Chapter 150: A Man Aiming to Be Guild Master

"What should we do now?"

On the train back to Magnolia, the Fairy Tail mages sat around the unconscious Makarov. Like a flock of sheep without their shepherd, their eyes were filled with confusion, and their morale was alarmingly low.

Seeing this, George shook his head. He realized that while Fairy Tail mages were exceptional in battle, their strategic thinking left much to be desired.

He amplified his voice with a spell and spoke firmly:

"Jose will not let this go easily. He's likely rallying the mages from all his guild's branches right now. At their current speed, they could attack as early as tomorrow morning."

Hearing George's analysis, the Fairy Tail mages grew visibly tense. Without Makarov, who could possibly stand against Jose? And with so many mages on his side, an overwhelming sense of despair began to take hold of them.

But George pressed on with his plan:

"So, here's what I propose:

First, we need to find a way to heal Master Makarov and restore his magic power as soon as possible.

Once we return to the guild, we must immediately construct defensive fortifications, set up magical barriers, and prepare every magic item we have for battle.

Report the Phantom Lord's attack to the Magic Council. Once the Council intervenes and starts investigating, we can buy time for the master's recovery.

Summon all Fairy Tail mages, especially the S-Class mages Laxus and Mystogan. If we can contact Gildarts, that would be even better.

Lastly, remember—there's no need to despair. Didn't we just manage to retreat successfully under Jose's nose? And we even took down one of their Element Four mages! If we stay united, we can make sure Phantom Lord regrets ever coming after us."

"That's right! George is absolutely right!" Natsu, who had been hovering in the air with his flames, immediately perked up. The others, hearing George's confident and logical plan, began to regain their spirits as well.

"Yeah, why should we be afraid? We're Fairy Tail! The strongest guild!"

Even though Makarov had been incapacitated, that didn't mean Fairy Tail was defeated. They were still Fairy Tail, and they were going to prove it.

"There's a healer named Porlyusica living in the eastern forest," Erza suggested, raising her hand. "She's a highly skilled healing mage and an old friend of the master's. If we bring him to her, I'm confident she can help him recover."

"Perfect," George nodded. "The first thing we'll do when we get back is take the master to see Porlyusica."

Mira added, "Once we're back, I'll write to Councilor Yajima. He used to be one of our guild members and is one of the master's closest friends. He's always spoken on Fairy Tail's behalf at the Council. I can also use the magical crystal ball to contact Laxus and his Thunder God Tribe, urging them to return immediately."

"That's fantastic!" George grinned. "Once we're fully prepared, we'll make sure every Phantom Lord mage regrets crossing us."

George's confidence reignited the spirits of the guild members. With renewed energy, they cheered, their morale soaring.

"George really has a reassuring presence," Mirajane murmured, watching him wave his cat paw as he rallied everyone with just a few words.

Nearby, Erza, Natsu, Gray, Happy, and Lucy all nodded in agreement.

At this moment, George had gained the complete trust of all the Fairy Tail mages present—not only through the strength he displayed in battle but also through his strategic mind.

'If this continues, once I master Transformation Magic and can appear in human form all the time, I might really have a chance to become guild master,' George thought, a subtle smile tugging at his lips.

Seeing Makarov cast Fairy Law during the earlier battle had only solidified his desire to become the next guild master. Only as guild master could he learn such powerful Light Magic.

But the first step to becoming guild master was earning the trust and recognition of all the guild members.

Of course, mastering Transformation Magic was also essential. Representing the guild in his cat form might not leave the best impression.

Currently, George was learning Transformation Magic from Mira, but he hadn't made much progress yet.

Transformation Magic in this world had three stages: Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced.

Basic Transformation: Alters appearance but does not affect clothing.

Intermediate Transformation: Changes both appearance and clothing. However, this stage reduces the user's power output to half of their original strength.

Advanced Transformation: Allows the user to fully maintain their original strength without any limitations.

George was still stuck at the beginner level and couldn't even manage a basic transformation.

When the train reached Magnolia, the guild quickly sprang into action:

Alzack and Bisca escorted Makarov to Porlyusica's home in the eastern forest.

Mira wrote to Councilor Yajima and contacted Laxus via magic crystal.

Macao and Wakaba retrieved all the guild's combat and defensive magic tools from the warehouse.

Levy led the guild's mages in constructing a defensive barrier around the entire guild.

Meanwhile, George pulled Natsu aside to test a certain idea of his.

By nightfall, everything was in place. The mages washed up and prepared to rest, waiting for Phantom Lord's inevitable attack.

"George," Mirajane said softly, her eyes red, "Laxus refused to return. He said he'd only help if the master agrees to step down and pass the guild to him."

"I can't believe it," she continued. "How can someone like that be a member of Fairy Tail? He's the master's grandson, no less!"

George frowned but smirked. "Doesn't he understand? You don't become guild master to gain everyone's respect. You gain everyone's respect to become guild master."

The other mages nodded in agreement.

"With an attitude like that, there's no way I'll support him as guild master," one said.

In Fairy Tail, bloodlines didn't dictate succession. The second guild master had taken over because of her shared vision with the first, and the third, Makarov, had earned his position through the trust and recognition of the guild members.

If Laxus didn't change, he'd never be guild master—no matter his lineage.