Inside the cavern littered with dragon remains, the Emerald Dragon Zirconis glowed with green light, frozen in a ferocious roaring pose with claws bared.
With the dual intimidation of his massive size and fearsome visage, mere humans should have been scrambling in terror, running for their lives with their heads in their hands.
That was definitely how it had played out in Zirconis's memories. But—
What was wrong with these people?
Looking down, he saw those ant-like tiny humans standing perfectly still!
Sure, there was some surprise on their faces, but it was nowhere near the reaction he'd expected.
A few of them weren't even scared at all—they were staring at him with curious, wide eyes!
Since when did great dragons become so lacking in dignity?!
What Zirconis didn't know was that everyone here had already encountered dragons that were real and could be interacted with.
The companions from Chase's world went without saying, but even Future Lucy and the others from this world had spent time with Gandora the Dragon of Destruction.
Before coming to Crocus for the Grand Magic Games, they'd all been training inside Chase's card space.
"Hey Lucy, look—his chin has two long whiskers. He looks like a catfish!" Future Happy pointed out the obvious.
"Huh? Now that you mention it, he really does. Is he a Catfish Dragon?"
Future Lucy squinted her eyes and cheekily guessed at the dragon spirit's identity.
"I always thought great dragons were majestic creatures clad in black scales. Turns out they can look this ugly too."
Future Erza's deadpan tone made it impossible to tell whether she was teasing or genuinely believed that.
"That's not true! Grandeeney has beautiful pure white scales!" Wendy quickly defended.
Natsu and Gajeel chimed in, emphasizing their own foster fathers' appearances, adamantly distancing them from this wretched-looking dragon.
"Come to think of it, was he making that face to scare us?"
"Aye~ what a boring dragon!"
Watching these people casually chat away without a care in the world, Zirconis's mouth twitched uncontrollably. Veins practically popped on his spectral forehead. He felt deeply insulted.
"Enough! You arrogant little brats!"
"Do you have any idea what noble race stands before you?!"
With that, he craned his neck high, trying to make himself look even more terrifying.
However—
"Wow, he's pissed!"
"Not only ugly, but with a super foul temper too!"
"Wendy, maybe we should send him back and get a different one?"
"Oh my, so scary~ Chase, will you hold me?"
Zirconis: "..."
"I am Zirconis. The magic that can awaken the dead—is that Grandeeney's?"
Perhaps trying to salvage his dignity as a great dragon, realizing these humans weren't afraid at all, Zirconis pretended not to hear their pointed remarks. He lowered his head to look at the two Wendys maintaining "Milky Way" within the magic circle.
"I never expected such little runts to wake me."
He licked his lips with his tongue, revealing sharp fangs. "How adorable. So adorable that I want to gobble you up and taste what you're made of!"
"P-Please don't do that >_
The two Wendys were both startled.
"Pffthahaha! Yes, yes—that's the reaction I was looking for!" Zirconis felt immensely refreshed.
As a spirit, he was essentially a projection—he couldn't actually touch anything.
"Hey, you dare to scare our guild's cutest mage?"
Chase stepped forward, his voice carrying a cold threat. "Be careful, or I'll dig up your bones, burn them to ash, and feed them to the dogs."
"Heh, you're only human. Even if it's just bones, there's no way—?!"
The moment he saw Chase's face, it was as if he'd spotted some terrible monster. Zirconis's words died in his throat.
His massive body instinctively retreated two steps back.
His draconic eyes widened to their limit, fixed on Chase with utmost wariness.
How strange—why does this human fill me with such fear?
"As expected of Chase—he can come up with such vicious plans so easily~" Lucy observed his reaction.
"Oh my, burning them to ash seems a bit wasteful."
Mirajane tilted her head, then smiled as she offered, "How about turning his bones into crafted souvenirs and bringing them back as gifts for our friends?"
"...That idea is even darker," Gray muttered.
They naturally assumed Zirconis had been scared by Chase's "threat."
But Chase's brow furrowed slightly. Something about this didn't seem that simple.
He'd brought everyone to the Dragon Graveyard not only to show Natsu and the others the origins of Acnologia, but also to confirm the timeline.
According to the original story, Zirconis—the Emerald Dragon—had obtained that title from Princess Hisui after passing through the Eclipse Gate from four hundred years in the future.
But from the start, Zirconis hadn't mentioned that title at all. That meant he hadn't met Princess Hisui yet.
Based on that, plus the complete absence of Future Rogue so far, Chase could confirm this world was indeed the timeline where 10,000 dragons would destroy everything—Future Lucy's timeline.
But then...
Why had Zirconis reacted so strongly upon seeing him?
Was it really just fear of having his bones burned to ash? Or had Chase's overwhelming presence shaken him?
Or perhaps...
"No, no! I am a Great Dragon—what is there to fear?!"
Perhaps having slept for too long, Zirconis's mind was a bit foggy. After shaking his head to regain composure, he puffed out his chest and declared proudly, "That's right—I am Zirconis!"
"You already introduced yourself!!" *n
Chase, already forming a theory in his mind, couldn't be bothered. He waved at Zirconis. "Go on—tell us why there are so many dragon corpses here."
"Hmph, I have nothing to say to you lowly humans." Zirconis turned his head away stubbornly.
"Um, we're cats!" Both Happys raised their paws.
"I see." Zirconis's massive head turned back.
Both Lucys shouted in unison: "Your standards are way too low, old man!!"
But what Zirconis said next made them freeze.
"It was you humans."
"Four hundred years ago, on the continent ruled by dragons, a group of impossible human mages suddenly appeared."
"My memories are fuzzy, but I remember clearly—they wielded unknown powers strong enough to rival us, and some of my treacherous kin stood on their side."
"That battle was brutal. Many dragons fell here in this dragon graveyard."
"I survived thanks to my excellent and precise judgment of the situation—but I couldn't escape what came after. The 'Dragon King Festival' that gave birth to the Dragon King, Acnologia."
***
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