Leaving Empty-Handed

"Fight my ass! You should beat Erza first!" Eleven glared at Natsu with annoyance.

"One day I'll defeat you and Erza!" Natsu looked full of fighting spirit, showing no trace of the fact that he had almost had his magic power drained just now.

Seeing that Natsu was still so energetic, Eleven didn't bother arguing with him anymore. He smiled helplessly, turned around, and carried Natsu on his back.

He didn't really care about Natsu's challenge. Anyway, Mira and Erza were always causing him trouble, so having Natsu made little difference.

"Alright, I'll give you a chance to challenge me when we get back!" Eleven glanced at Natsu behind him with a smirk.

"Oh! I'll show you what I'm capable of!" Natsu lay on Eleven's back, his fists flailing weakly, but his expression was one of excitement.

At that moment, the giant dragon behind them, which should have been completely destroyed due to the loss of Natsu, suddenly emitted a creaking metallic scraping sound. A small hatch on the dragon's chest suddenly opened, and Daphne tumbled out of it.

Daphne looked extremely disheveled, with multiple injuries and one of her glasses broken. Her previous composure was gone. She staggered to her feet, trying to escape before anyone noticed her.

Unfortunately, Daphne ran in the wrong direction and bumped into Eleven, who was carrying Natsu, after only a few steps. The three of them stared at each other, and the scene became quite awkward.

Splat!

Daphne was slammed to the ground in a spread-eagle position by Eleven and couldn't move.

Bang! An old notebook was thrown in front of Daphne. It was the very one Eleven had found in the lab earlier, which he had casually stolen, and now he was returning it to its rightful owner with a perfectly justifiable attitude.

"Dragons really exist," Eleven said casually.

Daphne was lying on the ground, and because her freedom was restricted, she couldn't see Eleven's expression at all. However, judging from what he said right away, she knew that this guy had been reading her diary.

"So you've seen a dragon?" Daphne asked, her tone dripping with sarcasm despite her disheveled appearance lying on the ground.

"I didn't," Eleven said in a nonchalant tone, "But Natsu has seen him; he was raised by dragons."

"Ha, that's just a child's fantasy. You actually believed it? How stupid of you!" Daphne vehemently denied Eleven's words.

"I'm not lying! Igneel definitely exists!" Natsu was furious at Daphne's words, baring his teeth and howling.

"Yes, and I also believe what my partner said, so dragons must exist." Eleven nodded in agreement with Natsu.

"Are you an idiot? Why would you believe such a thing?" Daphne became even more hysterical after hearing Eleven say she believed Natsu, and couldn't help but roar, "How could such a perfect creature as a dragon exist, and even be raised? Why would anyone believe such a thing? Why doesn't anyone... Pfft~"

Boom!!

Because Daphne was being so incredibly noisy, Eleven used his Telekinesis hammer to slam her head into the ground, knocking her completely unconscious.

Eleven didn't have the time or inclination to help Daphne resolve her inner conflict; his gentleness wasn't yet so excessive.

The reason for bringing up the topic of dragons is simply because I was reminded of the contents of the diary. Perhaps Daphne was innocent when she was young, but she is no longer worthy of sympathy. This blow is just to vent Natsu's anger.

The crimson sun gradually peeked out, and golden morning light began to spread across the earth. Daphne's upside-down body was also illuminated and shimmered. The thrilling night was finally over.

The rustling footsteps grew closer, and the surviving residents of the town cautiously gathered around, gazing at the awe-inspiring remains of the dragon. They pointed at Daphne, who was lying upside down on the ground, and cast admiring glances at Eleven, the "dragon slayer."

Looking at the townspeople around him, Eleven felt no smugness, but rather extreme tension. After all, the entire town had been practically razed to the ground. Although it wasn't his fault, his extensive experience with reparations told him that the real battle had only just begun...

The first thing to do is to distance himself from the damage. He was fighting in the air and had absolutely nothing to do with the destruction of the town!

No! Absolutely not!

Natsu is even more of a mystery; he's just a child, and he's been inside the dragon's body the whole time...

Forehead...

It seems the dragon was activated because of Natsu...

...(꒪Д꒪)

It's over, it's all over... I wonder if the guild can afford to rebuild a small town... Will they go bankrupt...?

"Ahem, hero..." From the crowd, a venerable-looking old man slowly stepped forward and called out to the dazed Eleven.

Before the old man could finish speaking, Eleven, who had heard the voice, jumped to his knees with a thud.

"I'm so sorry, Smear! I really didn't mean to damage the town! Um, we may not have any money, but Natsu and I can stay and do manual labor. Please don't make things difficult for Fairy Tail, um... this..."

Eleven was terrified at that moment, so much so that he didn't even notice that Natsu had been thrown off his back.

Fortunately, Eleven was really overthinking things. The townspeople genuinely regarded him as a hero who slew the dragon, and they were too busy thanking him to bother him.

Seeing their hero kneel down with a thud, the citizens were both amused and exasperated. They rushed forward to help him up and explained for a while before Eleven calmed down a bit.

"Um, you really don't blame us?" Eleven asked cautiously.

"Of course, if it weren't for you helping us eliminate the monster, who knows how many more people would have died. We're so grateful to you, how could we blame you!" the mayor said with a smile, trying to reassure him.

"Then, does that mean I don't have to pay compensation?" Eleven was overjoyed.

"Um... well... we'll have to listen to the Magic Council."

(つД`)･ﾟ･

Unable to hold back any longer, Eleven burst into tears! "You big bad guys are all talking nonsense! Waaah~ I thanked you for so long, why do I still have to pay you back?!"

I no longer believe in this world!

Eleven, pulling Natsu along, left this place of sorrow without lingering for a moment. The people here were so hypocritical; they called him a hero on one hand, but secretly wanted him to pay them back. Pah! Shameless!

On the other side, Silent Town.

Since Daphne was defeated, the townspeople, unsurprisingly, all broke the curse and returned to normal, which made them all extremely happy.

When Eleven and Natsu returned, they were once again treated like heroes. However, this time Eleven was indifferent. Facing the excited citizens, he remained cold, as if the world had lost all its warmth.

Until the mayor presented the reward for the mission, Eleven once again felt the warmth of the sun.

The people of the Silent Town were all able to break the curse and regain their normal bodies because of Eleven, and they were truly Eleven from the bottom of their hearts.

Everyone in the town contributed a portion of their savings to thank Eleven and Eleven team for their hard work. The amount of loose change they received was surprisingly substantial, comparable to the reward for an S-Class Mission.

Looking at the box of banknotes in his hand, two lines of tears slid down Eleven's cheeks once again.

The thought that so much money would ultimately have to be repaid to the Magic Council sent a knife through Eleven's heart!

How could it be repaired?!