Chapter 308: Mira: Who do you want to kill?
Kageyama didn't blow the flute in the end.
Even though Lullaby was already at his lips, Makarov made no move to stop him. He simply looked him in the eyes and spoke, his voice calm but firm.
"Nothing will change."
Kageyama's eyes widened in shock. Had the old man seen through his thoughts? Or did he already know their purpose from the start?
Makarov gazed at the young man before him with a mixture of sternness and compassion. "The weak will always be weak. That's the truth of it. But weakness isn't something to be ashamed of."
"Humans are fragile creatures by nature. That's why we form guilds. That's why we seek partners. Because we're anxious and uncertain, we come together, support one another, and move forward together."
"Clumsy people might stumble more often. They might take the long road, hit more walls. But as long as they believe in tomorrow and take one step forward... strength will follow. They'll find the courage to smile, even when it hurts."
Makarov pointed at the cursed flute. "You don't need something like that to become strong, do you?"
Kageyama listened quietly, the weight of the moment pressing down on him like a mountain. It was the first time anyone had spoken to him like this. His past had been filled with nothing but resentment. Resentment toward the Magic Council, toward the legal guilds, toward the world that cast them aside.
Even today, his so-called "comrades" had tried to silence him when he used his magic to help Fairy Tail disable the wind barrier.
No one had ever tried to guide him.