Chapter 61

Ever since Alan became an S-Class Mage a year ago, an enormous commotion had swept across Fiore. Fairy Tail had announced that eleven-year-old Alan and ten-year-old Laxus had both achieved S-Class status simultaneously. Aside from those familiar with Alan and Laxus who trusted their strength, members of other guilds were highly skeptical. As a result, Fairy Tail members frequently caught wind of malicious gossip while out on jobs. The people of Fairy Tail were hardly known for their patience; though they exercised restraint at first, some took this as a sign of weakness and provoked conflicts. Among them, Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail clashed the most frequently. Since Phantom Lord had harbored a deep hostility toward Fairy Tail ever since the guild's founding, it was hardly a surprise that they were the primary instigators behind this wave of rumors. At first, Alan believed that simply demonstrating their strength would be enough. He never expected the controversy to snowball to such an extent that even people in neighboring countries began talking about it. By then, Alan sensed that something was wrong, keenly perceiving that someone was intentionally muddying the waters.