Kael Vane's voice cut through the chaos.
He threw a punch at Bora.
His arm shot forward—stretching, swelling—until it became a massive, roaring limb of fire that tore through the air like a cannon blast.
Bora felt it a heartbeat too late.
He twisted his head—
—and saw the flaming fist filling his entire world.
"No————!!!"
Terror ripped out of him as the giant fire fist slammed into his body without mercy.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The enormous flaming arm drove him straight into the town's mountain cliff.
Stone exploded.
A colossal fist-shaped imprint was carved into the rock, dust and rubble blasting outward in a violent plume.
The impact echoed across Hargeon like thunder.
The ground trembled.
"Ahhhhh—!!"
Lucy stood frozen, staring at the thousand-meter flaming arm like her mind refused to accept what her eyes were seeing. Her jaw nearly hit the floor.
She'd thought Natsu eating fire was ridiculous enough—
but Kael's magic was on an entirely different level.
This guy is a monster…
"Ugh… oops." Kael winced and quickly dispersed the flaming fist. "I used too much power."
Only after truly holding great power did he finally understand why Natsu was always causing trouble.
Even when he tried to hold back, damage happened anyway—fast, careless, inevitable.
Footsteps—marching, heavy—rolled in from down the street.
Kael's ears twitched.
"What… what in the world happened—!!"
A captain led a squad of soldiers running toward the beach, weapons in hand, eyes wide at the smoking wreckage.
Kael's expression changed instantly.
He turned and shouted to Natsu, who was still beating the slavers into the sand.
"Natsu, that's enough! The army is here—we need to run!"
Before anyone could argue, Kael grabbed Lucy by the wrist and took off.
The army meant officials. Officials meant questions. Questions meant trouble.
He'd learned that lesson the hard way once—when he was younger and stupid enough to stand around after a fight.
They'd held him up for days.
Never again.
The right move after making a mess was simple.
Run.
"The army!! Run!!" Natsu yelped, startled, and bolted after them.
"Why do I have to run too?!" Lucy stumbled along, still trying to process it. "I'm the victim!"
Kael shot her a look over his shoulder. "Don't you want to join Fairy Tail? Then come with us!"
Lucy's breath caught.
For a second, the noise of the port fell away.
Her eyes widened—then lit up with stunned joy.
She'd dreamed of this for years.
"O-Okay!!"
She ran harder, chasing them like the answer might disappear if she slowed down.
...
Magic Council — ERA
BAM!
Councilman Org, the second seat of the Magic Council, slammed a newspaper onto the conference table.
"It's those idiots from Fairy Tail again!!"
"They destroyed half the port this time!! It's unbelievable! At this rate, one day they'll tear down an entire town!"
Councilman Michello rubbed his temples. "Don't jinx it… They might really do that."
No one laughed.
With Fairy Tail, it didn't even sound impossible.
"We've already reported to the government that it was the capture of a criminal named Bora," Councilman Yajima said with a long sigh. "With testimony from the rescued girls and Bora's confession, this incident is officially closed."
Org's face stayed sour. "Closed? They still caused a disaster! We're always the ones cleaning up after them!"
Siegrain leaned back, a grin tugging at his mouth. "Come on… I actually like those idiots."
Org snapped, "You shut up!"
Siegrain didn't lose the smile. "They're idiots, sure. But there are outstanding talents among them."
"And that's why it's a headache," another councilman muttered. "We can't ignore them… but we can't exactly crush them either."
The room fell into an uncomfortable silence.
Then Siegrain exhaled, as if making the easiest decision in the world.
"Just like always—let's turn a blind eye."
Org's chair screeched as he half-stood. "You… what nonsense are you spouting, boy!!"
They had turned a blind eye before.
But you didn't say it out loud.
Siegrain's grin widened. "Then how about we praise them first—for bravely saving citizens—and then discuss punishment?"
Nearly everyone at the table looked like they'd just swallowed a bug.
Praising Fairy Tail—the guild that gave them migraines on a weekly basis—felt worse than any punishment.
Punishing them might feel good for a moment…
but praising them?
That would haunt them for life.
Siegrain clapped his hands once, satisfied. "Seems we're all in agreement. Case closed. Next topic."
...
Fairy Tail Guild Hall
"Wow… it's huge."
Lucy stood in front of the Fairy Tail guild hall, eyes sparkling as if she might blink and wake up.
She had admired Fairy Tail for as long as she could remember.
Now it was right in front of her.
Her dream.
"Welcome to Fairy Tail."
Inside, the hall was bursting with life. Mages crowded the request board, others sang and danced, and most were eating, drinking, and arguing over nothing.
For wizards who lived job to job, every mission became a story—so there was never a shortage of noise.
"Mira!! Three beers over here!!"
"Coming!!"
Mira walked over with a tray and set down the drinks. "Please enjoy."
"Mira!" Wakaba waved her over.
"Coming, coming. What is it?"
Wakaba took a drag from his cigarette, then slowly exhaled, forming a string of heart-shaped smoke rings. "Go on a date with me next time."
A guild member snorted. "No way. Mira's dating Kael, you know."
Mira's face flushed instantly. "Wh-what nonsense are you saying? When… when did I start dating Kael?"
"You're not?" Someone leaned in, grinning. "Don't you two go home together every night and come to the guild together every morning? I thought you were already living together."
Mira's eyes went wide. "D-don't say such things! Our homes are just close, so we walk the same way!"
Someone else piled on. "Even if it's on the way, you don't have to be together every day, right?"
Mira's cheeks heated fast.
Laughter spread across the room.
BAM!!!
The guild doors were kicked open so hard they bounced.
"I'M BACK!!"
Natsu charged in first, yelling with a fierce grin on his face.
Kael and Happy were right behind him, raising their hands like they owned the place.
When Mira saw Kael, a flash of joy crossed her eyes. "You're back!"
"Hahaha!" The guild erupted into laughter at the sight of them.
Gray squinted at Natsu. "You guys caused big trouble again. The incident at Hargeon Port is already in the newspapers… Woah—"
He didn't get to finish.
A big foot filled his vision.
"Uwaah!!"
Gray flew backward and smashed into a table, sending wood and mugs crashing.
Natsu stood over him, veins bulging, furious.
"You bastard!! The rumor about the 'Fire Dragon' was fake!!"