"He really is incredibly strong!" Natsu, who was still embedded securely in the ceiling, managed to express his awe and admiration for Gildarts through a muffled voice.
Raizel walked over to the older mage. "How was the mission?"
"I survived, thanks to your reminder," Gildarts replied.
He noticed Raizel staring intently at his left arm.
"But your hand..."
When Gildarts had made his move against Natsu earlier, Raizel had carefully observed that Gildarts's left arm was already replaced by a prosthetic.
"Trading one hand for a life is well worth it," Gildarts laughed it off casually, though his eyes held a heavy weight.
Raizel pressed further, his tone serious. "Is everything else alright?"
"I'm fine, it's just the arm and a leg," Gildarts shook his head dismissively.
"So you really encountered it?" Raizel asked quietly.
"Yes. The moment I saw it, I remembered your warning and retreated immediately." Gildarts's usually carefree expression turned incredibly grave; even now, just thinking back on that encounter sent a cold chill down his spine.
That was simply not a creature humans could ever hope to defeat.
In the face of the Black Dragon Acnologia, the strongest mage in Fairy Tail felt, for the very first time, the weakness of being a mere ant.
The other guild members standing nearby didn't quite grasp the hidden meaning behind Raizel and Gildarts's hushed conversation, exchanging somewhat confused glances.
"We'll talk about this another time when we're free," Gildarts nodded to Raizel before turning his attention back to the crowd.
"You haven't changed at all, old man!" Gray called out.
"A man among men!" Elfman roared proudly as they both stepped forward to greet him.
"You've both grown taller, too!"
Images of Gray and Elfman as small children flashed through Gildarts's mind, and seeing them so grown up now left him momentarily dazed.
Looking around, he smiled. "There are quite a few unfamiliar faces I haven't seen before. Things have really changed a lot around here."
A call from Makarov, who was sitting at the bar, reached Gildarts's ears.
"Gildarts!" Makarov's voice was robust and tinged with genuine excitement.
It had been three years since he had last seen his surrogate son, and even the stoic Guild Master had missed him dearly.
"Whoa! Master, long time no see," Gildarts smiled, walking up to the bar and looking down at Makarov.
"Work went smoothly, I hope?" Makarov asked expectantly.
"Well... Hahaha!" Gildarts suddenly started laughing heartily while awkwardly scratching the back of his head.
After his loud laughter subsided, his expression immediately turned serious again.
"There was no helping it. I simply wasn't up to the task."
"Huh???"
"No way?!"
"He's Gildarts, though? He actually failed a mission?"
"I don't believe it... Is Gildarts joking?"
The guild members instantly buzzed with shocked discussion.
Up in the ceiling, Natsu hung there completely stunned, looking utterly incredulous.
"Even the old man couldn't handle it?" Gray couldn't help but ask aloud, his eyes wide.
"Hmm, knowing when to retreat is also a mark of a true man!" Elfman stated.
Raizel shook his head helplessly at the murmurs. "What misconceptions do you all have about the Century Quest? It is extremely difficult."
Makarov sighed deeply. "Is that so? Even you couldn't complete it?"
"Sorry, Master. I've brought shame upon the guild," Gildarts apologized genuinely.
"No," Makarov reassured him gently. "The fact that you returned to us alive is already remarkable. To my knowledge, you are the very first mage to have ever survived attempting that quest."
"I want to rest a bit, so I'll head back to my place first. I'm exhausted... completely exhausted..."
After speaking with Makarov, Gildarts stretched and turned to leave.
He paused, looking back up at the ceiling. "Natsu! Come to my place later. I have a gift for you. Hahaha! I'm off then!"
BAM!
With a loud, echoing crash, a huge hole was torn straight through the guild hall's solid brick wall as Gildarts walked right through it.
"Ara ara," Mira giggled softly.
"Please use the front door!!!" the rest of the guild screamed in despair.
Suddenly, Natsu managed to free himself and dropped from the ceiling.
"Hehe, I wonder what the gift will be? I'm really looking forward to it!" Natsu cheered, and in his excitement, he punched the guild wall right next to Gildarts's hole, creating another massive hole.
"Why are you copying him!!!" Max cried out, utterly exasperated.
"Happy, let's go!" Natsu swaggered out through his newly made exit, completely ignoring the other guild members' furious complaints.
"Aren't you angry?" Raizel asked, having been carefully observing Erza's usually strict expression.
Erza shook her head with a rare, tolerant smile. "Forget it. Gildarts has returned today, so it's normal for Natsu to be overly excited. I'll let him off this time."
"Besides, breaking a wall is minor. At least I can fix it easily," Ultear chimed in.
Her crystal ball glowed with the Arc of Time, and the shattered bricks on the ground began floating in reverse, rapidly restoring to their original form and returning perfectly to the wall.
"Don't get too used to doing this..." Lucy muttered, feeling inexplicably heartbroken seeing just how practiced and skilled Ultear was at repairing the guild's constant property damage.
"Happy, are Gildarts and Natsu really that close?" Lucy was somewhat puzzled.
Gildarts was bringing back a special gift just for Natsu, and upon hearing about Gildarts's return, Natsu's excitement had been overflowing to the point of imitating his destructive habit of breaking walls—and surprisingly, Erza hadn't even gotten angry.
Happy raised a paw eagerly. "Aye sir! Although their strength are worlds apart, Gildarts seems to really like Natsu and treats him like a little brother."
"Honestly, if Gildarts didn't care so much about Cana too, you'd start to wonder who his real child is," Ultear made a rare, deadpan complaint.
"But the old man treats all of us pretty well, to be fair," Gray chimed in quietly.
"But doesn't Gildarts only return once every three years?" Lucy asked.
Kagura stepped up to answer her question. "No, this time the old man was undertaking a Century Quest, which is the only reason he was gone for three whole years. When he's doing SS-Class Quests or Decade Quests, he returns much more frequently."
"Oh, that makes sense. After all, Cana is his daughter, and it seems like he really loves her despite his wandering missions," Lucy nodded in understanding, finally realizing the full scope of the situation.
...
Eastern Forest — Later That Afternoon
Raizel and the others were gathered by the tranquil lake, conducting their usual afternoon meditation practice.
"Hey, Raizel, want to go fishing? I brought some cold beer, too."
Gildarts suddenly arrived at the lakeside, carrying two fishing rods over his shoulder with a heavy case of beer in his remaining hand.
After returning to his home early in the morning, Gildarts had managed to get some proper sleep.
When he woke up, he felt so restless and bored that he decided to go fishing to clear his mind.
"I'll join you," Raizel replied, opening his eyes and standing up from the grass.
"Let's move a bit further away down the bank so we don't disturb their training," Gildarts suggested, slightly tilting his head toward the deeper woods.
"If you just don't want us to hear your private conversation, say so directly. It's not a big deal," Ultear, who had paused her meditation, told him flatly, refusing to let him beat around the bush.
Caught in the act of trying to be subtle, Gildarts scratched his head and laughed awkwardly.
The two men walked further down the shore and started fishing while enjoying the cold beer, having a seemingly relaxing time together in the quiet woods.
However, after a long while of comfortable silence, Gildarts finally spoke up, his tone heavy.
"I really encountered the Black Dragon this time, Raizel... at the Sacred Mountain, Zonia. That's why my Century Quest failed."
"Tell me exactly what happened to your arm and leg," Raizel requested calmly.
Gildarts looked down at his prosthetic left arm and sighed.
"It spotted me the moment I reached the summit. It didn't even care who I was. It just used one casual roar attack against me, and I couldn't dodge it in time." He took a swig of beer.
"Fortunately, I only lost my left arm, left leg, and some organs. I've got prosthetics now, I'll just need to get used to them."
Raizel watched the bobber in the water. "So you plan to tell Natsu all this later? News about real dragons?"
"Yes, to give the kid some motivation," Gildarts nodded, his gaze distant. "The Black Dragon might be a terrifying creature that I can't defeat, but I think... with his Dragon Slayer magic, Natsu might have a chance in the future..."
Gildarts originally hadn't truly believed in the existence of dragons until he saw one with his own eyes.
"I also want to give him a bit of hope—the hope that his foster father, Igneel, might still be alive out there somewhere. After all, dragons have been gone from this world for far too long, haven't they?"