Aldoron's sheer size undeniably left everyone with a sense of helplessness.
Mira smiled with narrowed eyes and raised one finger.
"Besides, there's no need for everyone to worry too much. Selene clearly said that the Wood Dragon God Aldoron once lost to Acnologia."
With Mira's reminder, Lucy nodded.
"That's right. Selene definitely said that."
Ultear added,
"I'm just as shocked as everyone else, but our priority should be figuring out how to deal with Aldoron."
Lucy rested her chin on one hand in thought.
"I never expected there to be a city built on the back of the Aldoron we were searching for. There are cities of the same size on his left hand and both shoulders as well. Together with this one... there are five in total."
She raised a finger.
"That creates our first problem. Before we even consider sealing this dragon, what do we do about the people living in those five cities?"
Natsu gave them a bright smile.
"Well... we can still beat him up a little."
"..."
Lucy chose to ignore him.
"What I mean is that the residents of these five cities coexist with Aldoron. If we seal him, what happens to them?"
Erza had clearly been considering the same issue and nodded.
"Exactly. If Aldoron is sealed, the people in those five cities may also be affected."
"?"
A question mark slowly appeared over Natsu's head.
Then his expression collapsed.
"Are we seriously doing the 'this dragon isn't a bad guy' thing again?!"
He had already been disappointed that he never got to fight Mercphobia. He had even tried inviting the Water Dragon God to spar, only for Raizel to stop him.
Happy sat nearby, chewing on a fish.
"Looks like he might not be a bad guy either, Natsu."
Raizel shook his head.
"We don't know that yet, so don't jump to conclusions. Selene said Aldoron once treated humans as nourishment, but that was in the past. No one can guarantee what he thinks of them now."
Ultear made the decision immediately.
"Let's divide into groups and gather information."
...
Aldoron slept with his enormous jaw resting against the earth.
"So he sleeps with his face pressed against the ground during the day?" Lucy asked in confusion.
"Does that mean the movement at the same time every day is just him stretching?"
Natsu still could not understand any of it. His face wore the baffled expression of an old man staring at a smartphone for the first time.
"Why would anyone build a town on a dragon in the first place?"
Lucy offered a theory.
"Maybe they built it on Aldoron without knowing. You hear stories like that, don't you? He could have been asleep when they started building, and they only discovered the truth afterward."
Kagura shook her head.
"No. Even if he only moves briefly once a day, Aldoron's head is clearly visible. Normally, people would have noticed."
She paused, then raised another important question.
"Why has news of Aldoron's location never spread outside Drasil?"
The separate groups eventually reunited in one of Drasil's parks.
Mira had put her talent for gossip to good use.
With harmless-looking Wendy beside her, she had successfully coaxed some information out of the residents.
"We found out a little!"
She did not keep them in suspense.
"Apparently, the cities were built at Aldoron's own request. Around three hundred years ago, after he awakened, Aldoron said, 'Build cities upon my body.'"
Ultear followed with what her group had learned.
"We also discovered something. Drasil has plenty of information about Aldoron, but none of it ever spreads beyond the city, and no one knows why."
"The answer may be in the Sacred Right Hand Church at the center of this district."
...
At the same time, a new group of visitors arrived in Drasil.
The Dragon Eater guild—Diabolos.
Five Dragon Slayer Mages had been deployed this time: Skullion Raider, the Corpse Dragon; Kiria, the Blade Dragon; Madmole, the Armor Dragon; Wraith, the Spirit Dragon; and Nebaru, the Sticky Dragon.
Aside from the Black Dragon Slayer Knights, this was practically the entire guild.
Their previous operation against the Water Dragon God had failed, and they still did not know that Mercphobia had recovered his power. For the moment, they had lost interest in him.
Guild Master Georg Reizen was far from pleased.
He had sent the Black Dragon Slayer Knights to search for the other Dragon Gods, while these five had been given a different objective.
They were to destroy the crystals enshrined in the churches at the centers of Aldoron's five cities.
Nebaru and Wraith had already gone ahead to deal with the crystals on Aldoron's shoulders.
Kiria faintly caught the scents of Raizel and Kagura. A smile curled across her lips.
"I smell something interesting. In that case, I think I'll have a little fun too."
Skullion narrowed his eyes and warned her,
"Don't forget our objective. Destroying the crystals comes first."
Never one to understand her own limits, Kiria chose the city on Aldoron's right hand, where Raizel and Kagura were located.
"Then I'm taking the right hand."
Skullion nodded.
"Do as you please. If you realize they are beyond you, observe them and wait for us."
Madmole certainly was not going to fight Kiria over it. He was effectively her subordinate.
...
On the way to the Sacred Right Hand Church, a gentle breeze passed over them.
Natsu sniffed the air twice, then suddenly said,
"I smell someone familiar."
Wendy immediately closed her eyes and carefully breathed in.
When she opened them again, her expression had changed.
"That female Dragon Slayer Mage!"
Erza quickly asked,
"Are the Corpse Dragon and Armor Dragon with her?"
Wendy shook her head.
"I can't tell. I don't smell them clearly enough. Even if there are traces of their scents, I can't be sure whether they came with her or whether she simply carries their scent from spending so much time together."
Fairy Tail's members were the same way.
Since they spent nearly every day together, their scents inevitably mixed to some degree.
Wendy's expression remained serious.
"But Kiria should be nearby, and it seems she's heading in the same direction as us."
Despite all her arrogant talk, Kiria had not revealed herself after realizing how many people were in Raizel's group.
After all, the wound Raizel had carved across her back still hurt.
...
Meanwhile, Wraith and Nebaru had already destroyed the crystals in the churches on Aldoron's shoulders and were making their way toward the remaining cities.
Though only Nebaru was truly hurrying.
Wraith was strolling leisurely down the street, one slow step at a time.
Neither of them had encountered any meaningful defenses. Even when guards were present, they were no match for the Dragon Eaters.
Wraith's side was especially strange.
Without anyone seeing what happened, the worshipers praying inside the church simply lost consciousness, and the crystal shattered soon afterward.
Aside from the fallen worshipers...the church was completely empty.
Skullion had moved quickly as well.
Transforming his body into ash, he attacked the church above Aldoron's neck.
With no serious resistance there either, only the crystals in the cities on the left and right hands remained.
The three Dragon Eaters regrouped and prepared to destroy the crystal on the left hand.
Madmole remarked, "This operation has gone surprisingly smoothly."
Skullion answered coldly,
"Our missions usually go smoothly. Last time, we simply ran into troublesome opponents."
After returning from Ermina, they had looked into Fairy Tail.
Every piece of information they found made one thing clear—that guild was not to be underestimated!