"Everyone! I really saw a dragon! A huge, gigantic black dragon!"
The little girl raised her hands high, trying her best to show just how big the black dragon she'd seen was.
But the adults around her didn't take her seriously. She'd said things like this many times before, and they just chalked it up to a child's fanciful talk.
"Daphne, you're imagining things again."
"There aren't any dragons left in this world."
"That's right. They're all extinct."
"Did you mistake a winged lizard monster for a dragon? Children have such vivid imaginations."
"..."
The adults laughed and humored the little girl, but Daphne continued to insist that she'd seen the dragon with her own eyes. Hearing her repeat it over and over again made some of them impatient.
"Stop being such a nuisance, Daphne. Why would an orphan like you imagine something like that?!"
"Why are you picking on a child?"
"Daphne, are you all right? Uncle will buy you some candy..."
"..."
The little girl was knocked down, then helped back to her feet. Her eyes were red, and that day she resolved to bring dragons back into the world.
If she couldn't prove that the enormous black dragon she'd seen with her own eyes was real, then she would create one herself!
From then on, determined to bring the dragon she admired back into the world, Daphne studied late into the night every day. In time, she became a highly talented magical scientist.
But research into magical science required enormous amounts of funding and resources. A project as resource-intensive as bringing a giant dragon back to life was far beyond Daphne's means, and she couldn't find anyone willing to invest in it.
Just when all hope seemed lost, a priest who claimed to be interested in dragons approached Daphne. He offered to fund her and provided her with a fire-element Dragon Slayer Crystal.
Faced with this long-awaited opportunity, Daphne accepted without hesitation, even though she knew the man wasn't a good person. Her longing for dragons won out.
The priest told Daphne not to conduct her research in territory overseen by the Magic Council, so she returned to her hometown and opened a laboratory in a corner of the town.
As her research progressed, Daphne gradually became obsessed with dragons. She created an Artificial Lifeform with its own consciousness and gave it the form of a giant dragon.
For her experiments, Daphne even went so far as to force the townspeople to fight the "Artificial Lifeform: Dragoon"—an utterly absurd thing to do.
But every resident of the town knew the Concealment magic. Terrified of Daphne, they all used magic to hide.
This enraged Daphne, whose mind had fallen into a frenzy. Using the Dragoon's power, she sealed off the town and made it impossible to dispel the Concealment magic.
But research on the Dragoon soon hit a wall.
Although Dragon Slayer Lacrima were made from the hearts of dead dragons, their magic power was still limited. They couldn't keep the "Dragoon" active for long.
Dragons had far greater vitality and magic power than humans. Now that the dragon race was extinct, the only way to find magic power that could match them was to use a Dragon Slayer Mage who fought with "the power of dragons."
Since the Dragoon had been created around a fire-element Dragon Slayer Crystal, Daphne needed to find a Dragon Slayer Mage with the same attribute.
The pink-haired boy who had barged into Silent Town back then was a perfect target.
But the priest she was working with stopped her. The target she'd set her sights on belonged to a magic guild that was too troublesome for them to deal with.
Daphne hadn't found another Fire Dragon Slayer Mage in all these years. She never expected that the target she'd once pursued would come to her of his own accord.
Natsu's reflection gleamed in her glasses. The Dragoon behind her roared, and Daphne stared at Natsu, consumed by extreme emotion.
Make the Dragoon into a real dragon!
The Artificial Lifeform dragon opened its mouth and unleashed a huge burst of blazing fire, mercilessly swallowing the outsiders.
The priest in the white robe, Dartz, glanced at his partner. "Hey, Daphne! Don't burn that Dragon Slayer Mage to death."
"Don't worry. A Fire Dragon Slayer Mage can withstand most flames. We'll need you to help capture him later."
Daphne directed the Dragoon's attacks, but her real aim was to eliminate all the outsiders except Natsu.
Unfortunately, she had underestimated the Dragon Slayer Mage and overestimated the Dragoon.
The flames pouring from the Dragoon's mouth suddenly began to twist and spin, curling into long, noodle-like strands. To Daphne's shock, Natsu swallowed every last one.
Immunity wasn't the only thing Dragon Slayer Magic could do. It could also let humans eat dragons' elements and gain their bodies. It was far more than that.
Natsu wiped his mouth, the corners of his lips lifting into a grin.
"Thanks for the meal."
"Now it's my turn to return the favor!"
His magic power erupted, and Natsu unleashed the Fire Dragon's Iron Fist once more.
This time, however, a mysterious black sheen covered his right arm as he swung. Even the swirling red magic circle was tinged with a deep black hue.
The roaring Dragon Slayer flames and the iron fist clad in hard Haki.
With a single strike, Natsu smashed away nearly half of the Dragoon's body.
Noah casually punched a member of the Dark Magic Cult unconscious, then impassively watched the Dragoon as Natsu tore it apart.
A dragon-shaped living weapon built around a Dragon Slayer Crystal stood no chance against a Dragon Slayer Mage.
An Artificial Lifeform in the shape of a dragon—it still wasn't a real dragon.
Still, it gave Noah a deeper appreciation for Dragon Slayer Magic.
The takeaway was simple: never let his own "Dragon Knight" fight a Dragon Slayer Mage. Noah didn't want the 400 units he'd poured into Edolas to be torn to pieces like the Dragoon.
"Noah! Quit posing over there! That priest's getting away!"
Gray used an ice hammer to pound the lackeys into howling, but he couldn't stop Dartz, the Dark Magic priest, from running for his life.
But before Noah could move, Mira, already in her Satan Soul form, chased after him. As he watched the two of them fight their way farther and farther away, Noah chose not to follow.
People had long claimed that Dark Magic priests were as strong as S-Class Mages, but based on Noah's earlier encounters with three of them, that claim made no sense at all.
He couldn't speak for other magic guilds, but Noah was certain that Fairy Tail's S-Class Mages were stronger than Dark Magic priests.
Wasn't it only natural for a guild that got into brawls every day to be a little stronger?
Besides, Noah had a reason to stay behind.
Daphne's Artificial Lifeform dragon had a degree of self-awareness. In other words, it was alive.
Noah wanted to get his hands on that technology.
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