228 228. Election
"Sigh, Guild Master, huh? Anyone is fine, just pick one among the senior members," says Ben lazily.
Ben doesn't care who will be the next Guild Master. He will support anyone as long as they do their job well as a Guild Master. But what the others propose is not something that he expected.
"What do you mean by anyone is fine? It's not fine at all. A Guild Master is an important position so not anyone can be one," says Mira with a scolding tone.
Ben is surprised to see Mira scolds him, but she is not the only one. Bisca also gives her thought, "She is right. This is a very serious matter and we need to think about it carefully. Guild Master is a guild's face to the outside world and the one with the highest authority in the guild. So there are many things to be considered."
"Power, intelligence, fame, and reputation. These things are important factors in selecting a Guild Master. Just from the first factor, power, only you and Mira have sufficient power to be the Guild Master because you are S-Classes. So it must be between you two," says Macao.
"Then for intelligence, everyone knows that you are the smartest in our guild. Even Levy, who was the smartest can't be compared to you. You've outsmarted her in the exam, after all," says Mira while smiling.
Ben has a sour face because he knows Mira wants to push this responsibility on him. He looks at the others but no one seems to support him.
Bisca proves it by saying, "As for fame and reputation, you already have them. Your battle with Acnologia has spread and it made you very famous. People also respect you because you've fought for your friends and even protected Mira & Bella at the cost of your life. If the news of your recovery spread, your fame will skyrocket even more."
"Also, you will gain more fame & reputation after you become a Wizard Saint. So you are the most suitable one to be our next Guild Master," says Wakaba.
"But I'm just a newcomer who've just joined a few months ago," says Ben, still trying to make them not choose him.
"Why does it matter? You have become an S-Class even without taking an exam. That means the 3rd Master really trusts you. To be an S-Class Mage, you need Master's approval & trust. You won't be an S-Class without taking an exam if Master doesn't fully trust you," says Macao.
"If it's an S-Class, then Mira is also an S-Class, right?" asks Ben, trying to move the focus to Mira.
"Yeah, Mira can be the next Master too, but her fame won't be as high as yours after you become a Wizard Saint," says Wakaba.
"A Wizard Saint doesn't always need to be a Guild Master, right? Jura doesn't become Lamia Scale's Guild Master even though he is a Wizard Saint," says Ben.
"We know, but the 3rd Master was a Wizard Saint before he was presumed to be dead because of this incident. If you who want to be a Wizard Saint don't replace him, then it will bring problems for our guild. Also, with a Guild Master who is a Wizard Saint, our guild's reputation will still be high. Don't you want to save our guild's reputation and prevent it from dropping?" asks Bisca.
The others also start to bombard him with their reasons. They all really want him to be the next Fairy Tail's Guild Master. What he did on Tenrou Island made every doubt disappear from their hearts.
Some people still couldn't fully trust Ben before and they were jealous of him. He became an S-Class Mage without even taking an exam, so some of them thought it was unfair. Furthermore, he is a newcomer who has just joined the guild a few months ago.
But what he did on Tenrou Island has erased all those doubts and jealousy. Now they all know that Ben has the power to back up that special treatment. He is also very loyal to the guild as he was sacrificing himself to save his guildmates.
What he did on Tenrou Island made everyone wants to follow him. Thing like being a newcomer does not matter anymore to them. They just know that they can trust Ben to lead them. Besides, he is the one who gives them hope again after finding the truth about Tenrou Island.
"Uhm, I'd like to refuse," says Ben.
"We refuse your refusal," says everyone at the same time.
Ben is taken aback because it seems they have anticipated this and prepared their answer.
"You guys, have you planned all of this?" asks Ben suspiciously.
"Oh no, we've been exposed," says Bisca mischievously.
Ben has a displeased expression then he looks at Mira. She shakes her head while having a shocked expression. Mira doesn't know anything about this, so it's purely the others' idea.
"Well, we've thought about and discussed this in the last month. We have decided that if you recover in 2 or 3 months like what Mrs. Porlyusica predicted, then we will choose you as the next Master. We will only choose someone else if you don't wake up within that time," says Wakaba.
"But Romeo said you haven't decided on anyone," says Ben.
"Romeo? Of course, he doesn't know anything. Why would we discuss this heavy topic with a kid?" asks Macao, making Romeo dumbfounded.
"Uhm, may I ask who you'll choose if Ben doesn't wake up within 3 months?" asks Mira worriedly.
"Of course, it's you," says Bisca.
"As I thought. Phew, I'm glad that it doesn't happen," says Mira in relief.
Ben has a dark face seeing that Mira is relieved because he becomes the victim instead of her. Now he knows that she has truly become a demon both physically and mentally. The most terrifying thing is that he still loves her even after she 'betrayed' him like this.
'She must be a succubus,' thinks Ben uselessly.
Everyone keeps pestering him to be the next Guild Master. None of them care about his refusal, very typical of Fairy Tail Mages. They just do as they please even in an important matter like this.
In the end, Ben finally gives up and he accepts the Guild Master position unwillingly. But at least he succeeds to set a few conditions. He will only become a Guild Master if they agree with these conditions.
1. He can take a job once every month.
2. He can go on a short adventure once every month.
3. Every Mage needs to take a job at least once every week except for S-Class Mages because S-Class jobs can take a long time to finish.
4. He will ask for more reasonable things in the future.
The Mages agree but they'll discuss the 4th condition when the time comes. What Ben asked is basically to be allowed to ditch his work every once in a while. Guild Master is a busy position and it will tie him up, so he asked those to have time to enjoy himself.
After everything is settled, the Fairies want to hold a celebration, but Ben stops them. They need to hide the truth about Tenrou Island, so they shouldn't act happy now. Rumors will spread if they hold a party just a little over a month after the incident.
But then Mira reminds Ben that he has set a rune formation to hide what happens in the guild so no one from outside can see them now. That's why it's okay to hold a party, at least for now. They can at least enjoy this time after being saddened for more than a month.
Ben forget about the rune formation because of the discussion about the Guild Master. So he now allows them to hold a party because what Mira said is right. They can be happy for now because they will act sad & depressed again after this to hide the truth from the world.
The Fairies enjoy themselves that night because the heavy loads have been lifted from their shoulder. Now they know their friends are alive and now they have a new Guild Master to lead them to go through this hard time. The era of the 4th Guild Master, Ben Cooper, has started.
______________________________________________________________
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