— — — — — —
After parting with Juvia, Kazuma went to find Wendy first. Once he confirmed that the little girl had fully grasped the secrets of Sky Dragon Slayer Magic, he brought her along to the dragons' burial ground.
On the way, Carla kept sneaking glances at Kazuma, only to jerk her gaze away every time he noticed.
"Hey. Kitty," Kazuma said at last. "If you've got something to say, just say it. Don't keep hesitating like that."
He'd noticed her strange behavior earlier and hadn't cared much at first, but after it happened over and over, it started to get on his nerves.
"It's nothing… well, not exactly nothing," Carla said hesitantly. "I just want to ask… did you leave this world for a while?"
Her precognitive ability had activated, showing her fragmented visions. The images were blurry, but she recognized Kazuma immediately.
That overwhelming, terrifying presence was something she would never forget.
"Yeah," Kazuma admitted without hiding it. "I went to Edolas, your original world. Took care of things over there."
"Edolas? R-really?!"
Shock flashed across Carla's face, followed quickly by relief. If the problems there were resolved, then Wendy wouldn't be in danger anymore.
"What about the other Exceeds?" Carla asked anxiously. "Were they all captured?"
"No," Kazuma replied. "When the anima-reversal magic was activated, all individuals with magic were exiled to this world instead."
Wendy didn't really understand what the two of them were talking about. She didn't interrupt, just sat quietly and listened.
"How can that be?!" Carla cried out in panic. "If those people came here, they'll… they'll take Wendy away. They'll hurt her!"
"That's where you're mistaken," Kazuma said calmly. "The Exceeds never had any plan or intent to capture Dragon Slayers."
"What you thought you knew wasn't information they fed you. It was a future you foresaw. Oh, and among the cats who came over, your mother should be there too."
Seeing Carla completely on edge, Kazuma suddenly understood why she was so tense and explained it to her.
"A future I foresaw? And my mother? Wh-what are you even talking about?!"
Carla's brain completely short-circuited. She couldn't make sense of any of it.
"Alright, then I'll explain everything properly. Listen carefully."
Kazuma laid it all out from the beginning. By the time he finished, Carla went limp and collapsed into Wendy's arms.
"S-so all this time, everything I was worried about was a misunderstanding? Wendy was never in danger at all?!"
"No wonder that blue cat didn't know anything," she muttered. "So it was all my own misinterpretation…"
"Th-then where is my mother now?"
Her body felt weak, but she finally let out a deep sigh of relief. The heavy stone in her heart had at last been lifted.
"That, I don't know," Kazuma said, spreading his hands helplessly. "I just exiled them here. As for where they ended up, you'll have to find out yourself."
"But I can give you a suggestion," he added. "Go find Cana. Her divination is very accurate. She might be able to tell you where your mother is."
"Cana…" Carla nodded. "Alright. When we get back, I'll go find her right away."
"Bring a bottle of alcohol," Kazuma reminded her. "She loves drinking. If you give her booze, she'll help you for free. Otherwise, she charges for divination."
"Got it."
Carla remembered that Porlyusica had some homemade medicinal liquor. She could bring that along as a gift for Cana.
After that, Carla explained everything to Wendy. What followed was the sight of a little girl hugging a cat and crying.
They each told the other that they were their best friend, their family, their partner, poured out their feelings, and ended up holding each other and crying again.
Once everything was settled, their train arrived at the station. The rest of the journey had to be done on foot.
Kazuma sent out his shadow soldiers to scout ahead. After pinpointing the exact location, he shadow-shifted them straight there.
...
Capital of Fiore — Underground
Inside a cave, dragon bones carpeted the ground as far as the eye could see. No one knew exactly how many remained, only that every dragon slain during the Dragon King Festival was buried here.
There were probably around ten thousand of them. After the Eclipse Gate was opened, ten thousand dragons had been summoned, and every last one of them was slain.
Acnologia became the Black Dragon King only after killing them all.
"S-so many dragon bones…"
"Brother Guild Master," Wendy said shakily. "Y-you didn't bring me here because this has something to do with Grandeeney, did you? She… she's not here among them, right?"
The moment Wendy saw the bones, her thoughts leapt to Grandeeney. Tears welled up instantly, and her legs gave out as she collapsed to the ground, sitting limply.
"No," Kazuma said firmly. "Grandeeney isn't dead. I'm here for something else. I brought you along just to be a bit more prepared."
As soon as he finished speaking, shadows began to spread across the cavern.
He was going to turn the lingering souls of these fallen dragons into citizens of his Shadow Kingdom.
.
.
.