"Hello, members of Fairy Tail. May I ask… do you know Natsu?"
Zeref stopped in front of Rain and the others, his voice gentle and calm.
After all, it was rare for him to meet members of Fairy Tail directly. Naturally, he wanted to ask about Natsu.
"…How is Natsu doing now?"
At the mention of that name, a faint warmth surfaced in Zeref's expression.
"Natsu? You know Natsu?"
Erza blinked in surprise. A man like this—someone with such an overwhelming presence—actually knowing Natsu was honestly unexpected.
"Natsu's doing great," Rain answered without hesitation. "Still as lively as ever."
After all, he knew very well the connection between Zeref and Natsu.
"…Lively, huh?"
Zeref let out a soft chuckle, visibly relieved. "That's good."
Then he nodded lightly.
"Please… give Natsu my regards."
With that, Zeref turned and prepared to leave.
The remnant god's soul had already been dealt with. There was no reason for him to remain any longer.
Rain didn't say anything as he watched Zeref walk away. There was no need.
But the moment Zeref disappeared from sight, the change was immediate.
Brandish and Dimaria Yesta both visibly relaxed, as if a tremendous weight had been lifted from their shoulders.
No matter how gentle Zeref had seemed, he was still His Majesty, Emperor of the Alvarez Empire—and they knew his true identity better than anyone.
Standing relaxed in front of him had never been an option.
"…Were you two that nervous?"
Erza asked, tilting her head at their reactions.
"That was Emperor Zeref," Brandish snapped back, rolling her eyes. "Of course we were nervous!"
"…Zeref?"
Erza froze.
That name sounded… extremely familiar.
"His Majesty Emperor Zeref," Dimaria explained calmly, "is the legendary Black Mage—Zeref."
"…Wait, that Zeref?!"
Erza was completely stunned.
Rain shrugged casually. "It makes sense. Only someone like him could rule an empire as powerful as Alvarez."
"…Yeah. When you put it that way…"
Erza nodded slowly. Thinking back on everything she had seen along the way—the sheer strength and scale of the Alvarez Empire—it suddenly felt obvious.
Then—
"Mary! Help me out!"
Brandish suddenly pointed straight at Rain and shouted.
"The two of us are teaming up and arresting this guy!"
"…Huh?"
"…What?"
"…This guy…?"
Dimaria, Erza, and Rain all stared at her in unison.
"I see."
Dimaria nodded, looking as if she understood something.
"Hmph!"
Seeing Dimaria agree, Brandish puffed out her chest proudly—and even shot Rain a provocative look.
There's no way, she thought, that the two of us together can't take him down!
"Rain, be careful!"
Erza immediately drew her weapon, stepping forward defensively.
She knew Brandish still held a grudge over what happened earlier. This sudden move wasn't surprising at all.
"It's fine," Rain said calmly, smiling as he gently patted Erza's hand. "You don't need to worry."
"…Huh?"
Erza looked at him, confused.
"Just watch," Rain said.
"…Okay."
Trusting him, Erza lowered her guard but kept her eyes fixed on the scene.
"Hahahaha! You're done for now!"
Brandish laughed smugly, completely confident—
Until—
"…Huh?"
Her body suddenly froze.
"Mary… what are you doing?!"
Brandish stared in disbelief as Dimaria restrained her arms from behind.
"What's going on?!"
"I'm sorry, Brandish," Dimaria said quietly. "But… I won't hurt Rain."
"…So you're hurting me instead?!"
Brandish looked like her soul had just left her body.
What did I do to deserve this?!
"When did you two get so close?! I don't remember you even knowing each other!"
Dimaria hesitated for a moment, then spoke honestly.
"…We only just met. But even so—Rain is the most important person to me."
"…What is this situation supposed to be?!"
Both Erza and Brandish turned their heads at the same time and shouted:
"What's going on here?!"
Rain scratched his cheek.
"Well… it happened earlier, when I was helping Dimaria just now—"
"Call me Mary."
He stopped.
Dimaria looked at him seriously. "Just Mary."
That was a name only those close to her were allowed to use.
"…Rain, call me Mary."
There was a faint blush on her face, mixed with quiet expectation.
"…Alright. Mary."
Rain nodded without hesitation.
Dimaria smiled.
Author's Note: Yoho, Arthorain here!
I'll keep it simple and won't babble. I've started a new novel, and honestly, I could use some help with it. Since it's still new, every bit of support matters.
Naruto: Dracule Mihawk Template is now live—packed with aura farming, elegant disrespect, and an MC who handles problems the Mihawk way: stare first, slash second, explain absolutely nothing.
A Power Stone or even adding it to library would help more than you'd think. Doing both is, of course, highly encouraged. Tagged below 👇