The Journey

"Lord Dragon, what did you say?"

"I said I could spare you, but you have to study magic under me. What, you're unwilling?"

"I am! I'm willing!"

Hearing that she would not only avoid being eaten but would also be taken in as a student and taught magic by the dragon before her, Anna no longer knew how to describe what she felt. Perhaps she had only ever felt such joy when she was born into this world—assuming she had been capable of thought at the time. So when Sordil asked her a second time, Anna immediately nodded in agreement, terrified that he might change his mind and toss her into the sea to feed the fish.

"Sordil..."

Diphiya had barely opened her mouth when Sordil stopped her question.

"I know what you want to ask, but Diphiya, I am not only Sordil of the dragon race. I am also Sordil, a student of Mildian Magic Academy. I cannot let Mildian's magical education end with me! After all, if I hadn't created the Arc of Time back then, Zeref would never have developed the Revive System, much less attempted Eclipse. Then none of what followed would have happened! So I have to take responsibility for Mildian Magic Academy!"

After hearing Sordil's explanation, Diphiya did not press him further. Instead, she stepped forward, wrapped him in an embrace, and gently patted his back. Of course, aside from his guilt toward Mildian Magic Academy and Hissell, Sordil had another reason he had not mentioned. Since Zeref had already developed the Revive System and Eclipse, that meant events were beginning to head in the direction of the main storyline. Only by keeping Anna, who was closely tied to that storyline, by his side would he have a chance to avoid the war. Naturally, he intended to leave this inexplicable war with all his companions from Fostadu, rather than become cannon fodder amid the chaos of the Eastern and Western Continents.

"Anna, can you tell me where this is now?"

"Of course, Teacher! This is the cliff north of Hargeon Port!"

"Hargeon? It truly is a wondrous place for dragons and humans to meet!"

Learning that he had encountered Anna in Hargeon made Sordil wonder whether this city had some inexplicable pull on dragons and Anna's family. After all, four hundred years later, the Queen of Complaints, Lucy, would also first meet the 'Fire Dragon' Natsu here. Naturally, those words carried an entirely different meaning to Anna, Diphiya, and the others. Anna's face instantly turned as red as an apple, while Diphiya and Murellia watched her with wary eyes.

"Master, shouldn't we head to Hajirulon to purchase food, fresh water, and medicine to treat Lord Kaldiz's injuries?"

Just as the atmosphere was turning strange, Seraf made a suggestion to Sordil, invisibly defusing the awkwardness. Seraf's reminder pulled Sordil out of his surprise and joy at meeting Anna. After a brief rest, Sordil took Seraf and Anna to Hajirulon, while Diphiya and the others stayed behind to care for Kaldiz.

When Sordil and the others arrived in Hajirulon, the place was brilliantly lit. The streets were packed with pedestrians, lined with food stalls of every kind, with various entertainment attractions scattered among them. The three ate their way from stall to stall along the street. By the time they reached its end, Anna's stomach was round and stuffed, and Seraf was in much the same state. Only Sordil, hidden in Seraf's sleeve, had not even reached one-tenth full. Still, Sordil suppressed his urge to keep eating. After having Seraf pack some food to take away, the three headed straight for the fish market.

To keep Diphiya and the others from worrying, Sordil's group swept up every bit of stock in the fish market as quickly as possible, then gathered fruits, vegetables, and herbs for treating external wounds in the same manner. While the three carried out their "three cleans" policy through the major markets, merchants constantly told Seraf about Anna's "glorious deeds." A fruit seller named Jilu in particular strongly urged Seraf to dismiss Anna. Anna wanted to argue several times, but Sordil stopped her each time. He told her that any explanation was powerless right now; once she could skillfully control the magic power within her, she would be able to prove everything to the world.

Even though the three had resupplied as quickly as they could, Diphiya and the others were still staring at them with eager anticipation when they returned. However, that trace of anxiety and dissatisfaction quickly vanished beneath the food offensive. Once everyone had replenished their energy, they happily set off once more on the journey back to Fostadu. However, after Anna joined them, Sordil would call her over whenever they stopped to camp and teach her the basics of magic. After everyone had gone to rest, he would also set aside time to use Shape-Making Magic to create certain things.

Day after day passed. A month after Sordil and the others returned to Ishgar, Kaldiz's injuries finally healed completely, greatly increasing the group's travel speed.

"Sordil, look! It's Fostadu! We're finally back!"

After several months of arduous travel, Diphiya felt both excited and somewhat timid upon seeing Fostadu again. She was excited because she had finally returned to the home she had long been away from and would soon see her father, Aunt Wattster, and the rest of her family. But she was timid because she feared her father would be dissatisfied with how she had performed throughout the journey. What would she do if he scolded her? Sordil had lived two lives... well, let's call it that for now. How could he fail to see the Little Girl's worries? So he comforted her.

"Don't worry! Old man Hadessta will definitely be proud of your performance. After all, you saved my life before. It was... uh, which time was it again?"

"Pfft! It's not a matter of which time—it was This Lady who saved you every single time!"

The Little Girl's worries instantly disappeared, and she began looking forward once more to the celebration that would take place after they returned to Fostadu tomorrow. After Diphiya left, Sordil called Anna over and placed twelve golden keys in her hands. Staring uncertainly at the gleaming keys in her palms, Anna looked at Sordil and stammered, "Teacher, th-this... wh-what... does this... mean?"

"Don't overthink it. These are magical tools I prepared for you. The magic I'm going to teach you next is extremely complicated to use, so I simplified and improved it somewhat. When the time comes, you'll need to use these keys as a medium to cast it."

After hearing Sordil's explanation, Anna felt much more at ease and carefully put away the keys. Once she had done so, Sordil began explaining the principles of summoning magic and how to form contracts with celestial spirits. Anna listened attentively to his explanation, committing every detail to memory before saying to him:

"Teacher, I think this magic might have a more fitting name!"

"Oh? What do you want to call it?"

"Teacher, since we form contracts with celestial spirits and fight alongside them, how about calling it Spirit Magic?"

"Spirit Magic? Spirit Magic! Good, good. We'll call it Spirit Magic!"