Georg Reizen leaned forward.
He was still seated, yet the pressure he gave off was enough to make Skullion, Kiria, and Madmole tense up.
After all, he was the man who had single-handedly founded Diabolos.
"The Water Dragon God Mercphobia has lost his power, and the Wood Dragon God Aldoron is dead. Our next target is Selene, the Moon Dragon God."
"I hear she's quite the graceful-looking dragon. You will not fail again. Bring her before me."
By the time Selene arrived in Drasil, Skullion and the others had already fled.
They had no idea she had participated in the battle against Aldoron.
Even their knowledge of Aldoron's death came only from the information released by Guiltina's Magic Council, MNP.
As for Mercphobia losing his power, that information was outdated as well.
They did not know Faris had returned control of his strength or that the Water Dragon God had completely recovered.
"The four members of the Black Dragon Slayer Knights will accompany you."
Georg's next words made Madmole's pupils contract. Cold sweat immediately formed across his forehead.
Even within the same Dragon Eater guild, there were enormous differences in strength.
Especially when it came to Kirin.
Kiria, on the other hand, looked excited.
As far as she was concerned, Misaki was the strongest of them all—possibly even the strongest female Mage in Guiltina.
The clacking of wooden sandals and high heels against the stone floor echoed from the shadows.
The Black Dragon Slayer Knights were Diabolos's most powerful unit, essentially the secret weapons Georg had personally cultivated.
There were four members in total:
Kirin, the Yellow Dragon and their captain.
Misaki, the Azure Dragon.
Suzaku, the Vermilion Dragon.
And Haku, the White Tiger.
Kirin was a man around thirty years old, with long, wavy hair. He wore a black leather coat and a top hat, along with a monocle over one eye.
A massive coffin was chained to his back, giving him the faint air of a wandering artist.
Suzaku was a young man of roughly twenty. He wore samurai robes and sandals, with a sword hanging at his waist.
His long hair was tied into a high ponytail, and his sharp, upturned eyes resembled Natsu's.
A feather ornament hung beside one ear, while his face remained almost completely expressionless.
The Vermilion Dragon Slayer's power came from a sword dragon whose strength had nearly reached the level of a Dragon King.
Misaki was a tall woman in her twenties with long hair.
A thin lock behind each ear had been woven into a braid, and her pupils were shaped like four-pointed stars.
She wore a fitted collared dress with rows of buttons across the chest, a belt decorated with a dragon's head, and a crown upon her head.
An armband bearing the guild emblem was wrapped around her left arm.
As she stepped into view, she twirled one of her braids around her right index finger while resting her other hand on her hip, a pleasant smile on her face.
The last was Haku.
He looked like a child and stood only around half Kirin's height. He wore a hooded tiger-fur coat, with only a few strands of hair visible beneath the hood.
A large bell hung around his neck, and thick fur-lined boots reached past his knees.
Even though northern Guiltina was warmer than Ishgar, he still appeared excessively bundled up.
The White Tiger.
The Azure Dragon.
The Vermilion Dragon.
The Yellow Dragon.
Georg's expression twisted viciously. He licked his lips and grinned.
"Hurry up and let me taste it!"
"The flesh and blood of a Dragon God!!!"
"Yes!"
The seven Dragon Eaters struck a variety of poses and lowered their heads in acknowledgment.
Of course, Georg had not bothered telling them where to find Selene.
Apparently, they were simply expected to wander around until they got lucky.
...
Roughly a dozen kilometers east of Drasil—or rather, the place where Aldoron's body had once rested—stood a small town named Doramil.
Raizel brought Ultear and the others there to rest for several days.
Doramil had originally been built by the Magic Council as an observation post for monitoring Aldoron.
After Drasil collapsed, large numbers of soldiers arrived in the region, but Raizel's group had already teleported away before they could be surrounded by the commotion.
Despite being established mainly for surveillance purposes, Doramil had everything a small town needed.
It even had a public bathhouse and shops selling all kinds of Aldoron-shaped buns.
After three days at an inn, Wendy's treatment and plenty of rest had finally eased the side effects Natsu suffered from consuming incompatible Dragon Slayer Magic.
"Cheers!!!"
Everyone gathered around a table and raised their drinks in celebration.
At the same time, they needed to decide upon their next target.
"We'll figure it out as we travel," Raizel said.
He currently had no better idea.
According to Selene, the Gold Dragon God Viernes had no physical form, while the Fire Dragon God Ignia constantly moved from place to place.
Ultear nodded.
"That works. We can treat it like a vacation."
After replenishing their supplies, the group set off on a journey without any destination in mind.
Lucy could not resist commenting,
"We say we're setting off on a journey, but we don't even know where we're going."
Erza rested one hand on her hip and raised a finger.
"I have a suggestion. Why don't we return to Elefseria and tell him everything that happened? He may be able to give us a new lead."
Everyone agreed.
They had no better option anyway.
After traveling at a leisurely pace, the group eventually returned to Magia Dragon.
The surrounding area had not changed.
The concentration of Ethernano remained extraordinarily high, with glowing particles drifting through the air like falling snow.
"Yo! Long time no see!"
Without the slightest restraint, Natsu kicked open the door.
"Huh?!!"
Happy immediately provided another priceless reaction when he saw who was inside.
They had run into Irene and Selene again.
The two of them had arrived at Magia Dragon even earlier than Raizel's group.
Unlike Raizel and the others, however, they had not come without a purpose. Selene and Irene were seeking Elefseria's permission to enter the Dogramag Labyrinth.
So far, they had made no progress.
Elefseria had yet to agree.
Irene, Selene, and Elefseria all looked surprised by Raizel's arrival.
The three of them had been sitting together in the middle of their negotiations, and they spoke almost in unison.
"What are you doing here?"
Raizel looked at Irene and Selene before shrugging.
"We were about to ask you the same thing."
Elefseria smiled beneath his beard and stroked it thoughtfully.
"In that case, why don't we all sit down for a meal and talk?"
Although he had not yet accepted Selene and Irene's request, their negotiations had not broken down.
In fact, the conversation had been rather pleasant, especially after Elefseria learned that they had helped defeat Aldoron.
Raizel did not cook this time.
Mira prepared several dishes using ingredients already available in the guild, while Raizel teleported to the nearest town and purchased some ready-made food.
Everyone gathered around the table and talked as they ate.
Natsu recounted their battle with plenty of exaggerated flourishes, while Lucy occasionally interrupted to correct him.
Elefseria stroked his beard and nodded from time to time.
"I see. Five God Seeds, along with enlarged Dragon Slayers fighting Aldoron's main body..."
"You also encountered Diabolos?"
Raizel nodded.
"That's right."