"Sorry, Master. I've brought shame on the guild." Gildarts lowered his head, his voice uncharacteristically heavy.
"Don't say that."
Makarov had always valued the safety of his guild members more than the completion of requests. "As far as I know, you're the first Mage to take on this Hundred Year Quest and come back in one piece."
In one piece… huh.
A bitter smile tugged at Gildarts' lips.
He hadn't merely failed at the first hurdle; he'd lost an arm and a leg without even a chance to fight back. Had the black dragon not lost interest in him, he'd never have returned alive.
Right then Hope cut in. "Master, the job you asked of me is done. Shall we talk in your office? And Gildarts still has details to share privately."
Makarov nodded.
Ivan had been a thorn in his heart for years; tonight he would remove that thorn for good.
——
——
In the office Makarov sat in his wide chair and watched Hope release the unconscious Ivan from a magic card.
Seeing the son he hadn't laid eyes on for years bound by cat-spirit ropes and lying on the floor, Makarov's eyes flickered with pain, disappointment, and a trace of reluctant affection.
He was, after all, almost ninety… but Ivan had to be dealt with. The day Ivan left, he had already become a grave danger to Fairy Tail.
Apart from the guild's darkest secrets, Ivan possessed a trove of other intelligence; should a rival Dark Guild obtain it, the consequences would be unthinkable.
"I've contacted Mest. Tomorrow he'll find an excuse to visit, and I'll have him seal the memories concerning the guild inside Ivan's head with his Memory magic."
"After that… let the master of the Dark Guild Crows Tail—this unfilial son—admit his crimes and accept punishment."
Listening to Makarov's plan for Ivan, both Hope and Gildarts kept silent; this was guild business, but also Makarov's family matter.
Besides, Ivan deserved every ounce of what was coming to him.
Makarov collected himself. "Gildarts, if there's anything else, speak up. I'm waiting to get back to the feast—this is the celebration for the guild's expansion, after all."
Gildarts rose from the sofa and drew back his cloak, fully revealing his body.
When Makarov saw the prosthetic arm and leg of magic-conductive metal and machinery, his pupils contracted. "I should never have let you take the Hundred Year Quest…"
He had rejoiced at Gildarts' safe return, only to realize Gildarts had simply hidden his condition from everyone.
With a bitter smile Gildarts recounted his encounter with the black dragon, how he had survived, and how Hope had healed his damaged internal organs.
Hearing that "a single glance cost me an arm and a leg," Makarov's face darkened terribly. "So the black dragon recorded in the forbidden Apocalypse tome really exists…"
"Not only that."
Gildarts let his cloak fall. "I could feel it—that dragon is humanity's enemy, and human magic can't defeat it."
"Not necessarily."
Hope broke the heavy silence. "If magic won't do, there are other powers."
Makarov gave Hope a long look. "You mean your Magnetic Field Power? It's certainly force beyond magic; perhaps you really could stand against the dragon."
"Magnetic Field Power? What's that?" Gildarts looked up, astonished; in all his years he had never seen strength surpassing magic.
Hope smiled. "You're about to feel it firsthand. My Magnetic Field Power can stimulate cellular regeneration—your severed limbs can grow back."
There's a power like that?!
Gildarts stared in shock, and even Makarov turned amazed eyes on Hope; he'd just learned the Magnetic Field Power could heal.
"Then why didn't you restore my arm and leg while you were healing my organs?" Gildarts asked, puzzled.
Hope sighed. "I'm not accomplished enough. With my current strength, I need an absolutely safe place to do it."
Normally "Cellular Reconstruction" unlocked only at five-hundred-thousand horsepower, but if a Magnetic Field expert possessed sufficient control, it could be achieved early.
The difference lay in cost: the former used negligible power, while the latter drained a vast amount of horsepower.
Although the spent horsepower would recover with rest, any sudden crisis in the meantime would be troublesome.
That was why Hope hadn't restored Gildarts' limbs immediately.
Gildarts rubbed his hands. He understood none of the details, but knew the guild was the safest place. "Let's get started! I still can't get used to these Magic-Powered Prosthetics."
Hope glanced at Makarov for permission.
Makarov nodded; he had no reason to refuse, and he wouldn't miss the chance to observe Hope's healing method.
Soon Gildarts lay shirtless on the office's broad wooden table in only a pair of shorts, his prosthetics removed, the stumps of shoulder and thigh hideous.
Just as Hope was about to channel his Magnetic Field Power, the office door burst open.
"Master, I've written my apology. I'll never sneak wine again—" Cana pushed the door and walked in, her words dying at the sight of Gildarts' injuries.
"Yo, Cana. Long time no see."
Gildarts lifted his remaining right hand and waved.
But Cana seemed not to hear, her eyes fixed on the severed shoulder and thigh, tears streaming uncontrollably.
"You idiot!"
She rushed to him. "Wandering around instead of coming home—now look what happened! Happy, are you? Finally turned yourself into a cripple!"
For some reason, seeing Cana's tear-filled eyes, Gildarts couldn't find his voice.
"Um, Cana, listen—"
Hope tried to explain, but Cana, as if possessed, wouldn't hear it, cursing Gildarts while tears kept falling.
------------------------
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