[@Masaki Haruna]
Marduk stood beside Gwen, a slight hint of exhaustion on his face. Upon his arrival, him and Gwen had a light spar where afterwards she asked Marduk to train him. Although he was tired from his journey, Gwen was the closest thing he had to family so there was no way he could turn her down. He was amazed by how far she had gotten from all the years they were apart. It felt like it was just yesterday when the two had met and were both introduced into Vyper Bolt. He couldn't help but feel proud of her, as if she was his daughter. She was her own woman now and no longer needed Marduk in her life. He came out of his daze at her statement, a smirk forming across his face as he nodded 

[b]"Yeah I actually decided to take part of this years Grand Magic Games. Plus, I got an interesting message this year so there was no way I could refuse. And a break from my mission wouldn't hurt [/b]

Marduk paused for a moment at her question. Marduk had lied to her about the true details of this mission. It was believed that this mission was a SS-Class Mission or even a 10-Year mission as rumors began to spread. But in reality, it was a 100-Year Class mission that was incredibly personal to Marduk. He was determined to complete this mission, knowing full well that it could cost him his life. It was for that reason that he lied to her. 

[b]"Not yet...I was close behind my target but yet as I grew closer, it seemed like [i]it[/i] grew farther away. And well to be honest, I haven't formed a team. I don't really know how these Grand Magic Games work so I was going to go at it alone[/b]

He said with a chuckle at the end. 

[b]"Although if we're going to form a team, I'd be crazy not to have you in it"[/b]

He ruffled her hair with a grin. He raised an eyebrow at the sudden entrance of the young man [i]This is the other Dragon Slayer that Vyper Bolt recruited huh. Interesting, this one seems to be affiliated with Water while the other is affiliated with Fire.[/i] Marduk leaned back against a wall, pulling a pipe from his pocket and taking a deep breath. He exhaled a large amount of smoke with a pleasant smell that soothed the body. He wanted to see the events that would unfold in front of his eyes so he remained silent for the time being.