"You lot, you've caused trouble again."
Makarov turned to look at the people suspended in mid-air, gesturing to Zorn with his hands behind his back, signaling him to let them down.
Zorn received the command and withdrew his magic.
The Master seized the opportunity to spring up, landing a foot on Natsu's head.
Natsu cried "Ouch~" as he fell to the ground, while the Master safely leaped onto the second-floor railing, looking down at everyone with a serious expression.
Everyone landed on the ground one by one, stood up, and quietly and seriously listened to the Master's lecture.
"All these in my hand are your complaint letters." The Master pulled out a thick stack of letters from who knows where, shook them, and squinted at everyone.
"You guys, you make me get scolded by those people from the Council all day long." The Master was trembling with anger, the complaint letters in his hand crumpled. He glanced to the side, somewhat resentful of Zorn for being away so long, otherwise he could have attended the routine meeting in his place, and he wouldn't have been the one getting scolded.
Zorn awkwardly touched his face and spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness.
Lucy, too, looked up at the Master with some concern during his lecture, waiting for him to continue speaking.
"However."
The Master's tone changed, flames erupted from his hand, burning the complaint letters to ashes, which he then tossed aside.
Natsu, like a hungry dog pouncing on food, leaped into the air, swallowed the flames whole, and landed safely.
"Tell those people from the Council to eat *! All of you listen carefully: the power that transcends perseverance comes entirely from the will to persevere. Magic is not the power of miracles, but a power that materializes only when our internal airflow merges with the external natural airflow."
"Magic is formed only by pouring one's entire soul into it. If you are always concerned about high-ranking outsiders and the opinions of others, how can you refine your magical path? As for those guys from the Council, I'm here to support you, so don't be afraid. Just keep moving forward on the path you believe in; that is what a Fairy Tail Magician does."
The Master's inspiring speech, accompanied by the iconic Fairy Tail hand gesture raised at the end, completely invigorated the atmosphere in the Guild.
"Ohh, long live Fairy Tail!"
Everyone cheered excitedly.
Lucy watched the scene before her, her eyes shining with hope, her heart pounding with excitement. With her hands over her heart, feeling the surging beat, it was at this moment that she finally understood why Fairy Tail had become the number one Guild in Fiore Kingdom.
————Separator————
In the Council, above a giant blue magic circle, several councilors were holding a meeting regarding Fairy Tail's actions.
"Damn it, half the port is destroyed. If Zorn hadn't returned just in time, Fairy Tail would have caused even more damage to the port on this mission."
"Well, I rather like those guys. Since Zorn has returned, I'd like to find an opportunity to meet him."
"However, the Guild has gathered many talents, hasn't it? Otherwise, it wouldn't be the number one Guild in the Kingdom."
"Indeed, because of this, the world isn't boring, is it?"
A blue-haired young man, hands on his hips, replied with a smile.
"Then let's say this: for Zorn's sake, we'll let this one slide."
"Meeting adjourned."
In a secluded spot, the blue-haired man and black-haired woman who had just been in the Council meeting were now standing face to face.
"Jellal, do you really want to meet Zorn, who became one of the Ten Wizard Saints at only a little over ten years old?" Ultear held a crystal ball in one hand, looking at Jellal with some doubt.
"Who knows? Perhaps he'll seek me out first." The blue-haired young man paid no heed, his words making Ultear somewhat unable to grasp what Jellal was thinking at that moment.
"Erza..."
...Over at Fairy Tail Guild.
"Master, you idiot!" Romeo, tears in his eyes, punched the Master in the face, then wiped his tears and ran out of the Guild.
"Bang~"
Natsu punched the bandit mission he had just looked at, sending it crashing into the mission board, and walked out of the Guild without a word, taking Happy with him.
"Huh, what's wrong with Natsu?" Lucy asked, surprised by Natsu's behavior.
"It's probably because Romeo's father suddenly disappeared on a mission for so long, which made him think of his own father—Igneel! He also left without a word back then."
"To be honest, every Magician in our Fairy Tail Guild carries their own unspeakable burden!..."
Zorn spoke in a low tone, seeing Lucy's confusion, but his words made Lisanna, who was wiping plates nearby, pause her movements.
"...Since that day, Natsu has always hoped to reunite with his father, so he has been working hard all these years."
"Is that so... Then I'll go with him too." Lucy fell into thought, but after a moment, she immediately waved goodbye to Zorn and Cana and chased after Natsu.
Master Makarov also sighed as he stared at the Guild entrance.
"Master, speaking of which, I haven't seen Laxus, Mirajane, Erza, and the others! Have they all gone on missions?"
Zorn looked around and noticed that several S-Class Magicians of the Guild were not present.
"Yes, Laxus and Mirajane went on an S-Class mission together, and they took the Thunder God Tribe and Lisanna!"
"Erza should be back soon."
"Oh, Laxus and Mirajane together?" Zorn's gossip-loving heart perked up at this, and a knowing smile appeared on his face.
·····
"Alright, I'm going out too. See ya, Master."
"Cana, let's go check out the newly opened magic item shop and deal with the things I brought back. They should still be quite valuable."
Zorn finished the last sip of wine in his cup and led Cana out of the Guild.
"Zorn, look..." Cana tugged on Zorn's clothes, gesturing to the dejected Romeo sitting on the steps nearby.
"What's wrong? Are you worried about Macao and Natsu, or are you blaming yourself?"
Zorn walked up to Romeo, crouched down, and met the somewhat distracted Romeo's gaze.
"Brother Zorn, Sister Cana... Do you think... I'm too easily influenced by external factors? If I hadn't... urged my father to take on a mission so quickly, this wouldn't have happened."
Romeo looked up, his eyes teary, feeling somewhat guilty.
"This isn't your fault. It's not your fault to care about what others think of you, and it's not wrong to encourage your father to work hard. In this society, it's inevitable to face criticism or negative opinions from others, but as long as you believe what you're doing is right and it doesn't inconvenience others, then you don't need to care about others' opinions. Just be yourself."
Zorn rubbed Romeo, who seemed a bit confused, and continued with a smile: "No need to rush to understand. Just one thing: trust your father and yourself, and Natsu and the others will definitely bring Macao back safely."
"I guarantee it!"
"Really? Then pinky swear!"
"Haha, okay, pinky swear, and then a thumbprint."
Zorn and Romeo, one large and one small hand, hooked their pinkies together, then pressed their thumbs together.
Zorn's words seemed to have worked, and a smile appeared on Romeo's face. Just then, Romeo's stomach suddenly growled, making his face flush with embarrassment.
"Come on, let's go get something good to eat." Cana also smiled kindly beside him, reached out to pull Romeo up, and the three of them walked into the street together.
Cana leaned down beside Romeo, asking him what he wanted to eat.
Zorn, however, suddenly made an OK gesture behind his back.
Master Makarov, standing at the Guild entrance, sighed in relief at the sight, a smile on his lips, and walked into the Guild.
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