"So... you really injured Jose Porla with one move, forcing him to flee the routine meeting in disgrace... right?" Laxus asked, still visibly shocked.

"...I guess you could say that."

Though it sounded odd, that was pretty much what had happened.

Makarov hadn't even landed a hit on Jose Porla yet.

That guy had retreated in defeat after taking just one blow from Marco...

"How did you do it?" Laxus froze for a moment before asking dazedly.

That was a Ten Wizard Saint!

A Mage as powerful as their grandfather!

How could Marco possibly defeat someone like that?!

"Um... who is Jose Porla? Is he strong?" Mira chimed in curiously from the side.

She wasn't trying to be funny—she genuinely had no idea who this "Jose Porla" was.

It couldn't be helped.

She was always too busy taking jobs to earn money and never paid attention to these things.

She didn't even know Makarov was one of the Ten Wizard Saints, let alone what the Ten Wizard Saints were.

There was an air of innocent ignorance about her.

"He's the guild master of Phantom Lord, a Mage as powerful as Master Makarov—one of the strongest in the entire Ishgar continent." Erza spoke slowly, explaining to Mirajane.

Even she wore a stunned expression.

Under normal circumstances, she would've mocked Mirajane for her cluelessness, but right now, she was in no mood for that.

"That incredible?!" Erza's words made Mirajane widen her eyes in shock.

Mira stared at Marco in disbelief.

Though she knew he was strong, was it even possible to be this overwhelmingly powerful at his age?!

Wasn't Marco the same age as her and Erza?!

Mira stared blankly at Marco, feeling as though he was shrouded in a hazy aura of mystery, making it impossible to discern just how many secrets he held.

"Exaggerated, way too exaggerated. Listen to my—cough! Listen to my explanation." Marco quickly began explaining the events.

If this kept up, everyone would start looking at him like he was some kind of divine being.

After Marco carefully detailed Makarov's crucial role in the battle, the expressions of those around him finally returned to something resembling normal humans.

'So..... Marco had managed his feat under the master's protection.'

Yet they were still utterly shocked.

Even so, for Marco to have gathered enough magic power to incapacitated Jose in a single strike was downright absurd!

"Do you know what people outside are calling you now?"

Laxus looked at Marco with an incredibly complicated expression, but when he brought up this topic, his face twisted into something strange—as if he was holding back laughter.

This immediately put Marco on edge.

"Calling me what? It's not some weird nickname, is it?" Marco frowned.

The world of Mages was like a 'martial arts world'—those who stood out, had unique traits, or gained fame usually ended up with a moniker, something along the lines of 'known in the world as XXX'.

These nicknames were rarely up to the individual.

They were usually bestowed by outsiders based on one's characteristics or deeds.

If others called you 'Handsome Devil', then you probably had some charm.

But if you called yourself 'Handsome Devil', that was just confidence—or delusion.

"Star Rose God." Laxus spoke up, barely suppressing a smirk.

The name didn't sound very masculine—more like a prostitute's moniker.

"Huh." Marco's frown eased.

Well, it wasn't exactly what he'd have chosen, but it was better than some of the other possibilities.

'Rose' must be from my use of the Royal Demon Rose, and 'Star God'... because of my line about the stars shining for me?'

Marco sighed inwardly.

The title wasn't terrible—just a bit odd, as if he were some celestial being presiding over the "Path of Roses."

"Star Rose God?!"

Hearing the nickname from Laxus, the younger guild members erupted in excitement.

They didn't find it strange at all.

A title like that wasn't something just anyone could earn!

They all dreamed of earning their own nicknames someday, but who knew how long that would take?

Even an unflattering or ill-fitting moniker was still a mark of recognition.

So, their gazes towards Marco grew even more reverent.

"People are saying you're a true genius—an incarnation of the celestial spirits. At just thirteen, you defeated one of the Ten Wizard Saints. No one would've dared imagine something like that before."

Laxus continued, having just returned from a mission and gathered all the latest rumors along the way.

"...It's getting more and more ridiculous." Marco couldn't help but facepalm.

Seriously, why were these guild masters spreads some nonsense?!

"Wait, then what about what Gramps said during the meeting—"

Marco suddenly realized—if this news had already spread, then the bold claims Makarov had made during the council...

"What did he say? The old man gave a speech? Haven't heard anything about that." Laxus looked utterly bewildered.

He had inquired carefully but hadn't heard anyone discussing Makarov's speech—no one had even mentioned it.

He had no idea.

"..."

Marco fell completely silent.

FUCK!

So they can keep their mouths shut?!

Then how the hell did the fight spread so fast?!

Everyone just loves drama, huh?!

Can't wait for Jose to drop dead, right?!

The situation had escalated so rapidly and so exaggeratedly that Marco could hardly imagine how furious Jose Porla must be right now.

This was a classic case of 'one misstep leads to eternal regret' for Jose Porla.

Marco's name had thoroughly trampled over his head to make its grand debut on the historical stage.

And what a debut it was—unrivaled dominance, a prodigy among prodigies.

The speed at which his fame skyrocketed was downright absurd.

"Hahaha! Perfect! Just perfect! Jose's gonna be pissed to death!" Makarov come over.

He'd been keeping an eye on the kids this whole time, eavesdropping on their conversation.

The thought of Marco actually using Jose as a stepping stone to fame made him burst into laughter.

This time, he'd won big—no, not just a double win, but multiple wins!

Fairy Tail had won over and over again!

The losers, of course, were Jose and Phantom Lord.

As for Jose at this moment, he wasn't actually angered by the rumors outside—because he hadn't even had the chance to hear them yet.

After fleeing in disgrace overnight from Clover, he had rushed back to Phantom Lord and immediately secluded himself to recover from his injuries.

He had been recovering all this time, long enough for the situation to spiral completely out of control.

In a way, his silence had actually fueled the rumors—because he hadn't stepped forward to refute them!

People were spreading such an outrageous story, and it had even made front-page headlines in all sorts of news outlets, magazines, and newspapers.

Yet Jose Porla hadn't come out to deny it!

Why? Wasn't it obvious? Because he really was severely injured!

Besides, just look at who was spreading the news—the guild masters themselves!

How could it be fake?!

The reason those newspapers and magazines dared to print it on their front pages was precisely because their sources were beyond reliable.

Even the official publications of the Fiore Kingdom had specifically mentioned the incident.

While its spread might not have been as exaggerated elsewhere in Ishgar, within Fiore, Marco had already become a household name—a legendary young prodigy.

Marco had expected to gain some fame from this, but the extent of it had far surpassed his expectations.

"The guild masters really went all out to humiliate Jose..." Marco sighed.

While fame wasn't a bad thing, too much of it might attract unnecessary trouble.

'I should lay low for a while, let things cool down a bit.'

He made up his mind.

He didn't think the hype around him was excessive—because his future would undoubtedly surpass even their wildest exaggerations, beyond anything they could imagine.

But before the future truly arrives, one must still be cautious.

The saying 'I am not yet strong, but when I am, there will be changes' should only be spoken after one has truly become strong.

Marco hoped he could smoothly achieve this strength.

*****

However, the likelihood of Marco's wish coming true was slim.

First and foremost, the members of Phantom Lord would never let him have his way.

A tree that stands tall in the forest will inevitably be toppled by the wind—let alone a tree like Marco, who had taken root right on the grave of their guild master, Jose Porla.

It would be strange if Phantom Lord could tolerate this.

During the time Jose Porla had been recovering, the members of Phantom Lord had grown restless.

The fact that Jose Porla still hadn't emerged only deepened their unease.

If not for the fact that they could still sense their guild master's sinister magic power circulating, the members of Phantom Lord would have truly begun to worry whether their Master had already met his end.

"We can't let this go on any longer!"

Inside the Phantom Lord guild hall, the members gathered to discuss countermeasures.

They all knew they couldn't afford to wait any longer.

Even if Jose refused to come out, they had to take matters into their own hands.

The spreading rumors had already begun to affect the entire guild.

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