On the deck of the ship, Charles lay leisurely on a reclining chair with a sunshade shielding him from the harsh sunlight.
Next to him, a burly middle-aged man wearing an eyepatch rubbed his hands together, looking at Charles with a flattering smile.
Charles couldn't help but marvel at the power of fear.
Even though they hadn't witnessed the supposed curse of Galuna Island or seen any actual victims, the fishermen still adamantly refused to go near the island.
With no other choice, Charles had intended to fly there himself. But halfway through, he discovered that even with the sun as a reference point, it was easy to lose direction over the open sea.
That's how he ended up like this—because although he didn't find Galuna Island immediately, he did find a pirate ship.
Charles wasn't nearly as kind to pirates as he was to the fishermen. Whether they liked it or not, they had no right to refuse.
The one-eyed pirate said, "Sirs, just as you instructed, we're about to reach Galuna Island!"
Charles lifted an eyelid and glanced at them. "Since you've been cooperative, I'll let you off this time. But you should really consider finding honest work."
By reading their aura, Charles sensed these pirates hadn't committed any serious crimes—at most, they were street-level thugs. Maybe they were new to the pirate trade or just a group of idiots who hadn't gotten around to doing anything truly bad.
That's why Charles had only threatened them instead of taking real action.
Standing up from the recliner, he saw the outline of Galuna Island appear in the distance.
Unfurling his flaming wings, Charles turned to Gray and said, "We're a day behind Natsu. I'm worried something might've gone wrong, so I'll go to the client first. You can catch up after the ship docks."
In the original story, Gray and Natsu landed together and discovered that Gray's senior disciple, Lyon, intended to use the Moon Drip ritual to unseal the demon Deliora from the Book of Zeref.
That confrontation didn't happen until the night of the second day after their arrival—largely because of Gray's hesitation.
But this time… there's no way a guy like Natsu would wait around for a whole day.
Since Charles got lost and arrived on the island half a day later, he was genuinely concerned that something had already gone wrong.
He wasn't worried about Lyon's crew—Natsu could handle them. The real concern was Ultear.
Ultear, the "Tear of Ur." Ur was the ice sculpting mage who had taught Gray, and the one who used the forbidden spell "Iced Shell" to seal Deliora.
Ultear was Ur's biological daughter, born with immense magical power. That power caused her to be taken away and turned into an experimental subject, leading to a misunderstanding between mother and daughter and Ultear's eventual allegiance to a dark guild out of hatred.
Ultear wielded a Lost Magic on par with Dragon Slayer Magic—Arc of Time.
Time-based magic was something even Charles had to take seriously, not to mention Ultear also mastered ice sculpting magic on par with both Gray and Lyon.
While Ultear wouldn't reveal her identity or go all-out against Natsu, Charles knew how persistent Natsu could be—and how that might stir trouble.
He sensed the island was mostly wilderness, so he flew toward the area with the strongest concentration of auras.
But just as he neared the village, Charles saw something hovering in the sky above it—an unusual creature.
It was a gigantic mouse, nearly ten meters long, dressed in lace clothing.
Most bizarrely, its tail was spinning like a helicopter blade, allowing it to fly in the air.
The mouse clutched a massive barrel in its paws, and from the smell alone, Charles could guess the contents were anything but safe.
He also spotted three figures riding on the mouse's back—Lyon's subordinates, no doubt.
Their presence meant things were just getting started, and the worst-case scenario Charles feared hadn't yet arrived.
However, seeing the giant mouse preparing to dump its cargo on the village, Charles couldn't sit idly by.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
Just as the thick, purplish-blue liquid began to fall, a pillar of flame shot through the air and incinerated it completely.
The three people on the mouse's back glared at Charles with evident irritation.
But Charles's expression was even darker—so grim it was terrifying.
"I don't care what you're planning on this island. But dragging innocent villagers into it—that's what pisses me off."
Startled by his tone, the three were briefly thrown off before regaining their composure.
The thick-browed man growled, "Never seen this guy before. A new fire mage? What a pain."
The girl among them said, "Zero Emperor's orders were to eliminate anyone who interferes. If we don't hurry, we'll lose his love!"
The feline-faced man added, "It's just one more guy. Five minutes, tops."
The girl pointed at Charles. "Angelica, get rid of him!"
Angelica was the name of the giant mouse, and the girl was Sherry—formerly of Lamia Scale—who used Marionette Magic to control anything non-human.
The enormous mouse roared and lunged toward Charles.
But Charles didn't budge. He simply raised his head and looked straight into Angelica's eyes.
The mouse froze in midair, having seen Charles's vertical dragon-slit pupils—and the dragon spirit roaring behind him.
Animals had a much keener sense of danger than humans, and the difference in lifeform hierarchy made it even more obvious. Confronting the apex predator of the food chain, Angelica's heart skipped a beat.
The paralysis was immediate. Even its rotating tail came to a halt.
Unlike Happy, Angelica's wings were merely magical projections—it relied entirely on its tail to stay aloft. Once that stopped, it plummeted.
Charles had initially intended to fight them, but seeing them screaming and falling from the sky drained him of any motivation.
Turning around, he flew toward the village—only to spot two familiar figures trying to sneak away.
Natsu and Lucy.
They'd spotted Sherry's group earlier, and when they saw the flame that thwarted the attack, they immediately knew Charles had arrived.
Guilty, they tried to slink off unnoticed—but as they turned to find a hiding spot, a firm grip clamped down on both their shoulders.
"Hey! Where do you two think you're going?"
Cold sweat streamed down their faces as they turned to see Charles.
Natsu forced a grin and waved. "Yo! Charles, what a coincidence!"
Charles smacked a huge lump onto Natsu's head. "Coincidence, my ass! I came here specifically for you!"
Lucy had been about to say something, but seeing Charles so furious, she immediately shut up and took two steps back, quietly praying he wouldn't notice her.
Happy went even further—he ducked behind Charles and cried, "Charles, they forced me to come! I had no choice!"
"You traitor!" Lucy couldn't help shouting at him.
Charles sighed. "You guys really are unbelievable. We'll deal with the punishment for taking an S-Class mission without permission when we get back. For now, explain—what's going on here?"
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