"Ultear? What are you doing here? Where's Yalian?"
Happy stood up from the ground, raising a paw as he spoke in surprise.
"Ultear?! Ah—it really is the rumored Time Law Witch, Ultear! It's actually her!! She's so beautiful!"
Lucy clasped her hands to her cheeks, her eyes sparkling as she stared at Ultear—the woman she had only ever seen in Weekly Sorcerer.
"Wait—Happy, you know Ultear? Then doesn't that mean you and Natsu are also Fairy Tail mages?!"
Lucy turned to Happy, then looked toward Natsu standing atop the ship, her mouth hanging open in shock.
"Hello, I'm Ultear."
Ultear smiled gently and extended her hand toward Lucy. Lucy returned an embarrassed smile, taking her hand and using the support to stand up.
"Thank you. I'm Lucy. I've heard of you—the Time Law Witch. You're always inseparable from Brother Yalian," Lucy said.
"I know of you too, Lucy Heartfilia. Lord Yalian has mentioned you before. And someone named Brandish as well," Ultear replied with a nod.
"Really? Brother Yalian talks about me often? Hehe!"
Lucy's cheeks flushed slightly as she giggled, completely ignoring the mention of Brandish.
Ultear couldn't help but smile at Lucy, who had already sunk into her own little fantasy. This younger girl was quite adorable.
"By the way, Happy—what exactly is going on here?"
Ultear turned her gaze toward the ship washed ashore and the women fleeing in all directions, asking curiously.
"Aye, it's like this…"
Happy explained everything that had happened.
"I see. Daring to use Fairy Tail's name for deception… looks like they need a proper lesson."
Ultear nodded, her tone as calm as if she were talking about disciplining a pet.
"By the way, where's Yalian? Aren't you two always together?" Happy asked curiously, landing on Ultear's shoulder.
"Lord Yalian went back to Crocus. It's Princess Hisui of Fiore's birthday. He had already promised to attend, so after we finished our job, we split up," Ultear explained.
"Hehe, so that princess—does she have something going on with Yalian?" Happy snickered, covering his mouth.
"No idea."
Ultear shrugged with a faint smile. At some point, Happy had even learned how to speak in a teasing tone.
"You're really generous," Happy said with a sigh, crossing his little arms.
Ultear only smiled without answering. Given Yalian's background, having multiple wives wouldn't be anything unusual. Besides, they had already met his parents and received the approval of Duke Yass and Alice. In name, they were practically already fiancées—though that wasn't something to casually share.
While Ultear and Happy chatted and Lucy remained lost in her thoughts, the fight aboard the ship had already begun.
"You said you're a Fairy Tail mage, right?"
Natsu stared at the flamboyant man in the center of the crowd, his tone unusually calm.
"So what if I am? Hey, you lot—take him down!"
The man looked at Natsu with annoyance and barked orders at his subordinates.
"I'm Natsu of Fairy Tail. I've never heard of someone like you."
Natsu slapped aside the approaching lackeys and revealed the guild mark on his arm, his voice turning cold.
"That mark—it's real, Lord Bora!" a fat man shouted in fear.
"Bora… the one known as 'Salamander of the Red Heaven'? The guy expelled from Titan Nose? Didn't expect him to be doing something like this," Ultear said indifferently.
"I don't care who you are. If you dare use Fairy Tail's name to deceive people, I won't forgive you."
A scorching aura radiated from Natsu as he walked step by step toward Bora.
"What are you going to do, brat? Take this—Flame Vortex!"
Bora spread his hands, sending a spiraling wave of purple-red flames toward Natsu.
The explosion snapped Lucy out of her daze.
"Natsu!! Ultear, Happy—aren't you going to help him?!"
"No need. Natsu can handle it himself. Just watch," Ultear said calmly.
Though confused, Lucy looked back at the ship engulfed in flames—only to witness something shocking.
Natsu swallowed all the flames.
"H-How is that possible? He ate the fire?!" Lucy exclaimed in disbelief.
"Fire doesn't work on Natsu," Happy said matter-of-factly.
"I've never seen magic like this…" Lucy murmured, her mouth slightly open.
"Thanks for the meal! Now that I've eaten, I'm all fired up! I'll blow you all away—Fire Dragon's Roar!"
Natsu inhaled deeply. A fiery magic circle formed before his mouth, and a blazing pillar of fire erupted, sweeping away everyone except Bora.
When the smoke cleared, the ship was in ruins—and so were the scattered lackeys.
"Pink hair… that scale scarf… there's no mistake—he's the real Salamander," one of the barely conscious thugs muttered in terror.
"Remember this well—this is what a Fairy Tail mage looks like!"
Flames wrapped around Natsu's fists as he charged at Bora.
Panicking, Bora unleashed another spell—Crimson Flame Rain. Massive purple fireballs rained down toward Natsu.
Unafraid, Natsu weaved through the barrage, then leapt high into the air, delivering a Fire Dragon's Hook that sent Bora flying.
"He eats fire… and uses fire to attack… Is this really magic?!" Lucy felt like her entire understanding of magic was collapsing.
"A dragon's lungs breathe fire. A dragon's scales melt fire. A dragon's claws grasp fire."
Sitting on Ultear's shoulder like a little teacher, Happy explained.
"It's a mysterious magic that turns the user's body into that of a dragon—also known as Ancient Magic."
"I've never heard of such magic before!" Lucy exclaimed, fists clenched.
"It's a type of slayer magic created to fight dragons—known as Dragon Slayer Magic," Ultear added with a smile.
While Lucy received her impromptu lesson, Natsu completely dominated the battle. After swallowing another of Bora's attacks, he finished him off with a Fire Dragon's Iron Fist, sending Bora flying like a struck bell.
"Yay! Natsu won! But… wasn't that a bit overkill?" Lucy first smiled in relief, then couldn't help but complain.
"Relax, relax—we've got Ultear here," Happy said, patting her shoulder.
"Woohoo, that was fun!"
Natsu shook his hand and walked over.
"Ultear? When did you get here? Where's Yalian?" he asked in surprise.
"Honestly, can't you hold back a little? If the Master finds out, he's going to be mad again," Ultear said, shooting him an annoyed glance.
"Hehe… I'll be careful next time. This one's on you again, Ultear," Natsu scratched his head and laughed sheepishly.
"Arc of Time—Restore."
Ultear raised her hand. With the activation of Arc of Time, the destroyed buildings, houses—even the wrecked ship—were restored to their original state.
"Amazing… is this the power of the Time Law Witch…?" Lucy's eyes widened at the unbelievable sight.
At that moment, the sound of synchronized footsteps approached from afar. Turning to look, they saw a fully armed military unit heading their way.
"Looks like the commotion was too big—we've drawn the army. Let's go. Time to head back to the guild."
Ultear took Lucy's hand and started walking away. Natsu and Happy exchanged a glance and followed.
As for the army—let them come and go for nothing.
—------------------------------
Pat reon Advance Chapters: patreon.com/FicWarden