Not long after Caelan left, dozens of figures cloaked in heavy black robes arrived at the Bullhead Mountain stronghold.
“They’re all dead?” one muttered, kicking a piece of rubble aside.
“It seems the serum is still imperfect.” “Gather the corpses and all the scattered remains,” another commanded.
“Take them away.” “Yes, sir.” The cloaked leader silently surveyed the massive craters and scorch marks left behind by the battle.
“A complete one-sided massacre…
Kira possessed the strength of an A-Class Mage.
After his demonization, his power should have bordered on S-Class.
Yet even with that kind of strength, he couldn’t take down the intruder?” The leader narrowed his eyes beneath his hood.
“Could one of the official guilds have dispatched an S-Class Mage?
We’ll have to act much more carefully from now on.” Magnolia Town.
Caelan returned to the town the following day.
The guildhall was as boisterous and chaotic as ever.
The moment Finn and Rook spotted their boss walking through the doors, they practically sprinted over.
“Boss!
Boss!” Finn yelled, waving frantically.
“How was the quest?
What was it like?
Was the enemy super strong?!
You definitely have to take us with you next time—” “Rook!” Caelan barked.
“Here, Boss!
Right away, Boss!” Finn blinked.
“Wait, huh?!” Before Finn could even process the command, Rook had him in a headlock and dragged him off into the corner for a thorough beating.
Makarov strolled over, pleased to see his new recruit back in one piece.
“So, how was your very first official quest?” “Hmm, it was alright.
The enemy felt a little weak, honestly,” Caelan said, leaning against the bar.
“So, when can I take the S-Class promotional exam?” Makarov scoffed.
“You talk a big game for your age, brat.
Becoming an S-Class Mage isn’t nearly as easy as you think.
Now, give me the mission report.” Caelan quickly recounted everything he had seen and fought on the mountain.
By the time he finished, Makarov’s expression had turned deadly serious.
“Are you absolutely certain the man you killed was resurrected as a monster?” “Positive.
I’m guessing it was the work of some cult or a Dark Guild,” Caelan said with a shrug.
“It’s unlikely a Dark Guild would go to those lengths for random bandits.
But I’ve never heard of a cult capable of mutating the dead into actual demons either,” Makarov murmured, stroking his mustache.
“I’ll have to report this to the Magic Council immediately.
Those useless bureaucrats…
an incident of this scale happens right under their noses, and they don’t even have a whisper of intelligence on it.” Caelan watched the guild master fume for a moment before casually raising a hand.
“So, Master, does that mean my part here is done?” Makarov blinked out of his thoughts.
“Hmm?
Yes, the quest is complete.
Why, do you have somewhere to be?” “Obviously.
I have to go house hunting.” Makarov’s jaw dropped, a thick vein throbbing on his temple.
“You still haven’t given up on that ridiculous dream?!” “Tch.
It’s my life’s ambition, old man.
You think I’d just give it up that easily?” Caelan turned toward the corner.
“Rook!
Finn!
Quit playing dead, we’re leaving!” “Right behind you, Boss!” Rook cheered.
Finn limped after them, rubbing a fresh black eye.
“Aw, come on, Boss, just tell me what the fight was like…” Caelan shot Finn a brilliantly polite, utterly terrifying smile.
“If you keep whining, I’m going to have Rook beat you again.
Understand?” Finn swallowed hard, saluting stiffly.
“Y-yes, sir!
Crystal clear!” Two Months Later.
Inside the expansive courtyard of Caelan’s newly purchased estate.
At that very moment, Finn and Rook were enduring Caelan’s brutally strict training regimen.
Each of them had a massive stone block—two meters tall and a meter wide—strapped to their backs as they performed agonizing frog leaps across the yard.
Every time they landed, the entire ground shook with a heavy thud.
Finally completing their last rep, both men collapsed flat into the dirt, gasping desperately for air.
Caelan, meanwhile, was comfortably lounging in a lawn chair, sipping hot tea as he ‘supervised’ their suffering.
“R-Rook,” Finn wheezed, his face pressed against the grass.
“I don’t think my legs belong to me anymore.” “Finn…
just shut up and breathe,” Rook groaned.
Caelan nodded in satisfaction.
He stood up, grabbed both of them by the collars with one hand, and unceremoniously chucked them into a large, steaming wooden vat of medicinal bathwater nearby.
The moment they hit the water, the terrifyingly potent medicine began seeping into their exhausted muscles.
The intense burning sensation was pure, unadulterated agony.
“Holy crap, it burns!!” Finn shrieked, thrashing in the vat.
“Aaaaahhh!!” “Just endure it, Finn!” Rook bellowed, gritting his teeth in pain.
Caelan watched their wildly contorted faces, stroking his chin.
‘That medicine Porlyusica whipped up really is intense.
But their life force is getting remarkably stronger by the day.
Just a few more months of this, and their bodies should finally be tough enough to handle the Rokushiki techniques.’ A while later, the two of them crawled out of the vat.
The originally thick, dark medicinal water had turned completely clear, fully absorbed by their bodies.
Both Finn and Rook looked visibly bulkier, their muscles far more defined and dense.
Caelan gave an approving nod.
“Keep this up for a few more months, and you’ll be ready to learn Rokushiki.” Finn’s shoulders instantly slumped.
“Are you serious, Boss?
A few more months?
Does this martial art really require this insane level of physical conditioning?!” “I’m doing this for your own good,” Caelan replied dryly.
“If we build a flawless foundation now, the actual training will be a breeze.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a gold banking card, tossing it to them.
“I’ve had my eye on a storefront down the street.
Go buy it for me—and make sure you negotiate the lowest price possible.
After that, it’s the first of the month, so go collect the rent from my other properties.” Finn caught the card, instantly recovering his energy.
“Hehe, don’t you worry, Boss!
Negotiating is my specialty!
Me and Rook will get it done perfectly!” “Good.
Get to it.
I picked up an urgent quest, so I’ve got to head out.” With a blinding flash of golden light, Caelan vanished from the yard.
Finn sighed wistfully at the empty space.
“Man, I really want to go on a quest with the boss.
Doing these workouts every single day is literally going to kill me.” “Quit complaining and let’s go,” Rook grunted, grabbing his coat.
“If we mess up the real estate deal, the Boss is going to bury us.” Caelan rematerialized directly inside the guildhall.
Over the past two months, he and his two lackeys had thoroughly integrated into Fairy Tail.
The second Natsu spotted him, the fiery teenager charged forward demanding a rematch.
Completely unsurprisingly, Caelan casually swatted him out of the air, sending him crashing into the far wall.
The rest of the guild erupted into roaring laughter at the familiar sight.
Caelan strolled up to the bar.
“Alright, Master, I’m here for that request.
But let’s get one thing straight—if the pay is garbage, I’m not doing it.” “You money-grubbing brat!
Is cash the only thing you care about?!” Makarov yelled, slapping a mission flyer onto the counter.
Caelan picked it up and scanned the details.
“Exterminate a demon in a church?” He raised an eyebrow.
“A demon inside a church?
Tsk, tsk, whatever god they’re praying to must be completely useless.” Smack!
Makarov vaulted over the bar and bashed Caelan over the head.
“Watch your mouth, you disrespectful punk!” “Alright, alright, forget I said anything!” Caelan rubbed his head.
“But seriously, why do I have to take this?
The reward money is pathetic.” “It’s an emergency dispatch,” Makarov explained, crossing his arms.
“The village is terrified the demon is going to start slaughtering the townsfolk, so they sent this out as a rush request.
You’re the fastest Mage in the entire guild.
Who else is going to get there in time?
To use your own words: ‘If you don’t earn this money, who will?'” Caelan gave the old man a look of absolute disdain.
“Master, your skin is getting thicker by the day.
Using my own quotes to guilt-trip me into doing cheap labor…” Makarov didn’t even let him finish.
He instantly activated his Giant Magic.
His right arm expanded massively, thick veins bulging against the skin as he snatched Caelan right off his feet.
“Titan’s Groundhog Toss!!” Fwip!
Makarov hurled him out the open guild doors like a baseball.
Caelan’s body shattered the sound barrier, rocketing away into the distant horizon.
“You crazy old man, you have no honoooorrr—!” his voice faded into the distance.
Makarov dusted off his hands, shrinking his arm back to normal.
“Ah.
Much better.” The entire guild stared in stunned silence at their smiling, grandfatherly guild master who had just launched their strongest rookie into orbit.
Out on the street, having just returned from their errand, Finn and Rook watched the golden speck disappear into the clouds.
“The…
the Boss just ascended to the heavens,” Finn muttered in awe.
Rook gave a solemn nod.
“Respect.”