— — — — — —
When Makarov heard everything, he took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, and forced himself to calm down. The sheer shock and the surge of unstable magic power inside him were almost too much to handle.
He looked at Renzo and apologized sincerely, "Sorry… for doubting you earlier. There's no mistake—this really is Precht."
"And honestly, I agree with your views on magic."
"It's hard to believe, but... it seems Precht really has lost his way."
After all, that was Precht! The legendary second master of Fairy Tail!
Then Makarov frowned slightly and looked back at Renzo. "If you've seen Grimoire Law firsthand... then that must mean Hades—Precht—actually cast it on you, right?"
"That's one of the highest-level judgment-type forbidden magics... are you seriously strong enough to take a direct hit from that and walk away?"
"I'm starting to believe it really was you who defeated Deliora!"
If Renzo could stand against a spell on par with Fairy Law, then taking down a demon like Deliora probably was a walk in the park for him.
Makarov's gaze toward Renzo grew more and more impressed.
This wasn't just talent—"genius" wasn't even enough to describe him!
Then Makarov noticed something: neither Renzo, Ur, nor the others had guild marks.
Clearly, they weren't part of any guild yet.
"This… this might be a golden opportunity," Makarov thought to himself.
He'd been working himself to the bone trying to bring new talent into Fairy Tail, especially with the guild currently in a bit of a slump.
Right now, aside from himself and Gildarts, the guild didn't really have many powerhouses.
Laxus was still young, and the original main crew hadn't even joined yet.
Honestly, the most well-known members at the moment were Macao and Wakaba… and they were just average A-rank mages.
So you could imagine how desperate Makarov was to find new blood and build Fairy Tail back up.
And Renzo's crew? To him, they looked like a bunch of golden bunnies—pure treasure.
He could tell Ultear's magic power was terrifying too, maybe even more potential than Laxus.
And Gray and Lyon? Also promising.
But just then, Renzo gave a helpless shrug and said, "Unfortunately, no—I can't actually counter Grimoire Law. That's a top-tier super spell, after all. I haven't learned anything that can go head-to-head with that yet."
"I only managed to disrupt Hades by targeting his weakness—the source of his power. I destroyed most of his magic supply: the Devil's Heart. That's what made his spell collapse, and he had no choice but to retreat."
"The Devil's Heart?"
Makarov blinked. That name again. But this time it wasn't referring to the dark guild—it was an actual thing?
That immediately made him think of Fairy Heart.
And his expression darkened.
He quickly turned to Renzo, asking, "Wait… this Devil's Heart you're talking about—what is it, exactly?"
Please don't let it be what I think it is…
But of course, reality tends to be cruel.
As Renzo described the features of the Devil's Heart—especially the nearly infinite amount of magic power it contained—Makarov's heart sank.
His face grew grim. There was no more room for denial.
"So he really tried to recreate Fairy Heart…" Makarov thought bitterly. "Precht… what the hell are you planning?"
Back in the day, Fairy Heart had been created by Precht himself, using Mavis's magic power as the foundation.
Makarov had no doubt he was capable of making a dark mirror version of it.
Still, there wasn't much point in overthinking it now. He'd just have to deal with Precht face-to-face when the time came.
So, putting those thoughts aside, Makarov forced a smile back onto his face and said, "Let's not worry about that for now. Leave the Hades issue to me—I'll make sure it gets handled properly."
"But… I think it's safe to say he's got his eye on all of you now. Things might get dangerous if you stay out there on your own."
He looked at Renzo and Ur reassuringly. "I'm not worried about you two, but Ultear and the other three kids? That's a different story."
His eyes started glinting with calculation.
"Oh?" Ur gave him a curious look, half amused. "So what are you getting at?"
Ah… even the mighty master Makarov has his sneaky side, huh?
In Ur's mind, the noble, wise image of the Fairy Tail master crumbled just a little.
This old man was sly.
"Heheheh!" Makarov let out an awkward laugh when he realized he'd been caught. Then he quickly straightened up and looked at them seriously.
"What do you think of our guild?"
"It's nice. Feels lively," Renzo and Ur both nodded.
You could learn a lot just by sensing the vibe of the guild members.
And Makarov's magic? It gave off a warm, comforting aura—that unmistakable feeling of light magic.
Clearly, the man had a heart full of light.
Not to mention, he had the guts to admit when he was wrong and take responsibility for it. That alone made him trustworthy in Renzo's eyes.
"…So, I noticed none of you have a guild yet. Would you be interested in joining ours?" Makarov asked with a smile, then added sincerely, "It'd also make it easier for us to keep Ultear and the others safe."
"Of course, even if you decide not to join, I'll still do everything I can to protect the kids from Hades."
He wasn't just making small talk—this was a serious invitation, and a genuine promise.
Renzo and Ur exchanged a glance, then Renzo gave a small, knowing smile. "That was actually our second reason for coming here in the first place."
"If Fairy Tail turns out to be the right fit for us… then yeah, we'll join."
"So far, it's looking pretty great! In that case," he nodded slightly at Makarov, "We'll be in your care from now on."
"Oh ho?" Makarov's eyes lit up like a kid at a candy shop. "So you're all really joining us?"
"Yes," Renzo confirmed.
"Hahaha! Fantastic! Come, come, let's get those guild marks on you right now! And then—we throw a welcome party!"
Makarov was over the moon. Like, seriously ecstatic. Worried they might change their minds, he rushed off and grabbed the stamp kit as fast as he could.
He slapped the Fairy Tail emblems onto Renzo and the others without delay, finally letting out a breath of relief once it was done.
Then, without missing a beat, he leapt onto the bar counter, dispelled the soundproof barrier, and shouted to the whole guild, "Everyone! Ur, Renzo, Lyon, Gray, and Ultear have officially joined Fairy Tail!"
"So what are you all waiting for? Let's party!"
The guild burst into action instantly.
Drinks were poured. Food was prepped. Music kicked in.
And just like that, the celebration began.
"Cheers!!!"
"Woooo!!!"
"Drink up!! Cheers!!"
The Fairy Tail guild turned into a sea of joy and laughter. Pure chaos. Pure magic.
While the party raged on, Makarov quietly pulled Renzo aside and led him into a back room.
There, his expression turned serious. "Renzo, you've fought Hades before… do you have any idea where he might be hiding now?"
This matter weighed heavily on his mind.
He couldn't rest easy until the Hades situation was resolved.
That old bastard had just up and vanished back in the day, dumping the guild master's job on him without a word. And now? The guy had fallen straight into the dark side.
Can you believe that?
To Makarov, it was unforgivable.
"Honestly… I have no idea," Renzo shrugged. "The guy even left behind his wrecked magic airship when he ran off. He's probably hiding somewhere, licking his wounds."
"Without rebuilding the Devil's Heart and regaining enough strength, I doubt he'll show his face again anytime soon."
"So for now, we probably don't need to worry about him causing more trouble."
Not yet, anyway.
Renzo, truthfully, still needed Hades out there gathering those lost magics. It'd be a shame if Makarov took him out too early.
Sure, with the Devil's Heart and its endless magic supply, Hades would've been way stronger than Makarov.
But now? Without it, he was weakened. Vulnerable.
"I see…" Makarov nodded, his expression easing a little. "Well, that's something, at least. A bit of good news in all this mess."
"Thanks for everything. And sorry for all the trouble."
After all, it was technically Fairy Tail's mess that had dragged Renzo and his crew into this.
"Haha, don't worry about it," Renzo waved it off with a smile. "You already said we're all family now, right? No need to keep apologizing."
"Besides, this wasn't your fault to begin with."
"And anyway—Hades can't even touch me now. And once I figure out how to completely counter Grimoire Law, he won't even be qualified to be my opponent anymore."
Absolute-rule-type magics were just that dangerous.
And Grimoire Law? Absolutely one of those.
One wrong move and it could end you. Instantly.
Hearing that, Makarov's thoughts stirred. He was seriously considering passing down Fairy Law to Renzo.
But… not yet.
"I'll give it more time. Watch and see," he thought to himself.
He needed to be sure Renzo truly stood on the side of light—and that he genuinely believed in Fairy Tail and everything the guild stood for—before entrusting him with a super-magic like Fairy Law.
You couldn't blame him for being cautious. That magic carried way too much weight.
.
.
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