"Chen Fan, I was wrong! Hahaha, stop messing with me! I'll tell you whatever you want to know! Oh, hahaha, I can't take it anymore!"
Makarov was currently tied to the four corners of the bed. It wasn't some sort of perverse game, nor was the whip being used for torture. Chen Fan was simply using the tip of the whip to relentlessly tickle the soles of Makarov's feet, leading to the Guild Master's desperate pleas for mercy.
Seeing that Makarov had finally broken, Chen Fan stopped.
"Speak. How did you bring me here? How dare you prevent me from seeing my beloved Xiao Sha Sha?" Chen Fan demanded, glaring at Makarov.
Makarov caught his breath, gasping for a moment before answering, "I just... brought you here."
Chen Fan's annoyance spiked. He didn't appreciate the lack of an explanation. Without a word, he raised the whip again, preparing to resume the tickling.
Terrified of another round, Makarov hurriedly cried out, "Stop, stop! Fine, I'll talk! I'll talk!"
After another several breaths, he admitted, "I drugged you and brought you here while you were unconscious."
Chen Fan frowned. He was certain he hadn't eaten anything suspicious. Besides, he was confident he could detect common poisons or sleeping draughts.
Reading the confusion on his face, Makarov continued, "It was Porlyusica's medicine. For the record, I slipped it into the food Mira gave you."
Chen Fan finally understood. He untied the ropes, freeing Makarov, and sat down beside him. "Why did you go to such lengths?"
Makarov stopped laughing. He looked Chen Fan in the eye and asked, "Who do you truly like? Mira or Erza?"
Chen Fan sighed internally. Here it comes. Nearly everyone in the guild had asked him that question at some point, save for the few who didn't understand the concept of love. In truth, Chen Fan was conflicted.
He had initially acted flirtatious just for fun and to fulfill some lingering desires from his past life. Back then, he had suffered from a deep sense of inferiority; he simply hadn't believed that such exceptional women could ever see anything in him.
He hid behind casual flirting, which ironically made many of the guild's women dislike him because he never actually confessed his feelings.
As time passed, however, a few women recognized his true nature and fell for him. Erza and Mira were among them. One of the reasons Erza had become a workaholic mission-taker was that she didn't want to compete with Mira for Chen Fan.
To a self-reliant woman like Erza, depending on a man felt like a sign of weakness. She had never considered that stepping aside was its own form of cowardice.
Mira, on the other hand, had lost her younger sister. She had transformed from a fiercely competitive person into the gentle, kind, and smiling Mirajane everyone knew today.
Erza didn't think this new Mira was a bad person; in fact, she found the current Mira even more perfect than the one who used to challenge her at every turn.
However, seeing Mira this way always caused Erza a twinge of guilt and pain. It was because of this that she didn't dare face Chen Fan directly, throwing herself into missions instead. Her sudden return this time was partly due to the Lullaby incident,
but mostly because she had heard rumors that Chen Fan had confessed to Mira and that Mira had almost accepted. That news had triggered a sense of crisis she refused to admit out loud.
Mirajane, mirroring Erza, had also been intentionally keeping her distance from Chen Fan, preventing their relationship from progressing for years.
As Mira and Erza grew older, the topic had become a taboo that no one dared to mention. Now that Makarov had brought it up so bluntly, Chen Fan didn't know how to respond. A voice in his heart screamed, "Take them both!" yet he remained paralyzed by the virtues of a traditional man.
He clutched his head, looking utterly helpless.
Makarov patted his shoulder. "You are all my children. I've watched you all grow up. I understand Mira and Erza, and while I don't know what secrets you hide in your heart, Chen Fan,
I know you love Fairy Tail deeply. That is enough for me. Now, stop acting like a bashful girl and look up. Bringing you here wasn't just about your relationship issues."
Chen Fan looked up, confused.
"I am getting old," Makarov said softly. Chen Fan's expression turned anxious, and he opened his mouth to protest, but Makarov raised a hand to silence him. "I know what you want to say, but listen to me first."
Once Chen Fan settled down, Makarov continued in a low tone. "I am old, and there isn't anyone in Fairy Tail I can truly rely on yet... except for you. Goldmine was right today. I want you to inherit Fairy Tail and become the next Guild Master."
Seeing Chen Fan grow restless again, Makarov cast a Binding Magic. A ring of light constricted Chen Fan, and a Silence Magic followed to keep him quiet. The glow of the magic illuminated the entire room.
Chen Fan didn't resist. He knew the Master had something vital to say, so he simply watched with wide eyes.
"Of course, not right now. My body can still hold on for a while. I still want to spend my days watching the guild laugh and drink while they call me Master. I brought you here today so you could get to know the other Guild Masters and build connections. You don't have to give me an answer now. Go back, think it over, and tell me when you're ready."
Makarov sighed with emotion and reached out to dispel the magic. Suddenly
CRACK!
The sound of shattering glass echoed through the room. The rings of light binding Chen Fan shattered into pieces, falling to the floor and dissolving into nothingness. The room returned to darkness, save for the melancholy moonlight streaming through the window.
Chen Fan lowered his head and walked toward the door. Makarov didn't stop him. Just as he was about to close the door, Chen Fan spoke with a firm, steady voice. "Old man, don't worry too much. Fairy Tail will always be the strongest guild. She will never be erased, and the people in the guild will always be happy."
THUD. The door closed softly.
Makarov stood there, his jaw dropped. He eventually chuckled self-deprecatingly. "That brat... it really is true that the young will surpass the old!"
As soon as he said it, a lecherous grin spread across his face. I've hit the jackpot! He dove under the covers, letting out a series of creepy laughs that completely ruined the sentimental atmosphere.
Meanwhile, Chen Fan didn't return to his room. There was too much on his mind, and he needed a release. He sprinted through the woods outside the villa, kicking up clouds of dust in his wake.
He finally stopped in a clearing far from the villa. He stared up at the full moon, closed his eyes, and inhaled the fresh night air.
Suddenly, he spoke in a calm, cold voice. "You can come out now, you pests. Aren't you tired of following me all this way?"
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