I'll Fight Ten

At midday in summer, an untimely, enormous bonfire crackled atop the cliff.

Heat and waves swept around, distorting the air as it was baked.

By the stream, Hughes busily picked and washed wild vegetables, occasionally tossing aside the weeds mixed in with them. As time passed, the weeds by the stream slowly piled up.

Hughes sighed inwardly. He knew without even analyzing that only Natsu, whose common sense was practically nonexistent, would mistake weeds for wild vegetables.

A warm breeze carried the faint sounds of laughter from afar. Hughes glanced up and saw Erza playing a game with a group of kids.

The playful chase and the lighthearted, joyful atmosphere are captivating, making viewers feel as if they've returned to a carefree time.

The scene shifts to Mira, who is squatting by a campfire, sweating profusely. Her fair, snow-white face is flushed, her nose is pink, and beads of sweat adorn her skin.

With his right hand, he frequently turned over dozens of pieces of meat, each the size of Happy, above the flames, while his free left hand fanned his face, his little tongue occasionally sticking out, as if he could blow away the heat from his body.

It was heartbreaking to watch, and a sense of guilt welled up inside me.

Hughes frowned, picked up the washed wild vegetables, and water droplets dripped from the fresh green leaves, soaking his clothes, but Hughes did not notice at all.

After placing the wild vegetables in a spot, Hughes turned and walked to Mira's side. With a wave of his hand, the campfire sputtered, the sparks dissipated, and the direction of the flames and heat changed.

"It's so hot, why didn't you ask someone else to help?" Hughes said irritably.

Mira narrowed her eyes slightly and explained with a smile, "Erza caught wild animals, Natsu and Gray gathered wild vegetables, Hughes, you washed the vegetables. Everyone contributed, and I was in charge of cooking, so it's normal for me to get a little hot!"

Hughes shook his head, sat down next to Mira, and out of the corner of his eye noticed a few strands of damp white hair sticking to her flushed face. He reached out and picked them up, tucking them behind Mira's ear.

"Sweating so much, anyone who didn't know better would think you were in a sauna!"

Mira's body suddenly stiffened, her round almond-shaped eyes widened like copper bells, and her rosy cheeks turned as red as the bonfire before her. "You... you... I..."

She stared blankly ahead, her voice stammering, and a faint breath rose from her head, like a glutinous rice ball just out of a steamer, making one want to knead it.

Unable to resist, Hughes placed his hand on her head and ruffled it a couple of times. "I can handle things here, you go play with Lisanna and the others under the trees!"

"I..."

Before Mira could finish her stammering speech, Hughes crouched down and reached out to grasp Mira's hand.

The girl, her cheeks flushed, only managed a soft "Ah!" before staggering half a step before regaining her balance in front of Hughes.

Hughes released his grip, moved his warm palm to Mira's back, and gave her a gentle push.

"The clothes are soaked; if they're left to dry in the sun any longer, they could easily get sick!"

Mira stood there, stealing a glance at Hughes who had sat down again. Her heart pounded wildly, a mixture of panic, shyness, and joy.

Under the shade of a tree, a distracted white-haired girl leaned against the trunk, her almond-shaped eyes frequently gazing at the figure before the campfire, a strange smile playing on her lips.

The precocious Lisanna stood behind Mira, her eyes filled with disdain.

Mira, there's no hope for you in this lifetime.

I don't know how many magic coins I should get for selling Mira to Hughes... Maybe I should charge her the price of wild animal meat...

Elfman, with his thick eyebrows and large eyes, glanced at Lisanna, then silently took a few steps back. His intuition told him that Lisanna was about to get a beating.

The scene shifts, as if an absent-minded person has appeared under the shade of a tree, and a sullen figure has appeared before the campfire where sparks fly.

It's not Hughes, it's Natsu...

At this moment, Natsu, who had been forcibly dragged over by Hughes, wore a bitter expression. Under Hughes's command, he kept turning over the pieces of meat, muttering indignant protests, "Damn it, Hughes, why don't you make Gray do the work!"

Hughes shrugged. After all, they were the only two fire mages here, fearless of fire and highly resistant to high temperatures.

He couldn't bear to harm others.

Besides, Gray wasn't idle either. As the new darling of summer, he was busy emitting cool air to dispel the heat from Erza and the others.

After adding firewood to the campfire, Hughes stood up and stretched. Then, he flipped his palm, and a solid, flower-like deep red flame suddenly appeared in his palm.

"Don't be upset, kid. Here, have this!" Hughes nudged Natsu.

As Fire Dragon Slayer Mage, Natsu is as attracted to high-level flames as Happy is to Feather Fish.

The unique aroma of the flames wafted into his nose and mouth, causing Natsu to swallow hard, his eyes flickering like flames. "Really... really giving me some?"

Hughes tightened his wrist slightly, and the flame in his palm detached, floating down in front of Natsu: "Eat up! There's more if you're not full!"

"Hughes, Arigato." Natsu happily narrowed his amber eyes, his gaping maw, like an abyss, opened wide, swallowing a flame three times larger than his head.

"Wow, this is delicious! I feel so energized!"

Hughes shook his head and chuckled, slightly raising his fingers to reveal a solid, flower-like crimson flame. He nodded lightly, indicating to Natsu to eat as much as he wanted.

Natsu jumped two meters high with delight, waving his arms, and swallowed the flames whole again, his mouth bulging as if he had stuffed two big buns inside.

With the Flame-Flame Fruit, condensing a few clusters of flames for Natsu to eat is as easy for Hughes as taking a few deep breaths of air.

Seeing Natsu enjoying his meal, Hughes didn't hold back either. He spread his ten fingers, and with a "whoosh," crimson sparks ignited at his fingertips. The sparks burst forth, and in the blink of an eye, ten crimson flames danced at Hughes ' fingertips.

With a light wave of his arms, Hughes sent crimson flames detaching from his fingertips, growing ever stronger. Moments later, ten crimson flames, resembling blazing suns, soared into the air.

Under the scorching sun and fueled by the flames, the temperature around the campfire suddenly rose to a point where it was difficult to approach.

Natsu looked up at the sky, his pupils reflecting ten fireballs, and drool involuntarily dripped down his chin.

Hughes patted Natsu on the shoulder. "These are all for you to eat. Remember to listen to Mira's instructions and don't burn the meat."

Natsu nodded repeatedly; as long as there was fire to eat, everything was fine.

Hughes smiled, gave Mira a hand gesture, and casually left. He had something to discuss with Laxus.

Under the shade of the trees, Gray used Ice-Make Magic to create four giant ice walls near where everyone was sitting, the cool, refreshing air keeping out the unpleasant summer heat.

"Hiccup!" xn

Burps rose and fell, and the satisfied crowd sprawled out on the grass, exchanging jokes and banter, filling the air with a joyful and relaxed atmosphere.

Laxus sat down next to Hughes and mumbled, "Are you sure you want me to attack you? Aren't you going to defend yourself at all?"

Hughes nodded; he wanted to use the help of everyone here to hone his Kami-e.

Kami-e requires releasing all your strength, sensing the airflow generated by the opponent's attack, and dodging the attack by following the airflow.

He had just gone to Laxus to discuss this matter. The golden lightning released by Laxus's Lightning Dragon Slayer Magic was fast and had a wide attack range, making it perfect for helping him cultivate his paper drawing skills.