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A Hundred-Year Quest...

In the world of Fairy Tail, it's common for guild jobs to be divided by various factors—from complexity to risk level—and ranked accordingly. You could take on a normal request, an S-Class job, an SS-Class job, a Ten-Year Quest… or even a Hundred-Year Quest.

What does that last one mean?

It means that in the past ten—or even a hundred—years, nobody has ever completed those jobs. They just get passed from guild to guild, with S-Class mages from all over giving it a try… and failing.

Allen knew that saying those words would stir up the entire guild. But he did it anyway, to keep a certain Natsu or Gajeel from trying to steal the Request as happened with Galuna Island. And Allen wasn't dumb—sure, his Chat wasn't allowed to give him direct information, but that didn't mean they couldn't slip him a few subtle hints. And even when Saint Wizards such as Jose Porla or Jellal Fernandes appeared, the audience did not react like this… so, whatever this was, it had to be far more dangerous than a Saint Wizard.

"Sir Walker…"

The Duke looked worried. His lands were in a border region, so traveling to Magnolia Town had been a long journey. Hearing that his request might go unresolved for a hundred years made him visibly nervous.

"Don't worry, Duke. I'll put your request up. We've got plenty of reliable mages in this guild, and several who could reach S-Class within a year or two. And if no one gets it done… I'll go myself."

"..."

The Duke studied the young man in front of him. He didn't know a thing about him that should inspire trust, yet, strangely enough, he felt a sense of relief.

"In that case, I'll count on you, Sir Walker…"

Allen walked the Duke to the door. Outside, his guards were waiting—each clad in high-quality magical armor. Compared to that unpleasant Duke Everlue, this one actually looked like a noble worth respecting.

"Sir Walker, one more thing."

"Something happened?"

The Duke smiled. "The nobility and mages are like oil and water. The Magic Council handles everything related to magic—regulation, upholding the law—while the nobility under His Majesty King Toma E. Fiore keep common society running. Not that there haven't been attempts to change that…"

Allen listened closely, with Mirajane behind him. Neither of them was sure where the Duke was going with this.

"Soon, there will be a celebration for Princess Hisui E. Fiore's eighteenth birthday. I want to invite you—and whoever you'd like to bring." The man glanced at Mirajane, who blushed. He was a sly fox, picking up on unspoken language. "I suppose most mages would find it boring or pointless, but something tells me this wouldn't be your first time wearing a suit and attending such an event?"

"Duke, that can only end badly. I may not look it, but I have very little patience for people who don't respect me. Some noble might end up with his head in a garbage dump."

The Duke's guards and even Mirajane were speechless. How could he speak so crudely in front of a duke?! But contrary to expectations, the Duke wasn't offended—he burst out laughing.

"You're very interesting!" The Duke grinned. "Now I want you at that party even more. It's not public knowledge, but I do pity Hisui-chan. She's a lonely princess, tangled in politics. It wouldn't hurt her to have a friend… of course, only if the young lady behind you doesn't mind."

Noticing the dark aura radiating from Mirajane, the Duke wisely stopped talking and headed for his carriage.

"Mira-san…"

"Yes?~"

"This time, I didn't do anything. I don't think that level of intimidation is necessary…"

"Ara ara, whatever do you mean? I'm perfectly fine—you must be imagining things."

....

Allen walked back inside under the guild's collective gaze—half awe, half fear—directed at Mirajane, who was smiling angelically while radiating something more like a demon.

Allen just shrugged. He passed by Natsu and Gajeel, still struggling to break free from their restraints, and made his way upstairs.

He pinned the request upstairs.

The old rule that only S-Class mages could go up to the second floor had been scrapped—it was pointless. Only Laxus spent time on the second floor. Mystogan rarely came, Erza wasn't interested in sitting alone, Gildarts had been away for ages, and Mirajane had no reason to stay on the second floor for long. But only S-Class mages could still take jobs from the upper Request Board.

Allen reached the board and posted the request, tweaking the rewards and difficulty through his system. Laxus immediately got up to check it out—until Allen raised a hand, adjusting the cowboy hat he now wore.

"Hold it there, cowboy. This mission's only for big kids~"

"Tch…"

Laxus hated it when Allen joked around like that. At the same time, it stung—he'd almost forgotten he'd lost his S-Class title and was now just a rookie.

Freed stepped forward. "Master, isn't that a bit unfair? Laxus has the strength of an S-Class mage—he could be reinstated right away."

"Oh? I'll give you points for calling me 'Master,' Freed-kun. But rules are rules—you've gotta pass the proper trials to be S-Class…" Allen leaned over the railing. "Mira, when's the next S-Class exam?"

Mirajane tilted her head cutely, thinking. "Hm? A few months."

Allen vanished from the railing and appeared between Freed and Laxus, hands on their shoulders. "Well, you heard her, boys. But… there is a way you could convince me to move the exam up…"

That suspicious smile of Allen's made both men shiver.

"I've got a potion my past self left me. Totally safe… probably—"

"I've got to go. It's been a while since my last job, and I'm running low on cash!"

Laxus used a flimsy excuse, turned into lightning, and went down to the first floor, grabbing a random quest without even looking before walking quickly to the door. Freed tried to escape too, but Allen caught him and shoved the potion into his mouth.

Allen leaned over the second-floor railing, disappointment in his eyes. "I see. What a shame. Have a safe trip, Laxus-kun."

Laxus turned just in time to see Freed collapse, turning… purple. Literally purple. Like Thanos.

"Laxus-san…" Freed reached out a trembling hand, looking like he might vomit. Laxus could only apologize and silently thank his friend for his noble sacrifice.

I won't forget your sacrifice, old friend… Laxus thought, manly tears in his eyes as he walked toward the horizon.

Of course, karma's a bitch, and people who abandon their friends deserve punishment. So Allen snapped his fingers, replacing Laxus's quest with something far more suited to a rookie:

> [Ballroom Dance Partner: Seeking a partner comfortable wearing low-cut dresses. Preferably female, but I don't discriminate. Expect plenty of physical contact, so please, no overly modest maidens.]

Allen nodded with pride. As a guild master, it was his duty to give young rookies easy jobs so they wouldn't go hungry. After all, Allen was a kind and caring man who looked after his little troublemakers.

"Master, could you free Natsu and Gajeel? I think they can't breathe…" Warren called from below.

Allen frowned. "Nonsense. Breathing's overrated—they can handle a little more."

Natsu and Gajeel shivered at Allen's ruthlessness.

"But they're turning blue…" Lucy scratched her cheek.

"Fine… I'll come down in a bit." Allen took his time, even glancing at Bickslow and Evergreen, who trembled under his gaze—but he only smiled at them.

"Since Freed's out of commission for a while and Laxus isn't here, why don't you two try getting along better with the rest of the guild? As your kind and caring master, I want everyone in harmony…"

Evergreen and Bickslow nodded quickly, not daring to disobey. Satisfied, Allen started down the stairs… but stopped halfway, staring at the railing like a critic studying a masterpiece.

Gajeel and Natsu's bloodshot eyes widened, but Allen seemed more fascinated by the wood than their suffering.

"Something wrong, Master?" Nab asked nervously.

"Indeed. This wooden staircase… is made of wood."

The guild collectively stumbled at that son-of-a-bitch comment. What the fuck are you talking about?!

Allen chuckled and walked over to Erza and Lucy.

"Oh, right—" Allen snapped his fingers, undoing the Petrificus that kept Natsu and Gajeel immobilized.

The two crashed to the floor, gasping for air. Gajeel looked at Allen in terror, wondering what he'd done to deserve such treatment. But Allen had his reasons.

"I got a report that the train tracks were damaged… teeth marks all over them. Almost as if someone went on a job, got lost, got hungry, and decided a few bites wouldn't hurt anyone…"

"Guh… I…" Gajeel went pale. He thought about lying, but one look from Allen killed that idea instantly. "…Sorry…"

"Alright..." Allen said before turning to Natsu, but before he could speak, Natsu shouted.

"Hey! Why can't I take the job?!"

Natsu stormed toward Allen to confront him, only to be met with a punch that slammed him into the floor.

"Ugiah!!"

"Calm down, Natsu. Weren't you listening? It's an SS-Class request. You need to be an S-Class wizard to take it, and even then, there's still a certain level of risk..."

"Natsu!" Happy flew over to Natsu, worried.

"Allen, do you really think this could be a Hundred-Year Quest?" Erza asked.

"There's a dragon involved," Allen replied with a shrug. "A long time ago, something happened that caused all dragons to die. So if there's one still alive, it must've survived that event, which means it's stronger than an ordinary dragon... Besides..."

Allen didn't mention it, but there was a chance that dragon had Lucifer's particles—or was even searching for them. Judging by the chat's reaction, Duke Aldren's presence was something that shouldn't have happened.

Allen's face grew serious for a moment. Dragons were already incredibly strong. If they obtained Lucifer's power, they'd become even more dangerous. He looked at his own hand—he couldn't just rest on his laurels. In this world, magic was his only reliable asset. Of course, there was also that strange power he got from that man, but expecting to be invincible with just that would only make him arrogant. Not to mention that controlling that power seemed like a dream at this time.

He also needed to grow stronger...

'Maybe I should check the system's quests. I haven't done that since the Tower of Heaven. Well, I went through a lot of changes, almost went insane, overcame it, recovered Clown Crown, then with Laxus everything happened too fast... it's not like I had the time to do it...'

[Host, I'm glad you finally remembered the quests. Without Lucifer's conditions, the rewards wouldn't be very useful to you. But now that you're relying only on magic, it's a good way to increase your strength... You could also train your Dunamis Demiurgos power, whatever that even is.]

'Honestly, I feel overwhelmed. Magic, Chi, Ki, Spiritual Power, Haki, Mental Strength, Cursed Power... I've obtained all kinds of abilities, each with its own complexity, but this time it's different. I've never felt so overwhelmed—I don't even understand what this is...'

[Has the host not read the description?]

'Description?'

The system fell silent. When Allen obtained a fragment of Michael Demiurgos' power, it came with a small summary—same for Clown Crown. But for some reason, Allen couldn't read it. This was strange for the system, since Lucifer hadn't interfered with that information.

Feeling a strange sense of unease, the system tried to tell Allen that the man he'd met was Michael Demiurgos. But just then, it received a message.

– "I'm sorry, but for now it's better if Allen doesn't know... If Samael—if Lucifer—feels I'm helping Allen too much, he might feel pressured to act against his nature and eliminate him... I can't communicate much for the same reason, but I promise I have no ill intentions toward Allen..." –

[...]

'System?'

[Sorry, it just seemed strange for that power to appear out of nowhere...]

'Well, it wouldn't be the first time. The girls and Clown Crown aren't related to the system either...'

[That's true...]

Allen wanted to ask more, but at that moment he saw Cana heading toward the bathroom. She'd been avoiding him since that day. It was natural—if she'd been drunk when everything happened, feeling embarrassed was normal. But Allen, who had taken his actions that day seriously, wasn't going to let this incident pass without talking to her.

"Excuse me for a moment... I'm going to the bathroom"

"Allen-sama, if you need help, Juvia can assist you ❤️~" Juvia exclaimed, eyes wide and breathing heavily.

"How are you going to help him, you pervert!" Lucy grabbed her from behind to stop her from following Allen.

Among everyone who saw this, Erza and Levy were the ones who noticed Cana's disappearance.

....

Cana washed her face in the women's bathroom. In the mirror, a woman with a vacant look and dark circles—hidden under a bit of makeup—stared back at her. Something the tough, black-hole-stomached drinker, Cana Alberona, didn't usually wear.

"What are you doing Cana?" she muttered at her reflection. "You were the one who told him to forget that night..."

Cana shook her head as she smiled with self-mockery.

She left the bathroom with a headache and thoughts even alcohol couldn't erase. Distracted, she didn't notice someone in front of her and bumped into them.

"Huh?! What the f—?!" As a true member of Fairy Tail, Cana's first instinct when bumping into someone was to pick a fight. But when she saw who it was, she froze.

"How long are you going to keep avoiding me?"

A bad-boy smile, but eyes filled with genuine concern. Cana didn't know what to do for a moment, as images flashed in her mind, causing her embarrassment.

She averted her gaze and tried to walk past Allen, but he didn't let her, pushing her against the wall. Her eyes widened, a blush spreading across her cheeks.

"Let me go!" Cana growled.

"Not until we talk," Allen teased.

"There's nothing to talk about. We both drank, we both made a mistake, and we ended up... we ended up..."

She couldn't even finish her sentence—and it didn't help that the man who'd been on her mind was so close. His warmth, his scent—it all brought back that night of passion where she'd given herself to him. Most importantly, even though she, too, had been under the influence of alcohol, unlike Allen, she remembered every detail.

"Can't we forget this?" Cana made a bitter expression.

"I don't want to..."

"Why?– ?!" Cana looked up only to find a serious, penetrating gaze that left her breathless.

"Because I don't want to be a beast... I don't want to let it go as a mistake, I don't want to hurt you, and even more, I don't want to forget it, to forget you..."

"...!"

Allen wasn't going to force Cana into being his girlfriend. She also bore responsibility for what happened that night. If Cana truly didn't want anything to do with him and saw it as just another mistake, then he'd leave her alone. But it was obvious that wasn't the case.

Cana tried to push Allen away, but he grabbed her hands, trapping her.

"The lingering looks you give me... those sleepless nights written in your dark circles... that melancholy you carry..."

Cana trembled at his words.

"You're imagining things... it doesn't mean anything..."

Allen knew she was lying, but Cana was stubborn—she'd rather die than admit the truth. It was strangely cute, so Allen stopped being the gentleman, lifted her chin, and slowly closed the distance.

Cana swallowed hard, unable to believe this bastard actually wanted to kiss her. She thought about headbutting him, about shouting for someone—but in the end, she didn't.

Maybe it was those magnetic eyes, or that intense, electrifying gaze. Cana didn't know, but she simply closed her eyes and tilted her head, letting it happen.

Their lips met. At first, it was a simple, short kiss—a brush of lips more accidental than passionate—but after that, it deepened.

Allen's hand moved to her waist as his tongue entered her mouth. Cana wrapped her arms around his neck, responding. Allen lifted her, and she instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist.

With a kick, Allen opened the women's bathroom door and carried her inside.

Not without first casting a spell so no one could enter or hear what was happening inside.

....

Mirajane was pouting while waiting for Allen to return, but he'd vanished with Cana—which was irritating, though she didn't know why.

"Master Walker... Master Walker..."

A bluebird wearing a wizard's hat flew into the guild, holding a letter. With Allen gone, Mirajane received it. Juvia and Lucy watched curiously.

"Mira-san?!" Lucy exclaimed as Mirajane opened the letter.

"It's fine, I have the right..." Mirajane smiled with a touch of coldness, a ring hanging from the chain of her protective pendant glowing faintly around her neck.

Erza shook her head but still stepped closer. Mirajane read the letter for a moment, but soon her brow furrowed, drawing even more attention.

After a moment, she spoke only two words—but they were enough to shock the guild.

"Oración Seis..."

===

A/N: Allen: "Indeed. This wooden staircase… is made of wood." 🍷🗿