"The Hundred Year Quest? What's that supposed to be?"
The one asking was Laki. Seeing the blank look on her face, Kabe immediately knew she was the type who never paid attention in class.
"A Hundred Year Quest is a mission that no one has been able to complete within a hundred years.
It's far more difficult than S Class, SS Class, or even Ten Year Quests."
"Seriously? There's something like that? I thought the Ten Year Quest you did was already the highest level there is."
After hearing Kabe's explanation, Natsu could not help but exclaim in surprise.
But very quickly, his eyes lit up as his fighting spirit was ignited.
"As expected of Gildarts. A Hundred Year Quest… I really want to experience that too."
"You're still far from that. At the very least, wait until you become a proper S Class mage first."
Erza poured cold water on him mercilessly, instantly extinguishing the motivation that had just flared up.
Cana also spoke up at this time, her tone filled with worry.
"Even you say the Hundred Year Quest is dangerous, Kabe, but that old bastard just refuses to listen and insists on going anyway."
"Well, he is a man after all."
Kabe leaned heavily back into the sofa, tilting his head up to stare at the ceiling.
"When regular S Class, SS Class, or even Ten Year Quests stop feeling challenging,
it's only natural to move on to something even harder.
Not just Gildarts. Even I've thought about picking up a Hundred Year Quest just to try it."
The moment he said that, Natsu and Gray had not even reacted yet before Erza and Mirajane exploded.
Erza: "No. You are not allowed to take on something that dangerous!"
Mirajane: "You idiot, use that wooden brain of yours and think for a moment.
Ever since the three of us confirmed our relationship, you haven't even taken us on a single date yet!
No matter what you're thinking, unless there's something extremely urgent, you are not taking a single step out of Magnolia!"
Faced with the two women glaring at him like predators ready to pounce if he dared say a single "no," what else could Kabe do?
He could only obediently raise his hands and sigh helplessly.
"I was just talking casually. It's not like there are that many Hundred Year Quests waiting for me.
Among the Hundred Year Quests that still exist today, aside from a few special cases,
the rest are things like solving historical mysteries from several thousand years ago,
finding the habitat of some mythical species,
or outright tracing the origins of magic itself.
These bullshit quests, forget a hundred years. Even another thousand years might not be enough for anyone to solve them.
I'm not cut out for that kind of thing, so of course I wouldn't go looking for trouble and waste my precious youth on it."
After hearing the examples he listed one by one, Gray smacked his lips, finally understanding why there were quests that went uncompleted for a hundred years.
Cana, however, grew even more anxious. She hurriedly stood up.
"No way. How long is that old bastard planning to work on something like that?
That jerk finally reunited with his daughter for just a few years, and now he wants to leave me alone again?!"
As she spoke, Cana turned around, ready to rush out and demand answers from Gildarts.
Seeing this, Laki and Lisanna quickly stood up to stop her, and Kabe spoke again to calm her down.
"Relax. Gildarts isn't the type to charge in blindly.
I don't know the exact details of his quest, but knowing his personality, it's probably still a subjugation mission, just with a stronger target."
Hearing that, Cana finally calmed down a little.
At that moment, Natsu suddenly rubbed his chin and said out of nowhere.
"A quest that no one's been able to subjugate for a hundred years… do you think the target could be a dragon?"
Kabe: …
'Damn it, he actually guessed right by pure accident.'
Cursing silently in his heart, Kabe faced the questioning looks of the others and spread his hands.
"No idea. For quests of that level, aside from the few examples I mentioned that are fully open to all mages,
the rest are known only to the mage who accepts the quest.
They're all strictly confidential. Without permission, revealing any details to outsiders is forbidden."
Hearing this, Natsu could not help feeling a little deflated.
If it really were a dragon, he had wanted to ask Gildarts to help him inquire about it, maybe get some news about Igneel.
"I've decided. I'll become an S Class mage this year and take on S Class quests.
Next year, I'll challenge a Ten Year Quest.
And the year after that, I'll set out to find Igneel, and maybe even clear a Hundred Year Quest along the way."
Looking at Natsu, who had regained his confidence after barely two seconds of dejection, Cana could not help being infected by his self assurance.
She temporarily set aside her worries about Gildarts and declared just as stubbornly.
"Don't forget about me, Natsu. I've already got my eye on this year's S Class exam.
You'd better push your plans back a year and think about all that next year instead."
Natsu: "Then let's compete. We'll see who becomes S Class first!"
Cana: "Fine. It's settled!"
Gray: "You two better not forget me. I'm just as confident about becoming S Class."
Elfman: "Everyone's a rival then. I won't lose this year either!"
As several of them competed to declare their ambitions for S Class, the atmosphere in the living room heated up once more.
Kabe took the opportunity to pull a deck of cards out from the drawer under the coffee table and suggested playing a game.
Before long, the small house was filled with laughter, along with the occasional complaints and wails from whoever lost a round.
...
Over the next few days, Cana honored her agreement and sparred with Natsu.
Relying on her newly learned Crush Magic, she took the upper hand right from the start of the fight.
But Natsu's stubborn tenacity and the powerful physical body forged by Dragon Slayer Magic still put considerable pressure on her.
In the end, however, even after going all out, Natsu was still one step short. He was broken down into several mini versions of himself by Cana and defeated one by one, forced to swallow the bitter taste of defeat.
Natsu was far from satisfied with this result.
So Cana made an agreement with him, deciding that they would settle everything once and for all during this year's S Class exam.
Gildarts, after watching their battle, also left the next day with peace of mind.
In the meantime, Kabe even sent him off.
He had no intention of stopping Gildarts' decision.
He only reminded him again and again to prioritize his safety, and to turn around and run without hesitation if he encountered an enemy he could not overcome.
Back then, Gildarts laughed and agreed, even teasing him in return, telling him to take care of his body and not get drained dry by his two little girlfriends.
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