"If everyone's fine, let's head back," Makarov said.

He wasn't one to press for details.

As long as everyone was safe, they could happily return home.

Marco took one last glance at the spot where the others had disappeared, then nodded without saying anything more and strode forward towards Magnolia, tightening his grip on the magic book.

Only Natsu still looked shaken.

He had genuinely been frightened—those two monsters were horrifying, especially the one with the cat's tail!

"Did you defeat those monsters, Marco?" Natsu asked in a hushed voice.

"I wouldn't say 'defeat,' but they probably won't be coming back here again," Marco replied with a smile.

His words made Natsu exhale in relief.

"That's great! As expected of you!" Natsu cheered, finally feeling at ease.

Now he wouldn't have to worry about running into those monsters ever again!

With his spirits restored, Natsu pushed all the unpleasantness out of his mind and bounded ahead to lead the way.

Watching this, Marco thought Natsu really hadn't been hurt badly.

Then again, the kid was tough as nails—it wasn't easy for him to get injured.

Especially superficial wounds like these—they meant nothing to Natsu.

The injuries he got from fighting Gray were probably worse.

Still, Natsu really did trust him completely.

Whatever Marco said, Natsu believed without question, never pressing for details.

The kid's motto seemed to be: If you say it, I'll believe it.

Looking at Natsu's carefree demeanor, Marco smiled.

If the guild had more kids like him, the future would surely be bright.

[Ding!]

Mission completed!

[Claim mission reward?]

As they walked back, the mission completion screen popped up.

The mission had been a complete success, and Marco didn't hesitate—he immediately selected the reward.

This time, the reward was a random Silver Saint skill.

Marco was genuinely curious about the result, as he didn't know much about Silver Saints' abilities.

[Congratulations! Skill "Black Wing Shaft" unlocked!]

A flood of knowledge surged into Marco's mind as the notification appeared, giving him an understanding of this unfamiliar name.

Black Wing Shaft—traps the enemy with raven-black feathers before delivering a flying kick from above.

The body moves as light as a feather, while the kick strikes like a sword piercing the enemy's flesh.

This technique belonged to the Corvus Silver Saint (Crow Jamian)—a leg-based attack with an added element of control.

For Marco, this could certainly be considered a decent supplementary move.

But the most pleasantly surprising aspect was actually the secondary effect of this skill—it granted Marco the ability to command crows!

'Oh no, what if Gramps mistakes me for a spy?'

That was the first thought that popped into Marco's mind upon seeing this ability.

Crows... weren't exactly a good omen, especially for someone from the Dreyar family.

Marco glanced at the drunken Makarov beside him.

The old man always had a cheerful smile, appearing utterly carefree.

But Marco knew that Gramps had his share of troubles.

In the Dreyar household, whenever crows were mentioned, it was essentially a reference to 'that man'—Ivan Dreyar, Marco's estranged and rather unpleasant adoptive father.

After being expelled from the Fairy Tail guild, Ivan Dreyar went on to establish his own Guild, "Raven Tail," deliberately positioning it as a direct rival to fairy tail.

Makarov loathed "Raven Tail" with a passion.

He would have loved nothing more than to locate the guild's hideout, crush it and thoroughly purge the disgrace from their ranks!

Makarov's hatred for "Raven Tail" stemmed from two main reasons.

First, of course, was his disappointment in his wayward son—a man who refused to repent for his mistakes and had the audacity to form a Dark Guild.

Makarov truly despaired over his son's wasted potential.

The second reason was that this same son had also led his grandson astray!

Laxus, in a fit of anger, had once declared his intention to join his father's guild—Raven Tail—something Makarov found utterly unacceptable.

All these factors combined made Makarov despise Raven Tail with every fiber of his being and the sentiment was shared by many in the guild.

There was no shortage of people who disliked Ivan Dreyar, and Gildarts was one of them.

However, Marco didn't think anyone would hold any grudges against him just because of a crow-controlling ability.

"Caw!"

With a wave of his hand, a raven with pitch-black feathers flew out from the trees and obediently perched on Marco's arm.

The sight caught the attention of both Makarov and Natsu, who gathered around him, staring curiously at the bird.

"Where did this bird come from? How is it so tame?" Makarov asked curiously, showing no adverse reaction to the crow's presence.

His tone was perfectly casual.

"Hum!"

Marco's magic power surged, enveloping the crow's body.

Under the influence of the magic, the bird began to grow, transforming into a large raven the size of an eagle!

"It's a new ability of my Celestial Spirit Magic—I can command crows," Marco explained without holding anything back.

"Cool! Can it carry people and fly?" Natsu asked eagerly.

"If it can fly, does that count as transportation?" Marco shot back, leaving Natsu deep in thought.

The boy seemed to be seriously considering the question.

"..."

Makarov gave Marco a strange look.

Was this kid learning this magic just to mess with him? And calling it a "new ability" of Celestial Spirit Magic...

"What's the use of this magic?" Makarov asked.

The ability to command and enhance specific creatures was quite rare in his experience.

It was impressive that Marco had managed to find such a spell.

"Want to give it a try?" Marco extended an invitation to the old man.

He was quite eager to test the combat effectiveness of this newly acquired skill.

"Go ahead. Let's see what it can do." Makarov spoke up, clutching a liquor bottle.

He looked quite drunk, but his combat ability wasn't affected in the slightest by alcohol, nor did he worry about intoxication impairing his state.

"Black Wing Shaft!"

Without another word, Marco unleashed the Black Wing Shaft technique.

His figure leaped into the sky as the giant crow charged straight at Makarov.

Feathers rapidly shed from the crow's body, blanketing Makarov like a rain of black plumage that tightly bound him in place.

At this moment, all Marco needed to do was plummet down and deliver a kick.

"Whoosh!"

But before Marco's legs could connect, Makarov erupted with magic power from within the shroud of black feathers, violently scattering them all away.

Marco aborted his follow-up move and landed back on the ground.

He thought to himself that this skill indeed couldn't restrain someone as powerful as Makarov.

Makarov had simply relied on sheer overwhelming magic power to brute-force his way out of the restraint—a testament to pure, raw strength.

"This ability is quite creepy—it suffocated me," Makarov commented, giving his assessment of the technique.

The old man looked somewhat surprised and his evaluation of this ability wasn't low.

Just the restraint of being completely covered by black feathers was intimidating enough.

Once enveloped, breathing became hard and anyone unable to break free would be left utterly defenseless.

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