"What?!"
"Kill the magic dragon?!"
Kael Vane and Erza both stiffened at the king's declaration.
A dragon wasn't just a strong monster. Even the weakest dragons were legendary calamities—creatures said to be capable of wiping a nation off the map.
For Erza, the existence of dragons wasn't the shocking part. Natsu had been raised by Igneel. Dragons were real.
But Kael Vane had seen more of the Fairy Tail world's "future" than most people here. He knew what dragons meant in practice.
Dragons—any dragons—were at the top of the food chain.
Unless you had Dragon Slayer magic, fighting one as an ordinary wizard was almost a death wish. It wasn't only because of their sheer size or their destructive power. Dragons were born with monstrous bodies, terrifying magic, and—worst of all—a natural resistance to human magic so high that most spells either didn't work or were severely weakened.
"That's right," King Reno said, his voice steady and unyielding. "Kill the magic dragon."
He leaned forward slightly, as if the weight of the kingdom rested on his shoulders—and he intended to carry it.
"After four hundred years under the seal, it must be weaker than it once was. If we wait for it to break free, it will recover. It will grow stronger. It will become unstoppable."
His eyes sharpened.
"So we strike first. We break the seal ourselves, and we kill it while it is still suppressed. We end this threat permanently."
Kael and Erza exchanged a glance. The king's resolve wasn't bravado. It was the kind of determination that came from someone who had already accepted the cost.
Erza took a breath and spoke carefully. "Your Majesty… killing a dragon is far beyond an S-Rank mission."
King Reno nodded at once. "I know. That is why I am upgrading the request to SS-Rank."
Then he added, without hesitation, "The reward will be doubled as well. The payment will increase from 15,000,000 J to 30,000,000 J."
"Thirty million…"
Kael's eyes widened despite himself.
That number hit like a punch.
His mind immediately snapped to the system's logic: higher risk meant higher reward. An SS-Rank mission wasn't just money—it meant a far larger payout in pulls. If he stayed on A-Rank missions, he'd be grinding for months to reach the same return.
Erza's expression didn't soften.
She turned slightly toward Kael. "Your Majesty, please allow us a moment. I need to speak with my partner."
The king gestured with one hand. "Go ahead."
Erza stepped closer to Kael, lowering her voice. "Kael… this is too dangerous."
She didn't say it lightly. Erza was brave, but she wasn't foolish.
"I agreed to challenge an S-Rank mission," she continued, "but SS-Rank is different. We came here for a sword retrieval. Now it's a dragon."
Her eyes were serious, and for once her tone carried a trace of warning rather than command.
"My advice is to withdraw."
Kael didn't answer immediately. He looked past her—back to the throne.
Then he spoke, not to Erza, but to the king.
"Your Majesty," Kael said evenly, "if you're pushing a plan like this… you must have preparations in place, right?"
For the first time, King Reno's expression shifted—subtle, but real. Surprise, followed by approval.
"You are perceptive," the king said. "Of course I have prepared. This concerns the survival of my kingdom. I would not gamble it on hope alone."
He studied Kael for a beat. "But tell me—how did you know?"
Kael's answer was simple. "Because you weren't asking whether we agreed. You were telling us what was going to happen."
King Reno smiled faintly. "Exactly."
Then his voice hardened again.
"Even if Fairy Tail had not sent anyone… I would still move against the dragon."
As he spoke, the king reached to the armrest of his throne and twisted it.
Click.
A mechanism engaged beneath the floor.
The stone in front of the throne split open, and from within, a platform rose smoothly upward, presenting a longsword as if it were being offered by the palace itself.
The weapon was imposing—long, heavy, and forged with unmistakable craftsmanship. A fiery red gem was set into the hilt, catching the light like a living ember.
"A sword?" Erza murmured.
Kael frowned slightly. A sword as the centerpiece of a dragon-killing plan? It was fitting for the Kingdom of Swords… but also too simple on the surface.
King Reno read their reactions and didn't seem offended. He simply stated the truth.
"This is not an ordinary sword."
He lifted it with practiced confidence. The motion wasn't ceremonial—it was familiar, like someone who had held weapons his entire life.
"This is a dragon-slaying sword, forged by a master craftsman under royal command."
He tapped the gem with a knuckle.
"And this is not a normal gemstone. It is a Dragon Lacrima."
"Dragon Lacrima?!" Kael's eyes widened.
Erza turned to him, surprised by how immediate his reaction was. "Kael… you know what that is?"
Kael nodded. "Yes. A Lacrima formed from a dragon's heart. If it's implanted into someone's body, they can use Dragon Slayer magic of that element."
The king's expression warmed with approval. "Well said."
He raised the sword slightly, letting the gem catch the light again.
"This is a Fire Dragon Lacrima," King Reno continued. "I acquired it at an extraordinary price from Giltena in the northern continent. If implanted, it can grant Fire Dragon Slayer magic… but mastering that magic takes years."
His gaze sharpened again.
"And we do not have years."
He shifted the sword in his hand.
"Human magic cannot reliably harm dragons. So I ordered my smiths to do what a normal blade cannot."
His grip tightened.
The moment his fingers locked around the hilt—
Fwoom.
Flames burst along the blade, crawling from guard to tip in a fierce, controlled blaze.
Heat rolled through the throne room like a wave. Even standing several paces away, Kael felt his skin prickle. The air itself seemed to distort.
"So hot…" someone in the room muttered instinctively.
A moment later, the king lowered the blade slightly, and the flames died down, withdrawing as if obeying his will.
He returned the sword to the platform with care—like one would set down a crown.
Kael's eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't let just anyone hold something like that."
"Of course not," King Reno replied instantly.
His tone left no room for debate.
"This sword is the key to slaying the dragon and saving Sorbear. I will not entrust it to chance. Only the strongest swordsman deserves to wield it."
"The strongest swordsman…" Erza repeated quietly.
King Reno nodded.
"You have arrived at the perfect time," he said, and his voice carried the weight of command now—not a request, but a decree.
"I have invoked my authority as king to announce a tournament—one to determine the strongest swordsman on the Ishgar continent."
"A tournament?!" Kael blurted.
Erza's eyes widened slightly as well. Even she hadn't expected that.
King Reno looked at Erza next, and for the first time his expression held something close to admiration.
"You," he said, "are an exceptional swordswoman."
He didn't flatter—he assessed.
"You slew a five-star Blazing Boar in a single strike at the city gate. That was not luck. That was skill."
He leaned forward just a fraction.
"Your ability should be at least six-star… perhaps even seven-star."
Then he asked, simply and directly:
"Will you participate?"
Erza's fingers curled slightly at her side.
As a swordsman, how could she not be tempted?