POV: Elior
The next morning, Makarov's office felt considerably more serious than usual.
I stood near the center of the room with Laxus beside me. Makarov sat behind his desk, while Gildarts leaned against the wall with his arms folded. Irene stood near the window, quietly observing everyone in the room.
Nobody was smiling.
That alone told me this wasn't going to be an ordinary mission briefing.
Makarov slowly unfolded a large map across his desk.
"I'll get straight to the point," he said. "The mission you've been assigned for the S-Class examination is an S-Class monster subjugation."
Laxus' expression immediately sharpened.
I leaned forward slightly.
"What monster?"
Makarov's finger moved across the map before stopping at a marked region.
"Deliora."
The room fell silent.
Even I knew that name.
Deliora.
A monster infamous throughout the entire Ishgar continent. A creature that had been rampaging across different regions for several years, destroying villages, attacking settlements, and leaving devastation wherever it went.
I looked toward Gildarts.
His expression had changed.
The usual carefree smile was gone.
"You're serious?" he asked.
Makarov nodded.
"Completely."
Gildarts pushed himself away from the wall.
"How long has it been moving?"
"At least a few years. Its movements have been difficult to track, but we've managed to determine its current route."
Makarov moved his finger across the map.
"It's heading toward Brago."
Irene's eyes narrowed.
"Brago."
"The royal family of Brago commissioned the mission," Makarov explained. "And they specifically requested Gildarts."
Gildarts stared at the map for a moment.
"They requested me?"
"Yes."
He slowly looked toward Makarov.
"And you're sending Elior and Laxus with me?"
"Yes."
Irene immediately turned away from the window.
"No."
Her voice was calm.
Too calm.
Makarov sighed.
"Irene—"
"No."
She stepped toward the desk.
"Deliora isn't some powerful mage they can spar with and walk away from. You're talking about sending a ten-year-old and a twelve-year-old against a monster that has been rampaging for years."
Laxus' expression hardened.
"I can handle myself."
Irene looked at him.
"I know."
Her gaze shifted toward me.
"And so can Elior."
Her voice softened slightly.
"That's precisely why this is difficult."
I understood.
She wasn't questioning our strength.
She was questioning whether our strength was enough.
Makarov leaned back in his chair.
"I would never send them if Gildarts weren't going."
Gildarts folded his arms.
"And what exactly is my role?"
"Examiner."
Makarov looked directly at him.
"You'll accompany them, observe their decisions, and judge their performance."
"And if things go wrong?"
"You intervene."
Gildarts' expression became more serious.
"How badly?"
"If the situation becomes too dangerous, you end the examination immediately and destroy Deliora."
Makarov's gaze moved between Elior and Laxus.
"You're both powerful. More powerful than most people your age could ever hope to be. But this isn't about proving you can overpower everything in your path."
He tapped the map.
"An S-Class mage must know when to fight, when to retreat, how to protect civilians, how to manage resources, and how to make decisions when things don't go according to plan."
Laxus nodded slowly.
"Understood."
I looked at the map.
"What's the situation in Brago?"
Makarov pointed toward several marked locations.
"Deliora has been moving steadily in this direction. The royal family has evacuated several settlements along its projected path, but they can't keep doing that indefinitely."
"And our objective is to kill it?" Laxus asked.
"Subjugate it," Makarov replied. "If you can defeat Deliora, you will have completed the mission. If you determine that defeating it is impossible, you are expected to withdraw safely and report everything you've learned."
I raised an eyebrow.
"So running away can pass the S-Class exam?"
"Running away from an impossible fight can be the correct decision," Makarov said. "Running away because you're afraid is something entirely different."
Gildarts gave a small grin.
"Sounds like a proper exam."
Irene still looked unconvinced.
"Even with Gildarts there, they're children."
"I know," Makarov said.
He looked at her seriously.
"That's why I've considered every possible safeguard."
Irene crossed her arms.
"You'd better have."
She looked toward me and Laxus.
"Both of you listen carefully. Your speed is your greatest advantage. If Deliora proves too powerful, you do not stay and fight simply because your pride tells you to."
Laxus nodded.
"I understand."
I gave her a small smile.
"I won't be reckless."
Irene's eyes narrowed.
"That smile makes me think otherwise."
I chuckled.
"Fair."
Gildarts laughed quietly.
"He's definitely your kid."
Irene ignored him.
Makarov reached beneath his desk and pulled out two small objects.
"There's one more thing."
He placed them on the desk.
They were two pendants, each made of a silver metal with a small crystal embedded in the center.
I looked at them curiously.
Irene stepped forward.
"I made those."
She picked up one of the pendants and handed it to me.
"This isn't equipment for normal use. It's an emergency safeguard."
Laxus took the other.
"What does it do?"
Irene's expression became completely serious.
"If either of you reaches a situation where your life is in extreme danger, the pendant will activate automatically."
The crystal glowed faintly.
"It will create a defensive barrier around both of you."
"How strong?" I asked.
"Strong enough to withstand repeated attacks from multiple S-Class-level opponents simultaneously."
Laxus' eyes widened slightly.
"And breaking it?"
"Someone around Gildarts' level could destroy it with sufficient effort."
Gildarts raised an eyebrow.
"That's quite the barrier."
"It has to be," Irene replied.
She looked directly at us.
"But understand something."
Her voice hardened.
"This is not permission to be reckless."
Neither of us spoke.
"If the pendants activate, it will also teleport both of you directly back to the my villa."
I looked down at the pendant in my hand.
"So once it activates, we're out."
"Immediately."
"And Gildarts?"
"He doesn't need it."
Gildarts gave a confident grin.
"I'll manage."
Irene's expression softened slightly, but her eyes remained serious.
"The pendants are there because I know how dangerous this mission is. I trust both of you. But trust doesn't mean I expect you to gamble your lives."
Laxus closed his hand around the pendant.
"I won't."
I nodded.
"Neither will I."
Makarov rolled the map toward us.
"Then it's settled."
He pointed toward Brago.
"You'll leave in two days. The royal family has provided a route and several safe points along the way. Gildarts will handle communication with the kingdom when necessary."
He looked at both of us.
"Your mission begins the moment you enter the assigned area."
I studied the map carefully.
Deliora's projected route cut through forests, mountain passes, and several small settlements before reaching Brago.
This wasn't going to be a simple monster hunt.
There were too many people involved.
Too many places that could be destroyed.
Too many things that could go wrong.
I smiled faintly.
Finally.
A real S-Class mission.
Not because I wanted to prove I could beat Deliora.
But because I wanted to see how far we'd actually come.
Laxus glanced at me.
"Don't get that look."
"What look?"
"The one that says you're already planning something stupid."
I grinned.
"I was just thinking about how fast we can get there."
Laxus smirked.
"You won't beat me."
"I always beat you."
"Not today."
Gildarts shook his head.
"You're both impossible."
Makarov sighed.
"Just remember what this examination is actually testing."
His eyes became serious.
"Power alone doesn't make an S-Class mage."
I looked down at the map one final time.
Responsibility.
Judgment.
Control.
And knowing when to fight.
I understood.
Two days.
Then we would head for Brago.
And somewhere along that road waited Deliora.
The monster that would determine whether Laxus and I were truly ready to become S-Class mages.