Dispelling Evil Spirits

On the second day of Gildarts and Feng Lan's battle, word that Feng Lan had defeated Gildarts had already spread throughout Magnolia, thanks to Natsu, Lisanna, and the others.

On his way to the guild that morning, Feng Lan was met with nothing but praise and admiration. All he could do was awkwardly deal with it.

Feng Lan had finally made it to the guild, only for the people there to get worked up as well.

Erza said with a look of admiration, "Feng Lan, I never knew you were this amazing! You actually defeated Gildarts!?"

Laxus also said with great respect, "I knew you were strong, but I never expected you to defeat Fairy Tail's strongest mage, Gildarts, so easily! No, you're the strongest now!"

Feng Lan said sheepishly, "Hehe, I'm... not that amazing."

Gray, standing nearby, said, "You defeated Gildarts! How is that not amazing!? What, does your definition of amazing mean snapping your fingers and destroying the world?"

"Uh... no." Looking thoroughly embarrassed, Feng Lan accepted a request and hurriedly fled the scene. "Mira, Natsu, Lisanna, Elfman, hurry up and let's go do a job!"

Gildarts was drinking with Makarov. "Guild Master, aren't you going to promote Feng Lan to S-Class Mage? He's Fairy Tail's strongest now."

Makarov took a huge swig of alcohol and said, "I had that in mind too, but when I discussed it with him last night, he said, 'No need. What I care about is strength, not titles. I'll still become an S-Class Mage through the normal process.' So there wasn't much else I could say."

Gildarts laughed. "Haha! He really is an interesting kid. And the S-Class Exam is about to begin this year."

Makarov glanced at the calendar and said, "Yes, it's only half a month away... But if Feng Lan participates, no one else will stand a chance. Can't he leave the others a way to survive?"

On the train

Natsu said, "Feng Lan, why'd you run away? Everyone was praising you."

Feng Lan shook his head. "Being praised like that, being the center of attention... honestly, I don't like it."

Lisanna tilted her head and asked, "Feng Lan, isn't being praised a good thing? Why wouldn't you like it? If everyone praised Lisanna like that, I'd definitely be happy."

Elfman scratched his head. "Maybe it's because Feng Lan is a very humble person."

Natsu excitedly said to Feng Lan, "Bro, does that mean once I awaken Dragon Force, I can defeat Gildarts too!"

Feng Lan shook his head. "No. The degree of dragonization after unleashing Dragon Force depends on how well you've mastered Dragon Slayer Magic. The magic power of someone who has only just awakened Dragon Force... can't withstand magic on Gildarts's level. Still, it would be enough to surpass most S-Class Mages, though the risks aren't small.

To erupt and acquire Dragon Force, two conditions must be met at the same time: first, you must be on the brink of death, with one foot through death's door; second, your emotions must fluctuate greatly, and they cannot be overly positive. It could be anger, resentment, or even despair! Neither condition can be absent. Finally, if your magic power is too weak to control Dragon Force, you'll lose your mind and become a humanoid monster that knows only destruction."

Only then did Natsu realize how naive his thoughts had been. Mira and the other two also began to wonder what Feng Lan had experienced at such a young age.

"But don't lose heart." Feng Lan patted Natsu's head. "I've noticed that you're already showing signs of Dragon Force—the Dragon Mark. Maybe one day, it'll suddenly erupt~... And don't worry. As long as I'm here, I won't let anything happen to you, so face your hardships boldly."

Natsu looked at Feng Lan with determined eyes. "Bro... if I really become a monster because of something or someone... then kill me. Don't let me hurt a single companion or innocent person."

Feng Lan looked at Natsu in surprise, then said firmly, "Don't worry. I'll never let that day come!"

Lisanna took Natsu's hand. "Natsu, I'll definitely always stay by your side!"

Watching Natsu blush at Lisanna's words, Feng Lan silently swore to himself, Natsu, you've grown up too... Don't worry. I'll protect all of this, even if I'm torn to pieces and body and soul are destroyed! I'll protect every last bit of it!

With a clatter, the train started moving.

"Bleurgh~" Feng Lan and Natsu became dizzy almost instantly.

Mira smiled helplessly. "Looks like even the strongest people have weaknesses."

Feng Lan said painfully, "Wake me when we arrive. I'm going to sleep for a while."

Thirty minutes later, the five of them finally reached their destination.

Feng Lan hurriedly ran off the train and stretched. "Ah, ah, we're finally here!"

"Feng Lan... save me..." Natsu said, half-dead.

Mira looked at Natsu helplessly. "Didn't we already get off the train? Why are you still so lifeless?"

Lisanna was as lively as ever, while Elfman was, as always, the unlucky guy carrying everyone's things by himself.

Mira looked at the small village before them and asked Feng Lan curiously, "Feng Lan, what kind of request did you take? It's pretty unusual for the job site to be such a remote, poor little village."

Feng Lan took out the request form and looked it over. "It isn't written very clearly. Anyway, the ultimate objective is to dispel... dispel evil spirits?"

The other four looked at Feng Lan in confusion. "You know how to do that?"

"Are you five the mages who came to help?" A white-haired old man walked toward Feng Lan and the others.

Feng Lan looked at the old man. "Yes. May I ask who you are?"

The old man smiled at Feng Lan and the others. "I am the village chief of this village, and also the client who submitted this request."

Feng Lan replied with a smile, "That's great. We were just about to find you and ask about the request!"

"Oh dear, my education is quite limited, so I'm sorry I couldn't explain things clearly. Please, come sit at my home, and I'll explain the details of the request verbally," the village chief said to Feng Lan and the others in a kindly tone.

The village chief led them to a very small, simple house.

After arranging seats for Feng Lan and the others, the village chief sat down as well. "This is my home. Please forgive its humble state."

Feng Lan waved his hand. "No, not at all. Please explain the request to us."

The village chief nodded and sighed. "Yes, I'll explain it now...

It all began with the only blacksmith in our village... That blacksmith was named Adou. Adou had originally been highly skilled and kind-hearted. Everyone in the village was willing to bring him their iron furnishings for repair, and passersby often came to him to forge or repair weapons and armor.

But half a month ago, Adou suddenly went mad! He ran around hurting people with a blade, then eventually fled into the deep mountains and never came out again. Yet from time to time, the wails of wild beasts can be heard from those mountains."

Lisanna tugged on Natsu's clothes. "What a scary request... Could there be evil spirits or monsters?"

Natsu didn't think much of it. "What's so strange about that? And so what if there are evil spirits? So what if there are monsters? We just have to beat them up."

"Suddenly? Was there nothing suspicious about him before?" Feng Lan asked the village chief. "Or no prior history? Like perhaps his mental state wasn't very good before?"

The village chief thought for a moment. "As for his mental state... he had always been perfectly normal. But two days before he went mad, he picked up a box from who knows where. After that, he stopped taking jobs and spent every day in a daze, like a walking corpse. I suppose he was possessed by some evil thing..."

After hearing that, the five of them were even more confused.

Feng Lan scratched his head. "Village Chief, could we take a look at Adou's house?"

The village chief continued smiling warmly. "Of course. Please, go ahead."

The village chief then led everyone to Adou's home.

"Whoa! This..." The moment Feng Lan entered, his eyes gleamed. "The patterns on this blade's scabbard are simple yet elegant. The hilt feels soft in the hand without lacking strength. Once drawn, the blade is razor-sharp and intimidating, sharp enough to split hairs, with a faint cold gleam... It's a fine blade. The bladesmith capable of forging such a weapon must be no ordinary person. The craftsmanship is truly divine, the work of an unparalleled master craftsman!"

Looking at the blades and swords filling the room, Feng Lan's eyes sparkled as he carefully admired every weapon.

Natsu said helplessly, "Forgot to tell you all—bro is a hopeless blade fanatic."