"Ignia, that bastard is definitely planning something. I'm afraid he'll do something detrimental to us. You'd better keep an eye on him, so that because of that idiot, our ultimate plan doesn't encounter yet another completely unexpected problem…"
Selene gazed at Ignia, who was currently clashing with Acnologia in the distant sky. Her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly as she turned toward Evan beside her and spoke softly.
"I understand."
Evan nodded lightly without saying anything. He simply opened the mission panel of his system.
[100 Years Quest: Seal or reform the Divine Dragons that have occupied the Northern Continent of Guiltina for hundreds of years! Upon completing the quest, you will receive one 100 Years Quest Medal!]
[Status: In Progress...]
[Current Quest Progress: 'Flame God Dragon' Ignia (plotting with 'Earth God Dragon' Dogramag...), 'Moon God Dragon' Selene (self-reformed), 'Gold God Dragon' Viernes (currently self-sealing), 'Earth God Dragon' Dogramag (plotting with 'Flame God Dragon' Ignia...), 'Water God Dragon' Mercphobia (severe depression), 'Wood God Dragon' Aldoron (sleeping, raising Gu...)]
Yes, at this moment, there had already been a change to Evan's quest panel.
Ignia had gone from having been physically reformed by Evan to plotting with Dogramag, while Dogramag had likewise gone from faking his death to plotting with Ignia.
Clearly, this mischievous brat Ignia had made some kind of shady deal with Dogramag behind everyone's backs.
Just as Evan was wondering what exactly Ignia and Dogramag had discussed, his quest system suddenly sounded once again.
[Sudden Quest (The Child Is Being Naughty Again, So He Deserves a Beating): The 'Flame God Dragon' Ignia, who was physically reformed by the host, has decided to rebel together with his good buddy 'Earth God Dragon' Dogramag after plotting with him! They intend to seize actual control of the Fairy Tail Guild, become the guild's acting master, and lead Fairy Tail in slaughtering the great gods! Please use your strength to let Ignia know who truly has the final say in the Fairy Tail Guild. Reward upon completion: one Ten Years Quest Medal.]
Evan looked at the prompt from his system, the corners of his lips curling upward slightly.
Now he finally understood what Ignia intended to do.
The corner of his eye twitched slightly...
Evan had never expected that Ignia actually had a dream of becoming the master of the Fairy Tail Guild, while simultaneously planning to lead Fairy Tail into a war against the gods!
Looking at the description of the system quest, Evan shook his head and thought to himself:
"Do you even have the strength to lead everyone in Fairy Tail against the gods, Ignia? Aren't you just going to become the engine that causes the entire guild to get wiped out?"
Thinking of this, Evan smiled slightly, and his heart gradually relaxed.
Since he already knew what Ignia was planning to do in advance, Ignia no longer posed any threat.
At the same time, Evan secretly thought:
"This child Ignia is really too mischievous. Unfortunately, what Ignia doesn't know is that in this world, naughty children have to be beaten."
"Evan, are you actually listening to what I'm saying?!"
Selene looked at Evan, who wore an expressionless face as though he were thinking about something, pursed her red lips, and asked him.
"Of course!"
Hearing this, Evan smiled faintly at Selene.
Evan naturally knew what Selene was worried about.
He also knew that Ignia had secretly made some dirty deal with Dogramag behind everyone's backs...
But it didn't matter!
Because Ignia's schemes had already been seen through by his brilliant system...
When the time came, Evan would use his invincible strength to tell Ignia that in this world, not everyone had the right to make dirty deals.
If he succeeded, that would be fine.
But if he failed, he would get beaten black and blue by Evan until he was turned into Aurora Sauce before it was over~
"As long as you heard what I said, that's good!"
Seeing Evan's completely composed appearance, Selene slowly breathed a sigh of relief.
Since Evan remained so calm and collected after hearing her words, it was obvious that he already had a plan in mind.
If that was the case, there was no need for her to continue advising him.
Evan would surely handle everything properly.
Selene had complete confidence in Evan's strength and wisdom.
"Don't worry, Selene~"
"With Ignia's intelligence and personality, he won't betray us before we successfully conquer the gods. After all, only by following Fairy Tail can he continuously surpass himself and encounter powerful opponents! In my opinion, that idiot will at most join hands with 'Earth God Dragon' Dogramag and make some small moves behind our backs."
At this moment, Irene, who had remained silent all this time, suddenly spoke.
She had almost instantly determined that Ignia and Dogramag had joined forces.
"You mean Ignia and Dogramag have joined forces?"
"If those two idiots join together, they'll be quite troublesome! I'm not saying that the two of them are particularly powerful. Rather, those two idiots cannot be judged according to the thought processes of normal dragons."
"Ignia and Dogramag are already headache-inducing enough when they act alone, because they completely fail to use their brains when deciding how to act..."
"If they join forces, then no matter what kind of stupid thing the two of them do, it could happen."
After hearing Irene's words, Selene's brows furrowed even more tightly.
Clearly, being troubled by Ignia or Dogramag was not something that had happened to Selene for merely a day or two.
Rather, it had been going on for a very long time, to the point that it had practically become a chronic illness in Selene's heart.
As for whether Irene's words were correct, Selene would never foolishly question them.
After all, in Selene's view, questioning the wisdom of the 'Sage Dragon' itself was already an incredibly foolish act.
"Let me think carefully..."
"Based on my understanding of Ignia's personality, he probably won't directly join forces with Dogramag. Instead, he'll make use of the labyrinth created by Dogramag to do something..."
"You mean Ignia will make use of that idiot Dogramag's labyrinth?!"
After hearing Irene's words, Selene's brows furrowed even more deeply.
Because she still couldn't figure out what Ignia and Dogramag could possibly accomplish even if the two Divine Dragons joined forces, aside from causing everyone mental distress and making things somewhat troublesome.
"For example..."
"I suspect that Ignia will find a way to trick all of us into entering the labyrinth created by Dogramag. Then, he'll use the labyrinth's power to completely separate everyone, defeating us one by one, in order to prove that he is the strongest among us, thereby becoming our leader and demanding that everyone listen to him from now on."
"With Ignia's intelligence, he can probably only come up with a plan of this level, right?"
"After coming up with the plan, he'll probably secretly rejoice while thinking that he's incredibly clever, too, right?!"
While Selene was still racking her brains trying to figure out what Ignia and Dogramag intended to do, Irene had already deduced Ignia's entire plan based on her understanding of him.
Regarding this, Evan could only say:
"As expected of the 'Sage Dragon' Irene."
One had to know that Irene didn't have a system.
She had purely relied on her brain to predict Ignia's actions.
"Uh..."
Selene fell silent after hearing Irene's words.
Because based on her understanding of Ignia, this really was something Ignia could do.
Moreover, Irene's words were filled with Ignia's distinctive style of acting.
At this moment, Selene could practically imagine Ignia loudly laughing after devising this supposedly foolproof plan in his own mind, while boasting about his absolutely brilliant intelligence with that disgustingly smug face of his.
"So how should we deal with it?!"
After remaining silent for a while, Selene asked.
"There's no need for me to make any other preparations! We just need to pretend that we know nothing, continue playing along with Ignia, and then turn his own plan against him, taking down Ignia and Dogramag in one fell swoop!"
"Besides, even if Ignia and Dogramag join forces and turn the world upside down, they absolutely won't be a match for Evan. Why not take this opportunity to teach him a good lesson and make him recognize his position..."
"In short, let's let that idiot be happy for a little while~"
Irene stood beside Selene and spoke with a cheerful smile.
"Uh..."
Selene fell silent upon hearing this.
She suddenly felt a little sympathetic toward Ignia...
This time, Ignia had been completely outplayed by Irene on an intellectual level.
Meanwhile, on the other side!
"Boom!"
Amid endless explosions...
The sea surrounding the palace of the Water God Dragon Mercphobia had already disappeared completely!
"The sea disappeared! It was evaporated by the flames? How is this possible? Is this really a flame magic that a human, or even a creature from this world, can control?"
"You have to understand that an enormous amount of magic power had been infused into that sea by Lord Mercphobia! If the sea has now been evaporated, doesn't that mean the strength of the newcomer is comparable to Lord Mercphobia's? It may even surpass Lord Mercphobia!"
Kalmira's face was filled with terror.
She had always firmly believed that her Water God Mercphobia was invincible within the sea.
But now the sea had disappeared.
Without the sea, was Mercphobia still invincible?
Even Kalmira had begun to doubt it.
Just as Kalmira's body began trembling slightly, a young man covered in black markings, with spiky hedgehog-like hair, leaped down from the sky and landed beside the Water God Dragon Mercphobia and his 'servant' Kalmira.
He sneered.
"Long time no see, Mercphobia. Are you still playing house with humans, indulging in your boring Water God dream in this town?"
"Unfortunately, you and I are both dragons. Even if we possess the title of gods, it cannot change our nature. Accept your fate obediently! You and I are both rotten to the core..."
"Ignia, I won't let you hurt anyone!"
Mercphobia looked at the delinquent-looking young man before him, his expression first turning cold.
Then Mercphobia stared coldly at the delinquent, namely the 'Flame God Dragon' Ignia, and spoke.
"Ignia? You're not the Dragon Slayer Mage that Elefseria found..."
"You're the Divine Dragon himself! The 'Flame God Dragon' Ignia!"
Kalmira, standing beside Mercphobia, was shocked when she heard the young man's name and spoke in panic.
"Oh?!"
"I was wondering why Mercphobia suddenly changed his ways. So it's because of this human?"
"Could it be that you've fallen in love with this human, Mercphobia?"
"Hahahaha... What a hilarious thing!"
"Among us Divine Dragons, shouldn't you, the Water God Dragon, be the one who has preyed upon humans the most?"
"Or perhaps Mercphobia, you've started enjoying the nurturing type? Waiting until this human girl has completely grown up and trusts you absolutely before swallowing her whole, playing with her feelings?"
"Or perhaps you're planning to wait until one day when you finally become bored of keeping humans captive, and then kill this girl along with all the humans in the town?!"
"No! With your current reputation among humans, if you simply shouted out that anyone who let you eat them could ascend to heaven, perhaps the residents of the town would actually line up obediently and jump straight into your mouth..."
"Looking at it this way, Mercphobia, you really haven't changed at all! You're just as cruel as you were four hundred years ago..."
"No, you're even more cruel than you were four hundred years ago."
After staring at Kalmira beside Mercphobia for a while, Ignia suddenly thought of something amusing.
He threw his head back and laughed loudly before smiling at Mercphobia.
"..."
After Ignia finished speaking, Kalmira's expression stiffened.
Her heart involuntarily wavered, and she looked anxiously at the silent Mercphobia beside her.
"Hahahaha..."
"Mercphobia, look at the human beside you. Her body is trembling. She's afraid of you!"
Ignia looked at Kalmira's constantly trembling body and spoke with a grin.
"..."
Mercphobia, however, acted as though he hadn't seen Kalmira's panic at all, continuing to look calmly at Ignia.
"Tch~"
This made Ignia extremely displeased.
He had originally wanted to see more interesting expressions on Mercphobia's emotionless face, but the result had greatly disappointed him.
"Lord Mercphobia, everything Ignia just said was a lie, right?"
While Ignia and Mercphobia were faintly confronting each other, Kalmira took a deep breath and softly asked Mercphobia beside her.
"..."
Mercphobia continued pretending that he hadn't heard her and said nothing.
"Hey! Mercphobia, the human you raised is asking you a question! Hurry up and answer her! Otherwise, humans will get sad~"
At this moment, the ill-intentioned Ignia seemed to have thought of something amusing.
He crossed his arms before his chest and spoke coldly to Mercphobia.
"..."
Mercphobia's lips moved slightly after hearing Ignia's words.
Mercphobia knew that he probably could no longer continue pretending that he hadn't heard.
Even if he continued dragging it out, there was no point.
Thinking of this, Mercphobia finally looked at Kalmira beside him and spoke.
"I'm sorry, Kalmira! I may have disappointed you. Everything Ignia said is true. My hands are stained with the blood of both dragons and humans. Yet even now, I don't feel the slightest bit of pain over having killed those dragons whom I should have regarded as my kin, or those weak humans."
"Perhaps I really am such a cold-blooded creature without a heart!"
"Perhaps after hearing what I said, Kalmira should be able to leave, right?"
"Perhaps such a parting would be better for everyone."
Mercphobia looked at the weak human woman before him, his heart filled with guilt.
Before meeting Kalmira, Mercphobia truly had been a butcher whose hands were stained with blood!
Whether dragons or humans, anyone who dared to enter his territory would be killed without mercy!
Yet in Mercphobia's eyes, there was nothing wrong with this.
Because this was a world where the strong preyed upon the weak.
However, ever since he had accidentally saved Kalmira on a whim, everything had changed!
Without realizing it, Mercphobia had become attracted to Kalmira.
Without realizing it, he had wanted to remain by Kalmira's side.
He truly wanted to spend his entire life with Kalmira, growing old and dying together...
However, as his strength continued to increase at an astonishing rate, if Kalmira did not leave him now, and he continued allowing these humans to remain by his side while pretending that nothing was wrong, then one day, everything he sincerely cherished would perhaps be destroyed by his excessively increasing power...
Mercphobia was already somewhat tired.
After finally gaining companions, he no longer wanted to lose them and return to the life of wandering alone that he had lived before.
Mercphobia would rather die himself than return to his former life.
Therefore, in Mercphobia's eyes, it would be better to let himself die in this world in the form of the Water God before his overwhelming power completely went out of control!
Then he could take the most beautiful memories of his life and bury them with himself, allowing both to sink into eternal slumber forever...
"I don't believe that Lord Water God Dragon has no heart..."
"I can hear the heartbeat in Lord Water God's chest. I can feel the blood flowing through Lord Water God's body! That blood isn't cold. It's warm."
"I can also feel Lord Water God's gentleness!"
"Even though Lord Water God's hands were once stained with blood, I believe that Lord Water God has already changed. You are no longer the Water God Dragon who wreaked havoc upon the seas of the Northern Continent of Guiltina. You are now Lord Water God, who protects the coastal regions of Guiltina and ensures the safety of the Northern Continent's residents at sea!"
Just as Mercphobia believed that the girl he had once saved would leave him because of this, the girl opened her arms and suddenly embraced Mercphobia.
The girl leaned against Mercphobia's chest, listening closely to his heartbeat.
A blissful expression appeared on her face.
At the same time, deep within her heart, the girl silently thought:
"You also belong to me, Kalmira, alone, forever, Lord Water God."
"Kalmira..."
Mercphobia looked at Kalmira in his arms with a complicated expression.
His eyes contained emotion and warmth.
There was also pity for Kalmira, as well as another emotion that Mercphobia himself did not understand.
An emotion he had never experienced before.
"Hmph~"
Ignia looked at the embracing Mercphobia and Kalmira and couldn't help snorting.
He had originally wanted to witness the scene of Water God Dragon Mercphobia and the human he had raised turning against each other.
Instead, what unfolded before him was a touching love story between a human and a dragon...
This made Ignia roll his eyes, utterly speechless.
Of course, Ignia did not ruin the atmosphere by interrupting Mercphobia and Kalmira at this moment.
He already understood that Mercphobia and Kalmira were truly in love.
"Ignia..."
Just as Ignia was rolling his eyes at Mercphobia, Acnologia, with one arm missing, landed beside Ignia.
"You lost, Acnologia!"
Ignia looked at the late-arriving Acnologia, the corners of his lips curling upward as he smiled.
Although Ignia had suffered a setback against Mercphobia and Kalmira, at least he had managed to regain a little bit of face from Acnologia.
"Hmph! That's only because you made a dirty move when I was overtaking you, you bastard!"
Acnologia's expression had originally been relatively calm.
But when Ignia looked at him smugly and declared that Acnologia had lost, Acnologia was finally provoked into anger by Ignia!
In fact, Acnologia had originally already overtaken Ignia.
But the instant Acnologia surpassed him, Ignia had launched a sneak attack against him!
"A loss is a loss. Don't make excuses!"
Ignia wore a smile, displaying an utterly obnoxious expression after winning his victory.
"Heh..."
Acnologia merely sneered in response.
He didn't say anything more.
He seemed too lazy to waste any more words on Ignia.
If the enemy weren't still present, Acnologia would have already gone over and beaten Ignia to a pulp.
Just as Ignia and Acnologia were confronting each other, the 'Water God Dragon' Mercphobia gently stroked Kalmira's forehead.
The next moment, a six-pointed magic circle appeared and flashed on Kalmira's forehead!
"Lord Mercphobia...?!"
Immediately afterward, Kalmira's eyes narrowed.
Then she closed her eyes and collapsed to the ground.
"Sleep. When you awaken, everything will have returned to peace."
Mercphobia held Kalmira in his arms as though he were holding an important treasure.
He gently placed Kalmira upon the magnificent throne inside the Water God Palace.
Only then did he turn around and look expressionlessly at Ignia and Acnologia.
"This girl is merely a human. I hope you won't drag her into this."
"We weren't going to drag humans into this in the first place..."
"You're completely overthinking it!"
Ignia had already seen the changes in Mercphobia.
He couldn't be bothered to continue teasing Mercphobia and spoke frankly.
"Is that so? Then thank you."
Mercphobia bowed deeply toward Ignia.
"Tsk~"
"You really don't know that we came here to subjugate you, do you? You're going to die..."
Ignia looked displeased after receiving Mercphobia's bow and spoke.
"I know. But I'll still thank you."
Mercphobia looked at Ignia seriously.
"Ah? How annoying! I really want to kill someone! Sure enough, I was incompatible with you bastard from the very beginning!"
After hearing Mercphobia's words, the veins on Ignia's forehead bulged as he roared angrily.
"Hm?!"
Mercphobia tilted his head after hearing this, revealing a puzzled expression.
It seemed that Mercphobia didn't understand why he had provoked Ignia.
After all, according to the etiquette Kalmira had taught him, he should have been speaking very politely...
"Forget it. I'll just settle you here! It'll also serve to vent the anger in my heart."
After roaring for a while, Ignia looked cruelly at Mercphobia.
For a moment, Ignia released an incredibly terrifying killing intent!
"Come. I've already prepared myself for everything."
After hearing Ignia's words, Mercphobia opened his arms while tightly closing his eyes, waiting for Ignia's attack.
"You really understood what I said?! I'm an assassin! I'm a dragon here to take your life!"
Ignia looked at Mercphobia, who was simply waiting for death to arrive.
The corner of his eye twitched continuously.
If he simply killed Mercphobia with one punch, he wouldn't feel any sense of accomplishment whatsoever.
What he wanted was a battle—a true, fists-to-flesh battle!
"I understood!"
Mercphobia opened his eyes and nodded lightly.
"Since you understood what I said, then prepare yourself for battle! Fight back properly! Don't keep making that idiotic gesture as though you're simply waiting for me to take your life, you bastard..."
Ignia shouted angrily after hearing Mercphobia's response.
"But I don't intend to resist! My power itself will only bring tragedy. If it continues increasing, sooner or later it will reach a point where I can no longer control it and hurt the people around me!"
"To be honest, during all these years of living with Kalmira, I discovered something more important than strength!"
"You may laugh at me for saying this, but compared to being a dragon, I would rather become an ordinary human."
Mercphobia looked seriously at Ignia.
Yes, Mercphobia had awakened.
He had discovered a secret.
And that secret was...
Dragons actually had limits.
Therefore, he no longer wanted to be a dragon.
"..."
After Mercphobia finished speaking, silence descended upon the temple belonging to Mercphobia.
At this moment, neither Mercphobia, Ignia, nor Acnologia spoke.
"Boring. I'll leave this guy to you, Ignia. I'm not interested in prey that has no desire to fight or resist!"
Acnologia took a deep look at Mercphobia before turning around as though he had given up.
From Mercphobia's sapphire-blue eyes, Acnologia saw a gaze as clear as transparent water.
From that clear gaze, Acnologia determined that Mercphobia had not lied to either him or Ignia.
Thus, Acnologia ultimately gave up hunting Mercphobia.
Although Acnologia loved slaughtering dragons, he did not like slaughtering humans.
Yes, in Acnologia's eyes, the 'Water God Dragon' Mercphobia looked more like a living human than a dragon.
"Acnologia, come back..."
"I'm not interested in this guy either! I'll leave him to you. You're a cripple anyway, while this guy is a coward. The two of you are perfect opponents for each other."
Ignia looked at Acnologia as he prepared to retreat and shouted in panic.
"You are the victor, the strongest Dragon King. Naturally, the prey should be left to the victor and great Dragon King to execute!"
"And I, this lowly crippled dragon, shall take my leave first..."
Unfortunately, Acnologia completely ignored Ignia.
Without even turning his head, he spoke softly to Ignia behind him.
Afterward, he found a sofa inside the palace of the Water God Dragon Mercphobia and sat down directly, looking as though he intended to sit back and watch Ignia's performance.
"You bastard..."
Ignia looked at Acnologia's smug expression, the corner of his eye twitching slightly.
Yet he had absolutely no way to deal with him.
For a moment, Ignia didn't know whether he should attack the 'Water God Dragon' Mercphobia or leave him alone.
"Forget it. Mercphobia, I'm giving up on killing you."
"How about this? If you agree right now to stay in this town forever and never leave, never harm the townspeople, and contribute your strength when we go to subjugate the gods, then I'll let you go. How does that sound?!"
After thinking for a long time, Ignia looked at Mercphobia and asked.
"Is that so? As long as I promise you here that I won't leave the town, won't harm the townspeople, and will fight alongside you against the gods, you'll spare me, correct?"
Mercphobia softly asked Ignia after hearing his words.
"Yes, yes..."
Ignia nodded repeatedly and revealed an expression as though he were pleased with how teachable Mercphobia was.
"But I refuse!"
However, just as Ignia believed that he had once again added a powerful combatant to Fairy Tail, Mercphobia rejected his invitation without even thinking.
"Is that so? You agreed! That's great..."
Ignia first nodded.
Then his expression suddenly changed, the veins on his forehead bulging.
"You bastard! What did you just say? Say it again if you have the guts?!"
"I was kindly planning to spare you, yet you don't appreciate it?! Are you looking to die?"
"Yes, I am indeed looking to die!"
Mercphobia nodded in response.
"To be honest, the power within my body is rapidly increasing for some unknown reason!"
"If this continues, my power will eventually reach a level that I can no longer control. In the end, it will certainly bring disaster upon the world."
"Perhaps it won't be long before this explosively increasing power causes me to hurt the residents of this town, and even Kalmira."
"To prevent myself from doing something I would regret for the rest of my life, I ask you to kill me!"
Mercphobia looked seriously at Ignia as he made his request.
"Isn't increasing your power a good thing?"
"You can use this power to accomplish the great feat of slaying the gods together with us!"
Ignia continued inviting Mercphobia.
It seemed that the more Mercphobia rejected him, the more determined Ignia became to invite him.
"Please allow me to refuse!"
"I have already promised Kalmira that I absolutely will not use this power to hurt anyone again."
"Therefore, I will not fight the gods alongside you, even if the gods are unjust..."
Mercphobia rejected Ignia once again.
He had already sworn an oath.
And once he had sworn it, he absolutely could not break it.
"Neither this nor that..."
"Ah..."
"I've had enough!"
"This time, I'm serious. I'm going to kill you here!"
"Mercphobia, you'd better prepare yourself!"
Ignia was completely driven mad by Mercphobia.
He looked coldly at Mercphobia and spoke.
"Come!"
"I've been ready for a long time."
"Or rather, I've been waiting for this day for far too long."
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Ignia!"
"Please kill me quickly!"
Mercphobia smiled after hearing Ignia's words.
It was a smile that came from the bottom of his heart.
"I..."
Ignia's expression became somewhat awkward.
This was the first time he had encountered someone who actively sought death.
It was also the first time someone had asked him to kill them.
It was such a bizarre request.
"Forget it! You brought this upon yourself."
Ignia finally shook his head.
The next moment, astonishing magic power erupted from his body.
Endless flames wrapped around him, making Ignia look like an invincible Flame God.
"It's finally over."
Mercphobia smiled in satisfaction.
"Excuse me, but let me interrupt you for a moment!"
Just as Ignia was preparing to attack, a clear female voice interrupted everyone's movements.
"Hm?"
Immediately afterward, under the gazes of Ignia and the others, the figures of Irene, Evan, and Selene slowly appeared before them.
"Actually, I have a better way to solve Mr. Mercphobia's problem~"
While everyone was puzzled, Irene suddenly spoke.
"In short, as long as we separate the power within Mercphobia's body, allowing Mercphobia to become like an ordinary human, then the problem will be solved, right?!"
Everyone was shocked upon hearing this!!