Hearing Porlyusica's question, Gildarts let out a sigh of relief before giving his affirmative answer.
"Yes, they weren't preserved. They were completely destroyed."
A bitter smile crossed Gildarts's face.
He understood now.
Porlyusica was implying that if his arm and leg had been preserved and he'd come sooner, they might have been reattached.
But for him, that was no longer possible.
"Then there's no other way. You'll have to use prosthetics."
Porlyusica nodded.
Original limbs were always preferable, but when they were gone, prosthetics were the only option.
Better to have prosthetics than to be missing an arm and a leg.
"As long as I can get better ones, that's fine. The most important thing is that they don't interfere with my magic."
Gildarts had long since accepted the reality of living with prosthetics.
His request was simple: minimize the impact on his ability to use magic.
Though his right arm was still intact, his left was crucial. The current prosthetic he wore significantly hindered his magic.
It wasn't that he couldn't use it at all, but both its power and speed were far inferior to his original arm—after all, it was just a temporary replacement installed in a hurry.
"Even in your condition, you're still thinking about magic. Humans... they truly never change, always fighting."
Porlyusica glared at Gildarts, her expression sour.
Clearly, she was deeply dissatisfied with his attitude—to be so grievously injured and still fixated on magic.
"What can I say? I'm a mage. It's how I make a living."
Gildarts didn't get angry at her lecture.
He just smiled and explained.
After so many years as a mage, he honestly wouldn't know what else to do if he couldn't use magic.
"Hmph. If you want good prosthetics, you'll need good materials. I'll write you a list. Go gather them, and then I'll craft the limbs."
Porlyusica didn't continue her lecture.
With a huff, she agreed to Gildarts's request, promising to create prosthetics that would minimize interference with his magic.
A short while later, Porlyusica finished the list.
The guild members passed it around, realizing everyone could help.
They would use materials already in the guild's possession, buy what was readily available, and immediately dispatch teams to find anything that couldn't be purchased.
"I'll get this one!"
Natsu immediately claimed a task: obtaining the bone powder of a common magical beast.
It wasn't particularly rare, but since it had little everyday use, no one bothered to collect it, and it couldn't be bought anywhere.
They'd have to hunt one down.
"Then I'll go find this."
Erza looked at the list and chose a snow mountain medicinal herb. This one was quite rare and seldom available in the market, it usually had to be harvested fresh.
Such a request would be expensive even if posted at the guild.
"Let Gray handle that. It's his home turf. You go find this instead."
Marco shook his head, rejecting Erza's suggestion and assigning her a different task.
In a few swift moves, he had assigned all the hard-to-find materials to specific people.
"This... isn't right, is it?"
Gildarts felt a bit embarrassed.
This was his personal matter, and he felt guilty making everyone work so hard for him.
"Actually, I can still go find them myself."
The main reason was that Gildarts wasn't truly crippled.
Even with his current prosthetic, he still possessed immense combat power.
If Gildarts were truly bedridden, he wouldn't be so hesitant.
In fact, he wouldn't mind letting everyone help, since he'd definitely repay them once he recovered.
But in his current state, he was reluctant to trouble them. He wasn't immobile, so why burden everyone?
"No, it would take you too long to find them alone."
Marco shook his head, sticking to his plan.
He certainly believed Gildarts still possessed formidable combat power—otherwise, Gildarts wouldn't have been able to travel such a great distance back to Fairy Tail.
The journey had been far from peaceful.
But this was about healing, and speed was crucial
. The treatment had already been delayed long enough, they couldn't afford to wait any longer.
"Marco's right. We need to get you healed up quickly. The guild's S-Class quests are starting to pile up, and we need you back in top shape."
Makarov approached it from a different angle.
While his reasoning might sound harsh—almost like something you'd get "strung up" for—it was a justification Gildarts would find easier to accept.
"You can't be running around. Your internal organs need treatment too. The previous healing was too crude. If you don't rest properly, you might end up with chronic health problems."
Porlyusica spoke up, her words carrying more weight.
Gildarts was left speechless, he had no choice but to stay and receive treatment.
He knew all too well that some of his internal organs were severely damaged and that the initial healing had indeed been rudimentary.
He had been relying on his immense Magic Power and formidable physique to tough it out, letting his body's survival instinct handle the self-healing.
"Hang in there, Gildarts. We'll be back soon."
Marco smiled, reassuring the somewhat guilty older man.
As family, they were meant to help each other like this.
No matter who was in trouble, everyone would gladly lend a hand. It wasn't special treatment just because he was Gildarts.
"Even if it were a lesser-known guildmate in your situation, we'd all be rushing around to help them just the same."
Marco's earnest words deeply moved Gildarts, easing his mind and lessening his guilt.
"Thank you, everyone."
Gildarts expressed his gratitude, and the others responded with warm smiles.
For all these years, Gildarts had always considered the guild his home and his guildmates his family.
It was the unique atmosphere of "Fairy Tail" that had kept him here.
This wanderer, who loved to travel and roam freely, had only one true home: "Fairy Tail."
He would risk everything to protect it.
If Laxus had won the recent "rebellion," he would have had to face the formidable challenge of Gildarts, who would never have accepted his methods.
...
The group accepted their quests and dispersed, leaving only Master Makarov behind.
Marco also returned to the guild to assign the missions.
As the confirmed successor to the Guild Master, he could now openly and legitimately issue orders in Master Makarov's stead.
"Master, how could the guild's S-Class quests have piled up?"
Lying on his sickbed while waiting for Porlyusica to prepare his medicine, Gildarts asked curiously.
He was still bothered by what Makarov had said earlier.
Even with one S-Class Mage missing, surely the guild's S-Class quests shouldn't have accumulated like this, right?
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