"Hmm? What are you doing in the guild, little guy?"Makarov was sitting at the counter drinking when he noticed a small boy with black hair, golden eyes, and dressed in black approach him. Putting down the bottle, he asked curiously.
"I want to join Fairy Tail."Caesar looked directly at Makarov and said, "I hope you'll let me."
Makarov chuckled, and Caesar's words made several others nearby laugh as well.
"Hahaha, little guy, this isn't a place to play house. You…"
Before he could finish speaking, Makarov noticed the calm and determined look in Caesar's eyes. His laughter stopped, and his face became more serious.
"Where are your family members?" he asked.
"All gone," Caesar replied calmly.
"My hometown was Rosemary Village. It was attacked by something. Everyone vanished. I survived by hiding in a dry well, but I think I hit my head. I can't remember anything before that. Afterward, I walked and eventually took a boat to Magnolia. Now I want to find a place to live and a way to support myself."
Though Caesar's voice was steady, his words caused gasps among the nearby guild members.
"Rosemary Village? Isn't that far from here? How did this kid make it all the way alone?""I heard rumors the village was attacked by a dark guild. This kid's lucky to be alive.""Poor little guy. Master, are you going to take him in?"
Makarov glanced at the others, and they fell silent.
"You lost your memory?" he asked.
"Maybe," Caesar replied with a shrug. Then he looked back at Makarov. "But I know magic, and I'm strong. I want to join Fairy Tail. I can take jobs and earn j to live. Please, let me stay."
Makarov saw the anxiety hiding in the boy's eyes. He sighed and then suddenly stretched out his hand, his palm enlarging as it gently rested on Caesar's head.
"Don't be so anxious. If you want to stay, then stay. But as for taking jobs… wait until you're a bit older."
As he spoke, he rubbed Caesar's head. There was a rare warmth in Makarov's eyes—he couldn't stand to see children suffer.
Caesar understood he had passed Makarov's test. He was officially accepted into the Fairy Tail Guild. But as he looked up, tears unexpectedly rolled down his cheeks.
"Huh?"
Caesar quickly wiped his eyes in confusion.
He didn't feel any sadness—so why was he crying?Was it this body's subconscious? Some instinctive reaction?He didn't know. But he quickly wiped his tears and pouted.
"No! I'm really strong! I want to work and make money!"
"Hahaha! Nob, look at this kid! Talking about work at his age."
"Shut up! I'm looking for a mission that only I can do!" Nob shouted from in front of the commission board.
"Don't worry, little one."
Makarov patted Caesar's head again with a smile. "There'll be a chance. But for now, your job is to eat well and grow strong. First, tell me your name."
"I don't remember my old name. I gave myself a new one—Caesar." Caesar stood tall and serious. "And my magic is Take Over magic. I can take on the soul of a hero!"
"Caesar, huh? Take Over magic is impressive. But don't push yourself too hard—you're still growing."
Makarov lifted Caesar onto the counter and continued, "Since you're joining the guild, I'll mark you with the Fairy Tail emblem. What color and where do you want it?"
"Gold. On my heart." Caesar pulled down the collar of his shirt, revealing his thin, bony chest.
Seeing the boy's frail frame, Makarov's eyes softened even more.
"He must've gone through so much on his journey..."
With great care, Makarov personally adjusted the guild stamp to a golden hue and pressed it over Caesar's heart.
"There. You're now officially a member of Fairy Tail."
"Yeah." Caesar pulled his shirt back up and smiled. "Thank you, Grandpa Master. I'm going to work now."
As Caesar hopped off the counter and headed toward the mission board, Makarov gently grabbed his arm.
"Caesar, you should rest first."
He asked a waitress to prepare a meal for Caesar and added,
"Since you say you're strong, then show us. Compete with one of our members. If you win, I'll let you take jobs. Deal?"
"Deal!" Caesar was a little disappointed, but he understood. Without a steady income, he couldn't draw more cards in the game, and without that, his strength wouldn't improve fast enough.
Still...He took a big bite of the steaming seafood fried rice, then quickly finished the plate, gulped down the juice, wiped his mouth, and ran back to Makarov.
"Grandpa Master, I'm ready!"
Makarov watched the boy's excitement and stroked his beard thoughtfully.
"Tonuo, go spar with Caesar. You're a Light Magic user. Don't go too hard on the kid."
"Understood, Master."
A man with a buzz cut and glasses stood up. He wore a simple T-shirt and shorts and looked very average. Caesar searched his memory but couldn't recall the man from the anime—probably just a background character.
"Then let's go!"
As the duel began, Caesar's body lit up. In an instant, he had fully transformed using Take Over magic—taking on the form of Inuyasha.
"Full-body Take Over? That's fast..."Makarov watched, impressed. "At such a young age, he's already capable of full Take Over. He's a good seedling."
It was precisely because of Caesar's talent that Makarov didn't want him rushing into work. After all, a child still deserves a childhood to heal from the past.