"Explain?"
Ian looked at August, his brows slightly furrowed.
"Uh…"
"Father, I was wrong!"
August, noticing Ian's expression out of the corner of his eye, suddenly panicked. He seemed to think Ian was angry, and so he stammered apology after apology.
"Tell me, what did you do wrong?"
Ian asked August seriously.
"I shouldn't have taken the initiative to attack a stranger,"
"You said that those who start fights are bad children…"
After hesitating for a moment, August answered seriously.
"That's not what matters!"
"The important thing is, how many times have I told you never to risk yourself? As a mage, we walk on the edge of a knife. One careless step, and you could end up in grave danger! So we must always be cautious!"
"If I hadn't been there just now, how would you have resisted that terrifying curse?!"
Ian frowned, looking at August. His voice was cold and filled with authority.
"I…I don't know…"
August lowered his head, staring at his toes in his sandals. He dared not look up at Ian.
"And how many times have I said: if there's danger, come find Father immediately. Yet when you were in danger, what did you do? You tried to show off! You put your own life at risk!"
Just when August thought Ian would scold him harshly...
He suddenly felt warmth enveloping him as Ian gently embraced him! In Ian's gaze, there was no reproach, only endless worry: "August, first I must acknowledge that your talent is exceptional, and you are very powerful—far stronger than I was at eight years old, and even stronger than the vast majority of people in this world."
"But this world is vast, and there are many dangerous enemies, some of whom have trained in magic far longer than the time you've been alive, by tens or even hundreds of times over! So you must be careful. Never let your guard down, unless you've grown tired of living by my side and want to leave me forever."
"Of course I don't…"
August became emotional. He gripped Ian's shoulders, shaking his head.
"Just as you don't want to lose me, I don't want to lose you either."
Ian said this earnestly, looking at August.
"Father…"
August's eyes reddened, tears rolling down as he spoke hoarsely and quietly: "I only attacked that enemy because I wanted to lighten your burden."
"August, understand this…"
"Though I have many enemies in this world,"
"None of them really matter compared to you."
"You are what's most important to me in this world… one of the most important, do you understand?"
Ian patiently explained to August.
"I understand."
August nodded, choking back tears.
"Alright, stop crying."
"Today I'll take you out to eat."
"Today we must celebrate properly."
As Ian spoke, he picked August up and headed back toward Violet Town.
"Eh? Why?"
"What's there to celebrate today?"
August asked, blinking in confusion.
"You gave a beating to someone I've long wanted to deal with but never found the right opportunity to. That calls for a celebration…"
Ian patted August's head, smiling.
"Eh?!"
Hearing this, August's eyes sparkled. He knew that by thoroughly beating Zeref, Ian would be pleased.
Meanwhile…
"Whoosh!"
"Boom!!"
With a thunderous roar, Zeref—engulfed by a powerful curse—was thrown into the sea by Ian.
"Glug, glug…"
Zeref bobbed in the seawater, bubbles escaping his mouth. He felt like his internal organs were filled with water. Yet even so, he could not die.
Suddenly, Zeref felt sleepy.
Well, let's sleep. After waking up, the past pain would be forgotten.
At that moment, Zeref stood alone in a hurt world.
Time flew by.
Another seven years passed in a flash.
It was now X713.
August was fifteen years old. According to the laws of the Kingdom of Fiore,
August was now an adult.
At fifteen, August had grown ever more upright and handsome…
He retained Mavis's gentle softness in his features, but his eyes also carried a heroic spirit that Mavis did not have. He stood about 1.8 meters tall, exuding a composure beyond ordinary people.
Ian was very satisfied seeing how well his son—whom he had raised from infancy—had turned out.
Most importantly, since a year ago, Ian could no longer gauge August's true level of strength!
One thing Ian knew for certain: In terms of pure magical power, August had already surpassed him.
"Smile~"
"Great! Say cheese~"
Today, Ian commissioned a top-notch artisan to craft a hand-made suit from magical beast fur for August. In terms of Ian's previous life, it was equivalent to top-grade "cashmere wool." This was quite unlike Ian's usually frugal household practices.
Additionally, Ian hired a professional photographer to take series after series of photos for August.
"Father, it's just a coming-of-age ceremony. There's no need to make such a big deal out of it, is there?"
August posed under the photographer's guidance, his face faintly blushing.
"Today is your coming-of-age ceremony! How can we not do it grandly?"
Ian stood with his hands in his pockets, smiling as he looked at August.
"But not this grand…"
August muttered softly. As a proper grown man, he really couldn't stand being watched by so many people like this.
In August's eyes, the best coming-of-age ceremony would just be a simple family meal together with Father and everyone else.
"What's with all the talk?! Or do you think that now you're an adult, your wings have hardened, and you don't have to listen to your father anymore?"
Ian said this while pinching August's shoulder firmly.
"No! Of course not…"
"It's just…"
August panicked at Ian's words, waving his hands in denial, momentarily tongue-tied.
"Alright, let's not talk about that."
"Yesterday Mrs. Mary Jane visited the bakery. She said her daughter wanted to invite you out for a picnic, but you turned her down…"
"To be honest, Mrs. Mary Jane's daughter is fair-skinned, beautiful, curvy, and speaks nicely. She's the dream girl of many young people in this town!"
""If your father were a few decades younger, who knows, I might…ahem!"
"Anyway, just let me know which girl you fancy. There's no family in Violet Town I can't persuade. Even if you think you're still young and don't want to rush into marriage, you can at least go on some dates! Don't feel burdened. I mean, you young people should take advantage of your youth and sweat it out!"
Ian really spoke like a proud father looking at his grown son, full of unspeakable feelings.
In fact, Ian wasn't a conservative parent.
Young people, after all, overflow with hormones and should enjoy their youth.
Transform into a delinquent blond if you will, and go have fun!
What's that? A blond punk dares trick my daughter?
Damn him, he's dead!!!
Unknowingly, Ian had become a double-standard old fellow.
"Father, that's enough."
"Instead of worrying about me, why don't you consider your own love life?"
"You think Mrs. Mary Jane keeps visiting the bakery since her husband's death just because her daughter took a fancy to me? I doubt it."
August smiled helplessly.
In truth, August worried more about Ian's future than his own.
After all, in the fifteen years since August's birth…
After he was abandoned by Old Precht and then adopted and cared for by Ian, his memory of Ian's life was training, caring for him, and resting—a simple three-point routine.
Moreover, compared to August's quiet, unassuming personality, Ian was the real catch in town…
Mysterious, wealthy, handsome, mature, and stable—all rolled into one. Ian was the dream man for girls from eighteen or nineteen just turned adult, up to divorced women or widows in their thirties and forties.
"Don't you worry about my affairs, kid."
Ian chuckled at August's words, ruffling his hair. If he got involved in something else, it would be chaos and probably life-threatening…
Heh, if members of Fairy Tail eighty years later heard that August once worried about Ian's marriage prospects, they'd laugh out loud.
Little did they know, Ian would be regarded on par with Gildarts as one of Fairy Tail's double scumbags!
"Boom!"
As Ian hooked an arm around August's shoulder, messing up his neatly styled hair, a loud explosion echoed nearby.
"What happened?!"
Ian and August looked up simultaneously.
They saw a spectacular chase scene: a group of about a dozen black-cloaked thieves darted through the town's terrain at high speed, pursued relentlessly by a towering giant at least dozens of meters tall. The giant's pursuit caused the deafening noise.
"A giant?"
The townsfolk were stunned at the sight of the towering figure.
They blinked hard, but the giant remained.
Only then did they realize it was real.
"Damn it…"
"These Fairy Tail mage bastards are still chasing us?!"
The black-clad thieves glanced back at the giant who continued charging even inside the town, crashing around without restraint. They cursed angrily.
"Damn thieves…"
"Stop running!"
"Hurry up and taste your Grandpa Makarov's fist!"
The giant roared, slamming a fist into the town's ground. A thunderous crash resounded as he punched a huge crack into the pavement.
"Ah…"
Ian looked at the young giant. He felt a strange sense of familiarity…
Upon seeing the Fairy Tail guild mark on him, he confirmed the giant's identity and gaped in disbelief.
"Father, do you want me to step in?"
August rolled up his sleeves, ready to help. From his gaze, it seemed he planned to eliminate both the thieves and the street-wrecking Makarov together.
"No! Let's wait and see…"
Ian stopped August, shaking his head.
"Alright, Father."
August lowered his raised hand, which had been ready to unleash super magic.
Yes, raising his hand to cast super magic was his way of showing respect to Fairy Tail members.
"Makarov, stop destroying the streets!"
"Weren't you just scolded by Master Precht not long ago?!"
Beside the giant Makarov was a boy wearing sunglasses and wielding dual pistols. He angrily berated Makarov for the havoc he was causing.
"Shut up, Goldmine!"
"If you hadn't dozed off last night and let these damned thieves escape into the town, would I have to wreck this place?"
"This time it's all your fault!"
Yes, the giant who was wrecking the street was the young Makarov…
Hearing Master Precht's name made Makarov pause slightly, but only for a moment. He still ran wildly through the streets, chasing the terrified thieves.
"Seriously…"
The boy named Goldmine sighed helplessly.
Yes, this boy would become the future guild master of the Quatro Cerberus, one of the top guilds in Fiore, but currently he was just an ordinary member of Fairy Tail.
"'Seriously' should be what I say."
"I still don't know what possessed me to go on a mission with you rude folks!"
A boy in a suit, completely different in style from Makarov and Goldman, stood beside them. With hands in pockets and a rose with the thorns removed in his mouth, he emitted an aura of melancholy that drew admiring stares from all the young girls watching from the street sides.
"So handsome! He's so handsome~"
The young women sighed in admiration.
"Bob! If you're not planning to help us, at least don't cause trouble."
Goldman and Makarov spoke in unison.
"The uglier people are, the more trouble they cause."
Bob sighed, looking helpless.
This handsome youth was Bob, the future founder and master of Blue Pegasus, another top guild in Fiore.
Though sadly, Bob's future growth would be… quite regrettable.
"I'll block them…"
On the opposite side of the street, a spiky-haired boy and a square-jawed boy suddenly appeared, forming a pincer attack with Makarov's group, trapping the thieves.
"Yajima, Rob, you're right on time!"
Makarov exclaimed happily at their arrival.
Yes, these were Rob and Yajima. In the future, one would become an adventurer, the other a council member of the Magic Council ERA.
Oh, right…
We forgot to properly introduce Makarov.
This guy would become the future guild master of Fairy Tail, leading it to become the strongest mage guild in Ishgar, possibly in all of Earthland. No exceptions!
So at this moment, in this small town, gathered were future leaders of three of Fiore's top guilds.
It's often said: Among the countless mage guilds in Fiore, half originated from Fairy Tail…
This is hardly an exaggeration.
Even infamous dark guilds like Grimoire Heart and Tartaros were Fairy Tail offshoots, with even purer lineage than Blue Pegasus or Quatro Cerberus.
As the Fairy Tail mages finally surrounded the black-cloaked thieves, the townsfolk near Ian realized what was happening.
"They say these people come from a mage guild called Fairy Tail!"
someone murmured.
"Fairy Tail?"
The bystanders were unfamiliar with the name.
"Yes!"
"I heard these guys have been causing trouble…"
"A few days ago, to deal with some magical beasts, they even burned down a whole mountain."
The townsfolk who knew a bit about Fairy Tail frowned and spoke helplessly.
"What?!"
"They even burned a mountain?"
"How lawless can they be?"
"What's the army doing? They didn't arrest them?"
The bystanders were shocked, unable to believe what they heard.
"That's right!"
"Sigh…"
"The local troops wouldn't dare arrest these mages!"
"Look at that giant—no number of soldiers could catch him."
The townspeople sighed, clearly exasperated by this Fairy Tail mage guild.
"As expected, this mage guild Fairy Tail is the source of chaos on the continent!"
August listened to the townsfolk's words, storing them all in his heart, and a strange gleam appeared in his eyes.
"August, what are you doing?! August!"
"August, stay calm and rational!"
Ian noticed August's restlessness and immediately held him back.
It'd be a joke if August, on a whim, dismantled the Fairy Tail guild that carried all of Mavis's hopes and dreams.
First he punched his scumbag dad Zeref…
Next would he kick down the guild founded by his mother Mavis?
What's your name, you ask?
I am none other than August, the "Wizard King."
"Father, these Fairy Tail mages have gone too far."
August frowned, looking at Ian and speaking softly.
"Wait a bit longer, just wait…"
Ian said helplessly, holding August's shoulder and trying to dissuade him.
"Boom!"
Another loud rumble resounded…
Makarov, still in giant form, defeated the thieves with a single punch.
However, his punch further worsened the already damaged street.
"Buzz!"
After finishing, Makarov's body shrank back before everyone's eyes, soon returning to normal size, even slightly smaller than average.
"First, I'm really sorry!"
"I apologize for letting these thieves enter the town and putting all of you in danger."
"Today's incident is entirely the fault of us Fairy Tail mages. We were negligent…"
"As for the aftermath, please rest assured that Fairy Tail will take full responsibility! If you need our help or compensation for the damage caused today, please contact Guild Master Precht Gaebolg in Magnolia Town's Fairy Tail Guild. We will compensate everyone at 1.2 times the original cost."
Makarov bowed to the townsfolk, speaking earnestly.
"A mage is bowing and apologizing to us?"
"Incredible. Am I dreaming?"
The townspeople were stunned by Makarov's apology.
They lived in Fiore and had seen mages before.
But every mage they met was arrogant, ignoring ordinary people.
This was the first time they saw a mage who did something wrong and apologized.
"Makarov, the army is coming…"
Bob, who had been watching, suddenly noticed something and shouted in panic.
"Damn…"
"Not good, run!"
"Anyway, everyone, remember to contact us! We'll compensate you!"
Makarov grabbed the thieves off the ground and, along with his companions, fled back the way they came.
"Don't run, you damned mages!"
Behind Makarov and his group was the kingdom's army, chasing them relentlessly.
Yes, now everything lined up perfectly.