Chapter 105: Dragons Still Exist in This World
The crying stopped abruptly. Emily stared at Dino in absolute terror, her entire body trembling. This human was completely beyond her understanding—far more frightening than any human she'd encountered in all her years.
She knew her own strength better than anyone. In all her time in this world, she had never met a human this powerful.
Weren't humans supposed to be weak? She thought desperately. How did he become so much stronger in just five years?
She'd had the advantage at first, but now she was being completely overwhelmed. This guy isn't human—he's a monster!
"I'm very busy, so I don't have time to deal with you constantly," Dino said, arms crossed. "You need to build your nest somewhere that isn't near populated areas."
"But there's no one here!" Emily protested.
Dino jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "The capital is only a few dozen miles that way. If I let you nest here, you'd endanger everyone living there. Besides, didn't you relocate five years ago? Why come back here?"
"Can't I go wherever I want?!"
"Go anywhere you like—just don't affect innocent people. Actually, it'd be best if you stayed off the Ishgar continent entirely. That way I won't have to run into you again."
"Dino!"
Erza's voice called out from above. Looking up, Dino saw the magical airship landing nearby. Erza and the others were rushing toward him.
"Dino, are you alright?" Erza asked, concern evident in her voice.
"I'm fine. Small potatoes, really. Like I told you—she can't do anything to me."
Arcadios, Captain of the Holy Knights, stepped forward. "Lord Dino, where has the dragon gone? Did you defeat it?"
Dino tilted his head toward Emily. "Dragon? She's right there."
Everyone followed his gaze and saw a pitiful-looking little girl in purple clothes with matching purple hair. Tears still stained her cute cheeks. There was no dragon in sight.
As an experienced mage, Erza was the first to understand. "Dino… are you saying she's the dragon from before?"
Emily put her hands on her hips, pouting indignantly at Erza. "How rude! Don't call me a 'dragon' like that! On the Guiltina continent, we're called 'Dragons' with proper respect!"
Arcadios and the Holy Knights' expressions changed dramatically. Fear flickered across their faces as they instinctively stepped back.
They had witnessed firsthand how terrifying that dragon was. Even with their numbers, she could wipe them all out effortlessly.
Dino's eyebrows rose. "Guiltina continent? Then why did you come to Ishgar?"
The Guiltina continent lay far to the north, across the sea and beyond even Alakitasia. For a dragon, the flight would only take days, but in an era before widespread magical transportation, there was almost no contact between the continents.
"N-Not that I ran away from home because I made Big Brother Ignia angry or anything…" Emily mumbled, looking away.
You just told us everything, Arcadios and the Holy Knights thought simultaneously, sweatdropping. But none dared voice the complaint aloud—she was a dragon, after all.
"Ignia? Another dragon?" Dino asked.
Emily's expression turned proud. "That's right! Big Brother Ignia is the Fire God Dragon—way stronger than me! He could definitely beat you up!"
"There are more dragons?!" Arcadios exclaimed, his voice cracking slightly.
Erza remained calmer than the others. After all, Natsu had been telling her since childhood that he was raised by a dragon and learned Dragon Slayer Magic. The existence of dragons wasn't news to her.
"Whether he could beat me doesn't really matter," Dino said with a shrug. "What matters is whether he'd dare show himself. Acnologia is always hunting dragons."
Emily's face went pale. "Y-You know about Acnologia?!"
She and her four siblings had lived in fear of Acnologia—the Dragon King, the destroyer of their kind—since they were hatchlings. Even now that they'd matured considerably, none of them had the courage to face that monster.
"I know of him. Never met him personally. But he's probably somewhere on the Ishgar continent right now, so you'd better leave. Quickly."
Emily's eyes widened in panic. She needed to escape this continent immediately and return to the safety of Guiltina…
Her eyes flashed with brilliant purple light. Erza, Arcadios, and all the Holy Knights suddenly collapsed unconscious.
Dino's expression darkened. He quickly caught Erza before she hit the ground, then glared at Emily. "What did you do?!"
"Nothing major—just modified their memories a bit. I don't want word of our existence spreading." As Emily spoke, she transformed back into her dragon form, her massive body casting a shadow over them all.
"Aren't you afraid I'll spread the news?"
"You're not an idiot! You met me five years ago, so you understand what we have to fear from Acnologia!"
"…" Dino couldn't argue with that logic.
"I'm leaving! But when you come to Guiltina someday, I'll definitely bring someone to beat you until you're crying! Just you wait!" Emily's wings beat powerfully, launching her body into the sky. Within moments, she vanished into the clouds.
Dino smirked slightly. "I'll be back!" he muttered in his best villain impression. Despite her bratty attitude, the dragon girl didn't seem to have any real malice. He didn't exactly hate her.
Erza and the Holy Knights began stirring. After a brief conversation, Dino understood what Emily had done—she'd altered their memories so they remembered the dragon as a powerful monster that Dino had defeated after a fierce battle.
Soon, Dino and Erza returned to the palace. Without Dino needing to say anything, Arcadios reported everything to the king (the modified version, at least).
The tremors from Dino's battle with the dragon had been felt even in the capital.
The dragon's roar magic had been clearly visible from the royal palace, its energy fluctuations powerful enough to level the entire structure.
The King of Fiore was extremely pleased and readily paid the 60 million Jewels.
Since they had both money and time, and it was rare to visit the capital, Dino and Erza decided to spend a few days enjoying themselves in the city.
They made the most of their time together, exploring the capital's attractions and enjoying their hard-earned alone time away from the guild's chaos.
Five days later, the pair finally set out to return to Fairy Tail.