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"Uh… what now?"
Little Goku blinked, surrounded by Mages pressing in on every side, and for a moment had no idea whose team he should join.
Fortunately, Master Makarov's voice rang out just then.
"A-hem! What are you lot thinking? He's only a child—he can't be tagging along on your jobs.
Wait until he's grown, then we'll talk.
Right now his job is to study magic. Off you go, scatter!"
Send little Goku out on a team mission?
Not a chance.
If something dangerous happened, what then?
No one in the guild treasured the boy more than he did.
So the guild's kids could chase their dreams of magic, he'd been chewed out by the Council more times than he could count.
That part didn't really matter—thick skin and a deep breath solved most things.
After all, their completion rate was the highest, and as one of the Ten Wizard Saints the Council couldn't touch him.
But the stuff they wrecked still had to be paid for.
Take this time: Natsu had saved a whole ship of girls and crushed the vile Mage posing as the Fire Dragon to traffic them, yet he'd flattened half the harbor in the process.
So Fairy Tail was broke—flat-out, catastrophically broke.
The brokerage fees the Mages kept from jobs didn't cover the repair bills for public property.
If a handful of S-Class Mages weren't bringing in huge commissions—and staying relatively calm while doing it—
the guild would've folded ages ago.
Little Goku's arrival gave him a glimmer of hope.
The boy's ki magic could fix the ruined guild hall; did that mean any future rampage during a job could simply be tidied up by sending Goku in afterward?
Then the Council would have nothing to complain about.
So of course he couldn't let the boy team up for missions right now.
First, Goku really was too young; jobs were off-limits for now.
Second, every mission carried risk—Death was always a possibility—and if Goku died on a job the loss would be incalculable.
Third, tying him to one team was inefficient.
His plan: let Goku stay in the guild, focus on improving his magic, and in two or three years join a team for real experience.
Meanwhile, whichever squad made a mess could call Goku in to patch things up.
Safe and efficient.
After firmly disbanding the would-be teammates, Makarov beamed at Goku. "Goku, Mirajane tells me you want to learn Giant Magic?"
"Mm. I think Giant Magic will make me stronger."
Little Goku nodded.
Makarov burst into laughter.
"Good eye! Don't think Giant Magic is weak just because few study it.
I became one of the Ten Wizard Saints thanks to this spell.
Since you're interested, I'll take you as my pupil and personally guide you. I'll see you reach heights no lower than my own!"
He wasn't boasting; he'd turned the unremarkable Giant Magic into something unprecedented.
In most outside battles he relied on Giant Magic.
His Light Magic was stronger—especially the guild's ultimate spell passed down from the first master, Fairy Law—
able to one-shot equals in an instant—
but it wasn't for everyday combat; it was the guild's true ace.
If Light Magic were counted, his Rank among the Ten Saints would jump several places.
That loud-mouthed fellow Saint Jose couldn't survive a single Fairy Law.
Yet the real reason he wanted to teach Goku Giant Magic wasn't pride.
Giant Magic multiplied bodily defense; it was nearly impossible to die while using it, a huge survival boost.
Goku's ki magic could repair things, but it wasn't much use mid-fight.
If the boy majored in Giant Magic, backed by his superb hand-to-hand skills and tough physique,
he'd be safe on future jobs even after he grew up.
Most important: Goku actually liked Giant Magic.
A Mage must love his magic from the heart; only then could he walk far along the path.
Thus neither his Son nor his grandson had learned it—they simply didn't care for it.
He'd thought the art would die with him, yet now an heir had appeared.
"Really?!"
Hearing Makarov would personally teach him, Goku's face lit up.
He was ready to set jobs aside for now.
Taking jobs, rising to S-Class, challenging the master—all of it was to grow stronger.
Learning Giant Magic served the same goal.
So the two held equal priority.
But sparring with the master first meant lots of jobs in between; learning Giant Magic was faster.
Learn Giant Magic first, then take jobs, become S-Class, and fight the master—perfectly fine that way.
"Really. First thing tomorrow I'll start teaching you Giant Magic."
Makarov nodded cheerfully.
"Mirajane, take them to the dorms and get them a room."
The guild owned dormitories in town; most Mages stayed there between jobs.
A few rented or even bought their own places.
"I'll rent my own place."
Lucy declined the dorm, so Mirajane led Goku to the boys' dorm.
Fairy Tail was technically in Magnolia Town, but only just—it sat on the eastern edge near East Forest.
With such rowdy Mages, putting the guild in the town center would be reckless.
The dormitories lay outside the town itself: south of the guild, past Southgate Park, right at the southern woods' entrance.
They were built lavishly—especially the girls', which even had a big pool.
Nothing was free: the girls' dorm cost 100,000 J a month, the boys' 70,000.
If you couldn't pay, you could run a tab and settle after your next reward.
Under-age Mages got special treatment: free lodging until they came of age.
"This is your room. You can look around the dorm or head into town if you like.
Stay out of the forest for now, though—there are fierce beasts in there. Until your Giant Magic is decent, it's risky."
Mirajane gave him a few warnings and returned to the guild.
So far both she and the master thought Goku's ki magic was just repair-work, a support spell with no real combat value.
Even if his hand-to-hand skills were great, without magic backing them he'd be in danger against magical creatures.
No amount of martial skill could block a lightning bolt or a fireball.
"Fierce beasts… perfect, I'm starving."
Once Mirajane left, Goku rubbed his stomach and strode straight into the southern woods.
He liked fierce beasts—the fiercer, the better they filled his belly.