Chapter 14: That Man Has Returned!
"Laxus, huh…"
Every time Makarov brought up Laxus, his expression would turn helpless. There was one fact he couldn't deny—when it came to raising his grandson, he had failed.
"He hasn't changed,"
Moen muttered, taking a step forward and gently kicking the glowing orb ahead of them. It bounced up and down like a soccer ball, flickering light dancing across the shadows. As it floated, the silhouettes of the grandfather and grandson swayed and shifted along the cobblestone path.
Moen was certain of one thing—Laxus didn't turn out this way on his own. Makarov bore an undeniable share of the blame.
He hadn't protected Laxus's environment as a child. Instead, he let the boy grow up under the weight of his reputation. Expelling Laxus's father from the guild... That was the final blow—the straw that broke the camel's back.
Makarov said nothing. He didn't know what to say. This was a family matter with no easy answers. He had poured his heart into the guild and neglected his own family. Now, his son was exiled, and his eldest grandson refused to speak with him.
But when he looked at Moen, a flicker of comfort warmed his heart.
"At least Moen turned out to be mature, responsible, and dependable. If he hadn't… I really would've failed as a grandfather."
That thought gave him some solace. With Moen around, he didn't have to carry the burden alone. Sometimes, they could even discuss ways to help Laxus change. Moen really had taken some of the weight off his shoulders.
Though the truth was, Moen's personality had little to do with Makarov's influence. It was just how Moen was built.
But of course, Moen never told Makarov that. If it gave the old man comfort to believe otherwise, he was happy to let him have it.
—
Soon, the two of them arrived home. Makarov returned to his room on the first floor, while Moen climbed the stairs to the third.
He paused in front of Laxus's door. A moment ago, there had been light coming from underneath. As soon as he approached, the lights inside flicked off.
"..."
Moen shook his head and walked past, heading to his own room.
RING RING RING—CLANG!
The next morning, Moen was jolted awake by a series of frantic, metallic chimes.
Still half-asleep, he threw off his blanket and rushed to the window. This wasn't his personal alarm—it was the bell tower in Magnolia's city center.
And that rhythm—he recognized it immediately.
"Gildarts is back?!"
That specific ringing pattern carried a very clear and urgent meaning in Magnolia.
It signaled to everyone that the city was about to activate "Gildarts Protocol."
Because that man had returned.
Fairy Tail's strongest wizard—Gildarts Clive!
"Warning! Warning! Magnolia is now entering Gildarts Mode! All citizens, please proceed to your designated safety zones!"
Winged magic speakers zipped through the skies, loudly repeating the message across the city, ensuring every last person got the alert.
And then, right before Moen's eyes—the entire city began to shift.
"RUMBLE—!!"
The entire city split open—
Yes, in the most literal, physical sense of the word.
Starting from the city gates and stretching all the way to the Fairy Tail guild hall, every building along that central line began sliding smoothly to the sides. An entire path opened up—just for one man.
The buildings on either side rose up on mechanical foundations, forming two imposing walls that flanked the newly cleared road. Symbols were even drawn along the street floor to indicate direction—just in case that man forgot where to go.
"No matter how many times I see it… this is still ridiculously impressive."
Leaning on the windowsill, Moen watched the city transform with awe. Magnolia's dramatic reaction was all the proof one needed of Gildarts's destructive power.
Gildarts Clive—Fairy Tail's strongest wizard—wielded a magic known as Crush, a high-tier destructive spell so powerful that what others considered a trump card was his default attack.
His Crush magic could disintegrate anything he touched. Add to that his absent-minded, daydreamy personality… and you got a walking disaster. If Gildarts zoned out while strolling through town, buildings in a hundred-meter radius would simply cease to exist.
After suffering considerable damage over the years, the city of Magnolia finally learned its lesson. They reconstructed the entire main street with an emergency Gildarts Protocol, precisely to avoid him casually demolishing homes and shops again. The transformation Moen witnessed now was the result of that hard-earned wisdom.
"That guy's back!"
"Gildarts has returned!"
Hearing the excited (and slightly panicked) shouts echoing from the streets, Moen quickly threw on his clothes and sprinted toward the guild. He needed to unlock the doors immediately. If he didn't—Gildarts just might tear the place down thinking it was locked by accident.
"Click."
As he swung open the guild doors, Moen let out a breath of relief.
But he didn't go inside. Instead, he stood at the entrance, waiting—because if no one stood out front to greet him, if no one reminded him, Gildarts might not even use the door.
Moen had been around long enough to know:
Not only were the young ones in Fairy Tail chaotic and unreliable… the old ones were just as bad.
That's why Fairy Tail, despite being Magnolia's only legal magic guild, was both the city's greatest pride and its greatest public safety hazard.
Soon enough, Moen spotted that man in the distance.
Gildarts had a broad, muscular build. His slicked-back orange hair and rugged stubble framed a face full of weather-beaten charm. He wore a dark green cloak over a sleeveless vest, a wide belt at his waist, navy-blue trousers, and worn-out brown boots.
As Gildarts drew closer, Moen could clearly see the bottom of his cloak was tattered beyond repair—practically shredded. He looked like the kind of guy who'd rather punch through a problem than explain it. Rugged, carefree, and unmistakably... "uncle-core."
"Gildarts, sir!"
Moen called out loudly—because if he didn't, the man was seconds away from walking straight into the guild wall.
He wasn't worried Gildarts would get hurt.
He was worried the wall wouldn't survive.
This had already happened... more than once.
"Huh?"
Startled by the shout, Gildarts blinked and looked around.
"Moen? What are you doing out here?"
He stared in mild confusion, as if genuinely baffled by Moen's presence at the front door.
"Obviously, I'm here to welcome you back…"
Moen groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose.
This was Fairy Tail's strongest wizard.
"Oh! We're at the guild already?"
After taking a moment to fully process his surroundings, Gildarts finally realized where he was.