One day later.
Ishgar Continent, Fairy Tail.
Makarov sat alone on the second-floor railing, a lecherous expression on his face, intently reading the latest issue of Fashion Weekly.
Although the hall was as noisy as ever, perhaps because the troublemakers weren't in the guild, the old man was finally able to fully relax.
As expected, days without those headache-inducing brats are the best days.
Gildarts suddenly popped up from the side. "Master, you're secretly looking at pictures of beautiful women alone again. Can that 'function' of yours still be activated?"
"Get lost, get lost." Makarov's lip twitched as he waved his hand dismissively. "I'm still in my prime, don't talk nonsense."
Gildarts scoffed. The old man was certainly stubborn; his prostate issues weren't exactly a secret in the guild, so why pretend?
"By the way, Master, do you think Hope and the others can handle the Hundred Year Quest?"
Makarov continued to stare at the magazine, replying perfunctorily, "If even that kid can't handle it, then I'm afraid there's no Mage in this world who can complete that Hundred Year Quest."
"Whoa, the girl in this photo is really... big."
Gildarts, a fellow old lecher, leaned in as well. With his wealth of experience, he estimated the size at a glance and exclaimed, "Impressive indeed. That's at least an H-cup, right? Is that magic at work?"
"Tsk, you can't touch them anyway. Whether they used magic or not is none of your business."
"Hahaha..."
The two disrespectful old men were engrossed in their reading, completely failing to notice a water ring silently expanding behind them, from which Hope's head poked out.
Hope had intended to say hello, but upon seeing the flesh-filled magazine in Makarov's hands, he revealed a mischievous smile.
A few seconds later, Erza stepped out of the 'Wings of Water' passage. She spotted the two indecent men immediately, stepped forward, and snatched the magazine from Makarov's hands.
"As the Master, to gather and browse indecent books in broad daylight—confiscated!"
Erza's sudden appearance startled Makarov.
Gildarts was also bewildered. Did he and the Master looking at a photo book together count as "gathering"? And where did Erza come from? Wasn't she in the Northern Continent?
Seeing this, Hope finally emerged from the spatial passage and wrapped his arms around the redhead's waist from behind. "Hehe, Erza, my report was spot on, right?"
Feeling the intimate gesture from behind, Erza's cheeks flushed slightly. She slapped away Hope's wandering hands. "Be serious, the Master and Gildarts are still here..."
"Hey, hey, hey, show some consideration for your elders when you're being all lovey-dovey. The Master is old and has been single for many years; he can't take this kind of stimulation."
Hearing Gildarts say this while pretending to look out for him, Makarov's fists clenched in anger. If he weren't worried about damaging the guild, he would have greeted him with a fist the size of a barrel.
After the small interlude, Hope got down to business. "Master, did our guild ever have a Mage named Reis?"
Makarov paused for a moment, and a person quickly matched in his mind; he remembered information about the guild quite clearly.
"Yes, there was such a person."
Makarov sighed. "I remember it clearly. That day, Reis was so badly injured that even Porlyusica was powerless... He was the first comrade I lost."
The sadness had long since passed, but the regret remained buried in Makarov's heart. "Reis passed away over fifty years ago, before I even became the Master. Why are you asking about this, kid?"
Hope didn't explain but gestured to the spatial passage behind him with a smile. "Master, do you want a surprise? If so, come with us."
"It's not some kind of prank, is it?" Makarov looked suspicious.
Hope looked innocent. Was his image really like that now? Fortunately, Makarov trusted Erza and didn't say anything more, entering the spatial passage of his own accord.
Gildarts wanted to join the fun too, but Hope stopped him. After all, a Mage needed to stay behind to guard the guild in case of any accidents.
...
The other side of 'Wings of Water'.
Makarov stepped out of the spatial passage, and what met his eyes was a massive building with a sign engraved with "Diabolos" hanging outside.
The top of the building was piled with the bones of some giant creature, with a hideous, massive skull perched at the front, giving the overall architectural style a gloomy, eerie feel.
"Master, welcome to the Northern Continent, Giltina."
Hope followed, with Erza behind him.
Watching the 'Wings of Water' close, Makarov finally realized that the water-ring-like magic was actually an extremely rare Teleportation-type spatial magic.
Crossing continents with ease—this magic was far more useful than Mest's 'Teleportation: Blink'.
"It seems you've picked up some good stuff again on your trip, you brat," Makarov teased with satisfaction.
Hope shrugged and pointed at the building before them. "Master, let me introduce you. This is the top Mage Guild in the Northern Continent, 'Diabolos'. You can also call it the 'Fairy Tail' Giltina Branch."
"I said, stop right there."
Makarov made a pause gesture and spoke with a bewildered expression, "What do you mean 'Fairy Tail Giltina Branch'? Our guild doesn't have the habit of opening branches. You didn't just snatch this guild, did you?"
"Hehe..."
Hope rubbed his nose guiltily and stepped forward to open the building's doors. "Anyway, Master, you'll understand once you go inside and see."
With a skeptical attitude, Makarov entered Diabolos. As soon as he stepped into the hall, he saw overturned wine bottles, crooked tables and chairs, broken floorboards, a jeering crowd, and a Pink-haired kid brawling with some Exhibitionist...
This scene was all too familiar.
Anyone who didn't know better would think they were back at Fairy Tail.
But soon, Makarov's gaze was drawn to a slender figure sitting quietly at the counter. The appearance of the gray-haired young man gradually overlapped with a long-deceased comrade in his Memory.
"Reis?!"
Hearing someone call his name, Reis turned sideways and immediately saw a short old man staring at him with wide eyes.
Even though he was a stranger, he gave off a very familiar feeling. For some reason, Reis subconsciously uttered a name.
"Makarov..."
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