Chapter 4: Erza Reports to Her Mother

"Yo! Ian, you're back?"

"Ian, you're back so late! I still need to challenge you to a duel!"

Yes, aside from Ian and Erza, Gray and Natsu also lived here.

There was no other choice.

With Natsu's personality and the destructive power of his Dragon Slayer Magic, all the money he earned from missions was spent compensating the clients, indirectly supporting many construction teams across Fiore.

As for Gray...

Although he was calm and intelligent, he didn't cause destruction the way Natsu did. Yet, despite his good behavior, he also never had any money.

The reason? Gray spent all his earnings on paying fines and bail. His habit of stripping whenever he got excited, no matter the occasion, made him seem like a full-fledged pervert. Gray had only avoided jail time because he was still underage.

So, if Ian didn't take care of these two, they'd probably be sleeping on the streets.

"Ian, we're out of booze."

Besides Gray and Natsu, there was also Cana, who sat drunk in the villa's hallway. After being easily defeated by Ian during last year's S-class mage promotion exam, she had developed a "healthy" habit of heavy drinking.

In simple terms, Cana spent all her mission earnings on alcohol, which led to her getting evicted by her landlord. Now homeless, she had also taken up residence in Ian's villa.

Why, you ask? Because Ian had a big house, of course!

Ian didn't mind too much, though. As long as these kids were still underage, he wouldn't kick them out.

"Natsu, stop running around all wet on the stairs. Go dry off before coming back out."

"Cana, you've had enough to drink today—no more."

"Gray… put your clothes on."

Ian scolded the three troublemakers like an exhausted parent.

"Huh? No more drinking?" 

"I'm not drunk! I can still drink more!" 

Cana protested loudly, clutching her barrel of booze.

"What? When did my clothes disappear again? Could they have learned spatial magic?"

Gray, looking down at his now-missing outfit, was completely shocked.

"You took them off yourself, you idiot!" 

Natsu clutched his stomach, laughing wildly at Gray.

Sigh...

Ian sighed heavily and marched up to the trio, raising his fist and landing a solid thump on each of their heads.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

After that, they all settled down.

"You've got five minutes to throw away the bottles, dry off, and get dressed. Anyone who's late to the dining room tonight won't get any dinner."

Ian's voice was stern as he addressed Gray, Natsu, and Cana.

"Quick!"

The three of them sprang into action. They knew Ian was serious, and if they didn't hurry, they would miss out on dinner.

So, five minutes later...

In the dining room.

Gray, Natsu, and Cana were all seated properly, ready to eat.

Ding!

With a snap of Ian's fingers, the table was suddenly filled with delicious dishes.

"Before we start, let me introduce a new member to everyone."

"This is Erza. From today on, she'll be living here with you."

"I hope you all get along well."

Ian introduced Erza to Natsu and the others as she sat beside him, having joined Fairy Tail and now staying at the "troublemaker villa."

"Hello everyone, my name is Erza. From today on, I'm also a member of the Fairy Tail Guild and will be living with you. Please take care of me."

Erza smiled politely as she introduced herself.

"My name's Natsu."

"I'm Gray, nice to meet you."

"Cana."

Natsu, Gray, and Cana gave very simple introductions, offering little more than their names.

"Let's eat."

Ian didn't expect much more from the drunk Cana or the unruly Natsu. At least Gray seemed relatively normal—if only he hadn't been stripping off his shirt while holding a knife and fork...

"Let's eat!"

As soon as Ian gave the word, Natsu dove in, grabbing an entire roast chicken and tearing into it like a ravenous dragon.

Cana nibbled on some fruit, then grabbed Ian's bottle of wine and drank straight from it.

Gray was more composed, though his upper body was already bare again, leaving him in just his shorts.

"…"

Erza sat in silence, quietly eating her food, trying to make sense of the chaos around her.

An hour later, dinner was over.

Cana had fallen asleep halfway through the meal, hugging her wine bottle.

Natsu, stuffed to the brim, also passed out, his belly round and full.

Erza, maintaining her calm and elegance, dabbed at her lips with a napkin after finishing her meal.

Gray, on the other hand, had already begun clearing the table. It was his turn to do the dishes today.

Actually, it was his turn every day...

Gray really was a good kid—if you could ignore the fact that he was shirtless and only wearing boxer shorts while cleaning.

During the short hour-long meal, Gray had once again shed his clothes, casually tossing them aside.

Sigh...

Ian couldn't help but sigh as he saw this. He gently picked up the sleeping Cana and Natsu, carrying them to their rooms and tucking them in.

Then, he headed to the kitchen and used water magic to help Gray wash the dishes.

Finally, Ian returned to prepare Erza's room.

"Things were a bit rushed today, but this should do for now. We can fix it up properly when we have more time."

Ian spoke softly as he looked at Erza.

"Thank you so much! I'm already very happy with this room."

Erza was as polite as ever, bowing to express her gratitude.

"Rest well. You must be exhausted."

Ian's heart warmed at Erza's politeness. He gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder before leaving the room, allowing her to rest.

"Those annoying brats are such a hassle."

Once Ian left, the softness on Erza's face vanished completely.

She casually sat on the soft bed, crossing her legs and narrowing her eyes like a queen surveying her kingdom. "Father must have it tough dealing with these unruly children every day. I'll have to help him discipline them properly."

If Ian had come back and seen this scene, he would have exclaimed, "Yes! This is the Erza I remember, the true Fairy Queen!"

"Oh, right! I still haven't reported to Mother today."

Erza reached into her magic pouch and pulled out a crystal ball.

As a beautiful figure appeared on the crystal ball, Erza smiled and said, "Mother, everything with Father is going smoothly today."