"It's opened."
Makarov simply went, as he looked at the door of his office being opened, and the one who came through the door, was no other than a young teenager with scarlet red hair, Erza Scarlet herself, who came before Makarov, who remain at his desk.
"Oh its you, Erza? Sorry, I must be too busy to noticed the time, welcome back, Erza, how was your… Job, Erza, is something the matter?" Makarov with smile, as he felt sorry for not noticing the time to personally greet this young Valkyrie back.
However, as he said that, he also noticed the uneasiness and slight unfocused in those brown eyes of hers, causing this old man to become worried.
"Master… is it true?" Erza went, focusing her brown eyes onto Makarov, as she asks this.
"What is true??" Makarov both curiously and confusedly went.
"That… Zack is leaving Fairy Tail." Erza asked, shocking Makarov very sightly causing a sigh to came out of him.
"Well, I gather you must had overheard this on your way here, right?" Makarov went, to be honest, the old man referred Erza were to learned of this from the lad himself, not from others.
However, he should had expected this, after all, his Guild never been one good with secrets, or staying quiet at all.
"Yes… I overheard Macao and Wakaba talking about it on my way here… so, it is true, right? That Zack is leaving?" Erza once again asked, on her way to the Guild Master office, by chance, she happened to overheard it from those two older members of the guild.
After all, they were talking about yesterday farewell party, and hoping Zack will be alright when he leaves the Guild, it is no wonder why Erza shown a downcast expression upon recalling Macao and Wakaba's words, and it wasn't the fact she was not invited why she felt so down.
"Aye, that is true. I refer you heard this from the lad himself, but it as it is, Zack is leaving us." Makarov went and told Erza, whose brown eyes widen for few moments, before a bitter smile formed onto her lips.
"I see… so, is it my fault?" Erza simply went, in a low and yet self-loathing tone. Makarov blink his eyes with confusion upon hearing this.
"What is your fault?" Makarov askes, not understanding why this young Valkyrie suddenly becoming like this. However, the old man soon found out why Erza looked like this, especially with her next words.
"What else? If only I did not interfere with them, none of this will happened, that is why it is my fault, why did I had to-" Erza went with self-blaming, along with a bitter laugh, if only, if only she did not put her nose where it did not belong, however, Erza is unable to finished her self-loathing words, as Makarov suddenly shouted aloud.
"ERZA!!" Makarov shouted aloud, causing Erza to snapped out of her current state of mind, and looked at the small Guild Master with a settled and yet confused look.
"You still blaming yourself, what happened between the two of them, right?" Makarov went with a serious look, different to the either goofy or calm expression he normally wears on his face. It is the kind of expression that Erza rarely sees from Makarov, unless it is a serious matter.
"That… but master-" Erza only can say, as Makarov narrowed his eyes, causing the young Valkyrie to unable to finished her words, especially when Makarov spoken before Erza could manage to say anything else.
"No buts, Erza, you did nothing wrong." Makarov stated, causing Erza to bite her lips.
"Nothing wrong…? It is me who caused a rift between those two, a rift that hurt Zack! All because I shouldn't stick my nose into their mess!!" Erza shouted with loathing emotions aimed at herself.
"All you done, Erza, was to give them a push, as someone who cared about them, as a rival, as a friend, you are someone who cared about them, only thing you done, was to help two people with their differences, so what it did not ended as you intentioned?" Makarov asked, giving a slight smile to the unsettled Erza.
"And look what that help did…?" Erza went with a bitter smile, causing Makarov to sighed.
"I don't know why we talking about something, we already talked about last year, and I will tell you again Erza. Everyone has their own burden, their own demon, Erza. And Mirajane is no expectation, nor are you, I am right, Erza? So what your intentions failed them? Least your intentions were pure, not impure Erza, that what truly mattered, not the outcome, not to say, did the lad ever blamed you for this? He didn't, did he?"
When Makarov asked this, with a gentle voice, causing the downcast Erza to look settled by his words.
"Erza, do you know what wisdom is?" Makarov suddenly asked this, causing the young Valkyrie to looked at the old Guild Master with confusion.
"Wisdom??" Erza asked, not seeing why Makarov suddenly asked this, especially in the middle of the kind of conversation they were having.
"Yes wisdom, the very thing that makes someone wise, but wisdom itself, is not something you are born with Erza, no, it is something that you forged all through your life. That is why, they say the young are bold, and the old are wise, it is not because the old are old, that makes them wise, no, what makes the old wise is not age itself, but the mistakes of their youth.
You see lass. That is what wisdom truly is, it is patches of our mistakes, not knowledge, nor age itself, but mistakes are the true foundation of wisdom itself. To learn from our mistakes, to reflect on our wrongs, and to trust ourselves, we will become better, not to repeat the same thing all over again, that is true wisdom.
That is why, stop loathing yourself, stop blaming yourself on your mistakes. Of course, maybe it was a mistake by interfering with those two. But blaming yourself wouldn't help anyone, Erza. So, stand up and reflect on your mistakes, because that lad needed someone like you, when he returned back, you know?"
Makarov went with a gentle smile at the widen eyes Erza, who looked at Makarov with a blank look.
"Wait… he's returning??" Erza went with a stunned look, while Makarov himself, gives a hearty laugh, upon realising what Erza meant.
"I see, I see, while it is true the lad is leaving us, but not forever, he will return, not to mention, he still needed to repay back the Guild Loan I lent him, knowing the kind of lad he is, he wouldn't be so irresponsible to leave behind such a huge debt." Makarov went with a grin, but that grin only earned the old Wizard, a deadpan expression from Erza.
"I did not know… master has such a vile side to him." Erza honestly went, not hiding the disgust written on her face, of course, this caused Makarov to flinched at Erza's blunt words, especially saying those words with a look, as if she looking at trash.
"Wait a moment, don't look at me like some loan shark! There two reasons why I given that lad a Guild Loan!" Makarov went, feeling like he needed to explained himself, especially when he recalled a specific event in the past, that involved Erza herself.
"And what those reasons are, Master?" Erza went with folded arms, while she narrowed her brown eyes, making it very awkward for a certain old man to look into those eyes. But even so, Makarov made sure to look into those uncomfortable sharp brown eyes.
"Because without money, he will be by himself, that is the first reason why I given him that loan." Makarov went with a serious look, which only slightly confused Erza, but even so, the young Valkyrie did not say a word, and looked at Makarov, telling him to explain himself with her eyes alone, causing the old man to sigh at this.
"You and I know that boy can survive by himself, but that wouldn't help him. He needed growth in his journey, not physically but also mental growth as well. And staying by himself, not interacting with other people, that wouldn't help him, if anything, that will only make him worse." Makarov went.
"And the second reason? I see your first reason, and I do agree with that, Zack… needed to some kind of interaction with other people… otherwise he might… returned back to a similar state when he first joined us. Than what about the second reason, Master?" Erza asked.
"A reason to return back." Makarov went, showing two fingers on his left hand.
"To owned the guild? That does not sit well with me, master. While I agree with the first reason, what if Zack is unable to find what he looking for? Unable to move from the past? Do you still think he could repay back what he borrowed from the Guild?" Erza seriously went, however, that seriousness soon faded, when Makarov respond to this serious Valkyrie, was a laugh, that settled Erza.
"You see, Erza, I tell you something about Guild Loans, it only counted as Guild Loan, if the money comes from the Guild itself, not from the Guild Master himself, do you understand?" Makarov went with a grin, enjoying the shocking look on this young Valkyrie's face before him.
"You… did not give Zack money from the Guild… but from your personal accounts?" Erza went.
"Aye I did, 5 million is not a lot for a little old Wizard like me. Of course, Zack does not know this. I don't want him to knew this as well, least not until when he returns. Only ones who knew this, is myself, now yourself, and my old friend over the Magnolia's branch of the Marigold Bank, who did this favour for me." Makarov went.
"But… why give away money to him? I don't want to be rude, but I do not see any reason nor point in you doing this." Erza honestly went.
"Because that is my role as Guild Master." Makarov went, confusing Erza further.
"By giving your money away?" Erza confusedly asked.
"Heavens no, I will be a poor old little man, if I were to give away money to you brats all the time! You see, Erza, Zack is like you, and Mirajane. He has potential to become more than just an elite level Wizard. He has what it takes to become a pillar of this Guild, like you two lasses are becoming, and it will be a waste to see such a talent to be wasted away.
That is why I given him that money, both as an investment, and a little push, after all, both you guys and Zack are the future of this Guild, that is why, as your Guild Master, I will do the same things for you brats, you guys are Fairy Tail's future."
Makarov went with a gentle tone, while Erza just stared at the old man before she sighed, after all, she cannot refuse his words, especially what this old man did for her when she firstly started in the Guild.