After leaving the palace, Erza walked alone on the street, looking at the bustling royal city streets, her mind filled with many thoughts.
She never expected that the Dragon Slayer General, whom she had never met before, would trust her so much. This trust even surpassed the trust that her Fairy Tail companions placed in her, reaching an unprecedented level, entrusting the survival of an entire nation to her...
It seems that as long as it's her, she's bound to kill the evil dragon.
"Why?"
Erza asked herself honestly, and even she herself didn't have the confidence that a stranger would believe her so much, just because of a prophecy?
Looking at this bustling and prosperous royal city, she always felt a sense of unreality. Despite frequently being attacked by evil dragons, she did not see fear on the faces of ordinary people.
Even after being attacked by a dragon, they can immediately resume various business activities, regain their good mood, and greet everyone with smiles, gentleness, and politeness.
It's like deliberately showing her the most beautiful side of the kingdom...
This is so weird, isn't it?
Erza sighed. On one hand, there was her mother's assurance of absolute safety, and on the other hand, there was the matter of slaying the dragon. She felt there was a lot of conflict between them.
Evil dragon...
Is it really an evil dragon?
"Erza, you must be Lady Erza!"
A richly dressed child ran over excitedly, followed by two unfathomable-looking guards.
Erza asked with slight confusion, "Who are you?"
The child said happily, "Hello, Lady Erza, my name is Number Two, the son of the previous Dragon Slayer General."
Erza smiled and said, "Then you shouldn't be so polite. I should be calling you Young General."
Number Two stubbornly shook his head: "You are a great hero of the kingdom, please don't call me'sir'."
Erza nodded slightly: "Then you can call me Erza, and I'll call you Number Two."
"Is this number two your name?"
Number Two said seriously, "My father said that our family is numbered one, two, three, and so on. I am the eldest in the family, so I am called number two, and my younger brothers and sisters are called number three and number four."
Erza nodded. Although she was a little curious, she didn't ask why, in case the other person had some unspeakable reason, it would be very awkward.
This second person was very enthusiastic, taking Erza around and constantly buying her various gifts.
Erza, while eating dessert, asked, "Number Two, how is your father's injury?"
Upon hearing this, Number Two showed a barely perceptible sadness on his face, which he quickly concealed. He said earnestly, "Thank you for your concern. My father probably won't make it. However, it would be an honor for my father to die in the battle to protect the kingdom. If it were my turn one day, I would also be willing to dedicate myself to the kingdom."
Seeing the determination in his eyes, Erza said earnestly, "You have a great father, and I believe that you will become an outstanding leader of the kingdom, just like him."
These were her honest thoughts. Leaders like the First Dragon Slayer General and the Second Dragon Slayer General, who were willing to sacrifice themselves for the kingdom, would surely lead the kingdom to a brighter future.
And the people will surely love and respect them from the bottom of their hearts.
Hearing Erza's words, Number Two did not nod. Instead, he asked with a serious expression, "Lady Erza, would you like to become the Queen of the Kingdom of Dolagunov?"
Erza was immediately startled and hurriedly waved her hand: "Number Two, you can't say things like that. I'm just an outsider, and this kind of thing is absolutely unacceptable."
Such words were practically tantamount to rebellion; she never expected that the second-in-command, whose status was equivalent to that of a prince, would say such a thing.
If you really want to become king, shouldn't it be either the number one Dragon Slayer General or number two, you?
Number Two continued, "If my father and the people of the kingdom agree, would you be willing?"
Erza looked at Number Two with expectation in her eyes, feeling puzzled. Was he expecting her to agree?
She said with a very serious expression, "I am a Fairy Tail mage, and I will never become the king of the kingdom. Number One should be the king of the Kingdom of Dragunov."
"Don't call me'sir'. I'm a little older than you. You can call me'sister'."
Upon hearing this, Number Two did not press further, but smiled and nodded: "Sister Erza, I should go back now. Thank you for your company, you are such a kind person."
Erza glanced at the sky; it was almost sunset. She smiled and said, "Goodbye, Number Two."
Goodbye, Erza!
Watching Number One and the guards leave, Erza turned and walked back to her residence.
At this moment, she had even more doubts, and she felt that Number Two had come to test her...
Erza thought for a moment, then turned and walked towards the Kingdom's Library, hoping to find clues there.
"Erza!"
Suddenly a voice came from behind, and Natsu and Happy ran over excitedly.
Erza knew these two were up to no good when they were excited, so she said calmly, "What are you two up to now?"
Happy said happily, "Gajeel just went to the arena with Android 11, let's go check it out!"
Natsu was a little annoyed: "That guy didn't even call me! I love that kind of thing!"
Erza asked in bewilderment, "Aren't you afraid of the dragon suddenly attacking the city at a time like this that consumes so much magic?"
"What's there to be afraid of? If we can defeat the dragon once, we can defeat it a second time!"
Natsu looked fearless, completely forgetting how he had been beaten to a pulp by the dragon earlier.
He felt that everyone here was a good person. A couple of days ago, he got drunk and got into a fight with Gajeel, demolishing many palaces and streets, but no one asked him for compensation. Such a thing was unthinkable in Magnolia Town.
Erza frowned slightly: "Don't be too careless. Don't you think you're being too relaxed? We're on an SS-rank mission."
These past few days, the two people and two cats have been doing nothing but eating and drinking, getting drunk and staggering around every day. She's starting to wonder if these four are completely useless.
Natsu laughed: "We're not the only ones fighting the dragon. With the whole kingdom backing us up, we don't have to worry at all."
Happy exclaimed excitedly, "Natsu, let's hurry up, or Gajeel will be done for!"
Just then, Gajeel, covered in injuries, lay on a stretcher and was carried away by two guards to receive treatment.
Erza, Natsu, and Happy were completely dumbfounded. What happened? How did they get beaten up like this so quickly?
Lili walked over and explained, "That General Number Eleven is too strong. He's at least a Saint Ten, and he's a bit ruthless. He beat Gajeel like this in just a few moves."
In the previous battle against the evil dragon, this General Number Eleven was instantly killed by the dragon, making them think that he was weak, but they didn't expect him to be ridiculously strong.
Natsu exclaimed excitedly, "That guy is too lame, I'll give it a try!"
Erza was about to stop him when Natsu grabbed the two cats and ran off, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
"Still so reckless."
She sighed and went to the library instead of the arena. The two people and two cats were completely unreliable; she would have to find clues herself when it mattered most.