Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.
February 2, x792.
Shortly after the spar between Elicia and Mirajane ended, Alfonzo, Elicia, and Mirajane were walking down the corridor to the large bath Alfonzo built to relax after a tough training session. Along the way, it was clear what the three were planning to do in the baths as they found it hard to keep their hands off each other.
However, before they could reach the changing room, Alfonzo heard the sound of the elevator opening on the other end of the hall.
"Hey, take it easy, you two." Alfonzo said in an exasperated tone. "Someone's coming down the elevator. And it could be the kids since we weren't there when they woke up."
Hearing that someone was coming, Elicia and Mirajane were quite visibly annoyed. However, when they heard that the kids may be among the newcomers, they straightened out their expressions quickly.
*Click!* *Click!* *Click!*
Then, just as the trio reached the bathroom, the sound of footsteps could be hard leaving the elevator. Two sets of footsteps, to be exact.
"Well, at least we know it's not the kids." Alfonzo muttered.
At the same time, Elicia and Mirajane's moods rose again and they went back to pawing at Alfonzo with obvious intensions. However, before they could really get back into the groove of things, they were interrupted once again.
"Just as you said, Grayfia, they were down here." Irene said from down the hall. "And just as I expected, they were acting like animals in heat right after training."
"Oh, it's Irene." Elicia said cheerfully while tugging at Alfonzo's clothing. "Wanna join us? We're gonna have some fun."
"As tempting an offer as that may be, I came here for something more important." Irene said with a smile while tipping her witch hat in the trio's direction. "Unfortunately, I'll need to borrow Alfonzo for the morning."
"Of course, you will." Mirajane said while rolling her eyes. "And what exactly do you need my husband for?"
"OUR husband." Elicia pointed out.
"Small details." Mirajane replied nonchalantly.
"Well, I think it's time for us to have that fight we talked about a couple of months ago." Irene said with a smile. "Let's settle who the guild's strongest wizard is, Alfonzo."
Hearing that, Alfonzo's eyes lit up with battle thirst. Yet, before he could reply to Irene, someone beat him to it.
"So… Um… do you think you could wait an hour?" Elicia asked sheepishly. "No, maybe two. Actually, let's make that six. Yeah, six hours should be enough."
While Grayfia's expression did not change at Elicia's nonsense, everyone else turned to look at her with deadpan expressions.
"Is that too long?" Elicia asked innocently.
"So, have you decided where we should have this fight?" Alfonzo asked, deciding to ignore Elicia for the time being. "Because if we go all out, we'll do a lot of damage."
"I was thinking on the border of Bosco and Stella." Irene replied. "You know, the place where you last faced off against Acnologia."
"Hmm… That's not a bad idea." Alfonzo said while rubbing his chin in contemplation. "But I'm sure Bosco and Stella won't be too happy about us fighting there."
"Hey! Don't ignore me!" Elicia shouted indignantly.
"That's true." Irene replied with a nod. "But if given enough time, with the two of us working together, I'm sure we could setup a barrier that would make it so they never even know a battle took place there."
"Can't really deny that." Alfonzo replied with a shrug. "But I'm not even sure how long that would take. I mean, there's a lot to consider to make a barrier of that size and strength."
"And that's why we need to get started now." Irene reasoned. "Otherwise, we might not get the chance to before he makes his move."
Naturally, Alfonzo and Elicia knew Irene was referring to Zeref, causing both of their expressions to turn solemn. Meanwhile, Mirajane pouted because she did not know who they were talking about. As for Grayfia, her expression stayed just as stoic as always.
"Alright, I guess we can do that." Alfonzo said after a few moments of thought. "But we'll need accurate topographical data and ethernano density. I'll also need quite a few materials. I can make those myself, though. I'll just need time."
"Of course." Irene replied. "Don't worry, I've already collected the data you need about the topography and ethernano density."
As she spoke, Irene summoned Belserion into her hand. A moment later, Irene's magic power gathered between the claw-like protrusions on the staff. Then, it expanded to display all the data Irene collected since the day she discussed the battle with Alfonzo.
Naturally, Alfonzo immediately used [Archive Magic] to record the data. Then, once that was done, he turned to Elicia and Mirajane with an apologetic expression on his face.
"Sorry about this." Alfonzo said, his tone genuinely apologetic. "I know you were looking forward to what we were going to do. But this is important to me."
"It's fine." Mirajane replied with a dismissive wave. "Although it would have been fun, Lici was the one who was really looking forward to it."
"Why does everyone make me sound like some kind of pervert?" Elicia asked indignantly.
Once again, everyone ignored Elicia and continued the conversation.
"Thanks for understanding." Alfonzo said with a smile as he pulled Mirajane into a hug before kissing her passionately. "Don't worry, I'll make it up to you after this is over."
"You'd better." Mirajane replied with a grin. "And by the time you've claimed the title as the strongest wizard in the guild, I'll have defeated Lici, too."
"Don't hold your breath." Elicia replied in a competitive tone. "First you should be able to beat Erza consistently before thinking of beating me."
Hearing that, Mirajane separated from Alfonzo's embrace. Then, she glared at Elicia with her own competitive nature on full display.
Slowly, the two women approached each other, only stopping when their breasts were pressed together, deforming their shapes. All the while, they stared into each other's eyes, neither woman willing to back down.
"Wow… I haven't seen Mira like this since she was a kid." Alfonzo said with an amused expression on his face. "And to think, she's actually looking at someone other than Erza like that."
"From what I've heard, Mirajane has always been the most competitive of all the female wizards in the guild." Irene said, a similarly amused smile spread across her face. "This is quite interesting, either way."
"The only thing that would make it better is if Erza were here." Alfonzo added. "Seeing the three of them go at it would be pretty fun."
Hearing that, Irene shot Alfonzo a side-eye. However, she could not find any lust in his expression. So, she returned her gaze to Elicia and Mirajane. A moment later, though, she turned to glance at Grayfia. Then, she leaned over to whisper in Alfonzo's ear.
"I wonder what they would think if they ever found out that Grayfia was actually stronger than them." Irene asked with mischief swirling in her eyes. "Erza and Mirajane, I mean. Elicia is actually quite a bit stronger than the maid fetishist."
While Irene was whispering, no one on this underground level was so weak that they would not be able to hear her. However, with Elicia and Mirajane so focused on each other, they actually missed it. Meanwhile, Grayfia, who was standing nearby, heard it all. And when she heard Irene call her a maid fetishist, she almost blushed in embarrassment. However, thanks to her years of training to be the perfect maid, she managed to keep her stoic expression intact.
"Well, despite no one noticing, Grayfia actually trains quite hard." Alfonzo replied with a shrug. "Almost as hard as me and Lici. She even went through the Techno Organic Metal training more times than either Mira or Erza. So, it's no surprise that' she's stronger than those two."
At the mention of the Techno Organic Metal training, Irene shivered minutely. Like most of the members of Fairy Tail, she tried it. And she could confidently say that in her more than four hundred years of life, the only pain that could even match what she experienced during that training was the pain she experienced when she chose to give up Erza in fear of doing something she would regret for the rest of her life.
"Anyway, let's not talk about that." Irene said while shaking off the memory of that torturous training method. "We should get started on the barrier. Besides, if we can get it right, we could actually stop quite a bit of collateral damage whenever Zeref makes his move."
Hearing that, Alfonzo raised an eyebrow as he shifted his gaze from his wives to Irene.
"Are you saying you want to put up a barrier like this over the entirety of Fiore?" Alfonzo asked in an incredulous tone.
"Wouldn't that be for the best?" Irene asked while raising an eyebrow in return.
"Do you have any idea how much material that will take?" Alfonzo asked. "More importantly, are you asking me to drain all my magic power over and over again to make it possible?"
"Of course not." Irene replied while rolling her eyes. "We'll obviously take the idea to the Royal Family. We'll then explain the effects of the barrier. And if they're interested in protecting the kingdom when the war inevitably happens, they can foot the bill for the materials. Otherwise, we'll just put one up around Magnolia and let the rest of the kingdom fend for itself."
Shrugging in response, Alfonzo realized that Irene was right. You can't help someone that doesn't want your help, after all. Not long after that, Elicia and Mirajane separated. Then, Alfonzo left with Irene to survey the site for their battle.
February 27, x792.
Time passed quickly after that. For most of the three and a half weeks after Alfonzo and Irene decided on their battle, they spent their time researching and creating the barrier that would serve as their battleground.
On top of that, the fact that the two strongest wizards in the guild would be duking it out to determine who was the strongest made it around the guild, sparking more than a little interest. Naturally, quite a bit of that interest turned into gambling, as well.
*Bang!*
"I got a hundred thousand on Irene." Gildarts said as he slammed a stack of Jewels on the table Cana was using to take bets.
Hearing her dad's bet, Cana shot a side-eye at Gildarts. Though, she also swept up his money without delay.
"Really, Dad?" Cana asked while writing down Gildarts' bet. "Why would you bet against my husband? Are you still salty because of your last loss?"
"No, not at all." Gildarts replied while waving off Cana's accusation.
"Then, why?" Cana asked, genuinely curious to know Gildarts' answer.
"Because I never got to beat him up for taking my baby girl." Gildarts replied. "I mean, every time I tried when you were younger, either you or the demon girl would get in the way. So, as long as I can see someone kick the brat's ass, I'll be satisfied."
"Demon girl?" Cana asked while rolling her eyes at the second half of Gildarts' statement. "But I don't' remember Mira ever getting in your way."
"That's because she never did." Gildarts replied. "Besides, if I was talking about Mira, I would have called her the devil girl."
"Then, who are you talking about?" Cana asked, genuine confusion in her tone.
"That dick punching demon." Gildarts replied while shivering all over. "Lici. She's a real demon. She only did it twice, but my body has never forgotten the pain that girl can cause."
Cana could only stare at her father with her eyes opened wide in surprise.
"So, you think I'm a demon, huh, Gildarts?" Elicia asked, her voice coming from directly behind Gildarts.
"Hya~~~~~!" Gildarts, still carrying trauma from years ago, let out a strange scream in response. He then hopped away from Elicia and turned around quickly while reflexively covering his crotch. "Oh… hey, Lici. I didn't know you were here. Actually, I thought you would have gone with those two to spectate the fight in person instead of slumming it with the rest of us at the guild hall."
As a matter of fact, the barrier was not the only thing Alfonzo and Irene set up for their fight. They also set up many recording devices so that the members of the guild could watch the fight, as well.
"Nope." Elicia said while smiling sweetly. "Fonzie and Irene said that things might get out of hand. And knowing how protective I can be of Fonzie, they didn't want me jumping in on impulse. So, they forbid me from coming."
"Same with me." Cana muttered. "Though, they told me I could come if I could stay sober for the three days leading up to the fight and during the fight itself."
"Good luck with that." Ur, having just approached Cana's table with a glass of wine in hand, said with a grin. She then turned to look at Elicia with an eyebrow raised. "By the way, Lici. How is it that you always call me 'Auntie,' but never call this guy, 'Uncle'."
"Huh? Now that you mention it…" Elicia muttered her response while looking Gildarts and Ur up and down appraisingly.
"If you say I look more like an aunt than he does an uncle, I will fight you." Ur said in a deadpan tone.
"Actually, I had no intention of taking it there." Elicia replied with a smile. She then lowered her center of gravity before continuing. "it's because I know it gets under your skin. Gildarts probably wouldn't react as strongly as you. So, it's more fun to mess with you."
After saying what she had to say, Elicia jumped away, not stopping until she was sitting next to mavis at the bar. Meanwhile, Ur stared at the spot where Elicia had been standing with a dumbfounded, disbelieving expression on her face. At the same time, the other wizards in the guild had the same thought at the same time.
'So, she finally admitted it, huh? She really has been doing it on purpose all this time.'
"She got you that time, Ur." Cana said while trying not to laugh. "But it makes sense. Dad already looks like a hobo most of the time. So, calling him uncle probably won't bother him that much."
"What do you mean I look like a hobo, Cana?" Gildarts asked in a heartbroken tone. "The tattered cloak gives me a certain well-traveled vibe. It doesn't make me look homeless."
"Whatever you have to tell yourself to sleep at night, Old Man." Cana said while rolling her eyes.
Cana's and Gildarts' back and forth was enough to finally snap Ur out of her dumbfounded state. And just as it did, she prepared herself to teach Elicia a lesson. However, before she could, Mavis' voice made her pay attention to the screens that had been set up around the guild hall's main hall.
"Everyone quiet down." Mavis said, her voice standing out among the guild hall's usual ruckus. "The fight is about to start."
When they heard that, like Ur, every eye in the guild hall turned to look at the nearest Lacrima-Vision screen, anticipation shining in every pair of eyes in the guild hall.