Through Lucy's explanation, Charles finally pieced together what had happened.
After arriving on the island, Natsu and Lucy had spoken with the village chief and learned the details of the request.
According to the chief, three years ago the moon had changed. Every night, under the moonlight, villagers would transform into demonic forms.
So severe was the curse that the chief himself had claimed to have killed his own son, saying his heart had become that of a demon. As a result, he requested that Natsu and Lucy destroy the moon.
Natsu, of course, had been all fired up by the idea—thankfully, Lucy had kept a level head.
Destroying the moon was obviously impossible, and there had to be another cause for the curse. So Lucy dragged Natsu along to investigate the true source, which led them to a ruined temple on the island.
At the bottom of the temple, they discovered the demon Deliora sealed in ice. But before they could do much, they were spotted by Lyon and his subordinates, and a battle broke out.
Natsu had been frozen in a block of ice by Lyon, and it was only thanks to Happy and Lucy that he escaped.
Since the village was the only inhabited place on the island, Lyon's men then moved to destroy it entirely.
As for why Natsu's flames couldn't melt Lyon's ice—it simply came down to effort. In this mission, Natsu hadn't been giving it his all. When it came to protecting his guild and friends, Natsu always fought with everything he had. But in situations like this, his motivation often lagged.
Charles, however, had no doubt that things were different now. Lyon attacking the villagers had crossed a line—Natsu's flames wouldn't be the same this time.
Charles thought for a moment and then said to Natsu and Lucy, "Gray came with me. Once he arrives, I'll tell you everything I know."
"What? That droopy-eyed jerk is here too?!" Natsu jumped up.
"Who're you calling a droopy-eyed moron, you slack-jawed idiot?!"
As if summoned by fate, Gray's voice rang out just as Natsu finished his insult.
Sure enough, Gray entered the room, pushing the door open as if on cue.
Charles held back Natsu, who was already winding up to punch Gray, and said, "Good timing. Now that you're here, I'll tell you all everything."
After a brief pause, Charles began, "First of all, the monster sealed in ice that Natsu and Lucy found in the Moon Temple is called Deliora. It's one of the demons from Zeref's Book of Demons, just like Lullaby."
Gray shot up from his seat, shouting, "Deliora? No way! That's impossible! It can't be here, because—!"
Charles cut in, "Because it was sealed away in the northern continent ten years ago, right? So for it to be here, someone must have transported it."
Gray clenched his fists, trying to contain his fury. "Who did it? Don't they know Deliora is the embodiment of destruction?"
Charles replied, "It was the guy Natsu saw—the one calling himself 'Emperor Zero.' His real name is Lyon."
Gray stood frozen, completely stunned.
Charles continued, "They brought Deliora here to use an ancient magic called Moon Drip, stored in the Moon Temple, to undo the seal. Even though the demon was frozen with Iced Shell—an unbreakable spell—Moon Drip has the power to cancel all magic. And the curse affecting the villagers? It's caused by the exhaust generated from using Moon Drip."
Gray bowed his head. "Why would Lyon do this? Why?"
Charles sighed. "When a disciple becomes obsessed with surpassing a master who's already passed away, what else can he do but try to defeat the enemy his master couldn't?"
Gray's face twisted in pain. "But Ur isn't dead! She only turned into the ice that sealed Deliora. If Lyon melts that ice, he's killing her!"
Natsu looked completely lost. "What are you guys even talking about? Who are Lyon and Ur?"
Seeing that Gray wasn't in any state to respond, Charles explained, "Lyon was Gray's senior apprentice. Ur was their teacher, the one who taught them ice magic. She's also the one who used Iced Shell at the cost of her life to seal Deliora."
Natsu fell silent. Though the two of them bickered constantly, they were still comrades—he could understand Gray's pain.
Looking at Charles, Gray gave a bitter smile. "So this is what you meant when you said this mission had something to do with me."
Charles nodded with a sigh. "Exactly. You need to face your own shadows. And Lyon's mistake—only his junior can correct it."
In Charles's view, Lyon's mistake wasn't just trying to unseal Deliora—it was going down the wrong path entirely. Wanting to surpass his revered master wasn't wrong. But when that desire becomes obsession, it turns into madness.
Lyon had no idea Deliora had already died during the ten-year ice seal. So when he tried to undo the Iced Shell, he gave no thought to what kind of destruction might follow. Even if he was confident he could defeat Deliora, ordering the destruction of an entire village was a sign he'd lost it.
Gray's expression hardened. He nodded and said, "You're right. This has to end with me! Even if it costs my life—it's my responsibility!"
WHAM! A kick from Natsu sent Gray flying, crashing into tables and chairs before sticking to the wall.
"Damn it, Natsu! What the hell's your problem?! I'm not in the mood to fight you!"
But when Gray looked up, he saw a rare seriousness in Natsu's face.
"You've gotta be kidding me—saying crap like that! That guy's my target. There's no way I'm letting you steal him from me."
Gray grabbed Natsu's scarf and shouted, "I told you, this is my responsibility! It's because of me that Ur had to use Iced Shell! I have to settle this!"
"Stop it, both of you!" Lucy cried.
But Charles held her back. "Let them be."
Happy spread his paws. "Lucy worries too much."
"Traitor! Shut up!" Lucy snapped.
Still, she didn't say anything more. Even though Natsu acted unreliable most of the time, when it came to his friends' pain, he was always dependable.
Natsu looked at Gray and said, "You call that settling it? Sounds more like running away to me."
Gray released his grip on the scarf and fell silent.
Natsu smoothed the wrinkles in his scarf. "Or are you just scared you'll lose to Lyon? If you're not confident you can win, I'll go beat him for you."
"Like hell I'd lose! I'll win easily and show you!" Gray's gloom vanished in an instant, his energy fully restored.
"Who knows?" Natsu teased. "If you lose, that'd be pretty embarrassing. And it wouldn't just be your reputation on the line."
"I know that!"
"It's Fairy Tail's pride at stake!"
They shouted the words in unison, their expressions equally firm.
Charles smiled. As expected, the bond between Natsu and Gray ran deep. Natsu hadn't offered a single word of encouragement, yet he had pulled Gray back to his feet.
Now that he had the strongest buff Fairy Tail could give—its name and legacy—Gray definitely wouldn't lose to Lyon.
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