Compared to the spacious, open first floor of the guild, the second-floor space was relatively smaller.
In the middle sat only a couple of square bar tables. The request board held scattered, pitifully few job slips.
Makarov walked straight to the delicate little bar counter, lightly kicked his feet, and nimbly hopped onto a barstool.
Chase followed close behind and sat beside him, his movements casual and natural—not standing on ceremony about guild chairman and member protocol.
That sort of thing simply didn't exist in Fairy Tail, which was like one big family!
Mirajane, in her wine-red dress, slowly walked behind the counter, expertly mixing juices and liquors, preparing drinks for the old man and the young man.
Makarov calmly accepted the drink Mirajane handed him, looked at Chase, and got straight to the point: "Chase, that dragon you encountered on the continent of Guiltina—what were its characteristics? Is it truly an unbeatable existence?"
In a world dominated by magic, especially in a magical powerhouse like Fiore, dragons possessing immense power were absolutely the most fearsome beings.
According to ancient legends, they were terrifying monsters that could level an entire town just by opening their mouths—far beyond what human power could contend!
The Dragon Slayer Magic Natsu used originated from this.
"That dragon was crimson red, enormous in size, with sharp fangs and claws. Its scales were hard as iron, and its powerful, muscular body was packed with violent and surging magical energy."
Chase briefly described the fire dragon he'd encountered, took a light sip of the coffee before him, then sighed heavily, his expression heavy.
"Whether humans can defeat them is hard to say, but what's certain is that even if you tied ten of me together, I wouldn't stand a chance against that monster."
If it were an ordinary dragon, with Duelist Soul—his extremely special cheat—he might still be able to jump twice. But this was, after all, one of the Five God Dragons, said to be on par with the Black Dragon Acnologia!
Though that claim smacked a bit of every general declaring themselves unrivaled after Lu Bu's death, and Chase had never fought Acnologia himself.
But even if the Five God Dragons weren't as terrifying as Acnologia, their displayed power was still far beyond ordinary dragons—enough to make one feel utterly hopeless.
"Really? Ten of you couldn't win?"
Mirajane covered her mouth in disbelief, her beautiful eyes wide.
She knew Chase's strength quite well. Even among the guild's S-Class mages, he was a top-tier strongman.
Even Erza had once admitted that in an all-out, no-holds-barred fight, she was no match for Chase.
By the Kingdom of Fiore's definition of mages, Chase was fully qualified to be awarded the title of "Ten Wizard Saints," just like the chairman!
And yet Chase—this powerful—would say that ten of himself stood no chance?
One could imagine just how dangerous that encounter must have been!
Thinking this, Mirajane looked at the unharmed Chase and secretly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a lingering fear.
"Actually, that's a conservative estimate."
Chase saw the worry deep in Mirajane's eyes, slowly set down his coffee, and smiled lightly. "But that monster isn't an ordinary dragon either."
"In that encounter, it called itself... the Flame Dragon God Ignia!"
Flame Dragon God?
Ignia?!
The shockingly familiar names made Makarov and Mirajane start.
Makarov took a deep breath, calming his agitated heart, and asked in a low voice, "This guy... does it have something to do with the Fire Dragon King Igneel, who raised Natsu?"
"According to it, Igneel is its biological father. That would make it Natsu's brother—different mothers, same father." Chase explained calmly.
Of course, this was intelligence insight unique to him as a time traveler.
The true situation was that he'd unexpectedly stumbled upon Ignia, who was in a state of self-sealing.
Afraid his presence would be detected by the Black Dragon, Ignia, after only a few exchanges, unleashed an unreasonable roar, reducing Chase and his card monsters to dust.
If Chase hadn't known the horror of this fire dragon, prepared thoroughly in advance, and, at the critical moment, played a Magic Card that allowed revival on the spot—[Monster Reborn]—he wouldn't have made it back alive.
There was absolutely no communication between them—the self-important Ignia simply disdained to speak with a mere human!
"Natsu's brother—different mothers, same father... That's such a strange way to put it."
Mirajane tilted her head, pondering. Something felt off.
Thinking of Natsu, somehow her instinctive fear of the Flame God Dragon diminished significantly. She even began to feel gossip, wanting to learn more.
Chase noticed her emotional shift and warned her seriously, "That monster is cold-blooded and brutal, viewing humans as ants. It's an extremely dangerous being—nothing like Natsu!"
"Sorry, sorry." Mirajane realized her assumptions and quickly apologized.
Makarov's eyes dropped slightly, staring at the rippling drink before him.
"We can properly talk about dragons in general, but about this Ignia—under no circumstances let Natsu find out."
He'd watch
ed Natsu grew up and knew this troublesome child inside and out.
If that kid caught wind of this, he'd probably run off to Guiltina across the sea the very next day!
Understanding the stakes, Chase and Mirajane slightly.
"Chase, don't go running around for a while. Rest up at the guild."
Though Chase had acted relaxed throughout, Makarov's sharp eyes still caught the deep fatigue in them.
This old father of the Fairy Tail family felt distressed.
"But Chairman, the impact of failing the Ten-Year Quest request..." Chase hesitated.
"But what?! It's just going through the motions—saying a few nice words. As if I haven't cleaned up after you plenty before?!"
Makarov slapped the counter, his tone tough and undeniable.
Hearing this, Chase's handsome face instantly lit up with a brilliant smile. He grinningly. "Hehe, then I'll leave it to you, Chairman!"
That smile made Makarov's eyebrow twitch. He had an inexplicably bad feeling.
But since he'd already said it, he didn't comment further—just waved dismissively at Chase.
When Chase and Mirajane re-entered the guild's first floor, the noisy, chaotic atmosphere was immediately quieted.
Everyone's eyes fell on Chase, their pupils filled with curiosity.
—Except for Lucy, who sat decadently in a corner, drawing circles with her finger.
She'd finally been unable to suppress her intense melon-eating heart and spent a heavy sum to deal with Happy.
The result? Chase and Mirajane were not a couple. They hadn't even done a request together, and there was no "scandal" to investigate!
Lucy was greatly disappointed.
Watching Happy rub his face against the coins that should have been hers with that annoyingly With a smug expression, the regret in her heart reached its peak:
Lucy, you're a complete idiot!