— — — — — —
"Yeah… that makes sense," Makarov sighed. "You're already stronger than I ever was, and your future achievements won't be any smaller either."
Kazuma was still young, yet his strength had already surpassed Makarov's current level. And in the years to come, his potential was practically limitless.
"Come on," Makarov said, waving him along. "Let's head back upstairs. I still have a few things to remind you about."
He led Kazuma out of the underground chamber. Over the next several hours, Makarov rambled on endlessly, listing one "important thing" after another. He didn't stop until night fell and everyone in the guild had gone home, leaving only Kazuma and Mira behind.
"Master, everything in the guild has been tidied up," Mira said gently as she prepared to leave. "Are you heading out now, or will you stay a bit longer?"
"I'll stay a while," Makarov replied. "You go on ahead, Mira. I'll lock the door myself."
He paused, then added, "And don't call me 'Master' anymore. I'm retired. Kazuma's the guild master now."
He glanced at Kazuma, who was half-asleep on his chair, and sighed softly. Getting old really did make people talk too much. He'd repeated the same things over and over again.
"Kazuma, you should go with Mira," Makarov said. "I'll sit here by myself for a bit longer. Just a little longer."
"I'll be heading out then," Kazuma said as he stood up, instantly looking wide awake. His expression turned serious as he looked at Makarov and held out his fist.
"Old man… from now on, the guild is in my hands."
Makarov stared at the outstretched fist for a moment, then quietly raised his own and bumped it against Kazuma's.
The promise was made.
Kazuma and Mira left together. The guild hall was left with only Makarov inside.
For the first time in ages, Makarov picked up a broom and carefully swept every corner of the first and second floors. He straightened every chair, wiped down every table, polished every decoration.
His movements were slow. Painfully slow.
It was as if he couldn't bear to rush, or maybe he just wanted to carve every detail into his memory forever.
As he looked around the guild hall, memories surfaced one after another. Before he realized it, tears were streaming down his face.
"That table in the corner… when Erza first joined, she was withdrawn and kept to herself. She always sat there alone."
"The bird's nest up on that beam… Natsu made it for Happy. Even though Happy barely used it."
"The scratches on the bar… Mira did those when she was little and mischievous."
...
Makarov talked to himself as he walked through the empty guild, step by step, up to the second floor and then onto the rooftop, gazing out over the familiar grounds.
Through the window, the stars glittered brightly in the night sky.
"It's time to go," he murmured. "The future belongs to those kids now."
He slowly walked back down from the second floor, step by step, until he reached the entrance. He pushed the doors open with both hands.
At the very last moment, he couldn't help but turn around.
He looked at the silent guild hall, at the Fairy Tail emblem hanging proudly inside.
"Goodbye, Fairy Tail."
He bid farewell to the empty hall. His hands closed around the door handles as he tried to shut them.
But his arms began to tremble, and the tears wouldn't stop falling.
He had underestimated just how deeply he loved Fairy Tail.
Leaving now hurt more than he ever expected.
"Old man, if you can't do it, it's fine to leave the door open," a voice said lightly."Not like we have anything worth stealing. And nobody would dare steal from our guild anyway."
Makarov spun around.
Kazuma was standing behind him, smiling. And he wasn't alone. The rest of the guild members were there too, all gathered quietly behind Kazuma, watching him.
"Erza, Mira, Laxus, Mystogan, Natsu, Gray, Cana…" Makarov called out each name one by one.
At last, his gaze settled on Kazuma.
"You little brat," Makarov said with a shaky laugh. "I wanted to make a cool, dramatic exit. Didn't expect you all to be watching and laughing at me."
This wasn't how he'd imagined saying goodbye. But then again, leaving all alone was never really their style.
This was fine.
A little embarrassing, but warm. That was enough.
"Old man," Kazuma said seriously, "even if you don't try to look cool, you're still the coolest old man in our hearts. And the one we respect the most."
He truly meant it.
If Makarov hadn't taken him in back then, Kazuma didn't even know what he'd be doing now. He was grateful from the bottom of his heart.
Now he wanted Makarov to retire without worries. He wanted him to know that Fairy Tail had a successor, and that the guild would never disappear. His family would always be safe.
"Good. Well said," Makarov replied, his voice thick with emotion. "But I still need to close this door. The past is the past. The future is yours."
He looked at Kazuma, then at the guild members standing behind him. The tears fell even harder now, but his eyes grew firm.
He had to close this door. He had to officially hand over the responsibility of guild master to Kazuma.
His hands were still shaking as he pushed the door closed. Just then, Kazuma stepped forward.
He respected Makarov's decision.
Placing both hands on the door, one old and one young pushed together until the doors finally shut.
Makarov took out the key, locked the door, then grabbed Kazuma's hand and placed the key firmly in his palm.
"From today on, this is yours to keep," he said.
"You can leave it to me," Kazuma replied solemnly as he put the key away.
"Alright. I'm heading out," Makarov said. "No need to follow me. I'll just take a walk home."
There was a trace of loneliness in his heart as he left his guild behind. But there was relief too.
Relief that Fairy Tail had a successor.
He looked back at the guild and thought of the First Master, the Second Master, and himself.
"First… Second… can you see this?" he whispered to the sky. "Fairy Tail has become the number one guild in the Kingdom of Fiore."
"The new Fourth Master is a once-in-a-generation genius. I believe Fairy Tail will become even greater in his hands."
Makarov gazed up at the night sky, silently recounting all these years. He felt that the First and Second Masters could see him.
And that they would be proud.
The night grew deeper. Everything returned to stillness.
The Fairy Tail guild hall was quiet once more.
Yet the flag hanging from the roof stirred and fluttered, even though there was no wind.
...
The next morning, just as Kazuma got up, he received a notice from the Magic Council. They were summoning him to a meeting.
.
.
.