Rayne had to admit—for just a fleeting moment—he actually thought this short-statured old man in front of him looked kind of cool.
But the next instant…
The tightly shut guild doors were suddenly flung open, and a figure came flying out.
They crashed right into Makarov, who was standing at the top of the stairs.
The two immediately tumbled down the steps like a pair of rolling snowballs.
"Huh—?"
Rayne's initially enthusiastic response to Makarov's grand speech stretched into a confused, drawn-out noise.
"Wakaba, you still suck at this!!"
"Hahaha!! Drinks are on Wakaba tonight!!"
"Wooohooo!!"
The boisterous energy inside the guild was so intense it felt like a physical force blasting through the doors. Even without stepping inside, Rayne could easily imagine the chaos within.
His gaze shifted to the two who had finally stopped rolling.
The man who had crashed into Makarov was young, now pinned beneath the guild master. The most baffling part? Despite the rough tumble, the guy's eyes were dazed and spinning—yet the cigarette in his mouth hadn't fallen out. A thin wisp of smoke even curled lazily upward.
Makarov, now on top, opened his eyes, his pupils burning with palpable fury.
Seeing this, Rayne silently took a few steps back, putting some distance between them—just in case blood started flying and ruined his only set of clothes.
As expected…
Makarov was this close to storming inside and giving those idiots a piece of his mind.
He'd just delivered this grand, inspiring speech to the kid, only for his own guild to ruin the moment with their nonsense.
If Rayne got the wrong idea and assumed Fairy Tail was some rowdy, unprofessional guild—and decided not to join—then they'd be losing a potential prodigy!
(Not that Fairy Tail was particularly professional to begin with…)
But still! They couldn't just embarrass him like this!
Glancing at Rayne's quiet expression, Makarov forced down his irritation and plastered on a grandfatherly smile.
"Sorry about that. The guild can get a little… loud."
"It's fine. I like the energy," Rayne replied, eyeing the throbbing vein on Makarov's forehead and the still-pinned Wakaba beneath his foot. His smile was genuine.
After all, Rayne already knew Fairy Tail had always been an overwhelmingly noisy guild, ever since its founding.
"Good! Then let's head inside." Relieved that Rayne wasn't put off, Makarov hopped off Wakaba.
"Get up already! You're making us look bad in front of the new kid!" He shot Wakaba a stern look, his tone dripping with exasperation.
"Ah, sorry about that, newbie. Didn't mean to scare ya." Wakaba sprang to his feet, casually dusting off his shirt before catching up to them with an easygoing grin.
As a mage, a little tumble down the stairs wasn't enough to faze him—he'd just stayed down because he knew Makarov was pissed.
"No worries. It was kinda fun to watch," Rayne said, studying Wakaba's composed demeanor. It was hard to connect this guy with the one who'd just been ragdolled moments ago.
"Hah! That's the spirit! Our guild's all about fun and excitement!" Wakaba's pride practically radiated from him, his grin widening.
"Heyyy, Master! You're back!"
"Master, come grab a drink! Wakaba lost the bet—he's treating everyone tonight!"
"Yeah, yeah! Don't let him weasel out of it!"
The moment Makarov stepped inside, the already-deafening noise level skyrocketed.
Hearing the shouts, Wakaba's expression faltered, and he instinctively patted his pockets.
"Tch! Whatever! We've got a new member today, so I'll gracefully cover the drinks!" He puffed out his chest, suddenly regaining his confidence.
"New member?"
"The Master brought back a rookie?"
"Wait, that's just a kid!"
At Wakaba's declaration, dozens of curious eyes locked onto Rayne, scrutinizing him.
For a split second, Rayne suppressed a shiver. Goosebumps prickled under his clothes.
Sure, these people might seem like reckless idiots, but they were still mages who lived dangerous lives. Even without malice, the weight of their collective gaze was enough to make anyone nervous.
Gritting his teeth, Rayne straightened his back. He refused to show weakness—knowing this bunch, they'd never let him live it down if he did.
Beside him, Makarov nodded approvingly. This kid had walked all the way from Porlyusica's place without a single complaint, and now he was holding his own under the guild's intense scrutiny.
A natural-born mage, through and through.
"That's right. This is our newest member," Makarov announced, pulling Rayne forward to ease the pressure.
"Everyone, I'm Rayne." With Makarov's support, the introduction went smoothly.
"Heya, Rayne! How old are ya?" A female mage raised her hand excitedly.
Rayne glanced at her—she wasn't someone he recognized from the original story, but that made sense. This was reality, after all, and there were bound to be differences. Plus, this was years before Natsu's generation. For all he knew, she might've retired to start a family by then.
"Nine," he answered.
"Ooh! So what kind of magic do you use?" This time, a male mage chimed in, sparking even more curiosity.
Magic was, after all, the heart of a mage's identity.
"Summoning Magic," Rayne replied calmly.
That answer had been Makarov's suggestion on their way to Magnolia. His reasoning was simple: unless Rayne planned to never leave the guild, revealing a magic that could summon a dragon would draw too much attention.
After all, a creature that had vanished for 400 years suddenly reappearing? That would stir up more trouble than it was worth.
The name Fairy Tail carried weight, sure—but the rats lurking in the shadows wouldn't care.
"Alright, that's enough for now. The kid's had a long day—let's get him some food first," Makarov cut in before the questions could continue.
Seeing the Master step in, the guild backed off. They'd have plenty of time to grill the newbie later.
"Tch. Wonder where Gramps dug up this brat."
Just as the interrogation seemed over, a scornful voice cut through the chatter.
The guild members' eyes lit up, drinks still in hand, their expressions shifting to pure amusement.
Ohhh, this'll be good.
Makarov's face twisted into a mix of annoyance and resignation.