Mirajane seethed with frustration the entire way back.
Erza had smugly declared herself the winner of the trial, a claim Mirajane stubbornly refused to believe.
But the moment they stepped foot in the guildhall, the entire guild was already celebrating Erza’s victory.
Forced to accept this cruel reality, Mirajane realized the horrifying truth: it meant she was officially weaker than Erza.
This was utterly unacceptable.
She immediately marched straight up to Caelan, grabbed him by the collar, and violently shook him back and forth.
“Why did she win?!
Aaaaaahhhh!!” “Help!
Murder!
Someone save me!” Caelan yelled.
The rest of the guild completely ignored his pleas, simply watching the two of them bicker with amused smiles.
After the celebration banquet finally ended, Caelan returned to his estate and threw himself onto his bed.
‘System, open panel.’ [Ding!
System Panel opened successfully.] [Host: Caelan] [Age: 15] [Template: Borsalino (60%)] [Abilities: Armament Haki (Advanced), Observation Haki (Advanced), Glint-Glint Fruit (Mastered), Marine Rokushiki (Advanced), Master Swordsman.] [Wealth: ???
J] [Cost to unlock next Borsalino Template stage: ???
J] [Inventory: Evolution Fruit x1 (Automatically consumed when Template reaches 100%)] ‘I’m already past the halfway mark,’ Caelan thought, closing the interface.
‘There’s only four years left until the main plot kicks off.
Once that happens, I definitely won’t have time to grind out these random subjugation quests.
I need to stockpile as much cash as possible over the next four years.
Who knows how ridiculously expensive the next upgrade is going to be?’ Time flew by in a flash.
Four years passed in the blink of an eye.
During the second year, Mirajane successfully passed her trial and became an S-Class Mage.
Knowing the tragedy of the Beast King quest was approaching, Caelan constantly checked the Request Board, hoping to intercept it.
But the gears of fate were stubborn.
While Caelan was away on a long-term mission, the Beast King subjugation request arrived and was immediately taken by Mirajane.
By the time Caelan rushed back to the guild, it was already too late.
Traumatized by the incident, Mirajane lost her will to fight, her magical abilities sealing themselves away.
Meanwhile, Elfman completely abandoned his timid, bowl-cut persona.
Overcome with guilt, he transformed into a hulking, muscle-bound brawler constantly shouting about what it meant to be a ‘real man.’ Desperate to protect his remaining family, Elfman joined Finn and Rook’s grueling physical training sessions, and Caelan eventually passed the Rokushiki techniques down to him as well.
That same year, a mysterious masked Mage named Mystogan—the prince of Edolas—joined Fairy Tail and quickly claimed an S-Class title for himself.
Under Caelan’s brutal tutelage over the years, Finn and Rook had fully mastered the Six Powers and even developed their own unique derivative techniques.
Their combat strength had skyrocketed.
However, they eventually hit the absolute physical ceiling of normal human limits.
In a world governed by Magic, physical training could only take an ordinary person so far.
Even with Porlyusica’s extreme medicinal baths pushing them past their natural limits, they simply couldn’t compare to anomalous monsters like Natsu, who possessed the constitution of an actual dragon.
Year X784.
Hargeon Port Railway Station.
“Natsu, we’re here.
It’s time to get off.” “Blargh…
j-just give me a second to rest…” Natsu groaned, slouched over a seat and looking completely green.
“Excuse me, sir, are you alright?” a concerned train conductor asked.
“Aye~” Happy chirped, munching on a fish.
“Don’t worry about him.
This is just a chronic issue.” Choo choo—!!
The train suddenly lurched forward, beginning its departure from the station.
“Aaahhh!
Save me, Happy!!” Natsu screamed, pressing his face against the glass as the train rolled away with him still trapped inside.
Happy stood on the platform, staring in utter shock as his partner was abducted by the railway system yet again.
Meanwhile, having just completed a grueling Decade Quest, Caelan strolled into Hargeon Port.
“Yaaawn~” Caelan stretched his arms high above his head.
“So exhausting.
That Decade Quest took way too much time.
I don’t know what kind of madman Gildarts is to actually enjoy taking on Century Quests.” Just as he looked up, he spotted a familiar blue cat floating aimlessly above the crowd.
‘Happy?
What are those two doing in Hargeon?’ Caelan wondered.
‘Whatever.
I’m starving.
Time to hunt down some food before my stomach starts digesting itself.
My appetite has been getting completely out of hand lately.’ As Caelan walked down the street toward the nearest restaurant, he noticed a blonde, incredibly well-endowed girl storming angrily out of a Magic Shop.
‘Hmm?
She looks familiar,’ Caelan thought, pausing for a second.
‘Ah, never mind.
Food is more important.’ He did, however, shoot one last appreciative glance at her retreating figure.
‘Great figure, though.’ And so, the gears of destiny turned, and the dragon slayer and the celestial wizard finally crossed paths.
To thank the boy and his flying cat for getting her out of a tight spot with a sleazy charlatan, the blonde girl treated them to lunch at a nearby restaurant.
The moment the trio walked through the diner doors, they froze.
Everyone in the restaurant was staring in absolute shock at a single table in the corner.
Stacked high atop the table was a literal mountain of empty plates.
And sitting behind that mountain, rapidly devouring an equally massive pile of food, was a single customer.
Natsu and Happy recognized the ravenous eater instantly.
“Caelan!” “Boss!” “Boss?” Lucy blinked, looking down at the cat.
“Do you guys know him?” “Aye!” Happy cheered, flying over.
“I love the Boss!
Whenever we’re with him, there’s endless food!” “Yeah!” Natsu grinned, pulling up a chair next to the mountain of plates.
“And we don’t even have to pay!” Hearing his name, Caelan paused his aggressive eating and looked up to see the two idiots.
“Oh, it’s you guys,” Caelan mumbled around a mouthful of meat.
“I saw Happy at the station earlier, but I thought I was hallucinating from hunger.” He raised a hand toward the kitchen.
“Hey, Chef!
Bring out twenty more servings!” Soon, the two Fairy Tail Mages and the cat began an absolute eating frenzy.
Lucy sat awkwardly at the edge of the table, sweating bullets.
‘Is this guy even human?!’ Lucy screamed internally, watching Caelan inhale a whole roasted boar.
‘If he keeps eating like that, isn’t his stomach going to literally explode?!’ After clearing his fiftieth plate, Caelan finally pointed a greasy fork at Lucy.
“Who’s she?” “Oh, her?” Natsu answered, stuffing a whole chicken leg into his mouth.
“That’s Louise!” “It’s Lucy!!” she snapped angrily.
Caelan’s eyes widened in exaggerated shock.
“Wait, you’re Lucy?!” Lucy instantly preened, a smug, highly flattered smile spreading across her face.
“Oh?
Do you know who I am?
Wow, I didn’t realize I already had fans!” she giggled, brushing her blonde hair behind her ear.
Caelan’s expression instantly returned to a deadpan, lazy stare.
“No.
You’re overthinking it.
I have absolutely no idea who you are.” Smack!
Lucy completely lost her will to live, slamming her forehead directly into the wooden table.
‘Then why did you act like you knew me?!’ she shrieked internally.
Caelan chuckled, highly amused.
“Hahaha.
Your friend is pretty funny, Natsu.” “Yheash, yheash,” Natsu agreed absentmindedly, completely focused on the food.
After wiping his mouth with a napkin, Caelan leaned back in his chair.
“So, Natsu, what are you doing all the way out here in Hargeon?” “Oh, I know this one,” Lucy chimed in, rubbing her bruised forehead.
“He said he was looking for someone.” Natsu swallowed his massive bite of food.
“Yeah.
I heard a rumor that ‘Salamander’ was in town, so I came to check if it was Igneel.
But it turned out to be some fake loser.” “Huh?” Lucy blinked in confusion.
“A person who looks like a fire dragon?
What would that even look like?” “Igneel isn’t a person,” Natsu explained casually, reaching for another plate.
“He’s a real, actual dragon.” “A REAL DRAGON?!” Lucy shrieked, jumping out of her chair in sheer disbelief.
“Why would a massive fire dragon be hanging around in the middle of a populated town?!
And do dragons even exist?!” Natsu and Happy froze mid-chew.
The gears in their heads slowly turned.
If a massive, fire-breathing dragon had actually waltzed into Hargeon Port, the entire town would be in a state of absolute, screaming panic.
It instantly dawned on them just how incredibly stupid the rumor was.
Seeing their completely blank, dumbfounded expressions, Caelan burst into booming laughter.
“Hahaha!