DW DXD Intermission: The Guild Whispers (Patreon)

Before Chapter 59, before Issei and his family decide on building their mansion.

Magnolia still smelled like smoke. The victory celebration had, as usual, escalated from cheering… to singing… to arm wrestling contests… to an explosive brawl where all the members ended up destroying their own guild. Now the once-rowdy halls of Fairy Tail echoed not with laughter, but with the steady rhythm of hammers, the scrape of saws, and the hum of magic flowing through repair spells.

Splintered beams were hoisted back into place. Burn marks were scrubbed from stone. Tables were replaced and windows reforged in glowing sheets of light.

The guild was being rebuilt. And while hands worked, mouths whispered.

—------------------------

Gray stood beneath it with his palms glowing pale blue as frost crawled over a warped support beam, freezing it into temporary alignment. After finishing he wiped sweat from his brow with the back of his wrist.

Next to him, Erza Scarlet carried an entire wooden pillar on one shoulder as if it were a broomstick.

“…You’ve been awfully quiet,” Gray muttered as he noticed Erza in deep thought.

Erza didn’t look up as she carried the pillar. “I was just thinking.”

“About Phantom Lord?”

She slid the pillar neatly into place before answering. “…About Issei. And his group.”

Gray smirked faintly. “Hard not to. They pretty much turned the tide for us. Still can’t believe all those girls are okay being part of his harem.”

Erza nodded once, expression unreadable. “They are not normal allies,” She said evenly. “I still remember Tamamo reversing Jose’s Jupiter Cannon as if it were a child’s toy.”

Gray’s expression lost its humor. “Yeah… I saw that. That thing could’ve erased Magnolia in an instant. The pressure alone made it hard to breathe.” He exhaled slowly. “And she just—” He flicked his fingers casually. “—reflected it with a mirror.”

Erza’s eyes sharpened. “Not just reflected. It was absorbed. Contained. Then returned with greater force.”

Gray fell silent. The memory hit him clearly. The sky had split open, the light swallowed the street and the air vibrated like the world was about to break. And then Tamamo had just stood there, smiling, golden light blooming around her as that impossible mirror manifested before her. She had simply taken Jose’s ultimate attack… and thrown it back at him. “…That wasn’t normal magic,” Gray muttered.

“No,it was not.” Erza agreed quietly. A beat passed before she continued. “And Issei,” Her tone measured, “stood against Jose long enough for Master Makarov to return and finish him.”

Gray’s jaw tightened. “Right… you saw that part personally.” He remembered arriving late, after taking down one of Phantom Lord’s elite and feeling it. That sudden spike of power in the air. “As a Wizard Saint, Jose isn’t some random thug,” Gray said. “And you told me Issei took direct hits from him.”

Erza nodded slowly. “He did.”

“And then suddenly he summoned some kind of armor?”

Erza’s eyes flickered faintly. “Yes.”

Gray felt a shiver crawl up his spine just remembering the pressure in the air. “After I defeated one of Phantom Lord’s members, I felt it,” He said quietly. “That spike in power. It was intense. It made me wonder if it was a dragon that had suddenly arrived.”

Erza’s lips curved slightly. “It was incredible.” She had been close to the clash. Close enough to see Jose’s expression shift from arrogance… to irritation… to disbelief. “His aura changed entirely,” she continued. “That armor did not merely enhance him but transformed him to fight at an equal footing.”

Gray swallowed at the thought. 

“I wonder where he got something like that.” Erza’s gaze turned distant. “…Perhaps it is a unique form of equipment.” Her eyes sharpened faintly. “…If such armor can be obtained…”

Gray stiffened as he instantly understood what she meant. “Oh no.”

Erza tilted her head slightly. “What?”

Gray imagined Erza with that level of explosive amplification. He visibly shivered. “Please don’t.”

Erza blinked once. “…I do not understand your concern.”

“Exactly,” Gray muttered under his breath.

—---------------------------

At a long table stacked high with rescued parchment and half-burned guild records, Lucy Heartfilia and Levy McGarden worked side by side, carefully sorting what had survived the chaos. Some pages were singed at the edges. Others were soaked from when someone had tried to douse flames with water magic… indoors.

Levy adjusted her glasses, carefully flattening a wrinkled request form with her palm. “I still can’t believe all of this happened after we were attacked,” she murmured. “Did Tamamo really reflect a laser cannon around?” Her voice carried disbelief even now. To think… it had all started because a Phantom Lord member had ambushed her and her team in the dead of night.  And how it had snowballed into a full guild war. Buildings were destroyed, streets shattered and the sky torn open by magic.

Lucy shivered faintly, even in the warm afternoon air. “I saw the sky change color when it fired,” She said quietly. “I thought… that was it. I thought we were goners.”

Levy’s fingers tightened slightly around a parchment. “I really should apologize to everyone for the trouble we caused,” she said softly. “If Phantom Lord hadn’t targeted us first—”

Lucy immediately shook her head. “Hey. It wasn’t just you,” she insisted, though her voice wasn’t as steady as she wanted. “They targeted Fairy Tail because of my dumb dad too. If anything… everything that happened was my fault.”

The words hung between them. The scratching of quills from other tables felt louder suddenly. For a few seconds, neither girl spoke. They both knew Fairy Tail would never blame them. But guilt didn’t listen to logic.

Lucy finally let out a slow breath and forced a small smile. “…Do you think she’s human?”

Levy blinked, caught off guard. “Of course she’s not. Look at her ears and tail.”

Lucy flushed bright red. “That’s not what I meant!”

Levy covered her mouth as she giggled. “I know, I know.”

Lucy huffed softly, then laughed too, the tension easing just a little. But after a moment, her expression shifted again. “I really like the new girls,” she admitted quietly. “They really helped us and without them, I don’t know how much worse it could’ve been.”

“I am so glad they became part of Fairy Tail” Levy said with a smile

“But the part I just don’t understand is how they’re all okay with… you know.”

Levy’s eyes widened slightly. “Are you talking about them sharing Issei?”

Lucy nodded. “I mean… Tamamo, Miya, Uzume, Akitsu, Yashima, Matsu, Yuuka, even Karasuba. They’re all strong. Beautiful. Independent. They really could have chosen anyone.”

Levy tilted her head thoughtfully, resting her chin in her palm. “Maybe they chose him because he’s different.”

Lucy followed her gaze across the hall. On the far side of the guild, Issei stood with his sleeves rolled up, helping lift a broken table frame with two other mages. He laughed at something Natsu said, nudging him back playfully. A moment later, he noticed a younger guild member struggling with debris and immediately moved to help without hesitation.

Lucy studied him carefully. “Really? Because to me… he just seems like a calmer Natsu. So he doesn’t seem that different,” she murmured.

Levy’s lips curled into an impish grin. “Ehhh. Is that so?”

Lucy blinked. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Levy leaned closer, lowering her voice conspiratorially. “Ohh nothing. I guess you can’t see what others see because you're too busy noticing something else.”

“Hey that’s not true.” Lucy huffed and crossed her arms angrily.

—--------------------------------

Behind the newly reconstructed counter of Fairy Tail, Mirajane Strauss stood with a soft cloth in hand, polishing a row of freshly replaced glasses.

They were already spotless. She knew that but her hands kept moving anyway. Across the hall, the guild buzzed with the steady rhythm of reconstruction, hammering, laughter, and the occasional shouted complaint when someone dropped something heavy.

And through it all… Her eyes kept drifting to Issei, who came here to help, had his sleeves rolled up, dust clinging to his shirt as he helped move a splintered beam into place.

When a younger mage struggled to carry a crate, he stepped in without being asked. When someone thanked him, he scratched the back of his head awkwardly like he hadn’t done anything special. And when Miya approached with a towel and a bottle of water, smiling softly as she handed it to him, he simply smiled back, warmly.

Mirajane’s fingers tightened slightly around the glass in her hand remembering how much he helped them. “He stood up to Laxus too…” She murmured under her breath. The memory replayed in her mind. Issei stepping forward without hesitation, calling Laxus a coward, telling him that he turned his back on family. There had been no fear in his voice, just conviction.

Her heartbeat then quickened faintly at the memory of how Issei hadn’t asked permission. He had simply stepped forward and pulled her into a hug, reassuring her, telling her that everything would be okay.

She swallowed as her cheeks continued to warm faintly. “He didn’t hesitate…” She whispered softly. Not when Jose attacked. Not when Laxus mocked the guild. Not when she needed comfort.

Her gaze drifted again. Now he was laughing as Natsu tried to out-lift him using raw muscle instead of magic. The two looked like complete idiots.

Uzume teased them both loudly. Tamamo watched with amused elegance and Yuuka rolled her eyes but didn’t leave his side.

Mirajane lowered her eyes slightly. “He’s really nice…” She admitted under her breath. A warmth spread through her chest that had nothing to do with the hot air filtering through the open windows. She quickly turned away, pressing the cool glass against her cheek as if that would stop the rising blush. “…It’s just admiration,” She whispered firmly to herself.

He was strong, kind, and brave. Of course she admired him. That was all. Her heart gave a traitorous little flutter. “…Right?”

Canna passed behind her and paused briefly. “Mira? You’ve been cleaning that same glass for five minutes.”

Mirajane jumped slightly. “I-I have not!”

Cana leaned closer, peering at her friend’s face. “…Why are you red?”

“I’m not red!” She turned fully away now, burying herself in reorganizing bottles that were already aligned perfectly.

From across the hall, Issei happened to glance toward the counter. Their eyes met for a brief second and he smiled casually.

Mirajane’s heart skipped as she almost dropped the glass. Thankfully, she caught it with magic before it shattered. “…It’s just admiration,” She repeated under her breath, though her pulse refused to calm.

But somewhere beneath the denial…her small crush continued to grow and it wasn’t going away.

—--------------------------------------

On Magnolia’s streets, the air still smelled like dust, wet plaster, and scorched wood. Civilians moved around the damaged district. Heads turned. Voices dropped. Fingers pointed, not openly, but with the kind of subtlety that somehow felt louder than shouting.

A pair of shopkeepers paused beside a cracked wall, pretending to inspect the bricks.

“Hey… have you heard of Fairy Tail’s new team?”

“The dragon boy, right?” Another whispered back, eyes flicking toward the guild hall in the distance. “The one who tamed the wyvern.”

“I heard he fought José himself.”

“No, no,” A woman cut in, clutching a basket tighter. “It was the fox woman! They say she’s some ancient spirit!”

A teen, wide-eyed with the feverish excitement of gossip, leaned in. “They’re all married to him, you know.”

A beat of silence.

“…All of them?!”

“How scandalous.”

“How is that even—”

Another man shook his head, half horrified, half impressed. “Fairy Tail’s gotten even crazier since they came.”

Rumors spread faster. To outsiders, Issei Hyoudou was either a reckless idiot, a terrifying warrior, or the luckiest man alive.

Issei, if asked, would’ve called it Tuesday.

—---------------------------

Wood scraped, nails rang and magic crackled in small, controlled bursts. Uzume laughed loudly as she used her veil like a crane, fabric whipping out, tightening, and hauling planks into place with effortless confidence. “Heeey, Gray! You’re staring at me too much!” She sang, voice bright enough to drown out the hammering. “But I am already taken~!”

Gray didn’t even look up from the stack of materials he was shifting. He just snorted and crossed his arms. “That’s not staring. I'm simply wondering how someone can talk that much without needing oxygen.”

“Oh?” Uzume leaned forward with theatrical offense, veil fluttering. “So you are paying attention!”

Gray’s eye twitched.

She pointed at him with a grin, as if delivering a sacred rule. “You may look. But remember.” Her tone dropped into playful warning. “Hands off.”

“Trust me,” Gray muttered. “Not even tempted.”

“Liar~!”

Nearby, Akitsu moved quietly with a tray of refreshments, the air around the cups shimmering faintly as she kept them perfectly chilled. Her steps were careful and measured to not drop them.

Misuki passed out drinks too, smiling with that calm warmth that made exhausted mages straighten their backs a little as if they’d just been reminded they were doing something good. “Here you go. Don’t push yourselves too hard.”

Yashima reinforced nails with steady, practiced hammer strikes and Yuuka balanced on the scaffolding with surprising grace, while passing tools down to help the other members. Her expression was focused, but there was a faint pride in her eyes every time someone nodded thanks.

Matsu, meanwhile, had somehow turned structural repairs into a lecture, chalk flicking across a board as she sketched improvements. “If we shift the support here, we reduce stress on the load-bearing section by—no, wait, watch—by this much.” 

Karasuba leaned lazily against a pillar, arms folded. Every so often she’d flick her gaze across the street, scanning for threats. Her posture screamed bored, but the sharpness in her eyes said she was ready to move the moment anything looked wrong.

Miya moved through it all with calm authority, quietly coordinating labor, redirecting people. She didn’t raise her voice. She didn’t need to. People just listened in fear.

And above it all, like a watchful shadow, Tamamo kept an eye on Sakura, who stood near the edge of the work zone, hands clasped in front of her, watching the guild rebuild full of wonder as she saw various members use their magic to rebuild. Tamamo’s tails swayed gently behind her as she watched Sakura, gaze soft but alert, protective and patient.

—-----------------------------------------

As the sun dipped lower, casting amber light through the dust, Erza approached Issei directly.

She’d been waiting to speak to him, not because she looked nervous, but mostly because she was timing the moment when no one would interrupt.

Issei was wiping sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand when she stopped in front of him, posture straight as a sword.

“You had fought well,” Erza said.

Issei blinked, caught off guard by how direct it was. “Uh… thanks?”

“I wanted to thank you,” She continued, voice steady, “for protecting our guild.”

Issei’s smile faltered for half a second, turning awkward, not because he didn’t like praise, but because praise always felt like something he didn’t know what to do with. He scratched his cheek. “Hey now, I’m part of Fairy Tail too. Plus… we’re allies.” He glanced away, toward the damaged building and the people still working. “That’s what allies do.”

Erza studied him like she was reading a battlefield map. “You don’t look like the type to seek recognition,” she said.

Issei huffed a small laugh. “Not really.”

Erza’s lips curved faintly. “Good,” She said, and there was something approving in the word. “Then you won’t be distracted.”

Issei looked back at her. “Distracted by what?”

Erza’s eyes flicked, just briefly toward the street, where the whispers still floated like smoke. “By the stories they’re already telling about you,” she said.

Issei’s shoulders tensed, and his mouth twisted. “Yeah… I noticed.”

Erza’s gaze sharpened—not unkind, but firm. “Fairy Tail doesn’t care about rumors. But rumors attract attention. And attention attracts enemies.”

Issei exhaled slowly. “So basically… we’re trending.”

Erza paused. Then, to Issei’s surprise, she let out a quiet breath that might’ve been a laugh. “…Something like that.”

Issei rubbed the back of his head. “Great. Just what I wanted. More fame.”

Erza’s expression softened a fraction. “You protected us. Remember that. Whatever they call you tomorrow doesn’t change what you did.”

For a moment, Issei didn’t have a joke ready. He just looked at the rebuilding, the tired mages, the civilians hovering at a safer distance, and the way the guild refused to stay broken. “…Yeah,” he said quietly. “I’ll remember.”

And in the golden light of Magnolia’s evening, Erza nodded once—like a knight acknowledging another. Then she turned and stepped back into the noise of her family.