Cana will cry

Memory magic—like many spells that target the mind—is surprisingly fragile once a person becomes aware of it, or is alerted to its presence by others.

Makarov knew this all too well. But he couldn't let them talk about it openly—not here, not now.

He quietly led the three of them into a secluded room, where he finally prepared to explain the truth.

"What I'm about to share is a guild secret. If this information leaks out, it could cause serious problems—and Mest's safety would be at risk."

Mira and Erza looked at one another and nodded. "Anything that could harm Fairy Tail will remain confidential," they promised in unison.

Rhodes also nodded, though he couldn't resist the urge to ask, "Are we even a legal guild?"

But after thinking about it, he figured that even if Makarov flat-out told him Fairy Tail was secretly a Dark Guild, he'd probably still blame it all on the Magic Council.

Makarov began to explain Mest's story.

"It started a few years ago…"

Mest Gryder was a skilled wizard. He had mastered both memory manipulation magic and spatial magic—teleportation spells.

At the time, Makarov was aware that powerful forces were targeting Fairy Tail's secrets. Some even hoped to disband the guild entirely. So he decided to plant someone inside the Magic Council—someone he could trust to bring back valuable information.

Mest eagerly volunteered. He had a strong desire to prove himself and make a meaningful contribution. But what Makarov didn't expect, was just how thorough his plan would be.

To avoid any suspicion, Mest altered not only his own memories, but also the memories of every other guild member—erasing all evidence of his existence within Fairy Tail.

He then infiltrated the Council under the alias "Doranbolt."

Makarov disapproved of this extreme measure, but the plan was already in motion. From then on, every time they met in secret, Makarov had to restore Mest's memories manually—and then watch him revert into a paranoid watchdog by the next day.

"Evil guild master," Mest would say with conviction. "One day, I'll bring you to justice."

He was so committed to his role that it was almost painful to witness.

Still, thanks to his relentless efforts and suspiciously polished behavior, no one ever uncovered his identity. In fact, he rose through the Council's ranks rapidly and gained access to valuable intelligence.

This time, Doranbolt had requested to return as Mest and take part in the S-Class Wizard Promotion Trial—under the pretense of investigating the secrets of Fairy Tail.

Makarov agreed.

He felt that if Mest truly passed the exam on his own merits, then he would formally promote him to S-Class and let the whole "undercover agent" business rest once and for all.

What he didn't expect was for someone to catch onto the ruse before the exam even began.

And not the Council. Not the other guild members. Not even Mest himself.

No—of all people, Rhodes figured it out.

All because he said he was "helping Cana prepare for the exam."

What kind of exam prep involves unearthing the identity of a deep-cover agent?!

"Haha… ha…" Rhodes laughed awkwardly, sensing the pressure in the air. "I didn't mean to cause trouble, Master. But, since his memories were altered, how are we supposed to gather intel on him?"

Mira stood beside Rhodes, covering her mouth and laughing. Honestly, how could she not? The whole thing was just too funny.

Makarov sighed and said, "You don't need to go out of your way to investigate him. Sooner or later, you'll run into him at the Council. If you've got questions, now's the time to ask."

Rhodes hesitated, then asked, "Master, are you going to erase our memories after this?"

Makarov shook his head. "No. We've come this far—I won't do that. I only ask that you don't tell anyone else. Keep this between us."

Erza's expression grew serious. "You mentioned someone coveting the guild's secret. Who exactly is our enemy?"

"That's something only the guild master is allowed to know," Makarov replied. "And whoever it is, it's not someone you need to worry about. Not yet."

In truth, if that secret were ever revealed to the world, Fairy Tail could easily find itself standing against all of it.

The magic of eternity, infinite magic power. Both were too great a temptation for anyone with ambition. It would be enough to turn even allies into enemies.

But Makarov couldn't burden the younger members with that truth. Not yet.

To Rhodes, though, the message felt clear: The enemy is too dangerous. Leave it to me. You just focus on growing stronger.

Whatever pride he'd felt over his recent progress vanished. If even someone like Erza wasn't told the full truth, then the threat must be beyond anything he could imagine.

The pressure hit him like a tidal wave.

Mira gave him a gentle pat on the back and said with a smile, "I don't know what's going through your head, but I'm pretty sure the master didn't mean for you to get all worked up like this."

Makarov noticed Rhodes's conflicted expression and added, "Don't overthink it. As long as you keep this a secret, it's not as serious as it sounds."

But is there really any secret that stays hidden forever? Rhodes wondered. The truth was, he didn't have enough knowledge or experience yet. He wasn't ready to carry the weight of something this big.

He changed the subject. "Then, about Mest. Aren't you worried that one day, someone from our own guild could be the one to destroy it?"

The idea made him uneasy. Fairy Tail had so many gifted wizards. Who's to say one of them—like Mest—might not go too far someday?

What if one day, Doranbolt rose through the ranks of the Council and issued the order to disband Fairy Tail with his own hands?

Makarov smiled patiently. "If that day ever comes, I'll stop him myself."

He chuckled softly. "You really like to worry about strange things, don't you?"

Who else preparing for the S-Class Wizard Promotion Exam would flip through the guild's photo album and membership roster just to see if there were any undercover agents among the candidates?

Speaking of the exam, Makarov turned to Rhodes and asked, "Rhodes, are you really not going to participate this time? I noticed that your mission count recently is just about enough to qualify."

Rhodes gave a small, helpless smile. "Forget it. I've already committed to being Cana's partner. If I suddenly ditch her just to take the exam myself, she'd probably cry."

"It's only been one day," Makarov muttered. He couldn't help but think, if Rhodes were to take part in the exam, he'd have to avoid including any tasks that put him in direct conflict with others.

No, that wouldn't be fair—to anyone but Rhodes.

Forget it. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

This kid either causes no trouble, or the kind that turns the whole guild upside down.

…

The three of them walked back to the guild tavern together.

Rhodes let out a dramatic sigh. "Ah, I feel like I've boarded a pirate ship."

Mira giggled beside him. "So are you calling us thieves?"

Rhodes nodded thoughtfully. "Well, it's not impossible. The scariest part is—I'm really enjoying myself on this pirate ship. I don't think I ever want to get off."

Erza smiled warmly. "That's what it means to be in a guild."

Such a simple line, but it carried so much truth.

Just as Erza was about to leave, Rhodes called out, "Wait a sec, Erza. I need to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"It's about you," Rhodes said. "I wanted to know, how many sets of armor do you have in total? Which ones do you prefer in battle? And if you were fighting me and Cana, which would you use? Also, what are their strengths and weaknesses?"

Since he had the opportunity, he figured he might as well collect intel straight from the source.

And with Erza's straightforward personality, it wasn't like she'd mind the questions—he could even tell her exactly why he was asking.

"Oh? Is this for your S-Class exam prep?" Erza said with a knowing smile.

"It's fine. I don't mind sharing." She crossed her arms, eyes twinkling. "As for how many armors I have, more than a hundred."

She then started listing her favorites like she was reading a menu. "Heaven's Wheel Armor, Purgatory Armor, Flight Armor, Flame Empress Armor…"

She didn't stop at ten. Or twenty.

She also broke down her tactics and combinations without holding back: "Cana's tricky because her magic can switch attributes and target specific weaknesses. But my armors aren't locked into one setup—I can combine, say, Flame Empress Armor with Thunder Empress Spear or Sea King Sword, depending on the situation…"

Rhodes was starting to get a headache. Finding a weak point in an S-Class wizard's loadout clearly wasn't going to be easy.