Evening had settled over Elentear, and an enormous full moon hung high in the sky, beautiful and elegant enough to make anyone beneath its radiance feel strangely small.
This was Black Moon Mountain, said to be the mountain in Elentear closest to the moon and once famous throughout the world as a hot-spring resort.
Unfortunately, a certain dragon who loved drinking, admiring the moon, and soaking in hot springs had long since claimed the entire mountain for herself.
What had once been one of Elentear's most popular tourist destinations was now effectively Selene's private estate.
At the foot of the mountain, a group of uninvited visitors had just arrived and were making their way upward without the slightest concern.
The villagers they passed below watched the reckless intruders with a mixture of admiration and pity.
Ever since the Moon Dragon God took over Black Moon Mountain, an unspoken rule had become common knowledge throughout the surrounding area: ordinary people—especially men—were forbidden from climbing it.
Anyone who ignored that rule would inevitably be thrown back down the mountain by Selene's subordinates.
If they were unlucky, they might not survive the trip.
"Ankh, everyone down there looks terrified of entering Black Moon Mountain."
Mirajane glanced back at the villagers curiously as she walked beside him.
Ankh answered casually, "Other than Selene herself, the mountain is mostly filled with her female subordinates, attendants, singers, dancers, and the like. They also hold drinking parties and group hot-spring gatherings whenever they feel like it, so men aren't allowed up here."
Sawyer's steps faltered.
He struggled to keep the corners of his mouth from rising and asked with forced hesitation,
"Then… is it really appropriate for us to just walk in?"
Macbeth gave him a sidelong glance.
"Wipe the drool off your mouth. Your intentions are painfully obvious."
Sawyer immediately wiped at his lips.
There was nothing there.
His face darkened.
"You sanctimonious bastard!"
In Sawyer's defense, the poor man was already twenty-one and had somehow remained single his entire life.
Was it really so wrong for him to have a few expectations when hearing about an entire mountain populated almost exclusively by beautiful women?
Just look at his teammates.
Jellal was the leader of Crime Sorcière, handsome, powerful, and now respectable enough to work openly at Frey's company.
Every time he visited the office, a small army of admiring girls practically followed him around.
He had become the perfect handsome-executive archetype.
Ultear had developed an overwhelming maternal streak.
Whenever she wasn't completing one of Ankh's assignments, she spent most of her time fussing over Meredy.
Sorano was even worse.
She was clingy by nature and regularly went over to Ankh's place to act sweet and innocent, only to sneak away later and visit Yukino at Sabertooth.
As for Erik, Sawyer honestly wouldn't have been surprised if the man and Kinana suddenly appeared one day carrying a baby.
And Macbeth…
Well.
Better to ignore the emotionally unavailable one.
Sawyer suffered.
His brothers and sisters had all found people or things to devote themselves to while he remained completely alone.
He wanted a family too!
Macbeth ignored Sawyer's silent despair and continued following Ankh.
He had never cared much about romance himself.
As far as Macbeth was concerned, being able to live peacefully alongside his companions after everything they had survived was already more than enough.
Sorano skipped over to Ankh with a mischievous smile.
"Why don't you ask the Moon Dragon God to introduce Sawyer to someone? Otherwise he's going to keep looking like an abandoned wife."
Ankh glanced at the inexplicably depressed Sawyer and smiled.
"We'll see."
Just then, brilliant white light suddenly erupted across the mountain path.
Mirajane immediately tensed.
Sawyer instantly forgot his romantic misery and prepared to evacuate everyone if necessary.
Ankh, however, recognized the emotion contained within the Magic Power and simply waved for everyone to relax.
"It's fine. That's Selene's power."
"She doesn't mean any harm."
The white light enveloped them.
When Ankh opened his eyes again, the scenery had completely changed.
He was inside a room decorated in a traditional eastern style.
A warm hearth glowed nearby, its heat a sharp contrast to the cold mountain wind from only moments earlier.
Ankh found himself seated on a heated platform and rose to inspect his surroundings.
Before he could locate Mirajane and the others, a sliding door opened.
A beautiful attendant with her hair arranged in a high bun entered and bowed.
"Ankh-sama. Selene-sama instructed me to attend you while you enjoy the hot spring."
"She really hasn't changed at all…"
Remembering the female dragon's personality, Ankh couldn't help muttering under his breath.
During the six months he spent recovering from his injuries, he had been around Selene almost every day.
The two had become surprisingly close during that time.
Calling them good friends—or even bros—wouldn't have been much of an exaggeration.
Since he was already a guest, Ankh saw little reason to argue with the host's arrangements.
He followed the attendant to an open-air bath, let her help him out of his clothes, and comfortably sank into the steaming water.
Above him, Elentear's moon looked almost impossibly beautiful against the night sky.
"So? Drinking under the moon while soaking here is still the best, isn't it?"
Ankh turned toward the voice coming from the mist beside him.
Exactly as expected, a stunning blond woman was lazily reclining against the edge of the hot spring.
Her skin looked almost like polished gem beneath the moonlight, and she made absolutely no effort to hide her voluptuous figure beneath the steaming water as she leisurely held a cup of wine in one hand.
Ankh gave her the dead-eyed stare of someone thoroughly accustomed to this behavior.
"Even if we're here to talk, do we really need to do it naked?"
"I soak three times a day."
Selene took an unhurried sip from her cup.
"You're the ones who interrupted my schedule."
The mature blond beauty, whose appearance could rival Mirajane's and whose sheer womanly allure surpassed nearly anyone Ankh knew, was none other than the Moon Dragon God, Selene.
She showed absolutely no embarrassment.
Instead, amusement appeared in her eyes.
"Besides, dragons were never accustomed to wearing clothes in the first place."
She deliberately shifted against the edge of the pool.
"What's wrong? Is this form distracting you?"
"Not really."
Ankh calmly refused to take the bait.
"But the moment I learned about this habit of yours, I knew we were destined to be bros."
Having automatically returned fire, he immediately moved on.
"Where are my companions? What kind of prank are you pulling this time?"
Selene shrugged, creating a rather distracting ripple in the water, then swept one hand across the surface.
Three streams rose from the hot spring and floated into the air, forming three separate water mirrors.
Each began displaying a different scene.
Ankh immediately spotted Mirajane, Ultear, and the others.
They were currently in different locations.
And apparently fighting.
Selene rested her head lazily against one arm.
"Those are three of my subordinates. I thought I'd have them give your friends a little training while you were here."
She smiled.
"It won't take long."
"The Moonlight Divinities?"
Ankh had naturally heard Selene mention her strongest subordinates before.
But as he watched the three women in the water mirrors rapidly begin losing ground against his companions, doubt entered his expression.
"My friends are pretty strong."
He glanced at Selene.
"You're sure your people can handle them?"
"The power used in Elentear is called Spirior. It's essentially a different application of magical energy."
Selene spoke as casually as ever.
"It won't do much for you or me, but if your friends learn how to use it, their strength should increase considerably."
So that was what she had arranged.
Having explained herself, Selene shifted around in the water and looked directly at Ankh with open curiosity.
"What about you?"
"Why did you come looking for me?"
Ankh carefully kept his attention on her face and ignored the blatant visual distraction the dragon had turned toward him.
"Elentear recently received any large groups of outsiders?"
His expression became serious.
"People from the White Magic Cult, for example?"
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