The Black-Winged Demon of Fairy Tail

"Drink!"

The guild master, Makarov, shouted sharply, leaping into the air and performing several forward somersaults.

With a loud **bang**, his head collided with the second-floor guardrail before he steadied himself, wobbling slightly on the ledge.

Holding a thick stack of documents, his face twisted into a grimace as he barked, "You've caused trouble for me again, haven't you?! Look at how many complaints the Council has sent us!"

"First... Gray!"

"Huh?" Gray froze, his stern expression shifting into confusion. He clearly believed he had done nothing wrong.

"You handled things well up until you caught the smuggling gang. But why were you wandering naked on the street afterward?!"

"And stealing someone's laundry to cover yourself?!"

Gray flushed with embarrassment, scratching his head. "It wasn't… uh… appropriate to stay naked."

"Then don't get naked in the first place!" Elfman interjected with an exasperated tone.

Makarov shifted his steely gaze to Elfman. "And you, Elfman! You used violence against someone you were supposed to be protecting during your mission!"

"He said real men should value their academic achievements…" Elfman mumbled in defense.

Makarov sighed heavily. "Cana Alberona, reporting fake expenses to drink fifteen barrels of ale in a tavern, and then claiming it in the budget report?!"

"Ah… they found out," Cana muttered, taking a long swig from her mug.

"Loke! You provoked Councilor Reggie's granddaughter and got an entire entertainment company demanding damages for their losses!"

Makarov didn't even let Loke respond before turning to Natsu.

"And you, Natsu! You defeated the Devon Clan of thieves—"

Natsu beamed proudly. "That's right!"

"—but destroyed seven homes in the process!"

"Uh…"

"You also knocked over Juli Village's historic clock tower, burned down every church in Phrygia, collapsed part of Rubinas City, and left the Narina Valley Observatory in ruins!"

As Makarov listed each offense, he grew more agitated. "Every one of you has done something ridiculous! Do you know how many times the Council chews me out because of all of you?!"

The guild fell silent.

Then Makarov's expression shifted into a sly grin. "But those old fools on the Council can go eat dirt."

With a snap of his fingers, the entire stack of documents burst into flames.

"Eh?!" Lucy gasped, shocked by the guild master's boldness.

Makarov tossed the burning papers into the air, where Natsu leapt up and caught them in his mouth, munching with glee.

"Listen up!" Makarov roared, his voice commanding the attention of everyone in the guild.

"All powers that exceed common sense are born from common sense. Magic is not some miraculous force—it comes from the alignment of the 'ki' within us and the 'ki' flowing in nature."

"Magic is not just power—it's the concentration of your will, the strength of your spirit, and the essence of your soul."

"If you let yourselves be held back by the opinions of those fools at the top, you'll never grow. Never be afraid of criticism! Move forward with conviction on the path you believe in!"

"That is what it means to be a mage of Fairy Tail!"

"Ohhhhh!!!"

The guild erupted into cheers, the speech reigniting their confidence and determination. Laughter and camaraderie returned to the hall as the members began tidying up the mess from their earlier fight.

"Yushi, come here," Makarov called, gesturing firmly.

Yushi stepped forward, nodding respectfully as he began his mission report.

Unlike the others, Yushi had not chosen his task—it had been assigned by the guild master himself.

The mission was a critical one. Several guild members had gone missing while undertaking it, and the situation demanded investigation.

Disappearances weren't uncommon in the life of a mage. Though guilds seemed lively and full of energy, the job was dangerous—one misstep could cost a mage their life.

This is why Makarov personally reviewed every mission request, assessing the difficulty and matching it to the mage's skills. If a mission was deemed too risky, it would either be reclassified or transferred to another guild.

But no amount of foresight could prevent accidents.

The mission in question had already cost several teams their lives, even wiping out an entire regular mage guild. Small guilds avoided it altogether, fearing annihilation.

Yet someone had to handle it.

As the strongest guild master in the region, Makarov had taken the responsibility upon himself. And with Fairy Tail's top mage, Gildarts, away on a century quest, Yushi was the only one Makarov could trust with such a dangerous task.

The mission wasn't simple—it involved over two dozen dark guilds working together as part of a medium-to-large dark guild alliance.

For three months, Yushi had worked tirelessly, eliminating every dark guild involved and ensuring they would never threaten the continent again.

Makarov listened to the report in silence, his expression unreadable. When Yushi finished, the guild master looked up at him with a small smile.

"Well done," Makarov said firmly.

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800 words

The usual...