The three walked side by side through a long, dark passage.
Reaching the end of the passage, the Guild Master stopped, took a deep breath, and then slowly pushed open the heavy iron door with both hands.
With a creak, the door slowly opened, revealing a relatively spacious but somewhat deserted room to the three of them.
The First Master Mavis gazed at the door before him, intricately carved with runes, a slight smile of satisfaction playing on his lips, "It seems the security measures here are quite excellent, Makarov. You've really gone to great lengths!"
Upon hearing Mavis's praise, Makarov scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly, a hint of emotion on his face.
He turned his head, staring solemnly at the door, while raising one hand and making strange gestures in the air, crisscrossing it.
As he moved, a huge golden Magic Circle quietly appeared in front of the gate.
Suddenly, a loud bang rang out, the door swung open, and a dazzling light surged out like a tide, instantly enveloping the three of them.
Although Zorn had witnessed similar scenes in the animation, he was still incredibly shocked when he actually experienced it firsthand.
"This is the top secret our Fairy Tail has guarded until now—Lumen Starshine." Makarov's voice was deep and serious, as if carrying a heavy sense of mission.
Zorn stared at Mavis in the crystal, and the image of Zeref's madness after obtaining the Fairy Heart flashed through his mind. A sense of worry welled up in his heart, and his brows furrowed slightly.
Just then, the First Master seemed to sense Zorn's inner turmoil. She slowly floated in front of Zorn and softly explained...
"This is the true essence of [Fairy Tail], and the Fairy Tail's ultimate secret... known only to the successive guild Guild Master."
"Back then, when Precht revealed this scene to me, I was just as astonished as you are now." The Guild Master knew how Zorn felt, because he too was speechless with shock when he first witnessed it.
However, this was a secret and Magic that every Fairy Tail Guild Master had to know and protect to the very end, so he solemnly and in a low voice said to Zorn:
"So, Zorn!!"
"You are the next Guild Master jointly chosen by me and the First Master!"
"And he is also the fourth generation Guild Master of Fairy Tail!" The Third Generation Guild Master, Makarov, declared emphatically, a smile playing on his lips.
"The younger generation surpasses the older generation, very good, Fourth Master!" Mavis stood aside, a joyful smile on her face.
She was very pleased with the result, because nothing is more gratifying than seeing each generation surpass its predecessors and become stronger.
"Yes!" Zorn's answer was firm and resonant, his voice loud and clear.
At this moment, he had made an extremely important decision deep in his heart: no matter how great the difficulties and dangers, even if it cost him his life, he would defend Fairy Tail Fairy Tail to the death and protect everyone's warm, sunny smiles.
"What's wrong, Natsu?" Lucy asked, propping her head up with one hand while leaning on the table, her face full of confusion.
She noticed that Natsu had been acting strangely for the past few days since he returned.
He often stares blankly at the sky, sometimes not responding even when called several times.
Not only that, he even stopped doing Fairy Tail quests.
What's even stranger is that Wendy and Gajeel, like Natsu, seemed to be lost in thought.
Lucy felt a pang of worry. She turned to Wendy and Gajeel, who were sitting beside her with equally strange expressions, and asked softly, "What's wrong with you two? Everyone seems to be acting weird..."
Wendy was stunned by Lucy's question.
She clearly hadn't expected Lucy to suddenly steer the conversation towards her, and for a moment she didn't know how to respond.
After a long pause, she stammered, "Ah, no... nothing... it's just..."
Wendy's hesitant stammering made her cat, Carla, anxious. Charlotte couldn't help but interject, "Wendy, I think you should just tell the truth. Didn't you secretly cry before?"
We're all partners; if we encounter any difficulties or troubles, we can work together to find solutions.
"Exactly, Natsu is one of them too, why didn't he tell everyone!"
Happy also raised his hand and chimed in.
It has recently noticed Natsu's unusual behavior, as if he is constantly pondering something, and sometimes he places his hand on his abdomen, as if sensing something.
"I think only Zorn can confirm this accurately. I only have a slight guess, but it's probably related to their parents," Erza suddenly interjected with a laugh.
She saw it clearly that day: before Zorn teleported, he gave Natsu, Wendy, Gajeel that mysterious smile.
That mysterious smile was clearly not directed at the three of them, but rather seemed to be directed at some... dragon within their bodies.
Of course, this was just a guess, a reasonable guess given that she had seen the Crystal Dragon.
"Parents?" Lucy frowned, pondering with suspicion, clearly still reeling from the shock.
Just as she was lost in thought, a loud voice suddenly rang out.
"Everyone!" In an instant, Guild Master Makarov and Zorn appeared before everyone and shouted.
The way it draws everyone's attention.
"I have gathered you all here today because I have something very important to announce!" Makarov said solemnly.
"I'm getting old, it's time to enjoy my retirement and pass on the responsibilities to the younger generation!"
"Therefore, after careful consideration, I have decided to retire!" Makarov announced his impending abdication in a solemn yet calm tone.
But these words were like a bombshell, causing a huge uproar among the crowd below.
"What? You really intend to do this, Guild Master?" someone asked, looking utterly astonished.
"Could it be... that the next Guild Master will be...?" The others looked at Zorn with surprise, as if they had guessed something.
They all looked at Zorn, their eyes filled with disbelief.
No way, no way.
Could it really be Zorn? He's so young!
What about Gildarts?
Guild Master Makarov seemed to have noticed everyone's confusion as to why he hadn't chosen Gildarts.
Indeed, Gildarts's strength and experience make him the top choice.
But he only just brought up the topic.
The person looked extremely embarrassed, even instinctively scratching their head and saying, "Please, let me go. Guild Master is really not my thing!"
Then someone else chimed in, "I think Zorn would be a great candidate. After all, judging from his current abilities, he should already be at the top level of our guild!"
"Even I might not be a match for him anymore."
Upon hearing Gildarts's unwavering refusal, Guild Master Makarov originally planned to wait until Gildarts had taken over as the Fourth Guild Master a few years before passing the position to Zorn, who would then become the fifth Guild Master.
But who could have predicted that Gildarts would refuse even this small request?
Without a word, he accepted a daunting ten-year mission and then found a quiet place to hide away.
Thinking of this, he shook his head helplessly. Having roughly understood Gildarts's personality, such a decision seemed understandable.
"In that case, let's hold a grand banquet right now! To celebrate Zorn's promotion to the Fourth Guild Master of our Fairy Tail!!"
Once Makarov let go, he jumped excitedly onto the bar and cheered with his hands raised high.
When the news of Zorn's successful election as the Fourth Guild Master spread throughout the entire Fairy Tail—
"Oh yeah, that's awesome! Fourth Master, Fourth Master..." The atmosphere instantly ignited to a climax, and everyone cheered and jumped for joy as if a pot had exploded.
Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel also showed Pleasure in their eyes, but some thoughts deep in their hearts were temporarily suppressed. At this moment, the entire hall was filled with cheers for the Fourth Master, rising and falling, deafeningly loud.
To be continued...