A series of glowing symbols materialized in the air before the guild's main doors.
Those over eighty years old and cats are prohibited from leaving.
"So it was Freed," Makarov said, pressing his hand forward. The invisible barrier pushed back against him without yielding. "This is trouble."
"Yeah," Rowan replied calmly. "A little trouble."
Levy had once mentioned it in passing. Among Fairy Tail's mages, she wasn't the best with runic formulas. That title belonged to Freed of the Thunder God Tribe. His command of inscription magic and dark script bordered on elite territory, strong enough that even top-tier mages struggled to brute-force their way through his work.
Runic barriers took preparation, but once in place, they were brutally effective.
That was one of the reasons Laxus dared to challenge the entire guild with only three allies.
"Well then!" Natsu cracked his knuckles, grinning. "Guess I'll go beat Laxus myself. Been wanting a rematch anyway!"
He charged straight for the exit.
Bang.
Natsu bounced off the barrier and landed flat on his back.
"Huh?" He sat up, rubbing his head. "Why didn't it work?"
The confusion spread fast. Erza and several others tested the barrier and passed through without issue.
In the end, only five were blocked.
Makarov. Rowan. Happy. Natsu. Gajeel.
"That makes no sense," Rowan muttered. "Runic barriers obey their conditions perfectly. Natsu and Gajeel aren't cats."
Which left only one explanation.
But that explanation was ridiculous.
"Never mind," Rowan said, waving it off. "We don't have time to untangle that."
He transformed a section of air into a large mirror, then layered mirror-space magic over it. Handing it to Erza, he spoke quickly.
"Erza, you can fly. Take this mirror and pull every lightning crystal in the sky into mirror space. If the Thunder Palace can't touch the city, civilians stay safe. We'll deal with Laxus once the barrier's down."
"Understood."
She switched into her Black Wing Armor and shot into the sky, mirror held tight as she streaked toward the glowing crystals overhead.
Rowan turned to Levy. "Let's crack Freed's work."
The rest of the guild stayed put under Makarov's orders. Aside from Gray and Juvia, most of them would only get in the way if they ran into Laxus directly.
"This formula is dense," Levy said, scratching her head after a quick look. "I might need to check the library."
"No need," Rowan said. "I've memorized every runic text in there. Tell me what you're missing."
He traced the barrier with his claw, eyes sharp. "This uses modified Gil grammar. Two layered transformations. Together, we should manage."
Rowan wasn't a master of inscription magic. Not even close to Freed.
But dismantling a formula wasn't the same as creating one.
Once you understood the logic behind it, found the fault lines, and rewrote a few key paths, even a powerful barrier could be undone. That was why runic magic was feared against the ignorant but rarely dominant at the highest levels.
Rowan worked fast.
Painfully fast.
Patterns unraveled under his gaze, logic snapping into place. Levy blinked, then leaned in, her eyes lighting up as the structure clarified.
Five minutes later, she gasped. "I've got it!"
She shot Rowan a look filled with disbelief. "You're insane. No one deciphers Freed's work that fast."
Rowan smiled faintly. "I read a lot. You're better with execution."
He stepped aside.
Levy finished the rewrite in under a minute.
The barrier flickered… and vanished.
Behind them, Makarov watched in silence.
Maybe… he thought, it's time.
Rowan hadn't been in the guild long. But his contributions were undeniable. His strength, his judgment, his composure. The respect he commanded wasn't forced. It was earned.
Even the fact that he was a cat hardly mattered. Fairy Tail had never cared about things like that.
Makarov made his decision.
Before Rowan left for the Hundred Years Quest, he would pass on Fairy Law to him. If nothing else, Rowan needed the power to bring Gildarts home alive.
And when Rowan returned…
Makarov would step down.
Laxus was his grandson. What happened today was partly his failure. Remaining as guild master after this felt wrong.
If not for the Hundred Years Quest, he might have handed over the role immediately after the festival.
The doors stood open now.
And Fairy Tail moved.