill a promise made by our king to the members of Fairy Tail."

"Starting today, all drinks in Fairy Tail will be provided for free by the Kingdom of Fiore."

After hearing Gildarts' confirmation, the soldier smiled and relayed the message entrusted to him by King Toma E. Fiore.

"What?!"

The entire Fairy Tail guild erupted in astonishment at the soldier's words, their eyes widening in disbelief.

"Everyone, bring in the drinks~"

As the guild members processed their shock, the soldier clapped his hands, and the main door opened again. Soldiers carrying crates of alcohol entered, stacking them into a small mountain inside the guild.

"Now, all the drinks have been delivered..."

"In addition, there are two royal hotels in Magnolia where drinks are also free for you. This applies to all royal hotels across the country~"

"These are the promises from our king~"

The soldier stood straight, speaking softly to the Fairy Tail mages.

"What?!"

Once more, the Fairy Tail guild burst into loud exclamations of shock.

"Wait, when did the King of Fiore make this promise?"

"Has anyone seen the king recently?"

"Or is there a royal family member hidden in our guild?"

The guild members looked at each other, questioning if anyone had seen the king recently.

"No, we haven't..."

Everyone's answer was the same—no one had seen the king.

Until...

"Hahaha, Gray, I stole your underwear again~"

Amidst the laughter, a little boy with short pink hair, wearing a red crown and holding white underwear, appeared before them, and the realization struck.

"Natsu, who gave you that crown on your head?"

The guild members surrounded Natsu, their faces filled with shock as they stared at the crown.

"You're asking about this?"

"This was given to me by the kind man from yesterday~"

Natsu replied, taking off the crown and smiling.

"Of course!"

"That guy from yesterday wasn't an actor; he was the real deal!"

The moment Natsu spoke, the realization hit everyone in Fairy Tail. They clutched their heads in despair.

"So yesterday, I made the king drink five bottles of alcohol?!"

"Oh no! What did I do?"

Recalling their actions at the banquet, one guild member held their head in pain.

"I even took photos of the king..."

"Photos of him and Lyon running around naked..."

"Will the king send assassins to silence me?"

Another member looked at their camera with a pained expression, wondering why they had photographed such blackmail material involving the king.

"That's nothing!"

"Yeah, really..."

"We're the ones in real trouble!"

"Yesterday, we pinned the king down and stamped the Fairy Tail emblem on his butt!"

Four guild members tearfully held their hearts, lamenting their actions.

"Such actions definitely deserve the death penalty, right?"

"If I were the king, I'd definitely sentence us to death for this!"

"We're doomed!"

The guild members regretted their behavior from the previous day, realizing they had unknowingly played with the real King Toma E. Fiore. They couldn't fathom that Evan had brought in the actual king, not an actor.

"Great King Toma E. Fiore, instead of enjoying life in the palace, came to this remote town to play with a bunch of poor mages. This can't be right!"

"Anyway, the king's wine has been delivered~"

"May we meet again~"

After delivering the wine, the soldier bowed slightly to the Fairy Tail mages, leaving a mysterious smile before departing.

"Hey, did you hear what he just said?"

"What does it mean?"

"Could it be that the king poisoned the wine?"

"Hahaha, no way, right?"

As the soldier left, the guild members laughed nervously, looking at each other with changing expressions.

"No! Wait..."

"The king might really have poisoned the wine."

"Maybe we know too much, so he decided to get rid of us?"

The guild members exchanged incredulous glances, unable to believe their situation.

"This is bad..."

One mage with a weaker mindset felt his legs give way, collapsing in worry.

"Yeah, this is really bad!"

The four who stamped the king's butt were pale, feeling as though their death was imminent.

"Huh? Where did all this wine come from?"

Just then, Cana, who had just walked into the guild, saw the crates of alcohol. She licked her lips and walked over, pulling out a bottle and drinking deeply.

"No, Cana!"

"Stop..."

"Be careful, the wine might be poisoned!"

Seeing Cana drink the king's wine, the guild members were shocked and shouted warnings.

But it was too late...

"Glug glug glug..."

Cana chugged the entire bottle in no time.

"Ah~"

"Refreshing! This wine is way better than the cheap stuff we have in the guild! You can tell it's high-quality!"

Cana smiled contentedly after drinking, her face glowing with pleasure.

"Cana?! Are you okay?"

"Are you feeling unwell?"

"Cana, are you alright?"

The guild members crowded around Cana, asking anxiously.

"Huh?!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Why would I be unwell? Do you think I'm the type to pass out after one bottle?"

"Come on, don't underestimate me!"

Cana, hearing their concerns, looked annoyed. She couldn't believe they doubted her.

They should know that she could drink fifty bottles and still be standing! At least when it came to drinking...

In fact, the only person who could rival her in drinking was Bacchus from Quatro Cerberus. But Bacchus' ability was related to his magic, while Cana's was purely natural. According to Precht, Cana's drinking ability was so impressive it was as if she had a magic designed for it.

In other words, Cana had reached a magical level of drinking, which made her incredibly strong in this area.

"Wait, Cana is fine?"

The guild members, realizing Cana was perfectly okay after drinking the king's wine, were stunned.

"Could it be that the wine wasn't poisoned?"

"Maybe we were just overreacting?"

"Should we try it too?"

The other drinkers, seeing Cana unaffected, couldn't resist their curiosity any longer. They approached the crates, pulled out bottles, and prepared to drink.

"Leave it to us!"

The four who stamped the king's butt decided to be brave again. They raised their bottles, their expressions serious.

"Sip~"

Taking a deep breath, they mustered the courage, opened the bottles, and drank.

"Glug glug glug..."

The refreshing wine flowed down their throats, the delightful sensation spreading through their bodies.

"Oh no! This, this is..."

Their eyes widened in realization.

"What? Is there really poison?"

The others, watching them closely, were shocked and asked repeatedly.

"This wine is too good! We can't stop drinking..."

Just as the others were about to fetch a doctor, the four smiled and sighed in pleasure.

"You idiots, don't scare us like that!"

The others, realizing there was no poison, shouted in anger.

With the confirmation that the wine was safe, the rest decided to join in.

They gathered around the crates, grabbed bottles, opened them, and drank deeply.

"Glug glug glug glug..."

The refreshing wine filled their chests, the pleasant sensation spreading through their bodies...

The guild members smiled happily: "This wine is so refreshing! Completely different from the cheap stuff in the guild!"

"Right!"

The four who drank first nodded in agreement.

"Drink!!"

Once again, the guild was filled with laughter and joy.