"Yo, Master, what's the matter? Did you guys miss us already? " Gildarts asked in his usual laid-back tone as he looked at Makarov through the communication crystal.
Akira at his side facepalmed. Did you really think the Master has that much free time to think about a perverted middle-aged man like you?
" Gildarts, where are the both of you? " Makarov asked immediately with a serious expression.
"Huh, well, we are heading to the capital city now. We were thinking of taking a train from here," Gildarts replied as he got serious too after seeing Makarov's expression.
" Great, then there is still some time left. Gildarts, I want you to head to the capital as fast as possible. And stay there for the next few days. " Makarov said seriously.
"Hmm, Master, what happened? " Akira asked in surprise. Why did this old man want him and Gildarts out of Magnolia?
" I just got a challenge letter from the council. Apparently, there is a rising star who is now challenging all the Ten Great Saints. " Makarov said, making Akira widen his eyes in surprise.
" Hey, is that true? " Gildarts asked in surprise. You know, even he isn't that bold. And this is coming from a man who once destroyed a council branch headquarters by accident.
" Who is it, Master? " Akira asked. Was something like this mentioned in the story?
" His name is Serena. From what I know, he is a young and very talented wizard. And what's more, from what I heard, this guy has planted 8 different dragon Lacrimas in his body. " Makarov said as everyone instinctively took a glance at Laxus.
After the fight with Akira, everyone in the guild knew that Laxus is a dragon slayer who had a dragon Lacrima placed inside of him.
And even with one dragon, Lacrima Laxus is very strong. So imagining the power of eight dragon Lacrima at the same time made everyone shiver in fright.
'Serene, Serene, where did I hear that name before?' Akira wondered as he began to think deeply about this. It only clicked on him when he heard about the Eight Dragon Lacrima.
' Holy hell, isn't that the guy God Serena who would later become the No. 1 Heavenly King and then defect to Zeref's country and become one of the Spriggan Twelve?' Akira thought in shock.
" So Master, did you accept his challenge?" Gildarts asked with a raised eyebrow. Makarov could easily reject this challenge if he didn't like it. After all, it's not like he isn't the only one who has the title Ten Great Saints.
"Well, Master has no choice in this matter. " It was Akira who replied to this, making Gildarts turn to him.
Seeing Gildarts and even some of his guildmates are clueless about this, Akira sighed as he began his explanation, " Do any of you know how rare and costly a Dragon Lacrima is?"
And without waiting for an answer, he continued, " A dragon Lacrima is created with the heart of a dragon, and it is so rare that no ordinary wizard could even see it for their entire lifetime. And even if you somehow managed to find one in an auction, you would simply lose your mind if you ever thought of buying it, as one Lacrima can be priced close to a small town's annual revenue. So for a person to get his hands on not one but eight different Dragon Lacrima is simply outrageous. "
"So you mean that there is some bigshot sponsoring him?" Gildarts asked as he got Akira's meaning.
"Yes, and if my guess is correct, the one backing this guy is none other than the chairman of the Magic Council, since only he, who has the resources and vast information network and connections, could be qualified to find eight different Dragon Lacrimas. " Akira said as he looked at Makarov for confirmation.
"Yes, what Akira said is correct. This letter is sent by the chairmen himself " Makarov said with a deep sigh. If this is just an ordinary challenge letter then he might be able to refuse but since it came directly from the chairmen Makarov has no choice but to agree to this.
" But Master, why do you want me and Akira to stay away from Magnolia? Since this guy is clearly coming to cause trouble, shouldn't I also be there? "Gildarts asked. Although he isn't a Great Saint, he didn't think he would lose against one either.
Akira also looked at Makarov. Since he couldn't read Makarov's thoughts from here, he was also curious why Makarov would want to hide them from Serena.
That guy Crawford most likely wanted to create a powerful wizard who could beat Gildarts as compared to the aging Makarov. Gildarts is obviously more stronger and has more potential. Challenging Makarov was just an excuse in order to cover up their true goal.
After all, if Gildarts was defeated by Serena they could show to the public that the Magic Council is still the true big boss. And what's more, they could also disperse the talks about how the council is afraid of Gildarts who cause destruction everywhere he walks. So in short this is a game of politics.
The council felt threatened by Gildarts existence and wanted someone from their own faction to keep him under control.
But since this is an inevitable thing, no matter what, that guy Serena is going to be the leader of the Heavenly Kings sooner or later, so it wouldn't be strange for him to drop by and duel with Gildarts. So there is really no point in trying to avoid him.
Makarov was silent for a moment. He then looked at Akira and spoke, "Well, I don't want the council to be aware of Akira's existence yet. "
While the others were confused about Makarov's words only Sera, Laxus, and Akira understood Makarov's intention. Although Akira's mask may be able to hide it, he still is a dragon. If Serena, who has eight Dragon Lacrimas, were to notice his existence, things could get really complicated.
"Okay, Master, I will stay in the capital city for the next week. Please give me a message after the fight is over," Gildarts said. Although he didn't get Makarov's hidden meaning, he still obeyed his orders. He probably thought Akira's high talent would attract unwanted attention from the council.
"Okay, and don't destroy any buildings; the guild is very short on money for me to pay for the damages," Makarov added before he cut the connection.
"Well, you hear that kid? It seems like we have to find a place to crash in for a week, " Gildarts said with a smile.
"Well then we should hurry up. I heard the main gates would close before it was 6 in the evening. " Akira said as he stashed away the communication crystal.
"That's true." Gildarts nodded as he and Akira increased their walking speed. Although they could camp outside, they still prefer sleeping in an actual bed instead of on the ground.
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