— — — — — —
Not long after Kazuma gave his consent, Gajeel arrived at the Fairy Tail guild hall. The looks everyone gave him were anything but friendly.
"Master, isn't this guy from Phantom Lord?" someone blurted out. "Why let someone like that join the guild?"
"The Old Man asked me," Kazuma replied lazily. "I said no, but he grabbed me and wouldn't let go until I agreed."
"So yeah, I gave him some face. But this guy's on probation. If you don't like it, go challenge him yourself. He doesn't count as one of us yet."
The moment Kazuma finished speaking, the atmosphere around Gajeel turned even colder. Laxus even stepped forward, clearly ready to teach him a lesson.
Gajeel looked around at the hostile faces, then at Kazuma as he walked past. He didn't know when it happened, but his back was already soaked with sweat.
"What a monster…"
The sense of danger coming off Kazuma felt thicker than ever. He had done nothing more than walk by, yet Gajeel felt as if death itself had brushed his shoulder.
"Gajeel," Makarov said gently, watching Kazuma leave and then turning back to the crowd. He sighed and patted Gajeel on the shoulder. "I've managed to convince that kid for now, but whether you truly join Fairy Tail depends on you."
"I believe you're a good kid at heart."
With that, Makarov walked away as well. The rest was up to the man himself.
"Thank you… I will," Gajeel murmured.
After wandering for so long, he really did want a place where he could finally stop.
...
Ignoring the chaos back at the guild, Kazuma headed straight home.
The moment he stepped inside, he saw Juvia cleaning. He walked up and hugged her from behind.
"Ah!" Juvia yelped in surprise. When she turned and saw it was Kazuma, she relaxed. "You didn't make any sound at all. You scared Juvia half to death."
"Guild business is more or less settled," Kazuma said. "I came back to rest a bit and get ready for what's coming next."
As he spoke, his hands started wandering upward, climbing without hesitation. It didn't take long before they reached her soft boobs, giving them a firm, deliberate squeeze.
"Ah~"
Juvia let out a soft hum and lowered her head, her cheeks flushed red. "Doing this right now isn't very nice… Juvia doesn't really mind, but if Mira or Lucy come by, it would be embarrassing…"
"It's fine," Kazuma said, snapping his fingers. Outside, darkness instantly fell, shadows swallowing the house. He scooped Juvia up in his arms.
"Magic shouldn't be used like this, right?" Juvia protested shyly.
"Juvia, don't you want it?"
"Well… I… um…" Her voice trailed off, and she stopped resisting altogether. "You can do whatever you want to Juvia."
"Juvia loves you…"
She buried her face against his chest, wearing an expression that said she'd leave everything to him.
"Juvia… you could be pregnant this time," Kazuma murmured, fire in his eyes as he poured everything into her.
...
A few hours later
"I can't… really can't anymore…" Juvia went limp against Kazuma, utterly drained. Even for a mage, that much exertion was too much.
She looked up at him with watery eyes, gave him a gentle kiss, and pleaded softly for mercy. She was already filled.
"All right," Kazuma said with a laugh. "But Juvia, you really need to work on your stamina."
"Come on. I'll carry you to take a bath."
Kazuma was still full of energy. The effects of his body training showed clearly now. His endurance was absurdly strong.
After a quick rinse, the two of them sank into the bathtub together. The warm water was soothing, making everything feel calm and comfortable.
Just as Juvia relaxed in Kazuma's arms, she felt something pressing lower, making her tense again.
"Juvia really can't…"
"Ahem… then your thighs will do," Kazuma said lightly. "Juvia, let me teach you a few things."
---
In the blink of an eye, a whole day passed.
Kazuma woke up early, not because he was well-rested, but because he sensed something.
"Danger… something that can make me feel this way. The Black Dragon?"
He had gained the Spider Sense (Marvel) from a previous achievement—an ability that alerted him to any danger that might befall him. It was passive, and now it had woken him.
On top of that, it had fused with his Observation Haki, becoming Spider Haki, giving him warnings of events that were about to unfold.
And of course, because Kazuma had been constantly upgrading his abilities and training for his fight with Damocles, the warnings came much earlier than normal.
"So three Dragon Slayers gathering here gave off enough dragon scent to draw it in?"
He had a guess, and it was mostly right, though not entirely.
The Black Dragon had indeed been drawn by the aura of the Dragon Slayers. More than that, it had sensed the presence of one like itself—the unmistakable scent of a slayer who had bathed in dragon blood. A powerful aura that could rival its own.
Acnologia would never allow a second being like him to exist in this world.
Kazuma kept unleashing his Spider Haki, straining it to the fullest, until he finally understood what was causing the Black Dragon to attack.
"Mmm… no… really can't anymore…" Juvia murmured half-asleep, tugging at the blanket.
"Sleep well," Kazuma said softly. "I need to head out for a bit. I'll be back soon."
He bent down and kissed her forehead, then got up. Time to train again. One moment of indulgence was enough.
Kazuma handed guild affairs back to Makarov and set off overseas, heading for Tenrou Island.
.
.
.