Back at the bar, Cana plopped down onto a high stool, her shoulders shaking with a stifled laugh as she recalled Wendy's wide, shocked eyes. She couldn't help but let out a "pfft" of amusement.
In high spirits, she grabbed the nearby barrel of ale and chugged it down with loud gulps until it was empty, then let out a satisfied sigh, the scent of alcohol lingering in the air.
Lisanna sidled up next to her, nudging Cana's side with her elbow, a sly grin spreading across her face. She leaned in and whispered, "I overheard everything!"
"You actually told Wendy that Lucy was just like her when she first joined the guild?" Lisanna teased. "Aren't you worried she'll muster up the courage to ask Lucy one day and your little lie will fall apart?"
Cana smirked, wagging her finger confidently, her expression screaming I've got this all figured out. "Oh, Lisanna, you're still too green," she said, leaning closer, her breath tinged with ale as she whispered in Lisanna's ear. "Wendy's way too shy to ask something that embarrassing. She'll just quietly try it herself and take my word as gospel."
Pausing, she glanced around to make sure no one else was listening before lowering her voice even more. "That said, it's a good thing Levy's been out on a mission these past few days. If she were here, my plan wouldn't have worked nearly as fast."
"Ohhh!" Lisanna dragged out the word playfully. "Cana, you're bad-mouthing Levy behind her back? I'm totally telling her when she gets back!"
Then, with a mischievous glint in her eye, she shifted gears, holding out her hand with a devilish grin. "Unless you want me to spill the beans, you'd better hand over those embarrassing photos you secretly took of me the other day!"
Cana let out another smug chuckle, completely unfazed, and pulled a faintly glowing card from the pouch at her waist. With a spark of magic at her fingertips, she tapped the center of the card. Instantly, Lisanna's earlier "threatening" words echoed from it, clear as day.
"I knew you'd try something like this," Cana said, waving the card triumphantly. "So I recorded it with a sound-capture card. If you dare snitch to Levy, I'll play this for her and say you're just making stuff up to get those photos back!"
"You sneaky jerk!" Lisanna huffed, lunging forward to snatch the card.
"It's called adult wisdom," Cana laughed, dodging nimbly. The two girls tumbled into a playful scuffle, their clear laughter ringing through the noisy guildhall.
The lively banquet stretched on until evening, the guild's windows glowing orange in the sunset as everyone reluctantly dispersed.
The next day, Wendy started tackling some simple missions. With her daily ritual of downing three cups of sweetheart fruit milk, the days flew by, and a week passed in a blink.
That day, the guild doors burst open with a loud bang, and Natsu stormed in like a fiery red whirlwind. Before he even steadied himself, his booming voice filled the hall. "Wendy! Gajeel! I heard someone spotted a dragon nearby! Like, recently!"
His face lit up with uncontainable excitement as he rushed over to Wendy, who was sipping her milk. Slamming his hands on the table, he leaned in, eyes wide. "I'm gonna go check it out! You guys wanna come?!"
Gajeel, gnawing on an iron rod with a loud crunch, didn't even look up. He snorted through his nose and mumbled, "Tch, I'm not going. Probably some idiot who saw wrong or another dumb rumor. Total waste of time."
Wendy set down her milk cup, gently patting her chest to swallow her sip, then tilted her head curiously. "Mr. Natsu, where'd you hear this?"
"Some lady told me," Natsu said, scratching his hair as he tried to recall. "I overheard her talking to someone on the road, saying someone saw a dragon around here recently! So I chased her down, asked for details, and came straight to you guys!"
He grew more excited with every word, clenching his fists. "The person who saw the dragon isn't far from here. They're supposedly staying at an inn!"
"A woman, an inn, and a dragon sighting?" Roger, who'd been quietly sitting nearby, tapped the table thoughtfully for a few seconds before asking, "Natsu, do you remember what the woman who told you this looked like? Or did she have any weird catchphrases?"
"Uhh…" Natsu crossed his arms, his brows furrowing so hard his whole face screamed thinking hard. "She… had round glasses, I think? And a cat-shaped hat? As for catchphrases…" He racked his brain for a moment before shaking his head. "Nope, don't think she had one."
"No catchphrase? Not Daphne, then?" Roger raised an eyebrow, surprised, but knowing Natsu's scatterbrained nature, he pressed further. "Did she keep saying stuff like 'Hai-yee hai-yee' or 'Hai-yee hai-yee-hai'?"
"Oh! Yeah!" Natsu's face lit up like a lightbulb went off in his head. "She totally said that! Roger, you know her?"
"Not exactly," Roger shook his head lightly. "Just heard some rumors about her. But you don't need to make the trip. She hasn't seen the dragons that raised you."
He paused, looking at Natsu. "Natsu, do you remember anything about 'Silent Town'?"
"Silent Town?" Natsu's brain was practically smoking from all the questions. He rummaged through his memories but came up empty, shaking his head. "Never heard of it. No clue."
"Even if he doesn't, I know a bit about it~," Mira chimed in, her gentle smile lighting up her face as she set a tray of dishes on a nearby table and walked over. "I've heard about that town by chance. Apparently, someone who could control dragons caused a lot of destruction there and then used magic to turn all the townspeople into 'invisible people.' They can only communicate with outsiders through their shadows under specific conditions, like at sunset, and they ask passing travelers or wizards to defeat the dragon controller."
"I've heard that rumor too," Erza said coolly, stepping into the hall, her brow slightly furrowed. "But no one's found this so-called 'Dragon Tamer' yet. Could the woman Natsu met be the culprit from the rumors?"
"Most likely," Roger replied. "But we'll need to confirm the details."
"Control dragons?!" Wendy gasped, covering her mouth with both hands. "Someone can actually control dragons?"
"Not real dragons," Roger clarified, shaking his head to dispel their hopes. "According to the rumors, they're just artificial lifeforms she created with magic or some kind of technology, made to look like dragons."
"Artificial lifeforms?!" The term made several people in the room exclaim in shock.
Gray, drawn in by the conversation, frowned and joined them. "Creating life and permanently turning an entire town invisible? Whoever did that must be one of those legendary 'mad scientists,' right?"
"But," Wendy tilted her head, confusion written all over her face, "if she's the scientist herself, why would she go out of her way to tell Mr. Natsu she saw a dragon?"
Charle crossed her arms, lifting her chin with a haughty huff. "With a nutcase like that, isn't it normal for them to do all sorts of weird things?"
"Because her target is someone who 'happened' to overhear her," Roger said, pointing at the still-confused Natsu.
"Target?!" Everyone froze.
Mira gasped, covering her mouth in surprise. "Someone's got their eye on Natsu?!"
She raised a finger, her tone teasingly instructive. "But using a lie like that to get attention is a bit old-fashioned. She should've been bolder!"
Everyone faceplanted, imaginary sweatdrops forming as Lucy walked over, rolling her eyes. "I don't think Roger meant that kind of target. She's a mad scientist, after all."
"Exactly," Roger chuckled at Mira's comment. "More specifically, she's probably after Natsu's unique magic as a Dragon Slayer."
He turned serious, looking at Natsu. "Do you remember where she was?"
"The exact spot…" Natsu hugged his head, thinking hard again. After a long pause, he looked up, frustrated. "I don't remember exactly, but she told me how to get there! If I go back to where I met her, I can definitely find that inn!"
"Need me to lead the way?" he added.
Roger nodded. "That'd be great. Thanks."
As soon as he spoke, Mira casually stepped forward, looping her arm through his with a sweet smile. "I'm coming too~! Can't let Roger go meet some strange woman alone—especially one he's interested in."
Erza blinked, then, as if something clicked, a faint blush crossed her face. She quickly stepped to Roger's other side, clearing her throat to sound composed. "If Mira's going, I'm coming too. Someone's gotta keep an eye on her so she doesn't—uh—go overboard."
"Alright, let's go, Happy!" Natsu, ignoring all the subtext, grabbed Happy—who was still fawning over Charle with a fish in each paw—and bolted out the guild doors like a cannonball. "We're gonna show that lady who's after me what's up!!"
"Wha—?! Wait!!" Happy wailed, flailing his paws toward Charle. "Natsu, why can't you go alone?! Why drag me into this?!"
"We're partners, aren't we?! Plus, you heard everything! If I mess up the directions, you can correct me!!"
"Nooo! Charle!!!" Happy's desperate cries echoed as the group set off toward the mysterious inn.
With Happy and Natsu bickering over directions ("Left! It's left, you idiot Natsu!" "Huh? But there's a frog-shaped rock on the right!"), they took a few detours but finally reached their destination: a lone, weathered inn standing on a barren rocky beach.
"Whoa!" Happy gawked at the desolate surroundings and the eerie, forgotten-looking building. "Not a single blade of grass around, and this creepy old place? This is straight out of a horror movie!"
He shivered, shrinking back. "If I were alone, no way I'd come near a place like this!"
Mira glanced around, giggling softly. "Oh, come on~! This vibe totally suits a 'mad scientist,' don't you think?"
They pushed open the heavy inn doors, stepping into a dimly lit interior. Roger seemed to know exactly where to go, leading them straight to the second floor and down a hallway to a door at the far end. The door was shaped like a cat's face, complete with a bell on the handle and cat-themed stickers and toys plastered on the surrounding walls.
Happy's mouth twitched as he deadpanned, "This lady and Millianna would definitely be besties."
Natsu, never one for patience, strode forward and pounded on the cat-faced door, shouting, "Hey! You crazy scien—"
Before he could finish, Erza's fist connected with the back of his head, sending him face-first to the floor with a thud.
"Idiot!" Erza snapped, retracting her fist. "Yelling that outright just gives away why we're here!"
"Ow!" Natsu clutched the fresh lump on his head, wincing. "She can't beat us anyway! I say we just barge in and drag her out for answers!"
As he grumbled, footsteps—tap tap tap—came from inside. The door creaked open a crack, revealing a woman in a cat-shaped hood, round glasses perched on her nose, and a sausage-like snack dangling from her mouth.
"Hai-yee hai-yee~! Guests?" she mumbled, rubbing sleepy eyes.
Natsu scrambled to his feet, ignoring the pain, and shouted through the crack, "Did you see a dragon?!"
"D-Duh—" Daphne started to nod instinctively, but her eyes flicked to the three figures behind Natsu. Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly backtracked. "O-Of course not! You've got the wrong place! Bye!"
She tried to slam the door shut, but Natsu's hand shot out, stopping it with a bang. "No way! You're the one who told me the dragon-spotter was here! I'd recognize your smell and that weird hat anywhere!"
His arm muscles tensed as he held the door firm. This guy's stronger than the data said! Daphne thought, panic rising. Her magic surged, faint runes glowing along the doorframe. A sudden force pushed back against Natsu, slowly but steadily closing the door.
"Hai-yee hai-yee, you've got the wrong person! That wasn't me!" Daphne insisted from behind the door, pouring more magic into the spell.
The increased resistance caught Natsu off guard, but it only fueled his competitive streak. With a low growl, his muscles tightened, veins bulging as he pushed back with even greater force. The door groaned under the strain, then swung back open with a loud creak!
"Your smell's the same as before! No way I got it wrong!" Natsu roared.
BOOM! With a final shove, the door flew open, slamming against the walls and sending dust cascading from the frame. Natsu brushed off his hands (though there was no dust) and eyed Daphne, who'd stumbled back two steps from the force. "Didn't expect a scrawny thing like you to have that much strength. Doesn't look it."
"Hai-yee hai-yee," Daphne muttered, adjusting her crooked glasses and trying to stay calm. "Barging into someone's room like this? That's gonna tarnish Fairy Tail's reputation, you know."
"Daphne," Roger stepped forward, his gaze locked on her eyes. "Dragon enthusiast since childhood. Claimed to have seen a dragon as a kid but was mocked as delusional, so you vowed to create a 'real' dragon to prove yourself."
With every word, Daphne's face paled. "You tested your artificial lifeforms in your hometown, but the residents' stealth magic made them undetectable to your creations. In a fit of rage, you destroyed your first prototype and used some method to permanently lock their stealth magic, leaving them unable to appear normally to this day."
Roger raised an eyebrow. "Am I right, Miss Daphne?"
Cold sweat soaked Daphne's back, her pupils shrinking to pinpoints in shock. How does he know so much?! Even the stealth magic and the townspeople's situation?! The townsfolk could only appear briefly—there's no way they could've shared that much detail!
She stumbled back a step, forcing a smile uglier than a sob as she faced the group of menacing wizards, her voice trembling. "Hai-yee hai-yee… No wonder they call you the Nightmare King."
"I knew you'd be trouble, but not this much trouble." Her eyes flicked to Erza, poised for action, and Mira, smiling serenely, and her heart sank. "And you brought the Fairy Queen and the Demon too? This is bad."
Instinctively, her hand behind her back flashed through a series of complex gestures. The next second, several dark green magic circles flared on the floor. Eight humanoid lizard-like creatures emerged, their eyes glowing with cold, mechanical red light, shielding Daphne.
Mira studied them curiously. "So these are the artificial lifeforms? They look like they're built for fighting."
Purple magic swirled around her as she transformed into her Satan Soul form, bat-like wings unfurling behind her. At the same moment, a magic circle glowed beneath one of the lizard creatures, and it sank into the floor like it was submerging in water. Seconds later, another lizard creature—this one with golden claws and a black metal tail—rose from the same spot, replacing the first.
Mira narrowed her eyes, sensing a familiar magical signature. "Oh? That magic feels like it's mimicking my takeover magic. Interesting."
"Hai-yee hai-yee!" Daphne's confidence crept back as she saw her creation succeed. "These special artificial lifeforms can analyze and replicate an opponent's magic in battle! They'll only get tougher!"
As she spoke, she inched backward, muttering, "Well, have fun, everyone. I'll just—"
Before she could bolt, a cold metal sensation pressed against her neck. Erza's icy voice cut through the air. "Take one more step, and I can't guarantee you'll speak again."
Daphne froze, swallowing hard as her eyes darted downward. A gleaming silver sword rested steadily against her carotid artery. "H-Hai-yee hai-yee… L-Let's talk this out—"
Her voice cracked as she forced down her fear. "I'm curious—how'd you get to me so fast? Shouldn't you be dealing with the lifeform copying your magic?"
"Its magic was shallow—form without skill or experience," Erza said calmly. "I just had to shatter its core faster than it could adapt to your magic."
"Shatter?!" Curiosity briefly overpowered her fear, and Daphne tried to turn her head, only to wince as the blade nicked her skin, drawing a thin line of blood. Glancing sideways, she saw a pile of neatly sliced green metal parts, sparking faintly and arranged like building blocks in the corner.
"No way!" Daphne's voice rose to a shrill pitch. "Those materials aren't top-tier, but they're strong enough to withstand an A-class wizard's full strike! How could you cut them up like that in an instant?!"