Marco introduced Hisui to Mira, Lisanna, and Elfman, then had Hisui follow Lisanna to get acquainted with the other guild members while he went alone to see Makarov.
Makarov had just returned to the guild not long ago.
After handling some matters, he was drinking alone in his small office, lost in thought.
"Did you stay at Laxus's place yesterday?" Makarov asked as Marco entered.
The old man sat on his desk with a bottle in hand, his expression unreadable—neither particularly happy nor unhappy.
Marco guessed he probably wasn't in the best mood.
"Yes, I helped him move in and stayed the night," Marco replied, observing Makarov's reaction.
It was clear the old man approved of his actions.
Gulp gulp gulp~
"You should visit him often."
After taking a swig, Makarov voiced his thoughts.
Just as Marco had expected, he supported the idea of Marco spending more time at Laxus's place.
In the old man's heart, maintaining a good relationship between the two was far more important than keeping him company.
Especially since Laxus had always been somewhat detached from the group, and now that he'd moved out alone, someone needed to act as the glue to prevent him from becoming even more isolated.
"As long as he doesn't get a girlfriend, I can drop by whenever I want. It's not like he can just shut the door on me, right?" Marco joked, drawing a chuckle from Makarov.
"Laxus... probably won't have one anytime soon." Makarov shook his head after a moment's thought.
He couldn't imagine Laxus getting a girlfriend in the near future.
Despite being nearly eighteen, Laxus's first instinct when meeting girls was still to assess their strength—completely devoid of any romantic inclinations.
With that kind of attitude, how could he possibly attract anyone?
Glancing at Marco, Makarov mused that if Laxus had even a tenth of Marco's ability to interact with girls, he wouldn't have to worry.
Unfortunately, Laxus was utterly clueless.
On the flip side, Marco had too many girls around him, which also concerned Makarov.
The two were polar opposites.
Perhaps it was because Marco had always been close to Gildarts growing up.
Makarov had a feeling this kid might end up even more... scummy than Gildarts.
But then again, as long as both parties were willing in matters of the heart, who was he to interfere?
"So, what's the deal with that Hisui girl?"
Makarov turned his attention to Marco, inquiring about the new recruit.
It wasn't that he wanted to pry, but since Marco had personally brought her in, he naturally wanted to know more.
Given Marco's previous introductions—Wendy and Juvia, neither of whom were ordinary—Makarov suspected Hisui was no exception either.
"Hisui E. Fiore, daughter of King Toma and the sole heir to the Fiore Kingdom—the future queen."
Marco briefly explained Hisui's background.
While he might keep it from others, he trusted Makarov completely.
Besides, the old man needed to know.
After all, Hisui's background was quite significant—she was King Toma's only child and the future queen of Fiore.
Bringing someone like her into the guild couldn't be kept a secret from the guild master.
"You really brought back a troublesome figure," Makarov remarked after hearing about Hisui's identity.
She was indeed a hot potato.
"There's no need to overthink it. Treat her as just another guild member. She doesn't lack money, nor does she need to take on dangerous requests. She's mainly here to learn," Marco said.
When he brought Hisui back, he had already considered these issues—the implications of her status.
Having a privileged young lady around wouldn't align with the essence of Fairy Tail.
They wouldn't give her special treatment or assign her bodyguards.
They would protect Hisui not because of her status, but because she had joined Fairy Tail and become a comrade.
Fairy Tail protected every one of its members.
"As long as you can handle her," Makarov nodded, not pressing further.
He trusted Marco to manage the situation.
"Don't worry," Marco assured him before shifting the conversation to share details about his recent mission.
Resolving the Heartfilia conglomerate's issue counted as "official business," since the collaboration was between Fairy Tail and the Heartfilia, not Marco acting in a personal capacity.
Makarov was already well-informed, as Fairy Tail had dispatched many members to the south for the cleanup operation.
The way things had unfolded still surprised him—he hadn't expected the south to harbor so much corruption.
Initially, everyone thought Fairy Tail's reputation alone would be enough to smooth things over.
Unfortunately, some people refused to cooperate, forcing a more confrontational approach.
"As long as things progress smoothly, it's a good outcome," Makarov said.
The result was actually better than they had initially hoped—not only was the railway project advancing, but some long-standing local issues had also been resolved.
The grandfather and grandson chatted a while longer, bonding over lighter topics, before Marco excused himself.
He still needed to take Hisui to meet Master Valtava and the Celestial Spirit Lyra.
Leaving the old man's office, Marco glanced around and spotted Hisui playing with the children.
The princess of the Fiore Kingdom carried no arrogance, seamlessly blending in without revealing her status.
Hisui had insisted on keeping her identity hidden and was careful not to expose herself.
She got along effortlessly with the kids.
Though gentle and kind, she quickly displayed a distinct personality—more poised and outgoing than Wendy and Juvia, who tended to be more reserved.
It seemed Mira had a bit of a stereotype about Marco's preferences.
While Hisui looked sweet and demure, her demeanor was confident and graceful—quite different from the other two.
"Hisui, come here for a moment." Marco called out to Hisui, pulling her away from the group of children.
As a newcomer, she was still the center of curiosity, surrounded by kids bombarding her with endless questions.
Marco's intervention came as a timely rescue.
Hisui left the children and trotted over eagerly.
"Master, what is it?"
Her cheeks were flushed with excitement, still riding the high of making so many new friends who had all been very kind to her.
"I'm taking you to meet someone—and a Celestial Spirit," Marco replied with a knowing smile, deliberately keeping her in suspense.
"Is it Master Valtava?!" Hisui's eyes lit up as the name slipped out.
"Exactly," Marco nodded, unsurprised she had guessed correctly.
The girl had been learning the lyre and had even attended his recent concert with Master Valtava.
"Is it the Celestial Spirit Lyra?"
As the master and disciple walked away from the guild hall, chatting along the way, Hisui managed to guess every detail of who they were about to meet.
This wasn't entirely unexpected—Marco had already told her about these things before.
Hisui knew that Marco had learned his lyre-playing and poetic singing from Master Valtava and the Celestial Spirit Lyra.
"Right. Since you're also a Celestial Spirit Mage, Master Valtava and I thought it might be a good idea for you to form a contract with the Celestial Spirit Lyra. It'll make learning the lyre much easier."
Now that Hisui had pieced it all together, Marco dropped the act and revealed their plan.
"Really?! I'll do my absolute best!"
Overjoyed, Hisui beamed at Marco's words.
Though she was learning "Celestial Spirit Lyra Magic" from him, that didn't mean she had to abandon her previous "Celestial Spirit Magic."
She could still summon spirits and adored them as much as ever.
She was determined to prove herself worthy of Lyra's recognition.
First impressions were crucial when forming a contract with a Celestial Spirit.
Often, a strong initial connection paved the way for a lasting bond. A bad first impression, on the other hand, was hard to undo.
Simply possessing a Celestial Spirit's key didn't guarantee a successful summoning—spirits had the right to refuse contracts.
That said, unless the summoner was outright intolerable, most spirits wouldn't decline.
Few Celestial Spirit Mages mistreated their spirits—cases like Karen's were exceptionally rare.
What kind of person would neglect the very beings that were their livelihood? It was baffling.
Hisui was nothing like that oddity, Karen, so Marco had no doubts about her winning Lyra's approval.
Lyra wasn't a particularly picky spirit to begin with—she'd surely welcome a lyre-loving girl like Hisui with open arms.
The master and disciple arrived at the theater, where they met Master Valtava and Lyra.
Just as Marco had predicted, things unfolded smoothly.
Hisui and Lyra hit it off instantly, quickly agreeing to form a contract.
Lyra looked so pleased that she seemed ready to have Valtava hand over the key to Hisui on the spot—she much preferred the company of a bright young girl.
"Really..."
Faced with this outcome, Master Valtava could only chuckle helplessly before actually taking out the key, preparing to gift it to Hisui.
"This... this... I can't accept it!"
This completely caught Hisui off guard, leaving even the usually poised princess stammering as she waved her hands in refusal.
"Lyra has accompanied me long enough. It's time to pass her on to the younger generation. Marco doesn't need her, so let her keep you company instead," Valtava said with a smile.
He was completely serious—he rarely summoned Lyra these days.
It would be better to give the key to young Hisui, allowing Lyra more opportunities to be summoned.
Besides, this could be considered a form of passing down the master's legacy.
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