Another day passed, and the rain finally stopped.
Astro stepped outside his rented house, stretched, and looked up at the clear blue sky.
"Finally, some sunlight…" he muttered, feeling his mood lift as he walked to the Fairy Tail guild. But just as he pulled open the front door, a flying Elfman hurtled toward him like an airborne missile.
Astro blinked, quietly stepped back out, left the door open, and watched Elfman shoot past him like a meteor.
THUD.
Elfman landed on the house in front of the guild house and broke the wall.
"...Well," Astro said under his breath, as he walked inside, "looks like that house owner doesn't have to worry about this month's compensation bills."
The guild hall was already in full chaos mode. Chairs were flying. Tables were airborne. People were arguing about something that definitely didn't matter. Someone was screaming about stolen beer.
Astro casually dodged a table, stepped around two fighting mages rolling on the floor, and leaned just enough to avoid a flying body.
By the time he reached the bar counter and slumped into his usual corner seat, he sighed.
"Why are they so full of energy already…?" He rubbed his forehead.
"Hey Mira-chan! Four beers over here!" someone shouted.
"Sure thing~!" Mira chimed back cheerfully.
Astro watched her pick up a tray; her smile was still bright despite the chaos behind her.
"Well, it can't be helped," she said as she passed by him. "It's been raining nonstop, so no one was coming in. Now they're all letting out their built-up energy after so many peaceful days."
"…Peaceful?" Astro's mouth twitched. "Yeah, I guess it was peaceful from Fairy Tail's standard."
He looked over his shoulder just in time to see Natsu and Gray crash through somebody's breakfast table.
"Anyway, where's Erza?" he asked. Usually, she'd have stopped the carnage by now.
"Erza's showing Bisca around town. They should be back before lunch," Mira answered as she came back and arranged more mugs on the tray.
"Bisca? Oh, the green-haired wizard who joined yesterday?" Astro recalled. They had a small welcome party last night, and he'd overheard her name in between toasts.
"Yes! Bisca Mulan. She seems pretty strong. She's from the western continent and uses Gun Magic," Mira explained, knowing Astro was busy reading books all day yesterday.
"Hm…The Western Continent? Alakitasia? Is Gun Magic that common there? I remember Alzack was from there, too."
"I'm not sure," Mira said, tapping a finger on her cheek. "Alzack doesn't talk about it much. Even Bisca didn't share too many details… just mentioned it was hard to find work in Ishgar because she was from there."
Astro's brows rose. "Because of what they tried to do last year?"
Mira blinked. "What?"
"You know… the whole 'invading Ishgar thing. Even if it didn't happen, people got pretty worked up over it."
Mira let out a soft sigh. "Oh Yeah… It was last year, wasn't it?. It feels like forever ago now."
"Mira…"
She caught herself and smiled. "It's fine." Then she lifted the tray. "I'll go serve these—they get extra rowdy if they don't get their drinks."
"Okay."
Astro watched her walk off… only to realize another pint-sized figure was approaching.
Master Makarov hopped up onto the bar counter with a grunt.
"I feel like you've been pretty busy these days, Master," Astro said.
Makarov stared at him with tired eyes, his tiny legs dangling off the counter.
"Yeah," Master Makarov replied, before asking,
"So, did you take any new missions?"
"No… There were a few special requests for me, but none of them looked interesting. Most just wanted to use me to promote something."
Astro shrugged.
Makarov hummed, glanced toward Mira—who had just returned behind the bar—and scratched his cheek.
"Why are you asking, Master?" Astro asked, looking at Master curiously.
"Well… there is another special request. And even though they didn't explicitly state it… It's obvious they want you there."
He sighed a little bit dramatically. "And I have no idea how to reject it."
Astro raised a brow. "What kind of request?"
If Master was being this careful about something, it was either from the Magic Council or some noble of the Kingdom. Astro took a sip while guessing who it could be.
"It's to be the bodyguard for the King of Fiore for an event."
Astro instantly choked on his tea.
"W–WHAT!?" He started coughing violently.
"Are you okay?"
Mira rushed over, while handing him water.
After a few coughs and a deep breath, Astro nodded to Mira before he stared at Makarov. "…Who did you say again?"
"The King of Fiore," Makarov repeated. "King Toma E. Fiore personally requested you for a job."
He slid forward a fancy-looking mission request poster, complete with royal stamps and some unnecessary sparkle effects.
Astro skimmed through it. "Why would a king need a guild wizard as a bodyguard? Is he in danger?"
The mission sheet praised Fairy Tail for helping protect an allied nation, and therefore requested Fairy Tail to provide the King's bodyguard for this year's Western Ishgar Royal Summit.
"What's the Western Ishgar Royal Summit?" Astro asked.
Mira's eyes widened. "Wait—our guild was chosen this year? That never happened before."
"It's trouble, that's what it is," Makarov grumbled, taking a peek at the mission request in Astro's hand. "Just a stage for the royals of the Western part of the continent to show off every five years."
Astro stared at him. "Can you say it a little louder? I don't think enough people heard about you talking badly about royals."
Makarov rolled his eyes. "Look, you don't have to go if you don't want to. I would actually prefer it if you don't go there. But help me write an official refusal letter, I am not good at writing like you and Levy."
Astro did not answer Master. It was unknown what he was thinking. But after a few moments, he put down the request on the bar table and tapped the poster. "But if it's a once-every-five-years grand event… If we refuse, won't that be bad for Fairy Tail's reputation? Our guild's image is already buried underground."
"It would improve our reputation, yes…" Makarov admitted, rubbing his hair, "But I thought you hated troublesome things like this."
"I do hate too many eyes on me," Astro answered honestly. "Doesn't mean I can't do the job."
"I see…" Makarov muttered. His eyes softened. "You're quite the opposite of your father in that aspect. He was an attention seeker in every possible way."
"Hm? Children don't have to be like their parents. You know that, right?"
"I… suppose so." Makarov's expression dimmed a little, his thoughts drifting.
Astro blinked as he realized he had poked some sore spot for Master… especially since Laxus was Makarov's grandson… and he had never heard anything about Laxus's parents. Astro quickly changed the topic.
"Anyway, I know why you're worried. Normally this would be an S-Class mission… but because they wanted me specifically, they probably didn't label it that way."
Mira chimed in too, leaning a bit down to take a look at the mission poster. "Yeah, people who'd cause trouble at these kinds of events… they're not small fry. There are very few wizards on the continent who would risk starting anything there."
Astro blinked a bit. Mira probably did not realize it, but from his angle, this scenery is quite…
"Exactly," Makarov nodded. Astro also quickly looked to Master, hearing him speak. "So think carefully. One mistake could cause problems for your whole life."
Mira leaned closer, concern on her face. "You don't have to go, Astro. A lot of those royals don't have great personalities…and they don't particularly like wizards."
"It's fine, Mira." Astro smiled, also looking at her eyes. "The request says I can take three people from Fairy Tail. So I'll bring some partners with me there."
Mira brightened. "Oh! Then you can take Erza! As for the third—"
Astro set the request down with a lazy smile. "Don't worry about Erza. She just got back. Let her relax."
"Then… "
"I already have two people in mind," Astro said. He glanced toward the second floor. "What do you think?"
Mira and Makarov subconsciously looked up to see who Astro was talking about.
A slow, heavy footstep echoed from the second floor.
Then a tall figure stepped into view, leaning casually against the railing with a fluffy, long coat draped over his shoulders and wild, yellow spiky hair catching the light. One arm rested along the railing as he stared down at the guild.
"Well," Laxus said, voice low and amused. "Sounds interesting. I sent my team off to train, so I was getting bored anyway."
"Laxus!?" Mira and Makarov exclaimed at the same time.
The whole guild also looked at the second floor and froze for a moment before it exploded again.
"Laxus?"
"Wait—Laxus's back?"
Before Laxus could even answer, Natsu jumped forward like a rocket.
"Perfect timing, Laxus! Fight m—"
Snap.
Natsu froze mid-lunge. His limbs dropped instantly, and he slammed face-first onto the floor like a puppet with its strings cut.
"W-What is this!?"
"Why can't I move!?"
"Natsu, are you okay?"
Everyone looked at Natsu, and then a purple magic circle that hovered above him, releasing a downward spiral of purple wind.
Everyone subconsciously looked toward Astro.
Astro blinked innocently before apologizing to Natsu.
"Sorry, Natsu. Can you save the fighting for later? If he gets injured now, I can't take him on the mission."
Laxus snorted. "Come on, Astro. Do you really think I'd lose to Natsu? Who are you joking?"
Astro snapped again, dissolving the magic circle,
"Ugh, that was terrible." Natsu rubbed his shoulder as he slowly sat up on the ground.
"You never learn, do you?" Gray sighed.
Astro first looked at Natsu before looking at Laxus and shrugged. "I wouldn't look down on anyone, Laxus. Especially Natsu. Who knows? In the future, he might actually beat you."
Laxus burst out laughing. "Haha! Yeah, sure. Anyway, I'll tag along on your mission. As the S-Class wizard here, I can't let you embarrass our guild on such a big stage."
"Laxus, when did you come back?" Makarov asked with a frown.
"What? Do I have to report everything to you, old man?" Laxus clicked his tongue. "I'm not a kid anymore."
He looked back down at Astro. "Anyway, you know where to find me. He should be there too."
"Got it. I'll be there in an hour."
"Hm."
Laxus vanished in a crackle of lightning.
Astro turned back toward the mission poster—
—and paused.
Master was staring at him.
Mira was staring at him.
The entire guild was staring at him like they were seeing some kind of anomaly.
Well… everyone except Natsu, who was busy shaking dust out of his clothes.
"…What happened to you guys?" Astro asked in a confused voice.
He touched his own face. "Do I have something stuck on me?"
Mira waved her hands. "N-No, nothing like that…"
Cana was the first one to ask the question everyone was thinking about. "Astro, how did you make Laxus listen to you!?"
"Hmm? I don't know. We trained together, so we got close, I guess?" Astro replied casually. He still thought Laxus's temper was ridiculous and his grin annoying, but he did consider Laxus a friend.
"Wait—You actually became friends with Laxus!?" Elfman shouted in a shocked voice.
Before Astro could answer, Natsu stood up and crossed his arms.
"Why're you all shocked? Laxus is part of Fairy Tail. So he's our friend too."
The guild went silent again—even Master blinked at Nastu.
Astro looked at Natsu, then at the guild, then thought about Laxus's personality and their reactions.
Oh. Right. I forgot about it.
Astro sighed, stood up, placed some coins for his tea on the counter, and walked over to Natsu.
He ruffled his hair.
"Oi—what!?" Natsu snapped in a bit of an annoyed tone, but didn't move away.
Astro smiled softly before raising his voice slightly so everyone could hear him.
"Natsu's right. You guys are overthinking it, too much. Fairy Tail has all kinds of people—unique people outsiders make fun of or look down on."
He looked at Cana, Elfman, Loke, Gray, Mira, Makarov, and everyone else.
"Laxus isn't an exception. He's unique, like all of us. Yeah, he can be a little cocky and annoying, but he cares about Fairy Tail in his own way. So stop treating him like some outsider."
He finished messing up Natsu's hair and moved into the main hall. He passed by Shawn and placed a hand on the kid's head.
"This mission needs adult wizards, so you stay behind this time," Astro said gently as he leaned down a bit.. "I'll be back soon. Show me how much you've trained afterward."
"Okay…" Shawn looked a little down before brightening. "I'll impress you for sure!"
Astro ruffled his hair again with a smile and headed for the door, while everyone was still stuck thinking about Astro's words.
"Me, Laxus, and Mystogan will handle this one, Master," he said, looking back at Master.
Makarov's eyes widened a bit, hearing about Mystogan. But he didn't question Astro about it.
"Alright, Astro… As you said, Laxus is a member of Fairy Tail, too. So make sure all of you—including Mystogan as well—come back safely."
"Got it"
He nodded to Mira.
"See you later, Mira."
"Take care, say hi to Laxus and Mystogan for us," she said with a warm wave.
"I will."
Astro stepped outside, closed the door behind him, and looked up at the crystal-clear sky. He took a deep breath as his body dissolved into a purple mist.
"Wait… did Astro say he was going to invite Mystogan?" Macao, an older member of the guild, asked, shock written all over his tiny face.
Gray folded his arms and nodded. "Yeah… he sounded pretty confident Mystogan would listen to him too."
"When did Astro become good friends with them?" Loke asked curiously, It was just the other day, he took Astro on his first official mission. But now, Astro seemed to be already surpassing all of them, whether it was in strength or connection.
The guild buzzed with chatter as everyone discussed their theory. Makarov closed his eyes, just as he was about to take a nap, a voice sounded on his ear.
"Master?" Mira whispered.
"Hm?"
"Are you sure those three are the right team for this mission?" she asked softly. "I mean… except for Erza, they're probably our three strongest wizards available right now, but… aren't you worried?"
"What? I'm still here in the guild. If something happens, I can protec—"
"That's not what I mean, Master…" Mira pouted and leaned closer to whisper, "Normally, all three of them are careful about their missions. But if those three go together… they might actually destroy an entire region if they're not careful."
Makarov blinked.
Then his face drained of color.
"WAIT—The mission is cancelled…Natsu, get Astro back!!"
"I can't smell him, master…. I don't know what method he uses, but he can hide his smell very well." Natsu said innocently while sniffing the air.
" Master," Mira said helplessly while sneaking a wink to Cana, signalling her not to butt in, "It is already a little late to worry."
"Oh no… We're doomed. Fairy Tail is doomed. We are going to be disbanded. I'm going to be the last master of Fairy Tail. I've failed you, First Master… I FAILED YOU!"
He shouted as he collapsed on top of the counter.
Mira looked at Master and, after making sure he was okay. She breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't actually that worried about the destruction and everything. The fear of their guild getting disbanded had been here from the very beginning since she joined.. After so much time, it kind of got stale.
And, knowing how much Astro loved the guild, he would make sure to protect its reputation no matter where he went. Although…
Mira looked at Astro's usual sitting spot and sighed with a smile, "I guess it will get a little lonely again."
"Mira-chan, two beers on this table," Loke shouted from a corner of the guild, waving his hand.
"Coming right away," Mira said with a smile, before taking one last look at Astro's usual sitting spot and going back to her job.
Meanwhile, at Porlyusica's house—
"You didn't have to defend me back there," Laxus grumbled the moment Astro stepped in. He was lounging at a round table, eating fresh grapes like a spoiled aristocrat.
'Well, I guess he is kind of like the young master of the guild.' Astro thought before he sat across from him. "Oh, you could hear it? I didn't think a Dragon Slayer's senses worked from that far away."
'Hm? Was I wrong about Natsu's senses range, too?' Astro thought quietly before focusing back on Laxus.
Laxus scoffed, realizing he was trying to change the subject.
Astro popped a grape into his mouth. "By the way… how did you get Dragon Slayer magic? Did a dragon teach you like Natsu?"
Laxus's eye twitched. "No. Someone shoved a Lightning Dragon lacrima into my body."
Astro blinked. He could tell Laxus hated the memory.
Before he could ask more, two others entered the house.
"Good morning, Porlyusica. Jellal," Astro greeted.
"Can you stop coming here every day?" Porlyusica snapped immediately. "I gave you a task. I told you not to come back until you finished it."
"Oh, the herbology books. I'm halfway done already, Granny. Can't you give me some slack?"
"If you and Laxus weren't focused on destroying the forest every day in the name of training, you'd have finished by now."
"It was training. We are not lying." Astro protested while handing the mission request to Mystogan, who was not wearing any mask inside the house.
Mystogan raised a brow and skimmed through it.
Porlyusica clicked her tongue. "What kind of training requires deforestation? Is that a mission request?" She glanced at the sparkly mission request and asked Astro.
"Well… more like a special request, although it is not obvious, but I think a child wrote it; she probably chose the sparkling effect too," Astro said. "But it is a legitimate request, and Laxus agreed already. I'm hoping you'll join too, Mystogan."
Mystogan finished reading and sat down beside them.
"For a mission of this level," he said calmly, "it'll either go perfectly… or everything will go wrong at once."
Porlyusica gave them all a side-eye but left the room—she was not much interested in talks related to the mission, especially after hearing it was dangerous.
Astro glanced at her back before looking at Mystogan again.
"You are not wrong." Astro said, "That's why I'm also asking for your help."
"You know I can't show my face," Mystogan replied. "Especially in a grand event like this. Siegrain would notice me, too. Unless you want me to—"
"What are you scared of?" Laxus cut in. "Just replace him. If you take his seat on the Council, your job will be easier."
Astro sighed. Laxus is a Fairy Tail member through and through. "You realize that guy might literally be my brother, right?"
"Then he's obviously weak. Even more reason to get him out of his position.." Laxus shrugged.
Astro gave him a deadpan side-eye before turning back to Mystogan.
"Don't worry. I don't want you on the front-line stuff. Laxus and I will handle that. I want you to stay low and look out for any suspicious activity. Your job will be just to stay hidden unless absolutely needed."
Mystogan thought for a moment. "I don't mind. But I've told you—I have my own goal in Earthland. I might need to disappear at a moment's notice."
"That's fine," Astro said. "Just let us know before you leave."
Laxus grabbed another grape. "So when are we leaving for the job?"
Astro also reached for one… and found the bowl empty. Well, he probably underestimated a dragon slayer's appetite, too.
"Today, in a few hours," Astro said, standing up. "We need to report to the royal castle in the capital before the week ends. Pack your things before the afternoon."
"Wait."
Everyone turned to see Porlyusica approaching—holding a notebook in her hands.
Astro groaned. "Do I have to study even on a mission? Granny, can't I take a break?"
"No. Take it."
Astro opened it with a tired face—then froze.
His eyes widened page after page.
Mystogan and Laxus noticed Astro's expression too, but before they could ask him, Astro spoke first. "Where… did you get this?" his voice trembling in genuine shock.
"It's a long story," Porlyusica said while looking at Astro's excitement. "But I'm not giving it to you for free."
"Oh—right! What do you want in exchange? This thing is invaluable." Astro asked eagerly.
Laxus couldn't hold it anymore. "What's in the notebook? Why are you acting like that?"
"Sky Magic spells…" Astro whispered.
Both Mystogan and Laxus leaned in.
"Sky Magic is a lost magic. Finding spells for it is almost impossible. I've traveled for so long, and this is the first time I've seen a spellbook for sky magic like this… hm?"
"What?" Laxus asked, seeing Astro suddenly looking at him.
"There are spells here for Sky Dragon Slayer Magic, too."
"Huh? Really?" Laxus perked up, not noticing the surprise in Mystogan's eyes.
Astro looked at Porlyusica. "Granny… was this originally meant for…?"
"Yes," she cut him off. "I only know that someday, a Sky Dragon Slayer is destined to join Fairy Tail. These notes are meant for them. But I'm old. I don't know if I'll live to meet them. So you'll take care of these. Give it to her and help her learn them when she arrives."
"Oh, right… You asked me if I was a Sky Dragon Slayer the first time we met." Astro murmured.
Laxus smirked. "A Sky Dragon Slayer, huh? Sounds exciting. Hopefully they're strong and won't disappoint me like you."
"I doubt it," Astro and Mystogan said at the same time. Astro looked at Mystogan in confusion.
Mystogan said in a small voice. "I met a little girl once… she claimed to be a Sky Dragon Slayer, and she was searching for a dragon. She could barely use magic back then."
Astro flipped through the basic spells. "There are a lot of very basic sky magic spells here. , so if it's for someone specific, then the intended user was likely weak or still growing."
Mystogan muttered, "That might be her…" thinking of a small, dark-blue-haired girl.
"Where is she now, Mystogan?" Porlyusica asked in a little bit of a worried voice.
Astro and Laxus both looked a bit surprised hearing her tone. Mystogan looked troubled as well. "It's been about five years. We traveled together for a while… We were wandering aimlessly back then. But I had to do some very dangerous things. I found a village and left her there. I can try to find it again… but it's been too long."
Porlyusica's expression dimmed.
Astro smiled and stepped in.
"Don't worry, Granny. If she's really a Dragon Slayer, she'll be fine. Even without spells, their bodies alone can survive most dangers."
Laxus nodded absently—now eating from a second bowl of grapes he somehow found. He lost interest the moment he heard it might be a weak little girl.
"And if she's destined to join Fairy Tail," Astro said gently, "she should still be safe out there. And when she joins the guild, I'll make sure to guide her. You can count on me."
Porlyusica closed her eyes for a moment, then nodded.
"Fine. Now—be careful on your mission. The fact that all three of you are needed is enough to worry me."
"What? I don't need you to worry about me, old woman," Laxus huffed, with his mouth full.
Porlyusica stared at her now-empty fruit bowl and sighed deeply.
"I wasn't worried about you. I'm worried about the place you three are going. Try not to cause too much destruction."
Astro blinked. "Don't worry. Even in the worst-case scenarios, we'll keep it to a minimum. No more than three cities."
"It shouldn't even be one, you brat!"
"Then half of the city?"
"No"
"Haha. You sound just like Master, now."
"What did you say? Give the notes back to me, you brat."