"There are two things," Kurosaki said calmly. "One involves the Magic Development Bureau. The other involves Deliora. But really, the two are connected, so you could say it's one matter. And yeah, it's one of the reasons I've been pushing my strength."
He had no intention of hiding it from Makarov.
"One of the reasons?" Makarov lifted one half-closed eye, concern clear in the look. "Sounds like you've got a lot on your shoulders. Is it dangerous?"
"Hm… If I'm not at S-Class, then I honestly don't have much confidence." Kurosaki didn't sugarcoat it. "And one part of it, even at S-Class, the odds still aren't great."
What he meant was Deliora.
Deliora was a creation of the black wizard Zeref, an immortal demon. By raw strength, it was probably mid-tier among the Nine Demon Gates, just without much intelligence. Even Mard Geer likely wouldn't think highly of it.
And Brain might not even be at the Magic Development Bureau. That man traveled constantly, looking for talented children.
Take Ur, for example. Her true strength had reached the level of the Ten Wizard Saints, yet against Deliora she could only use Absolute Ice to freeze it, then slowly wear it down with her own magic power until it finally died.
That might also be because her Ice-Make Magic excelled at wide-area control, while her single-target killing power wasn't as sharp.
If Kurosaki could unlock Unohana's Bankai, Minazuki, then one slash would be enough to erase Deliora completely, leaving not even a fragment behind.
At that point, he would be truly invincible in Fairy Tail's world. Even something Zeref created, even if it was only a low-grade product, would be fragile in front of a shinigami captain's Bankai.
"If you don't feel confident," Makarov said, giving practical advice, "then call Gildarts to help you. That guy is strong. And if you still need me, I'm not helpless either. I'm not senile yet."
In truth, Gildarts's strength already surpassed Makarov's.
"You're assuming I'll pass the S-Class trial." Kurosaki laughed, then lightly tapped the bar with a fist. "But you're right. Somehow I didn't even think of asking Gildarts."
If they had Gildarts, plus Kurosaki and Makarov together, then they should have enough certainty to deal with Deliora.
"Idiot," Makarov said, raising his staff and giving Kurosaki a light knock on the head. "That's what adults are for. When a kid runs into trouble, you help. No parent watches their child fall into a pit and just stands there."
"I get it. Thanks, Grandpa." Kurosaki grinned and rubbed the little bump.
...
Boom!
Without warning, the entire guild shook violently.
"Magnolia will now switch to Gildarts Mode. All citizens, proceed immediately to the designated locations."
Above the town, more than a dozen winged magic loudspeakers broadcast the announcement at the same time.
"An earthquake? No, this feeling…" someone shouted. "Gildarts Mode. Gildarts is back!"
Not long after, the wall beside the guild's main doors collapsed under a violent surge of magic power. Members sitting nearby were blasted off their seats. Sunlight poured through the new hole, and a tall figure stood in the opening.
"Damn it, there's a perfectly good door and he still had to knock down a wall!" someone cursed while crawling back up.
"I'm back."
The man had brown hair swept back, with a short stubble beard along his chin. He wore a dark green cloak with shoulder armor, though the cloak's edges were heavily frayed. His build was solid, muscular, and he wore a dark tank top under the cloak, a wide belt at his waist, deep blue pants, and brown boots.
This was Fairy Tail's strongest mage.
Gildarts Clive.
"Yo, Guild Master, I'm back." After greeting everyone casually, Gildarts walked straight over to Makarov at the bar.
"Work go well?" Makarov asked, arms folded.
"Finished." Gildarts stretched lazily. "I was resting, but the moment I got your message, I rushed back."
"You didn't sneak off somewhere to mess around again, did you?" Makarov's eyes narrowed. "Those jobs are nothing for you. There's no way they took you that long."
"Ah, let's not talk about that." Gildarts tried to change the topic fast. He couldn't exactly admit he'd been off flirting and having fun until he couldn't pull himself away. "So Kurosaki's taking the S-Class exam? He looks way too young."
"Gildarts." Kurosaki walked over as well and greeted him.
Nearby, Cana didn't come over. She sat slightly turned away, quiet, watching from the side.
"Huh?" Gildarts's eyes widened. "You got this tall already?!"
By Kurosaki's old-world measuring, he was around 175 cm now. Laxus was about the same, maybe even a bit taller.
Kurosaki gave a light grin. "Gildarts, please take care of me."
"Oh!" Gildarts laughed. "Then get ready. I already know what the Guild Master asked for in his letter."