The truth behind the commission, Yuri the Wrecking Maniac

"How long are you planning to stay this time?"

"Maybe I'll settle down for a while."

"Any progress with your business?"

"I've found a few things."

"Hmm." Makarov nodded and reminded him, "If you run into trouble you can't handle, remember to come back to the guild."

"Don't worry, I will," Yuri replied with a smile.

A mage like Yuri, who would be considered a genius wherever he went, was practically a ghost member of Fairy Tail. Most of the newer members barely knew him.

The story going around the guild was that he spent long stretches away on jobs and rarely came back. But only a handful of people knew that wasn't the truth.

Yuri spent his years traveling all over the world, actually looking for something.

As for what exactly that was, no one knew, including Makarov.

Makarov had tried sounding Griffon out about it. The guy was a chatterbox, after all, and might have let some useful piece of information slip.

But who would have thought that, on this matter, Griffon would act completely out of character?

In the end, out of respect for a guild member and because of Yuri's own special circumstances, Makarov, as guild master, stopped asking. He merely reminded him from time to time to come back to the guild more often.

Yuri agreed readily enough, though perhaps only he knew what he really thought.

After briefly catching up, Makarov asked, "How did the job go this time?"

"Not bad. There was a little trouble, but overall it went pretty smoothly." Yuri pulled a grease-stained envelope from his pocket and held it out to Makarov. "Still, the way you sent this was pretty weird, wasn't it? Who sticks an important commission under a pizza?"

"Hahahaha! Because that was the only way to make sure you'd see it." Makarov laughed heartily. His words were teasing, and it was clear he knew Yuri quite well.

Yes, the commission sent to Yuri's office had come from Makarov. (For details, see Related Works: Prologue.)

Generally speaking, a veteran guild member would accompany an inexperienced rookie mage on their first job.

But Erza was different. When she first joined the guild, she was very resistant to having companions.

Even though things had improved by now, she remained cautious and treated those bonds with great care.

Her heart was like a suit of armor, hard and cold.

Nobody knew what she had been through. They simply tried to warm the girl's heart in their own ways.

The girl was grateful for everyone's care and concern, but she was still too "reserved."

It wasn't because of her overly serious personality. Rather, that "armor" had created an almost imperceptible barrier between her and her companions.

In some ways, the girl was a little too "strong."

Although Gray and Cana were both her age, they were still too young to take jobs.

If Makarov spoke up, Erza would surely take his advice and find someone to team up with, but forcing the issue wouldn't help her grow.

So Makarov thought of a boy around her age who spent his years on the road and sent him a commission.

The commission was simple: protect Erza if anything unexpected happened.

Although Erza couldn't tell, Makarov, as guild master, naturally saw at a glance that there was something wrong with the job.

He didn't expose it, however, because he didn't want to dampen Erza's enthusiasm for her first job. Instead, he quietly asked someone to deal with it.

That was why Yuri had gone to Caro Town. Just as he had said, he was there to complete a commission.

He had simply done quite a few "extra" things beyond what the commission called for.

"Now that I've finished the job, how about settling the fee first?" Yuri swirled the drink in his glass as he spoke, his gaze suddenly sharpening.

Makarov naturally noticed, but kept a polite smile on his face. "What are you talking about, brat? Wasn't the fee paid in full a long time ago?"

Yuri tapped the table twice. "I don't remember receiving the reward for an S-Class Mission."

Makarov narrowed his eyes and took a sip of beer. "I don't remember issuing an S-Class Mission, either."

Yuri gave him a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Quit playing dumb, old man. That job was the real deal, S-Class difficulty."

Makarov remained perfectly calm. "But if I remember correctly, you're not an S-Class Mage yet. According to guild rules, anyone who hasn't passed the S-Class Exam isn't qualified to take an S-Class Mission, so the most I can give you is the reward for an A-Class Mission."

"This was a private commission!" Yuri stressed. His gaze grew dark. "You're not planning to skip out on the bill, are you?"

"You little brat, how dare you bring that up!" Veins bulged on Makarov's forehead as he grew annoyed. "Every time you've caused trouble these past six months, haven't you sent the bill to the guild?! Do you know how much the guild has paid out because of the messes you've made everywhere?!"

Just thinking about it made him angry. If it had only been the money, that would have been one thing. What infuriated him most was that those bastards on the Magic Council dragged him in for a scolding every time and even made him write a self-criticism!!!

He was Makarov, one of the Ten Wizard Saints, for crying out loud. Was he the sort of person who wrote self-criticisms?

And now the culprit behind it all actually had the nerve to shamelessly ask him for a reward. He was lucky Makarov hadn't taken "revenge" instead!

"Uh... well... you just said I should come back to the guild if I ran into trouble I couldn't handle." Yuri awkwardly looked away and pouted.

"I didn't tell you to send the bills back!" Makarov roared.

Yuri's righteous bearing instantly wilted, and he muttered, "Those were all accidents, really."

Makarov gritted his teeth. "You're saying the damage you caused at Krotis Station, Mafari Church, Arcandis Theater, Olbia Town, Karens Town, the Harensas Mountains... and more than a dozen other places was all accidental?"

Weren't those accidents happening a little too often?

"Probably. Probably, yeah... Hahahaha. Um, I just remembered I still have to rent a place, so I'll get going." Yuri scratched his head awkwardly, then turned and ran.

Just then, a pink-haired brat came charging over, shouting at the top of his lungs. Yuri failed to notice him and ran straight into him.

"Bang!"

A huge hole was smashed through the guild wall.

"What was that?" Yuri frowned slightly. In that instant, he seemed to have sensed a familiar presence.

"Yuri, you little brat, stop wrecking the guild's walls!"

The roar came after him from behind, full of pressure. Yuri hurriedly fled the scene without time to think. He didn't want the cost of another broken wall added to his bill.

The newcomers who had teased Yuri earlier broke out in a cold sweat after hearing his conversation—argument—with the guild master, seeing him take Natsu down effortlessly in an instant, and getting a "lesson" from the older members.

"Our guild... had someone this formidable all along!" everyone exclaimed.

Makarov watched Yuri flee and shook his head helplessly.

Protecting Erza wasn't the only reason he had issued this commission...