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[RNZO] Ch 169: First Meeting with Makarov
🕑 Added 2025-04-16 15:49:35 +0000 UTC— — — — — —
Three days later...
"We're almost at Magnolia town, everyone!"
Renzo called out to the group.
By now, the entire aircraft had undergone a serious makeover.
Clearly, during the three-day journey, Renzo had been constantly upgrading it.
What started as a bare-bones shell from the inside had now transformed into a fully furnished, high-end living space.
"We're already there? That was fast! I remember Fiore being tens of thousands of kilometers from where we lived!"
"And we made it in just three days?"
Ur was genuinely surprised.
She had been to the southern regions before, so she knew exactly how far Fiore was from their old home.
"This thing's really something. Way better than most magic airships!" Ur said with a grin.
Her disciple had serious skills!
Now, if she ever wanted to visit her old home, it'd be super easy. No more long trips or tough decisions.
Honestly, she had lived there for decades—it wasn't easy letting go of all her friends back there.
Renzo noticed the look in her eyes and spoke up, "This isn't even the fastest it can go yet. Once I finish a few upgrades, the speed could multiply several times over!"
"By then, Master, doing a round trip in a single day will be no problem. Plus, it has Red Queen autopilot—you won't even need to fly it yourself. You can visit home anytime you like!"
Magic airships usually drained magic crystals like crazy—most people wouldn't even consider using them casually like this.
But Renzo's craft ran on nuclear energy. He could generate it using his creation cheat, costing him only a bit of mental energy.
---
The sudden appearance of their flying vehicle caught the attention of many Magnolia residents, including a few Fairy Tail wizards who happened to be outside.
Soon, Renzo and the others landed the ship near the coast, close to the Fairy Tail guild. They got out and headed straight for the guildhall.
It didn't take long for them to step through the doors—and right there was Guild Master Makarov.
"Hmm? You've come to our guild... Is there something you need?"
Makarov looked over the group, eventually focusing on Renzo and Ur.
He could feel the overwhelming magical power radiating from the two of them.
Ur was one thing—her age made it understandable.
But Renzo? That much power at his age? Makarov was definitely shocked.
Ur and Renzo exchanged glances. Then Renzo stepped forward and said:
"Hello, Master Makarov! I'm Renzo, this is my master, Ur. And these are: Lyon, Gray, and Urutia!"
"Oh, I see! Nice to meet all of you,"
Makarov said with a kind nod. "You're all good kids. But wait—Ur? That name rings a bell. Wasn't there a famous ice mage up north by that name? I heard she's strong enough to rival the Ten Wizard Saints."
He turned to Ur with a serious look.
"You wouldn't happen to be that Ur, would you?"
"Ha? Rival the Ten Saints? That's about as strong as Master Makarov himself, isn't it?"
Their conversation caught the attention of many guild members nearby.
Even Laxus, seated at a table off to the side, turned to look.
Ur smiled and nodded.
"That would be me, yes."
Only by meeting him in person could she truly feel how big the gap between her and Makarov was.
Even within the Ten Saints, there were huge differences in power.
And Makarov was said to be the strongest below the Four Gods of Ishgar.
Honestly, Renzo, having read the original story, thought the so-called Four Gods of Ishgar might not even be stronger than Makarov.
Maybe they were just more specialized in one kind of magic, having reached some new level of mastery.
But in terms of raw power? He wasn't convinced they had Makarov beat.
Otherwise, why did they flop so hard later? In the Alvarez Empire arc, a few of those supposed powerhouses were taken out in seconds.
Honestly, they looked like a bunch of jobbers.
And then Natsu and the rest—the main crew—ended up defeating all those "Spriggan 12" elites?
A broken power scaling!
Only August was an exception. That guy was the real deal.
— — —
"It really is you!" Makarov said, surprised. "The Magic Council just reported a few days ago that someone had defeated the demon Deliora. I was shocked when I heard the news!"
"So, what brings you to our guild?"
Makarov asked with a warm smile.
The Council had made that conclusion based on the lingering ice magic at the site and eyewitness accounts from nearby survivors.
"Oh no, it wasn't me who took down Deliora,"
Ur said with a shake of her head, then pointed at Renzo.
"It was my disciple, Renzo. And the reason we're here… I think he should be the one to explain."
"Oh?"
That surprised Makarov. His gaze turned to Renzo, filled with disbelief.
From what he could sense, Renzo's magic power wasn't even close to Ur's level. And yet…
"Hm... seems like there's more going on here than I know," Makarov muttered, then shrugged. "Ah well, doesn't matter—as long as you're not enemies!"
He decided not to dig further.
"So, Renzo, what brings you all here?" Makarov asked again.
Renzo gave a polite smile and replied, "No need for the formalities! Just call me Renzo."
Then he continued, "We're here for two reasons."
"First, a few days ago, in the north, we ran into the leader of Grimoire Heart—Hades…"
He briefly summarized the feud between Hades and Ultear for context.
Then, noticing Makarov's puzzled expression, he added, "After digging a bit, I confirmed something big—Hades' real name is Precht. Apparently, he was your guild's second master. So, we came to warn you."
"...What?"
The laid-back look on Makarov's face vanished instantly.
He leapt up from the bar counter and stood tall, eyes locked onto Renzo, his expression deadly serious.
"Are you absolutely sure about that? This isn't something you can joke about, kid."
After all, Precht wasn't just any former master. He was the one who raised Makarov. More than just a mentor—he was family.
To hear that Precht had fallen into darkness and was now the leader of a dark guild?
It was a lot to process. Frankly, the fact Makarov didn't lash out right away was a testament to his self-control.
Around them, more Fairy Tail members started paying attention, reacting with shock.
Some had caught bits of the conversation, others hadn't, but all were curious.
Noticing this, Makarov quickly waved his hand and cast a soundproof barrier to keep the guild members out of the loop.
He then focused his sharp gaze back on Renzo, waiting for an explanation.
"I've got proof, of course."
Renzo nodded. With a wave of his hand, he conjured a magical illusion of Hades.
As the phantom hovered, Renzo explained, "This is Hades. He used a chain-based magic spell—and more importantly, he used Grimoire Law. That last one might ring a bell?"
Makarov's eyes narrowed as he looked at the projection. When Renzo mentioned the chain magic—and especially Grimoire Law—his pupils dilated.
His magic pressure surged dangerously.
"There's no doubt... that is Precht."
Makarov clenched his fists, deeply conflicted.
"But why? Why would our second master fall to darkness? What could've happened to him all these years?"
Sure, things like appearance or the magic chains could be imitated...
But that spell—Grimoire Law—left no room for doubt.
It was unmistakably a corrupted version of Fairy Law. Instead of holy light punishing evil, it was reworked to become a force of darkness that punished the "light"—or more accurately, anything the caster deemed as opposition.
To twist a spell like Fairy Law so thoroughly, you'd have to understand its very essence. Only someone who had mastered it to the core could mutate it like that.
So yeah—there was no doubt. Hades was Precht.
"This is something you'll probably need to investigate personally," Renzo said, shaking his head.
"But from what I heard from Ultear, I've got a pretty good guess."
"Hades—Precht—once made a promise to Ultear. He said he wanted to revive the Black Wizard Zeref, to return the world to the era of Great Magic, and to dive into the true abyss of the magical arts. He went on about how the 'essence of magic is darkness,' and all that nonsense."
"He even tried to recruit me."
Renzo's expression turned a bit grim.
"It's clear he's lost sight of himself. He's on the wrong path."
"That whole thing about 'magic being naturally dark'—it's total crap if you ask me."
He threw his hands up and added, "If anything, I believe the nature of magic is chaos—neutral, undefined. Attributes like light or dark? That's just something humans—or dragons or whoever—imposed onto it."
"Magic is alive."
"And what kind of magic you wield, what element it carries—only you get to decide that."
It's the same with strength. Just because someone's powerful doesn't make them evil—or good.
Renzo couldn't help but think Hades' worldview was both shallow and absurd.
And his actions? Even worse.
.
.
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