I had some food stored already.
Not much, though.
So before night completely settled in, I quickly visited a couple of stores.
It was strange.
The world might have medieval aesthetics, but things like twenty-four-hour grocery stores and late-night restaurants existed.
I had to give the world credit for that.
Pharmacies, however, were another matter.
At least not pharmacies with the assortment I was used to.
So vitamin supplements were out.
Still, there weren’t any serious problems.
I didn’t attract much attention either.
My spatial pocket concealed the true amount of food I was purchasing.
Although I did have to explain myself to one particularly sympathetic woman.
She’d been weighing a wheel of cheese for me while enthusiastically questioning me about my purchases.
There were people like that.
People you simply couldn’t stay silent around.
They could make a dead man talk and still have time to attach a few dozen rumors to the conversation.
Unfortunately, I’d encountered exactly that type.
So, with a polite smile, I explained that I was stocking up because I had a new house.
You never knew.
Friends might suddenly show up, and I couldn’t exactly have nothing to serve them.
She already knew I was from Fairy Tail.
The moment I mentioned friends, she launched into a sympathetic monologue about pink-haired gluttons and blue cats.
At that point, I simply listened.
When I returned home, I really did fill the basement with food.
Why not combine two useful tasks?
After that, I settled down right there and began reconstructing my body.
I didn’t need to reinvent the wheel.
There was no need to combine different genes either.
All I had to do was rebuild my organism according to an existing model, complete with detailed instructions.
After all, I’d studied exactly how Natsu’s cells changed.
So by morning, I’d successfully completed the process.
I even had time to test the result.
I’d considered modifying the muscle tissue into pink fibers.
I’d also considered strengthening the dragon genes using samples from Natsu’s scarf.
But after thinking it over, I abandoned the idea.
First, I needed to study the mutation in its baseline state.
I needed to see how it reacted to my magic.
And how it interacted with the symbiote’s cells.
There was a significant difference between neutral observation, as I’d done with Natsu, and the constant, deep interaction occurring at every level inside my own body.
Only after understanding that could I think about additional modifications to individual areas.
The result was impressive.
The physical strength of my host organism increased by approximately one and a half to two times.
The tissues throughout my body became stronger.
Skin.
Bones.
Internal organs.
Everything.
I also gained a weak form of regeneration.
Though technically it wasn’t regeneration.
It was simply recovery much faster than that of an ordinary human.
And, of course, I acquired the famous Dragon Slayer sense of smell.
My hearing and eyesight improved too, though not nearly as dramatically as my sense of smell.
The mutation hadn’t progressed far enough in those areas and had stopped at the level Natsu possessed.
After all, he had served as my baseline.
I didn’t want to artificially push the mutation further.
Overall, I was very pleased with the result.
Unfortunately, I still couldn’t produce flames.
Even after using Natsu’s memories as a reference.
But after visiting the library, I hadn’t expected to succeed anyway.
Now I would have to spend a long time studying the behavior of what was essentially a new body.
But that wasn’t something I could accomplish overnight.
There was no reason to stay in the basement.
I left the cellar, drank a glass of coffee, ate a couple of sandwiches in my almost completely empty kitchen, and checked the time.
Then I decided to spend some time cleaning.
I’d spent roughly seven hours rebuilding my body.
It was still early morning.
And after observing Fairy Tail’s habits for a while, I’d realized there was little point in going to the guild before ten.
Mira would be there, of course.
But why drag a beautiful woman out of a warm bed?
So I spent the next couple of hours moving furniture around.
Naturally, I didn’t finish.
But at least I could now walk through the hallway and several rooms on the first floor.
At ten in the morning, after wiping away my imaginary honest labor sweat, I headed toward the guild.
Hmm.
Strange.
Why was it so quiet?
Then I noticed a cart standing near the doors.
The sight filled my Hamster with awe and genuine respect.
I think I understood the reason for the silence.
Heh.
Hang on, Natsu.
Gray.
The time for revenge had arrived.
Sure enough, I entered the main hall and found everyone standing almost at attention.
They were staring blankly toward a red-haired woman in armor who was currently chewing out Wakaba.
Beside the woman stood an enormous horn.
It was about half a meter taller than she was.
I couldn’t help wondering whether armor was really supposed to have that many completely exposed sections.
Maybe I was missing something.
At least it wasn’t a metal bra.
Small victories.
Although that was unfortunate too.
Fine.
I’d assume there were complicated enchantments woven into the armor, which explained why the blacksmith had “lightened” it so much.
No.
I understood the man.
Especially the short armored skirt.
And the legs were certainly impressive.
Everything interesting was covered, but there was still more than enough for the eye to appreciate.
Right.
I was drifting off-topic again.
Time to begin.
“Hey, everyone.
Why is it so quiet in here?”
Hmm.
Lucy was already staring in shock.
Apparently, she’d also noticed the enormous difference between the woman described by Natsu and Gray and the actual person standing before us.
“Psst.”
Happy flew closer.
“Elsa’s here!”
“Where?”
I deliberately looked around.
“Over there.”
The cat pointed toward the woman, who had clearly started listening to our conversation.
“Where?”
I put on my best innocent expression.
“There’s only a rather attractive woman in armor there.”
I looked toward Natsu and Gray.
“But Natsu and Gray described Elsa very clearly.
A gigantic woman, terrifying as death, with the habits of a hardened thug…”
No woman would appreciate being called ugly.
I was probably about to get beaten.
But I’d already called her attractive and clearly identified the source of the rumor.
Hmm.
The look on Natsu and Gray’s faces…
It was almost the same expression Caesar might have worn when Brutus decided to leave his dagger in Caesar’s back.
Meanwhile, the room became noticeably colder.
Lucy looked at me sadly.
She seemed convinced that I was about to be killed.
Heh.
No, my dear.
You don’t know Elsa’s personality yet.
Gray and Natsu, however…
I really did feel sorry for them.
Maybe I’d apologize later for setting them up like this.
Later.
Someday.
Perhaps.
“Natsu.
Gray.”
Elsa addressed the pair almost sweetly.
“I’m very happy that you’re educating newcomers and helping them settle into the guild.”
She smiled.
“But please make sure you give them accurate information.”
“Gotcha!”
The Dragon Slayer nodded.
Hmm.
He really did look like Happy.
“Elsa is me.”
The woman turned toward me.
“Sephiroth.
It’s a pleasure to meet you.
And I apologize if I inadvertently offended you.
I was given incorrect information.”
“Nothing to worry about.”
I smiled.
“And you can call me Sephiroth.
But I’m in a bit of a hurry right now.”
Elsa turned toward the two men.
“Natsu.
Gray.
I need your help.”
The girl then gave the sweet couple a very clear order.
She expected them at the railway station in one hour.
Then, with an almost effortless motion, she picked up the enormous horn and walked toward the women’s dormitory.
A gloomy atmosphere seemed to follow her.
Yeah…
I might have gone a little too far with my revenge on Gray.
Elsa looked seriously annoyed.
Fine.
I’d have to find some way to repair the situation.
For now, while the Valkyrie was dumping her unnecessary belongings into her Hamster Hole, otherwise known as her dorm room, Mira asked Lucy to keep an eye on the Fire Mage and Ice Mage so they wouldn’t kill each other.
Then, after thinking about it for a moment, she asked me to do the same.
She said that, if necessary, she trusted my strength and my ability to stop the two mages if they got out of control.
Yeah…
So this was how the story of Lullaby began.
I just hoped that this time, the artifact would receive a more useful fate than becoming a training dummy for Titania’s attacks.
At the very least…
I’d do everything I could to make sure of it.