Chapter 275: The Hundred-Year Quest
While George's clone was hunting dragons in the world of Harry Potter, another of George's clones in the world of Fairy Tail had finally received information about dragons once again from Makarov.
"George, I've noticed you've been asking around a lot about dragons lately?"
Makarov, sitting at the bar drinking, asked George with a somewhat serious expression.
George nodded:
"Yes, Master. I've been researching a kind of magic lately, but to use it, I first need to become a Dragon Slayer Mage.
So I have to find a Dragon Crystal within two months."
Two months—roughly the time it would take him to complete his Animagus transformation.
"I see."
Makarov hesitated for a while, his face showing conflict. Then, as if making a decision, he slowly said:
"Since this can help you progress on your magical path, and you do have the strength to try it, I'll tell you.
Have you heard of the Hundred-Year Quest?"
Before, he definitely wouldn't have mentioned the Hundred-Year Quest to George, because even though George had the strength of an S-Class Mage, it was extremely dangerous.
That's why, even though Natsu had always been searching for dragons, he never told him anything about it.
He feared Natsu would be too reckless, and with his strength, it would be a death sentence.
But after hearing Erza's report about the entire Tower of Heaven incident, he believed that George might actually be capable of giving it a try.
"The Hundred-Year Quest? That legendary, most difficult mission in the magic world that no one has ever completed? Is it related to dragons?"
George's eyes lit up instantly.
Makarov nodded:
"Yes, it is indeed related to dragons. But I can't tell you the specifics. Only if you're willing to take the quest and go there will you learn the details.
But I must warn you, this quest has gone uncompleted for a hundred years. Every mage who has taken it has failed—and died.
Even our own Gildarts, who took the quest three years ago, has yet to send back a single word."
"Gildarts Clive, the S-Class Mage of the guild everyone talks about."
George's heart stirred. He had heard people mention this mage before, said to be extremely powerful.
"Although he's an S-Class Mage, I have to tell you—his real strength surpasses mine.
And even he has been missing for three years after taking the quest. So I urge you to think carefully before making a decision."
Makarov's expression grew even more serious.
"Stronger than the Master? Then that's the level of the Ten Wizard Saints. A Ten Wizard Saint has been missing for three years, without a trace... This really isn't an ordinary quest. No wonder it's about dragons."
George furrowed his brow and thought for a moment, then flicked his tail and said:
"If it's related to dragons, I want to give it a try. Who knows, I might even run into Gildarts and we can complete the quest together."
Is this quest dangerous?
Of course it is. His overall strength was only around the level of a Ten Wizard Saint. The fact that Gildarts hadn't returned in three years showed that even a typical Ten Wizard Saint couldn't handle it.
To be blunt, George thought Gildarts might have already died on that mission.
But he was different—he wasn't taking this quest to complete it. He was taking it to find clues about dragons, to become a Dragon Slayer Mage.
[TL: sauron05]
So whether the quest was completed or not didn't matter.
If he truly encountered a threat he couldn't resist, he'd simply abandon the quest and escape.
And in that regard, he was confident in his escape abilities.
If he really wanted to run, even ten Saint-Class Mages in this world wouldn't easily stop him.
Still, the fact that Makarov was willing to tell him about this quest had surprised him.
After all, the entire Fairy Tail Guild's financial recovery relied on his Restoration Spell to maintain positive growth.
If he left for the Hundred-Year Quest, the guild would likely revert to its previous state. If he died on the quest, the Master might very well break down.
He'd probably have to go slowly study the Restoration Spell George left in the library.
But thinking about it more, this did align with the Master's personality. Makarov had always encouraged the mages of the guild to pursue their own magical paths, even if it meant the guild was on the brink of bankruptcy—he never wavered.
Now George was searching for dragons to pursue his magical path, so naturally, the Master supported him without hesitation.
"Since you've made up your mind, then once the Harvest Festival ends, go and take on this quest."
Seeing that George had made his decision, Makarov didn't say anything further—he only gave one final reminder:
"Survival is the most important thing. If you can't complete the quest, there's always a next time."
Though he encouraged George to boldly pursue his magical path, as the Master who treated every guild mage like his own child, he didn't want them to die on a mission.
"Understood, Master!"
George nodded. He had always believed that staying alive was the most important thing.
The annual Harvest Festival was the most important holiday in Fairy Tail. On that day, nearly all the guild members who could return would come back to celebrate. That evening, Fairy Tail would hold a magical parade in town.
Many citizens from other towns would also come to watch, and the whole town would be lively and festive.
And tomorrow was the Harvest Festival. The town was already being decorated. It was said there would also be a "Miss Fairy Tail" contest during the day. Erza, Mirajane, and other female mages had already signed up to participate.
"By the way, has Jellal returned yet?"
After recovering, Jellal had joined Fairy Tail and formed a team with the others from the Tower of Heaven to do missions together.
A few days ago, Jellal had told the Master he needed to deal with some personal matters and had left.
George didn't know the exact details, but having seen some of Jellal's memories, he guessed it had to do with unresolved issues with a dark guild.
After being manipulated by Ultear, Jellal had followed a Dark Mage and learned many kinds of magic. That Dark Mage was now the leader of one of the top three Dark Guilds—the Oración Seis.
The Oración Seis was powerful, but Jellal wasn't weak either. So George wasn't too worried.
Still, since they were in the same guild, it was natural to be concerned.
Besides, George had been learning Celestial Magic from Jellal recently and still had many unanswered questions.
"He sent word through a Lacrima message that he hasn't finished dealing with it yet. Looks like he won't make it back in time for the Harvest Festival."
Makarov waved his hand as he replied.
"That's a shame."
George sighed. He had hoped that if Jellal made it back in time, he could ask a few more questions about Celestial Magic before taking on the Hundred-Year Quest.
Now, it seemed he'd have to wait until after completing the quest—or after becoming a Dragon Slayer Mage.
(End of Chapter)