Perhaps the Only One Who Could Compare to Him...

The surrounding noise and commotion seemed to have been paused.

Everyone in the guild sensed the unusual atmosphere and simultaneously stopped what they were doing, turning their gazes toward the doorway and onto the short guild leader who stood frozen in place.

"President... what's wrong?"

"I've never seen the student council president like this before..."

"Who is that old man following behind Jiang Bai?"

Whispers arose from the crowd.

Makarov ignored everyone's comments; his eyes were fixed on that familiar yet unfamiliar figure.

That hunched back, that gray beard, those cloudy yet still stubborn old eyes...

They all slowly overlapped with that old friend from the depths of my memory, someone I hadn't seen for decades.

His lips trembled, and his aged voice carried a sob he himself was unaware of.

"Rob... is that you?"

Upon hearing this long-lost title, Grandpa Rob's body trembled violently.

Looking at his dear friend, who was even older than he remembered and still so short, tears welled up in his cloudy eyes.

"Makarov..."

Grandpa Rob opened his mouth, but all his words ultimately boiled down to a teasing greeting.

"So many years have passed, and you're still so short!"

This sentence was like a key, instantly unlocking the floodgates of memories that had been sealed away for decades for the two of them.

"You... you old bastard!"

Makarov could no longer contain his emotions. He rushed forward, his small body tightly hugging Grandpa Rob's waist, burying his face in his clothes, and letting out a suppressed, beast-like whimper.

"I thought... I thought you were already dead!"

"I'm back... alive and well, aren't I?"

Grandpa Rob stretched out his withered hand and gently patted Makarov's back, tears streaming down his face.

Even the most oblivious guild member present, Natsu, could see it clearly at this moment.

Their usually dignified, yet occasionally somewhat frivolous, president was weeping bitterly for a long-lost friend.

No one disturbed them, and the entire guild fell into an eerie silence, with only two white-haired old people expressing their joy at reunion in the most simple and unpretentious way.

After a long while, Makarov slowly released his grip, wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, and tried his best to regain his authority as chairman.

He walked up to Jiang Bai and said solemnly.

"You brat, and all of you... thank you for bringing him back."

"Well, it was just a quick thing." Jiang Bai shrugged.

Makarov straightened up, took a deep breath, then turned to face the entire guild and shouted with all his might!

"Men! Don't just stand there!"

"To celebrate the return of my dearest friend, Rob!"

"The banquet is starting!"

After a brief silence, the entire guild erupted in deafening cheers!

"Oh oh--!"

"Banquet! Banquet!"

"Quickly, bring out all the wine!"

The slightly melancholic atmosphere was instantly swept away, replaced by the most classic and purest celebration of Fairy Tail.

The lavish banquet continued late into the night, gradually coming to an end only when most people were completely drunk.

The next day, the guild was still filled with the strong smell of alcohol.

Just as Makarov and Rob were enjoying their peaceful reunion, a familiar figure pushed open the guild's door.

"Hey, Makarov, I heard you've found your long-lost friend?"

The newcomer was none other than Yajima, a member of the Magic Council.

He had heard about Rob's situation and came all the way from his restaurant.

"Yajima! You're quite the informant!"

Makarov beamed with joy when he saw yet another old friend.

Three white-haired old men sat around a table, drinking wine and chatting about everything under the sun, from embarrassing stories from their youth to their current lives, creating a very pleasant atmosphere.

As they were talking, Yajima suddenly slapped his thigh and looked at Makarov.

"Speaking of which, Old Ma,"

He said with a serious expression,

"You said you'd treat me to char siu at your guild last time, what happened to the food?"

Makarov was taken aback by the sudden question, then blushed and began looking around the guild.

"Where's Jiang Bai? Where did that brat run off to? Tell him to go buy me some char siu!"

"Two portions!" Yajima added with a smile, holding up two fingers.

"President,"

Elfman, who was wiping his sister's wine glasses, heard the noise and came over.

"My brother-in-law took Erza and my sister on a date."

"A... date?!"

Makarov's mustache bristled with anger.

"That brat, all he does is slack off!"

His gaze swept across the guild hall, finally settling on the cherry-haired boy who was fighting with Happy for the last piece of grilled fish.

"Then let Natsu make the trip!"

Why me?!

Natsu, his mouth stuffed with fish, protested indistinctly.

Seeing the chaotic scene before them, Rob and Yajima couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"The guild is still the same as always."

Yajima sighed, then changed the subject, his tone becoming serious.

"But seriously, Makarov, you've raised a remarkable group of children."

Upon hearing this, Makarov straightened his back instantly, a look of immense pride on his face.

"Of course!"

He took a swig of wine, opened up, and began to boast endlessly, naturally praising Jiang Bai, whom he both loved and hated.

"You guys have no idea, Jiang Bai has displayed extraordinary talent since he was a child!"

"When I first learned magic, I dared to go to the eastern forest alone and challenge the volcanic Gorilla to a duel. When I came back, I looked disgusted and said that the guy wasn't good enough for me."

"When they get a little older, it gets even more outrageous. They're always complaining that the guild's missions are too easy and boring, and they insist on going out and taking on those Ten-Year Quest that even S-Class Mages find difficult."

"And what happened? Every time, they came back after only a few days, complaining that those legendary monsters weren't even qualified to be his sparring partners!"

Makarov spoke with great enthusiasm, spitting as he spoke, as if he wanted to recount all of Jiang Bai's glorious deeds from childhood to adulthood.

Rob and Yajima listened quietly, their expressions shifting from smiles to surprise, and finally to deep shock.

They could hear the exaggeration in Makarov's words, but they also knew that for Makarov to boast like that, Jiang Bai's actual performance was probably a hundred times more exaggerated.

When Makarov finally became hoarse from talking and raised his glass to moisten his throat, Yajima finally found a chance to interject.

He glanced around, lowered his voice, and said with an extremely solemn expression, "Makarov, the Magic Council has ordered a complete news blackout regarding what I'm about to say."

"However, since the protagonist of this matter is your Jiang Bai, I think it won't hurt to tell you."

Makarov and Rob both became serious.

Yajima took a deep breath and, with a voice still trembling with fear, slowly revealed the earth-shattering secret.

"Just recently, the Magic Council used the Etherion... and Jiang Bai, that kid, single-handedly and unscathed, took it head-on."

"Clang!"

The wine glass in Makarov's hand fell to the ground and Crush.

Ignoring the horrified expressions on his two old friends' faces, Yajima paused, then, with an unprecedentedly certain tone, stated his final judgment.

"I'm afraid that even if you add all Ten Wizard Saints together, they still wouldn't be a match for Xiao Jiang Bai."

"In this world, perhaps the only one who can be compared to him is... the legendary Zeref."

(Zeref: Who? Me? Me, the one who beats Jiang Bai?)