Am I the Only One Who Hasn't Grown Up?

Makarov quietly looked at the two people before him.

The marks of hardship were hidden between Lu Chongwei's brows, and Laxus's gaze had grown deeper than ever.

Seven years of tempering had taken the two of them from top-tier Mages and turned them into pillars of the guild who could stand on their own.

"You've worked hard," the old man said, his voice choked.

"It was our responsibility," Lu Chongwei replied calmly.

"Right, Master. There's something I need to tell you."

"What is it?"

"We met the ghost, Race."

The wineglass in Makarov's hand lurched violently, nearly slipping from his grip.

"Race? You mean Race, who disappeared all those years ago?"

"It was him." Lu Chongwei nodded. "He lost his memory in an accident back then and wandered into the Dragon Eater guild by mistake."

Makarov's eyes reddened again.

Race had once been the liveliest member of the guild, young and high-spirited, only to vanish suddenly and mysteriously without a trace.

He had searched for years, but had never found anything.

"No wonder... no wonder he never contacted the guild..." the old man murmured to himself.

"Later, he recovered all his memories," Lu Chongwei said softly. "After he was freed, his heart was full of thoughts of the guild, and of everyone."

Makarov's tears finally slid down.

"Where is that child now?"

"He doesn't want to come back. He only wants to live on his own."

Lu Chongwei said.

"But he said he would always remember that he was a member of Fairy Tail."

Makarov wiped away his tears and nodded hard.

"Good. As long as he's alive and safe, and remembers the guild, that's enough."

On the other side of the hall, the excitement continued.

Romeo stood in the center of the crowd, two utterly different flames lighting up