"Ah, another bright and sunny day!"
In the morning, Kira pushed open the door of Hoplite's Haven, stretching lazily before turning back to shout, "Hey, you better keep an eye on the shop! If you scare off any customers, you're out of here!"
"Yeah, yeah, I got it!" Dispel muttered without looking up, slumped over the shop counter, engrossed in one of Kira's novels. His voice was weak, almost lifeless.
He looked like he'd aged years in just a few days. A few strands of his red hair were turning white, heavy dark circles framed his eyes, and his face was gaunt. The vibrant, confident swordsman who'd first appeared was nowhere to be seen.
After days of nonstop reading, Dispel was utterly hooked on the world of novels. Without a book in his hands, he felt restless, like something was missing.
Women might slow my blade, but novels? Never!
Ten days ago, Dispel would've laughed at the idea of saying something like that. But when Kira warned him not to get too obsessed, those words slipped out without hesitation. He said them, cried, laughed, and looked like a complete fool.
Kira was initially baffled but soon pieced together Dispel's state of mind. A man who'd spent twenty years with nothing but a sword in his heart, mind, and hands had stumbled into novels and fallen hard. Ignoring his health, he chased the euphoric high of a good story. It was like a betrayal of his old self—a mix of guilt and the thrill of indulgence. No wonder he'd been "corrupted" by novels.
Seeing Dispel so desperate to read that he'd work for Kira just to stay near the books, Kira couldn't help but feel exasperated.
"I never thought you'd be the type to get addicted to novels. How pathetic! Is this what a Kira's supposed to be?!"
Dispel didn't even flinch, too absorbed in his book.
Kira shook his head helplessly, hoping his "Sage" reputation might snap Dispel out of this obsession and help him regain some clarity.
Leaving the shop in Dispel's hands, Kira strolled down Magnolia's main street for a few minutes, arriving at the construction site for the new guildhall to start another day of supervising.
"Natsu, move those logs over there…"
"Gray, take these logs over here…"
"Elfman, chop that wood for me…"
Under Kira's orders, the group of overly energetic guild members bustled about, hauling timber around the site.
"This is so annoying! What's the point of moving this stuff back and forth?!" Natsu complained.
"Why does Kira get to boss us around without lifting a finger?!" Gray grumbled.
"Ugh, I wish I could order them around like that!" Elfman muttered.
Erza, wearing a hard hat and construction gear while carrying a load of timber, approached. "Can't be helped. Kira's the one who bought this land. Without him, we wouldn't be building the guild here."
If Kira was the overseer, Erza was the foreman. She took her work seriously, managing tasks while keeping an eye on everyone.
"That's so unfair! Even the Master's helping out, and Kira's just slacking!" Natsu whined.
Erza pointed to the side. "The Master? He's over there having tea with Kira."
"Hey, keep up the good work!" Makarov called out, waving cheerfully from a makeshift tea table under a tree, sipping black tea. "Make sure our guild gets built right!"
"What?!" ×N
Ignoring the group's complaints, Makarov and Kira continued their conversation.
"So, Master, you're saying you're going to personally track down that Iron Dragon and set him straight?" Kira asked.
"Yeah. According to the new girl, he's not a bad guy at heart, and he's got real talent. It's just that Jose led him astray in Phantom Lord," Makarov said with a sigh. "If we let him go unchecked, he could cause even bigger trouble down the line."
"Bringing wayward kids back to the right path is an old soldier's duty, after all!"
"That sounds just like you," Kira said, taking a sip of his tea. "You know, when I ran into Professor Beluno at the Council, she said something similar."
"Did she? Guess all us old folks think alike," Makarov chuckled. "So, you're on board with my decision?"
Kira nodded, sipping his tea again. "I might joke about being the guild's strategist, but that's just me messing around. You're the Master—this is your call."
"Speaking of that new girl…" Kira trailed off, spotting Juvia peeking from behind a tree.
"She's Juvia, one of Phantom Lord's former Four Elements. She had nowhere else to go, so Mirajane asked me to take her in. She's also…" Makarov started.
Kira jumped in, "A good kid who got led astray by Jose?"
Cough, cough. "Exactly."
Kira was pretty sure Makarov only agreed because Juvia was a pretty young lady, but since he was an old man, Kira let it slide to save his pride.
After a bit more small talk, they wrapped up and threw themselves into the guild's reconstruction.
A few days later, Makarov set off for Voku City to track down Gajeel, with Kira tagging along, claiming he wanted to learn Makarov's "speechcraft" techniques.
Though he found Kira's reasoning odd, Makarov didn't see any harm in it.
---
In a pile of rubble and ruins, Gajeel sat alone, tattered clothes hanging off him as he munched on scraps of metal.
Since Phantom Lord disbanded, he'd been jobless. No job meant no income, so he scavenged here, eating discarded iron chunks, scraps, and nails—metal that fueled his strength and magic.
Yes, literal metal garbage.
"Yo, is iron really that tasty?"
A familiar voice called out from behind. Gajeel turned to see Makarov standing among the ruins, waving casually, with Kira behind him.
At the sight of them, Gajeel's body trembled slightly. He assumed they were here to settle scores, and in his current state, he couldn't take them on.
But Makarov's next words dispelled his fears. "Juvia joined our guild yesterday…"
"What?!"
"She's been worried about you."
"What's that gloomy rain woman thinking?!" Gajeel was shocked but even more puzzled by Makarov's intentions.
Makarov extended an invitation. "No one falls into darkness just by talking to themselves. Why don't you join our guild?"
"Are you kidding me?!" Gajeel was stunned, then skeptical. "You're serious?"
Makarov's tone was firm, his expression earnest. "Some people might enjoy solitude, but no one can truly endure it forever."
Gajeel noticed Kira furiously scribbling in a notebook but didn't let it distract him from Makarov.
"I trashed your guild," Gajeel said, turning his head away in shame, like a kid who broke a vase and couldn't face his parents.
"I'm not holding that against you anymore," Makarov replied.
Gajeel glanced at Kira out of the corner of his eye. "But your guildmates…"
"You hurt them," Makarov said sternly. "And no matter what, I won't forgive you for that."
Just as Gajeel opened his mouth to respond, Makarov's tone shifted. "But if I keep ignoring a young man falling into darkness, I'd never forgive myself!"
Scribble, scribble, scribble. Kira was frantically jotting down Makarov's speech tactics.
Makarov extended a hand to Gajeel. "This isn't redemption. It's just a light to guide you toward tomorrow. Whether you change or keep waiting to rot—that's up to you."
Despite being half Gajeel's height, Makarov seemed towering in the light.
Gajeel, as if truly offered salvation, started to speak. "I…"
Clap, clap, clap! Kira's applause cut him off.
"That was amazing, Master! If I were him, I'd say yes right now!"
If I had that kind of persuasive speech, I'd sell out my shop's inventory in no time!
Gajeel looked at Kira in surprise. They'd clashed before, so he expected Kira to object. Apparently not.
"Kira Hoplite?"
"It's the Master's call, and I don't have much of a grudge against you," Kira said, almost as an explanation. "Plus, Natsu's a big fan of yours. He'd love to 'bond' with you every day."
Spouting half-truths was second nature to Kira.
"What's wrong? Changed your mind? Wanna work at my shop now? Too bad, I've already got an employee…"
"You really don't hold a grudge? Why?" Gajeel asked.
Finally! I dragged myself to this dump just to answer that question!
"Why?" Kira said, a sly grin spreading across his face. Gajeel's gut told him something was off.
"Maybe because… you remind me of my late son! Hahaha!"
"You jerk!!!"