The hall was deathly silent, with only the long, drawn-out breaths of the dragon echoing through the space.
A head covered in azure scales emerged from the shadows, followed by a serpentine neck, a back that rose and fell like mountain ridges, and wings that, though folded at its sides, still occupied half the hall.
Its massive size and powerful magic—even with the dragon's gentle tone—carried the innate majesty of the dragon race, the pinnacle of magical creatures. This was enough to make Lucy and Happy, who were both timid yet adventurous, weak in the knees as they clung to each other.
The others, cats included, were also frozen in a daze.
After all, this wasn't a fictional story; a real, living dragon had appeared before their eyes.
Only Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy—who were raised by dragons—and Hope and Erza—who had seen the Thought Projection of the Wise Dragon—were able to maintain their composure.
"Ninety-ninth..." Erza repeated the number. This meant that over the course of a hundred years, ninety-eight groups of Mages had failed in their attempt to confront the Five Dragon Gods.
As expected of the highest difficulty Hundred Year Quest.
Hope stepped forward, slightly circulating his Magnetic Field Power to instantly dispel the pressure the dragon exerted on his companions. He looked at the dragon and asked, "Are you the Guild Master of the Dragon of the Magic Array?"
The dragon's massive pupils contracted slightly in surprise, then it chuckled. "In a hundred years, you're the first Mage to see through my identity right away. I was planning on making a grand entrance."
The dragon's Voice was deep, making the air hum with its resonance. "My name is Elefseria."
The Law Dragon's massive body shifted forward slightly, its azure scales shimmering with a metallic luster under the light.
It lowered its head, its vertical pupils—taller than a human—scanning everyone present. Its gaze lingered for a moment longer on Erza, Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy.
"Dragon Slayer Mages... and more than one. How interesting."
A hint of human-like amusement entered Elefseria's Voice, though his large eyes were filled with confusion when he looked at Hope.
He clearly felt Dragon Slayer Magic within this human, yet it was immediately masked by a vast array of different magical signatures.
Was this even a human?
How could he know so many spells? For a moment, Elefseria, known as the 'Law Dragon' for his extreme learning ability, was completely baffled.
Natsu snapped out of his brief daze and looked at the dragon, his tone far from polite. "So you're the Guild Master of this guild? You're the one who posted the Hundred Year Quest, right? Just leave it to us."
"Natsu, be more polite to your senior..." Lucy and Happy hurriedly scrambled up to try and pull him back, but it was too late.
Elefseria didn't get angry; instead, he let out a low laugh that shook dust from the ceiling. "A Fire Dragon Slayer Mage... Young people these days really are like newborn calves who don't fear tigers. Such admirable courage."
Erza asked, "Guild Master Elefseria, are there no other Mages in your guild?"
Mirajane had noticed this as well. Such a large guild building, yet the interior was empty, showing no signs of human life.
"After I founded the world's first Mage Guild, new guilds began to spring up like mushrooms after rain. Naturally, the young people all went to join the newer ones, leaving the oldest guild with no successors..."
Elefseria sighed. Given the reputation of the 'Dragon of the Magic Array' as the first guild, people would surely flock to it if he only wished to recruit.
It was just that... he didn't want to watch his comrades die anymore.
"By the way," Elefseria's head turned toward the women present. "Before we talk business, could I ask you lovely ladies to come a bit closer?"
"Eh? U-Us?" Lucy took a step back in fear.
"Don't be shy."
The dragon's Voice suddenly became flirtatious, and its ancient, majestic aura collapsed instantly. "This old man hasn't seen a living woman in over a hundred years, especially such cute girls. Let me get a good look—"
Before he could finish, the dragon's massive body lunged toward Erza and Mirajane at the front with an agility that completely defied its size.
As he moved, the Law Dragon's size suddenly shrank a hundredfold. Compared to the armored Erza, he decisively chose Mirajane. With hearts in his eyes and a lecherous expression, he charged straight for her—Thump!
A dull thud echoed.
The shrunken Elefseria was punched back to his original form by Hope. With pure physical strength, Hope had literally blasted the dragon into the thick stone walls of the castle.
Hope cracked his neck, his gaze turning unfriendly. "Are you kidding me? You dare make a move on my beloved? Do you think I'm invisible?"
"Ah, my bad, my bad."
Elefseria pried himself out of the wall, clicking his tongue awkwardly. "It's because everyone who came before were just cold middle-aged men, muscle-heads, or crude brutes..."
"Now that a wonderful era has finally arrived, so many beautiful female Mages have come."
Seeing the dragon's unabashedly lecherous expression, everyone was at a loss for words. Even the last shred of awe they had for the dragon vanished.
The old man in their own guild was perverted enough, but Makarov limited himself to appreciating beauties with his eyes. They hadn't expected to find an even more repressed old fellow... There truly was always a higher mountain, and always a bigger pervert.
Realizing he had lost face in front of a group of youngsters, Elefseria gave a light cough, and his entire body began to glow.
The massive dragon body rapidly shrank within the light.
A second later, what stood there was no longer a mountain-sized beast, but... an old man with a dragon-coiled magic staff and a wizard's hat, his hair and beard snowy white but his spirit vigorous.
"Let me reintroduce myself."
The old man grinned, revealing a row of white teeth. "I am Elefseria, the founder and Guild Master of the 'Dragon of the Magic Array' guild, and the Law Dragon Slayer Mage."
"Of course, some call me—the 'Law Dragon'."
"A... A human?" Cana, Gray, and Juvia were dumbstruck.
Although they had heard Hope mention it before—that powerful Dragon Slayer Mages who use too much Dragon Slayer Magic would undergo an irreversible transformation into dragons—seeing it was different.
Seeing a mountain-sized dragon turn into a human old man with their own eyes was a truly shocking sight for everyone.
This trip was certainly an eye-opener.
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