Chapter 110: The Ultimate Wand
"We won! We won!"
Seeing the three-eyed demon defeated, Lucy and Happy hugged each other and cheered.
The guild masters also praised the team, as defeating a demon created by the dark mage Zeref wasn't an easy feat, even for three S-class mages working together.
Makarov, seeing his guild's mages being praised, was filled with pride and satisfaction.
However, the next second, he heard George's voice, filled with resentment:
"Master, if you don't get the Cursed Flute for me, I might consider switching guilds!"
Originally, Crocus City was just reduced to ruins. But after Natsu's final attack, a massive crater was blasted into the city center, making the repairs even more complicated.
"Leave it to me! Leave it to me!"
Makarov shuddered at George's words and immediately dashed forward at lightning speed, picking up the Cursed Flute before the kingdom's army could arrive.
After looking around, he forcefully broke off the skull-shaped head of the Cursed Flute and discreetly handed the remaining part to George.
"Hide it quickly. Don't let the kingdom's knights see it."
"Thank you, Master!"
George took the Cursed Flute, his mood instantly lifting. He happily stuffed it into his backpack.
Originally, he had planned to secretly carve a small piece from the Cursed Flute to use as the body for his new wand while no one was paying attention.
But after all the commotion, with the kingdom's army and the guild masters present, even though the three-eyed demon was defeated, it was no longer appropriate for him to approach the Cursed Flute.
So, he had told Makarov that he was creating a magical tool that could significantly improve the efficiency of his repair magic. He needed a piece of the Cursed Flute as material and hoped Makarov could help him.
However, he didn't expect Makarov to be so bold, breaking off the skull-shaped head and handing the rest of the flute to him.
The larger the wand body, the better it would be for crafting a powerful wand.
"Uh, you're the commander of the kingdom's knights here, right? This is the Cursed Flute. It's completely damaged, and only this much is left.
When the Magic Council arrives, please hand it over to them and ask them to seal it properly.
Also, tell them that we'll send someone to repair the city in a couple of days. That's all."
Holding the forcibly broken skull, Makarov rushed over to the still-dazed commander of the kingdom's knights and shoved the skull into his hands.
Before the commander could react, Makarov quickly returned and led Erza and the others away, disappearing from sight.
The Magic Council had teleportation magic and would arrive soon after receiving the news. If they didn't leave now, they'd be in trouble when the council arrived.
"That Makarov, he hasn't changed a bit!"
The masters of the Four Hounds and Blue Pegasus guilds exchanged smiles as they watched Makarov lead the escape. They had once been mages of the Fairy Tail guild and were Makarov's closest companions.
Later, due to their own ideals and dreams, they left Fairy Tail to establish their own guilds.
But their affection for Fairy Tail remained.
That night, in a forest on the way back to Magnolia.
"George, your magic can do this too? That's amazing! How about teaming up with us for missions in the future?"
Natsu, munching on a golden roasted lamb leg, spoke to George, who was waving his wand to cast cooking spells.
Since Erigor had hijacked the train, causing it to stop, and the rented magic car had been destroyed in the battle, the group had to walk back to Magnolia.
Fortunately, George had prepared cooking utensils and some ingredients in his backpack, so they didn't have to go hungry at night.
"Agreed!"
Happy, eating a roasted fish, raised his paw.
"Thanks, but I'm not planning to team up for missions right now."
George handed Natsu a freshly made bowl of meat soup and took the opportunity to snip a lock of hair from the back of Natsu's head.
For wand cores, Natsu's hair was the best.
"George, if you want, you can team up for missions. Magic improves fastest in real combat."
Makarov suddenly spoke up.
From the guild's perspective, it was best for George to stay and act as the guild's firefighter. But he believed that wasn't the best for George's magical growth.
When it came to the guild's overall interests versus a mage's personal growth, Makarov leaned toward the latter. Otherwise, he wouldn't have let the guild's mages act freely despite the Magic Council's pressure.
"I really don't want to right now. I want to read more books and figure out my magical path. Once I've decided, I'll consider teaming up for missions."
George made an excuse to brush it off.
It wasn't entirely an excuse, as he did plan to read all the books in the library before exploring other parts of the world.
But honestly, Makarov encouraging him to team up for missions was a bit surprising.
It just showed that as a guild master, Makarov was truly qualified, which was why he was so beloved by the guild's mages.
Two days later, George took the now-operational train back to Crocus.
The city was still in ruins, but the massive crater in the center had been filled, likely the work of earth mages. All the city's residents had been temporarily relocated to military tents outside the city.
"You're the repair mage from Fairy Tail, George?"
Ultear, the leader of the Magic Council's investigation team stationed in Crocus, narrowed her eyes as she looked at the golden cat with a backpack.
After hearing that Fairy Tail had a mage who could repair an entire city, she had volunteered to lead this mission, wanting to observe whether the mage used the lost magic "Arc of Time," like herself.
But she hadn't expected the repair mage to be a cat, not a human.
"Yes, that's me. If there are no issues, I'll start working now."
George nodded in response.
He wanted to finish repairing the city quickly so he could return to studying magic.
After seeing the true strength of Erza, Natsu, and Gray, he felt even more that he had a lot of room for growth.
Giant Magic and Light Magic were already at a beginner level, and rapid improvement would be difficult. He could only progress step by step.
So, he planned to use Windy's glasses to learn more types of magic, complementing and enhancing his overall strength.
"Of course, please begin, Mr. George!"
Ultear smiled and stepped back, watching George cast his spells.
George didn't mind. He took out the new wand made from the Cursed Flute and Natsu's hair from his backpack and began casting repair spells on the ruins.
(End of Chapter)