After confirming that both Roy and Lucy were newcomers, Makarov's massive form began to shrink rapidly. In less than three seconds, Makarov had broken all laws of evolution, transforming from a black giant into a short, bald old man.
With one hand behind his back and the other raised high, Makarov grinned, squinting his eyes as he greeted Roy and Lucy.
"Yo!"
At this moment, Roy leaned down to Lucy's ear and whispered, "See? This is the guild master I told you about—a short, bald old man. I wasn't lying, was I?"
"Hmph!" Although Lucy found Roy's words accurate, she still wasn't ready to forgive him. She turned away with a huff, pretending not to hear him.
Then, Makarov lightly jumped, spinning gracefully through the air, before landing on the second-floor railing of the hall. If it weren't for the part where he bumped into the railing, Roy would have rated his performance a ten.
Lucy was about to laugh at the humorous scene when she noticed that the entire hall had fallen silent. Everyone was looking up at Makarov with a reverence she couldn't quite understand.
Looking around, Lucy decided to ask Roy, who was closest to her and the person she'd talked to the most so far. She'd forgotten all about ignoring him.
Just as she tugged on Roy's sleeve and was about to ask, Makarov began to speak. The following moment would become one of the most iconic scenes from the original story.
At first, Makarov looked furious, waving complaint letters as he scolded Natsu, Gray, and others for their destructive behavior during missions, causing enough trouble for the guild to get reprimanded by the Council.
While Lucy was internally questioning how chaotic things could get in this guild, Makarov suddenly changed his tone, cursing the Magic Council instead.
"The Council is nothing but a pile of garbage!"
Makarov's magical power flared, igniting the complaint letters into a ball of fire. He tossed it, and Natsu immediately pounced on it like a dog, catching it in his mouth and happily chewing it up.
"Listen up! True power—true magic—is born from the ordinary. Magic isn't some miraculous force; it's born from the flow of energy within us and in nature. That's how it becomes the strength we wield."
Standing tall with his hands on his hips, Makarov's voice boomed over the crowd.
"It's a power that requires focus, concentration… no, it's a force that requires you to put your very soul into it! That is magic!"
He raised his right hand toward the sky and declared, "So don't worry about the complaints from those fools on the Council. Pursue the path you believe in! That is what it means to be a mage of Fairy Tail!"
After Makarov's rousing speech, everyone in the hall raised their fists in unison, pointing to the sky with their right index fingers in an "L" shape.
Lucy couldn't help but think they looked like they were in some kind of cult ritual, but despite herself, she smiled happily. This wasn't so bad after all.
With a flash of magical light, Mira lifted the stamp from Lucy's hand and smiled, congratulating her. "Alright, Lucy, welcome to the guild!"
"Wow…" Staring at the pink guild emblem on the back of her hand, Lucy couldn't help but gasp. She had dreamed of joining this guild, and today her wish had come true.
Eager to share her joy, she glanced around the guild. Besides Natsu and Happy, the only familiar face was that annoying "senpai" of hers.
Natsu, with his chin on the table, looked completely disinterested, so Lucy didn't want to bother him. That left only Roy, who was reading a book nearby.
She walked over to Roy, nudging him with her shoulder and casually extending her hand, showing off the mark.
When Roy looked up at her, Lucy kept a composed expression, though a hint of pride was evident in her voice. "Look, I have the Fairy Tail mark now."
"Oh? Congratulations, my dear kouhai," Roy teased, deliberately emphasizing the "kouhai" part.
"Oh, come on! You're so annoying…" Lucy pulled up a chair, sitting next to him to "properly" set things straight with him.
Before long, the peaceful atmosphere of the guild was interrupted as Macao's son, Romeo, burst in, looking for Makarov. Macao had been out on a mission for several days, and Romeo, worried about his father's safety, pleaded with Makarov to send someone to rescue him.
But Makarov, despite facing a child's plea, refused him coldly, saying that Fairy Tail doesn't have mages who can't even handle their own problems.
Romeo, frustrated, punched Makarov and ran out crying.
Just then, Natsu slammed his fist on the table, making a loud noise. Without saying a word, he picked up his belongings and walked toward the guild door, with Happy following him.
"Aren't you going with him?" Lucy asked Roy, a bit hesitant as she watched Natsu leave.
"Nah, that guy's pretty strong," Roy reassured her with a confident smile, which seemed to ease her concerns—until she realized something strange.
"Wait a second. You only joined the guild a day before me, so how come you're acting like you know the guild so well?"
Roy closed his book and gave her a mysterious smile. Could he really tell her he'd watched the entire original series?
Even though he hadn't finished it, he certainly knew a lot more about Fairy Tail than she did.