Natsu let out a groan as he opened his eyes and the first thing he noticed was that he was outside, as he was looking straight up into the sky.
"Ugh. What happened?" asked Natsu before realization caught up with him. "Happy! Lucy!" said Natsu suddenly getting up. "Where are you?"
"I'm here, Natsu."
Natsu turned to the side to see Lucy sitting on the ground as she rubbed her head.
"Good that you're okay." said Natsu with a smile.
"What about me?
Natsu turned around to see Happy looking at him with his arms crossed.
"Don't you care about me at all?" asked Happy annoyed.
"Of course I care about you. You're my partner." said Natsu patting the exceed's head.
"Hey, could you lower your voice volume? I feel dizzy." said Gray getting up from the floor.
"Is everyone okay?" asked Erza getting up.
"Ah, what the hell just happened?" asked Gajeel.
"We seem to have been transported outside somehow." said Lily.
"It doesn't make sense. I may not have known the purpose of that spell they were casting, but I'm sure it wasn't a teleportation spell." said Charle.
"It's likely we altered it during our fights. Hence the reason they got nervous a moment ago." said Erza.
"Those guys. If I see them again I'll give them their comeuppance." said Natsu.
"Get in line, Salamander. I want to make them pay for it too." said Gajeel.
"Now isn't the time for that. The most important thing is to find out where we are." said Erza.
"Wherever it is, we're not in Magnolia." said Wendy.
"Why do you say that?" asked Lucy.
"I feel like the air around us is different. It's almost like what I felt when I first came to Edolas." said Wendy.
"Wait, are we back in Edolas?" asked Happy concerned.
"I don't think so. I feel the magiculas around the area, though they also feel different than the magiculas we know." said Gray.
"Then, most likely, that spell has accidentally teleported us to a different world than ours and Edolas." said Lily.
"So where exactly are we?" asked Natsu.
"We could look for a town or something that can tell us where we are." said Lucy.
"And maybe, help us get back to Earthland." said Wendy.
Suddenly, Erza's eyes widened as she felt something.
Before she could say anything, the group was surrounded by several people in ninja attire.
Instantly, the group gathered together and went on the defensive in case they were going to attack.
"Who are these guys?" asked Gajeel.
"I don't know, but for now, don't do anything." said Erza.
It was then that another person appeared who looked different from the others.
It was a dark blue-haired man with two swords on his back, but the most striking thing was the horn on his forehead.
"That guy… His power… There is no doubt that he is very strong." thought Erza as she felt the magical power of the man with a horn and it seemed that the others noticed it.
That man stared at the group, forming an awkward silence for a few seconds until someone decided to cut it short.
"Who are you?" asked Natsu, making the others nervous, as he thought that might get them in trouble.
"That's for me to ask, since you've suddenly appeared on our territory." said the horned man.
That made the group more nervous, as they had just discovered that they had appeared in the territory of some kingdom or nation, so they might consider them spies or enemies unless they did something.
"We are very sorry. My friends and I actually came from a distant land. We were going about our business when an accident sent us here unexpectedly. We mean no harm to anyone." said Erza trying to settle things peacefully.
The man just stared at them, as if he were analyzing them.
The Fairy Tail mages began to get more nervous, thinking that they were going to be considered enemies regardless, so they would have no choice but to fight and they weren't sure how strong the guys around them were.
What none of them knew was that the horned man was having a mental conversation.
"Follow me. Lord Rimuru is interested in meeting you." said the horned man.
"Uh… If it's no bother, who is that Lord Rimuru?" asked Lucy hoping that wouldn't cause discomfort for anyone.
"He is our lord, the leader of the Jura Tempest Federation and also a Demon Lord." said the man with a horn.
That left everyone's eyes wide with utter shock, as it turns out someone wanted to see them and that someone wasn't only the leader of an entire nation, but also a demon.
"Where the hell did we end up?" they all asked in their minds.
After that, the man with the horn and the others led the group of mages along a path to a place unknown to the latter.
All the while, they were worried that they would be led before someone who was practically a king and who was also a demon.
Because of their past experience with demons, they all knew how strong they were, but they couldn't imagine how powerful that Rimuru could be if he was the leader of an entire nation.
"Hey, should we run away?" asked Natsu in a low voice.
"Something tells me that, if we try, we'll end up in a wooden box." said Gray.
"It's best we don't do anything until we meet that Lord Rimuru." said Erza.
"But they said he's a Demon Lord. What if he wants to kill us as soon as he finds out who we are or what we did?" asked Lucy.
"We're not in Earthland. So I doubt he's heard of Fairy Tail or Tartaros." said Lily.
"There's something that caught my attention." began Charle drawing the attention of the others. "He said that Lord Rimuru had an interest in meeting us. How does he know about us if we just got here?"
"Maybe it's because of how strong he is." said Happy.
"Maybe it is." said Charle.
"Oh yeah? Well, if he tries anything, I'll give him a good whack." said Natsu without noticing that the man with a horn, who was hearing everything, directed his hand towards his sword.
"Don't even think about it, Natsu! Do you want to be executed right away? You heard Erza. For the time being, don't do anything." said Lucy.
"Pff. Okay." said Natsu folding his arms as the horned man's hand moved away from his sword.
"I don't know. Maybe he's a good person." said Wendy being positive.
"A demon being a good person? Ha. I'll believe it when I see it." said Gajeel.
"Excuse me, sir, how much further to go?" asked Erza.
"We're getting there." said the horned man.
It was then that they all looked ahead and gasped as in front of them loomed a huge city.
As they walked through the streets of the city, they couldn't help but look around in curiosity and amazement, for everywhere they looked, there were non-human creatures hanging out as if it was just another day.
"We're definitely not in Earthland anymore." said Gray.
"I've never seen beings like this before, and I've seen a lot of things." said Lucy.
"They all look happy. That must mean the Lord Rimuru is a really good person." said Wendy.
"I think you're right." said Erza with a smile at seeing so many people living happily despite having a demon for a leader.
"Or maybe it's all about a facade to fool people. I still don't trust it." said Gajeel with his arms crossed, refusing to believe that there are good demons.
"That's not all. I can sense some strong subjects around here." said Lily.
"Really? Makes me want to fight some of them." said Natsu with an excited smile.
"I wonder if there will be a fish stand." commented Happy.
"Are you seriously thinking about that now?" asked Charle with a bead of sweat.
They were guided until they reached a huge building that was most likely the main building of the city where their leader was located.
"Honestly, I was expecting a palace. Not a government building." said Lucy.
"Me too. It looks very… normal." said Natsu.
Once they entered, the horned man led them through the halls of the building, but then…
"Souei!"
They all turned to see a voluptuous woman arrive with a horn on her forehead and a purple suit that was slightly unbuttoned at the top, revealing a portion of her cleavage.
Needless to say, the mages were surprised to see the woman's sexy body with horns.
"Wow. She's got them almost as big as Lucy." commented Happy.
"Shut up, Happy." said Lucy.
"Big. So big." said Wendy back and depressed with her head down.
"Ea, ea." said Charle patting the sky dragon slayer's back.
"Can you feel it?" asked Gray to Erza.
"Yeah. It's almost as strong as that guy." said Erza.
"What are you doing here, Souei? And who are these guys?" asked the horned woman revealing the name of the horned man.
"I found them in the forest after they mysteriously appeared. Lord Rimuru asked me to bring them to him." said Souei.
"Huh? Why wasn't I informed of anything? As his main secretary, I should be the one to inform him of everything." said the horned woman.
"His secretary?" asked Lucy in surprise.
"What's that?" asked Natsu confused.
"It's basically, someone's personal assistant." said Happy.
"See, that cat understands me." said the horned woman.
"I'm not a cat." said Happy.
"Anyway, Lor Rimuru is waiting for them in his office and since you're here, Shion, would you mind taking care of them? I'd better go check around in case of any more 'unexpected visitors'." said Souei revealing the name of the woman with a horn.
"Normally, I wouldn't take orders from you, but if this is a request from Lord Rimuru, I'll make an exception." said Shion.
"Fine, I'll leave them in charge of you." said Souei before suddenly disappearing, much to the surprise of the mages.
"Well, you'd better follow me. Let's not keep Lord Rimuru waiting." began Shion before leading the group through the halls of the building until they were in front of some large doors which, he knocked on. "Lord Rimuru, the guests you asked Souei to bring are here."
"Oh, send them in." said a voice from the other side of the doors.
That confused the mages, for the voice sounded like that of a child.
Receiving the go-ahead, Shion opened the doors, allowing the group of mages to enter an office.
However, everyone's eyes focused on the person sitting in a chair.
That person looked like a teenage boy with silver-blue hair, golden eyes and a black coat.
"Thank you for bringing them, Shion. You are dismissed." said the boy.
"Of course and you know you can count on me whenever you need me, Lord Rimuru." said Shion with a smile.
"I know." said Rimuru with a smile.
Shion closed the door and left the group of mages alone in the office with the boy who was apparently the leader of the nation.
The Fairy Tail mages were surprised, as they didn't expect the leader of a nation and a Demon Lord to look like that.
"Are… are you Lord Rimuru?" asked Erza.
"Yes, that's right," said Rimuru.
"In that case, I'll introduce myself. My name is Erza Scarlet." said Erza.
"I'm Lucy Heartfilia." said Lucy.
"Gray Fullbuster." said Gray.
"My name is Wendy and this is my partner, Charle." said Wendy.
"A pleasure." said Charle bowing by way of greeting.
"I'm Gajeel Redfox." said Gajeel.
"And I, Lily, his partner." said Lily.
"And I am Natsu Dragneel and this is my partner, Happy." said Natsu.
"Aye, sir." said Happy.
"A pleasure to meet you. I'm Rimuru Tempest, leader of the Jura Tempest Federation and Demon Lord." said Rimuru.
"Well you don't look like a demon at all." said Natsu before getting punched by Lucy.
"Don't be disrespectful!" said Lucy.
"It's okay. I understand. However, Demon Lord is more of a title." said Rimuru.
"A title?" asked Happy.
"Yes, a title that the strongest receive. There are currently eight Demon Lords including me." said Rimuru.
"It must be a system similar to the holy mages." said Charle remembering that in his world, there was a small group of powerful mages that received that title, Makarov being one of them.
"Heh. I'm surprised that even as a kid, you're so powerful." said Gajeel with his arms crossed.
"Well, that's people's impression when they see me in this form." said Rimuru.
"Form? What do you mean?" asked Erza.
That's when Rimuru melted and transformed into a kind of blob.
"I haven't quite introduced myself before. My name is Rimuru Tempest and I'm a slime." said Rimuru.
Needless to say, everyone gasped when they saw Rimuru's true appearance.
"Is that your real form?" asked Gray.
"He looks cute." said Wendy.
"That he's leader of a nation and a Demon Lord despite the fact that he's a slime is impressive." said Lily.
Rimuru jumped up and returned to his human form before sitting back in his chair as he landed.
"Yeah, I think so too." began Rimuru before focusing on the main topic. "Anyway, Souei told me that you appeared at that place due to an incident."
When they were guided to the city, at first, Erza wasn't sure whether to tell them the truth about them since they didn't know what kind of person Rimuru was, but after seeing the city and getting to know him, she could see that he was someone kind and respectful.
He almost reminded her of the master from Fairy Tail.
That was enough to convince her that he could help them with their problem.
"That's right, I know this might sound really weird, but we're not really from this world." said Erza surprising the human slime a bit.
"Can you explain?" asked Rimuru.
"Our world is called Earthland. Most of the people in that world have the ability to use magic." said Gray.
"Because there were so many mages, guilds of mages were formed that are dedicated to performing tasks approved by the magical council." said Lucy.
"They can range from questing to stopping bandits or monsters and are usually categorized by ranks based on difficulty." said Happy.
"We are part of the strongest guild in our world, Fairy Tail." said Natsu pointing his thumb at the symbol on his shoulder.
"We had been tasked with a mission to stop a dark guild." said Gajeel.
"Unlike normal guilds, dark guilds are against the laws, so they do any job. From theft to murder." said Lily.
"We managed to track down the dark guild by the name of Phoenix Tail, but during our fight against them, an accident happened and the next thing that happened to us was that we ended up here." said Charle.
"I know it may sound crazy, but it's the truth, sir." said Wendy hoping he would believe them.
"Relax. I totally believe you." said Rimuru.
"Really? Because, in my opinion, anyone would take our story as a manga story." said Lucy.
"Well, I think so, since I'm not from this world either." said Rimuru.
"Huh?" asked the mages in confusion.
"Wait, you mean you're from Earthland too?" asked Gray.
"No. I come from a world called Earth and my case isn't like yours, as I died and reincarnated." said Rimuru.
"Y-You died?" asked Happy in surprise.
"Huh? What's that about reincarnating?" asked Natsu.
"It's when you die and are reborn as someone else." explained Erza.
"Yes, that was my case. I was an ordinary man until I died and was reincarnated into this world as a slime." said Rimuru.
"Wow. How sorry I am." said Lucy feeling sorry for someone who died once.
"No need to apologize. If I hadn't died, I wouldn't have met so many people who became my friends or founded this nation." said Rimuru.
"Sounds almost like the story of Fairy Tail." thought all the mages remembering when they were told about how Mavis, the first master, got together with a group of people and formed the guild of mages that they are a part of.
"So, you say you are now lost in this world?" asked Rimuru.
"Yes and we don't know how to get back to ours." said Wendy.
"That's why we were thinking that maybe you might know of a way that we can return to our world." said Erza.
"Hmm." expressed Rimuru crossing his arms and closing his eyes to think. "Raphael, do you think it's possible to return them to their world?"
"Analysis. I have analyzed their magic frequency, so it is possible to modify the teleportation spell to take them back to their world." said Raphael.
"Perfect. How long would you estimate to do that?" asked Rimuru.
"Analysis. Estimating a few days at most." said Raphael.
"You always know how to work things out." said Rimuru complimenting his skill.
"Analysis. Not for nothing am I the one who knows everything." said Raphael.
After their mental conversation, Rimuru opened his eyes.
"Good news. I have found a way to return you to your world." said Rimuru.
"Really?" asked Gray in surprise.
"Yes, but it will take me a few days to create the spell that will allow you to return. I'm afraid you'll have to wait until then." said Rimuru.
"We don't mind. Just knowing that you are going to help us is more than enough." said Erza.
"Yes, but where are we going to stay until then? I don't feel like sleeping out in the open." said Gajeel.
"You can stay in town while you wait." suggested Rimuru.
"Oh, no, sir. You do enough for us by helping us get back to our world, we wouldn't want to bother you anymore." said Lucy.
"It's no bother at all. I would feel bad if I let you go off on your own in unfamiliar terrain." said Rimuru.
"In that case, we are grateful to you, Lord Rimuru." said Erza bowing in thanks.
"Yes, you are very kind." said Charle.
It was then that Lucy noticed that Natsu, Wendy and Gajeel were wearing a shocked expression.
"Huh? What's wrong with you?" asked Lucy.
"That… That smell…" said Natsu.
"It can't be…" said Wendy.
"If I didn't believe it, I'd say it's…" said Gajeel.
Suddenly, the door burst open and everyone looked over to see a man with brown skin, a cape and short blond hair.
"Hey, Rimuru, Shion told me you had guests and I got curious, so…" began the man before turning his attention to the group of mages, or specifically the dragon slayers.
"Natsu, what's wrong with you?" asked Happy.
"That guy…" said Natsu.
"Huh? That's weird. These three…" began the man.
"Smells like a dragon / They smell like dragons." said Natsu and the man at the same time.
"I don't get it, who is this guy?" asked Gray.
"I'll introduce you to him. Veldora, these are the visitors you heard about. Guys, this is Veldora Tempest, the storm dragon." said Rimuru.
That shocked all the mages, especially the dragon slayers.
"A DRAGON?!" they all asked in unison.
"Are there no dragons in your world?" asked Rimuru.
"Well, not anymore. It's a long story." said Lucy.
"What do you mean by 'your world'?" asked Veldora.
"Apparently, they come from another world and ended up here because of an incident." said Rimuru.
"Oh, I see." said Veldora.
"By the way, how did the three of them know it was a dragon?" asked Rimuru.
"Maybe it's because of his magic." said Lily.
"Their magic?" asked Rimuru.
"The three of them possess a rare magic in our world called dragon slayer magic." said Erza.
"Dragon slayer magic?" asked Veldora.
"It is a magic that grants the bearer the power to slay dragons." said Happy.
Veldora fell silent at that information before bursting out laughing.
The mages were shocked as Veldora doubled over in laughter.
"HAHAHA. Magic to slay dragons? HAHAHA. That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard! HAHAHA. What kind of idiot would teach you that magic? HAHAHA." said Veldora.
That made Natsu very angry.
"Hey, you! Just so you know, the one who taught it to me was my father, Igneel, the fire dragon!" said Natsu.
That made Veldora stop laughing immediately to look at the dragon slayer in surprise.
"Really?" asked Veldora.
"Not just him. I was taught by my father, Metalicana, the iron dragon." said Gajeel.
"And I was taught by my mother, Grandeeney, the sky dragon." said Wendy.
"Wow. That's funny. A dragon teaching a human dragon slaying magic. I've never heard of such a thing." began Veldora crossing his arms before an amused smile formed on his face. "I'd like to try it."
"Try it?" asked Natsu.
"Veldora, you're not thinking of…?" asked Rimuru sensing what his sworn brother was thinking.
"Fight me!" exclaimed Veldora pointing a finger at the dragon slayers.
"Huh?" asked the dragon slayers in unison.