Looks Like Things Are About to Get Interesting

Magic could flow more smoothly...

There was still plenty of room to improve the material's strength...

The Dragon Slayer Crystal at its core should combine several different attributes...

In an instant, Daphne had listed a long series of improvements for the Dragoon in her mind.

As a member of Silent Town, Daphne naturally knew Concealment magic, and her skill in it was exceptional. Otherwise, how could she have made it impossible for the entire town to break free of the concealment?

Despite her mastery of such intricate Concealment magic, Daphne had no thought of fleeing while her partner was being utterly crushed.

She simply stood blankly beneath the shattered Dragoon, listening to the sparks sputtering from the malfunctioning artificial dragon, at a loss for words over the work she had devoted years of her life to.

For Daphne, the moment Natsu easily defeated the Dragoon, her dream had shattered along with it. She couldn't help questioning her younger self.

That huge black figure, soaring through the sky, had grown blurry in her memories. Had it really been a dragon?

If it had, could it have been so easily defeated by a Dragon Slayer Mage like the Dragoon had? And if it hadn't, what was the point of all her research over the years?

For a moment, Daphne was lost in a daze, murmuring to herself.

"Does this world... really still have dragons?"

"It definitely does!"

The reply was brimming with absolute confidence, firm and unwavering. The certainty in his voice made Daphne look up.

The pink-haired boy stood atop the wreckage of the artificial dragon, confidence shining in his eyes. He touched the white scarf around his neck. "There are definitely dragons in this world. Igneel and I will meet again someday!"

So that was it. He had seen a dragon, too.

Daphne slowly lowered her head, the corners of her mouth tugging into a strained smile. She voluntarily lifted the restriction she had placed on the townspeople, allowing those forced to remain invisible because of her to return to their normal lives.

Once she had done that, Daphne sat down where she was, ready to accept the punishment she deserved.

Before the townspeople could gather around, Noah walked over to the bespectacled woman whose dream had been shattered. He had learned the reason for Daphne's obsession earlier, through a note exchanged with one of the townspeople.

A being that might have been a Black Dragon.

As it happened, 400 years ago, Noah's ancestor—the king of Edolas at the time—had used the magic Anima to observe the world of Earth-land. He had discovered a terrifying Black Dragon, which inspired the creation of the Dragoon, designed to imitate its power.

Legend had it that dragons were remarkably tenacious, and that the longest-lived could survive for eight or nine hundred years—perhaps even a thousand.

Could the Black Dragon Daphne had seen as a child have been the same terrifying dragon Noah's ancestor had observed 400 years ago?

Suppressing his doubts, Noah looked at the bespectacled woman, who had already surrendered. "Can you give me your artificial life technology?"

Noah made no effort to hide his intentions. Daphne had lost her fighting spirit, and she no longer had any interest in researching magical technology.

Daphne pulled a thick notebook from her pocket. It contained all her research data from the past several years, including the artificial life technology Noah had requested.

The technology was still in its embryonic stage. Because she lacked the specific energy it required, Daphne had planned to continue developing it for the Dragoon only after capturing a fire-attribute Dragon Slayer Mage.

Now that the Dragoon had been destroyed, Daphne didn't want all her hard work to be sealed away and forgotten. Since someone was interested in her research, she generously handed Noah the notebook.

"Thanks."

Noah could have simply taken it by force, but since she had given it to him so readily, he figured he should at least thank her.

Gray formed a pair of ice handcuffs and put them on Daphne. Glancing at the growing crowd of townspeople, he pointed at the compliant woman.

"Noah, what should we do with her?"

According to the Magic Council's regulations, colluding with the Dark Magic Cult was a serious crime, punishable by at least twenty years in prison.

And what Daphne had done to Silent Town was enough to land her in a Fiore Kingdom prison for ten or twenty years as well.

But Noah left the decision up to the local residents. Whether they sent her to the Magic Council or the Kingdom of Fiore was entirely up to them.

"Someone's here! He's badly hurt!"

Lucy's voice rang out. At her direction, a humanoid cow carrying a double-bladed battle-axe carefully dug a bloodied man out of the rubble.

Natsu and Gray immediately went to help. Together with Lucy's Golden Celestial Spirit, Taurus, they rescued the man.

Up close, Noah could see the horrific wounds all over the man's body, left by torture with various instruments. He also sensed traces of magical power from many different attributes lingering on him.

Noah recalled the information the townspeople had given them. The members of the Dark Magic Cult who had disguised themselves as missionaries had indeed brought a man like this with them.

At the time, they hadn't known whether he was friend or foe. But it was obvious now that a man who had been tortured so cruelly wasn't a member of the Dark Magic Cult. The thick scabs covering his body were proof enough that he was a victim.

Despite his grievous injuries, the man still retained a sliver of consciousness. He stubbornly fought to keep himself from passing out. What an iron will.

With a wave, Noah pushed Lucy's bandages aside. The man grabbed the hem of Natsu's clothes, eyes wide, and used the last of his strength to rasp, "Tell... Laharl... There are people... among the higher-ups..."

After forcing out the words, the man finally couldn't hold on any longer and passed out.

He had seen Natsu shatter an artificial dragon as tall as a small building with one punch, and the young man dared to stand up to the Dark Magic Cult in the open. A just and powerful Mage like him was someone worth trusting.

So the man had seen Natsu as his hope and entrusted him with vital information.

Unfortunately, Natsu hadn't understood a single word.

Gray, Lucy, and even Happy were just as confused as Natsu.

Who was Laharl? The higher-ups of where? And who were "they"?

Most importantly, who were you?!

Natsu hated people who spoke in riddles more than anything, but seeing the man's injuries, he still refrained from shaking him awake.

His companions didn't know, but Noah understood who the man was talking about.

It seemed that the name of Laharl, commander of the Magic Council's Enforcement Unit, wasn't well known enough. He was the head of a force that enforced the law through violence, yet even his own guildmates didn't know who he was.

But it didn't matter. Natsu and Gray didn't know the names of the lofty council members, either.

The moment he heard Laharl's name, Noah guessed the man's identity: a member of the Enforcement Unit who had gone undercover to gather intelligence on the dark forces.

How interesting.

Someone from the dark forces had infiltrated the upper ranks of the Magic Council and become one of the ten most powerful figures in the magical world.

One chairman and nine councilors...

Which of them could it be? One of the nine old men who had held onto their lofty positions for ages, or the powerful young man?

Noah's lips curled slightly. It was so hard to guess—the youngest councilor in the Magic Council's history, Mr. Jellal Fernandes.

What would Laharl do if he found out his own superior was involved?

Looks like things are about to get interesting.

But for now, they had to make sure the man didn't die. After all, it was only a guess.

Noah looked at Cheese, the snow-white cat perched on his shoulder, and grabbed the hamster balanced on its head.