Wendy quietly walked up as well and compared her height with Kurnugi's.
Wendy won by two centimeters!
Kurnugi silently took half a step back.
Was he really that serious about his height?
Ultear, Mira, and the others also walked over, observing Kurnugi curiously.
They had seen dragons before, but this was their first time seeing one turn into such a small human.
...
Selene was growing more and more interested in Raizel and the guild behind him.
The Sword Saint Dragon Kurnugi was Selene's son, though she did not really care about him.
Dragons were born with naturally powerful bodies and possessed enough fighting strength almost from birth, so dragons had always treated their descendants coldly.
They gave birth, but did not raise them.
Selene was exactly that kind of irresponsible dragon.
After Kurnugi had gained some ability to protect himself, this was actually the first time Selene had seen him again.
Of course, what truly interested her about Raizel was what he had just said to Kurnugi.
Wendy had been raised by Grandeeney, and there were two other Dragon Slayers in his guild who had also been raised by dragons.
Thinking back to the way Raizel had taken over Examon earlier, and seeing how young he was, Selene could not help thinking, 'Perhaps he might be the one who can fulfill my wish...'
As the Moon Dragon God, she held a dream as vast as her chest!
A dream that, from a dragon's perspective, was simply incomprehensible.
...
"So, can I follow you now?" Kurnugi looked at Raizel with eager eyes.
"Where are your parents?"
Kurnugi answered as if it were only natural. "You don't know? Oh, right, you're not a dragon. Dragons have never raised their own children. My mother ran off pretty quickly, and I've never even seen my father."
Kurnugi's answer stunned Ultear and the others for a moment.
Especially Wendy.
"But Grandeeney was very good to me..."
"From a dragon's perspective, raising a child is the weird thing, all right?" Kurnugi said with a look of disdain.
"Then why do you want to follow us?"
"I want to learn swordsmanship from her. Her swordsmanship should be strong too!"
Kurnugi first pointed at Erza, then at Kagura.
He had not seen Kagura's swordsmanship, but he could tell that the bandages around her sword were a seal.
That blade was not something an ordinary person could control.
"I need to tell you something first," Raizel said. "Pointing at people with your finger is rude. You can do it like this."
Raizel brought his fingers together, pressed his thumb against the side of his palm, and gestured toward Kurnugi with an open hand to demonstrate.
"Like this? I didn't know! I'm a dragon! Warui, warui!"
Kurnugi scratched his hair awkwardly, then copied Raizel's gesture.
"You're not wrong... That was my mistake."
Looking at Kurnugi like this, Raizel really had started treating him like a person.
...
"Like this?"
Selene pulled her right hand out of the hot spring and also copied Raizel's open-palm gesture.
'I learned something. If I want to act like a proper human, this should be necessary, right?'
Selene looked at her own palm and nodded firmly.
...
"We'll discuss it first."
Raizel walked a little farther away with Ultear and the others.
"What do you think? Raise your hand if you agree."
Aside from Lucy, all the women raised their hands.
Lucy was mainly afraid of having a giant dragon by their side.
"Tell me your reasons."
The women exchanged glances. Mira spoke first.
"He's basically just a child. Chuunibyou, a little arrogant, but if we guide him properly, he can become close to humans. The benefits outweigh the risks."
When Kurnugi apologized earlier, Mira had already felt that Kurnugi was not bad by nature. He could absolutely be corrected.
"I agree," Ultear said with a nod. "Although I don't know how long it will take for him to become an adult, he is still a dragon, and his combat strength is good."
Erza had used everything she had and could only injure him, not kill him.
"That's about what I wanted to say too," Erza and Kagura said at almost the same time.
"I just think he's... a little pitiful," Wendy said, her expression carrying a trace of sadness.
"Dragons are different from humans. From Kurnugi's perspective, that kind of thing is completely normal."
Raizel rubbed Wendy's head gently, comforting her in a soft voice.
"And maybe Grandeeney didn't have any children of her own, so she poured all of her love into you."
"Mm!"
Wendy raised her head and nodded firmly at Raizel.
Just now, she had been saddened by the thought that maybe Grandeeney had also been that kind of dragon.
After hearing Ultear and the others' answers, Lucy said, "If... he doesn't turn into a dragon, then I guess I can accept it!"
"Then we'll take him back with us."
After turning human, Kurnugi had completely withdrawn his aura, leaving only a faint dragon scent.
Unless someone got very close, they would not smell it.
Besides, Acnologia was currently recovering from his wounds, so he probably had no time to wander around.
Taking Kurnugi back should not be a big problem.
Raizel walked up to Kurnugi as the representative and said, "We agree to take you back with us, but we need to set three rules first."
Kurnugi nodded like crazy and said excitedly, "No problem! As long as you take me with you, three rules, ten rules, a hundred rules, anything is fine!"
Raizel ignored his guarantee and raised three fingers one after another.
"First, you cannot casually turn into a dragon. Dragons have been gone from Ishgar for a long time."
"Second, you cannot tell other people you're a dragon. Treat yourself as a human. Just say you're a Dragon Slayer."
"Third, if you want to live as a human, you have to follow human rules of behavior. We'll slowly teach you about that."
"That's it?"
Kurnugi froze for a moment.
He had thought Raizel would list out some unequal treaty that trampled all over dragon rights.
"No problem! Leave it to Lord Kurnugi!"
Kurnugi pounded his chest hard, making a loud thumping sound.
"The first thing you need to change is that tone of yours," Raizel said, the corner of his mouth twitching.
"What's wrong with my tone?"
Kurnugi tilted his head and blinked, looking strangely innocent.
'Another Gajeel...'
"Forget it. We'll take it slowly," Mira said with a gentle, squinting smile.
"Fine. One bite at a time. We still have some time before returning to Ishgar anyway." Raizel nodded helplessly.
They still had another destination after this.
...
Selene did not stop Raizel and the others from taking Kurnugi away.
She planned to observe a little longer.
...
"Let's head back and turn in the request first. Since the mission is complete, we don't need to rush on the return trip. We can take our time and enjoy ourselves."
Because they had been focused on completing the request, Ultear, Erza, and the others had not really been able to explore or enjoy Guiltina's local culture and scenery.
On the carriage, Kurnugi sat beside Raizel, who was driving.
Raizel discovered something very interesting.
Kurnugi did not get motion sickness.
In fact, he was looking around the carriage with great curiosity.
"You don't get sick from vehicles?" Raizel asked curiously.
"Vehicles? You mean this thing?"
Kurnugi pointed downward at the carriage with his index finger.
Then he suddenly remembered that Raizel had said pointing with a finger was rude, so he changed it into an open palm instead.
The movement looked somewhat awkward and strange.
"That only applies to people. It's fine to point at objects with your finger," Raizel said with a light laugh.
"Ohhh! I learned something new!"
Kurnugi pulled out a notebook and recorded it in notes only he himself could understand, casually answering at the same time.
"As for this thing, no, I don't get sick."