"Flare!" Flare blinked at her name being called as she turned around before her eyes widened and a happy smile spread across her face as Veronica walked towards her.
"Veronica! How have you been?"
"Oh, you know, my students keep me busy and my uncle is constantly hovering over my shoulder, so nothing new."
"I am your bodyguard, niece. It is my job to hover over your shoulder and make sure no ruffian tries to take your innocence. Speaking of ruffian, where is that damned red-eyed idiot."
"Currently, he is probably flying back with the rest of the team that is going to take part in the Grand Magic Games for Quatro Cerberus."
"That would explain the peace that Fiore has been enjoying for the past two months."
"And the reports from the Rune Knights at the Badlands of how they've been hearing nothing but ground rumbling and the sky trembling every few hours." Dante spoke with a smirk, Flare and Veronica giggling before Flare turned as she heard a throat being cleared.
"Ah, where are my manners? Veronica, Sir Dante, this is Master Goldmine, the Guild Master of Quatro Cerberus. Master, this is Princess Veronica and her uncle & bodyguard, Sir Dante III."
"A pleasure to meet you, princess, and you as well, Dante." Goldmine spoke with a smile and a bow as he took off his head and placed it against his chest, Veronica smiling as Dante just nodded.
"Please, simply Veronica is fine. Any friend of Eric's is a friend of mine."
"Then I must ask that you call me Goldmine. After all, it would be rude of me to address a royal at their given name without offering them the same courtesy."
"Then I shall do just that. Now, Flare, do you have a moment?"
"Go ahead, I wish to talk with Sir Dante about something." Goldmine said with a nod, to which Dante frowned slightly in confusion before a serious glance appeared in his eyes as Goldmine's eyes flickered to the side.
"Ah, right. I forgot about that. Apologies, niece. This shall only take a moment."
"…Know what they're talking about?" Flare whispered to Veronica as they watched the two men walking away, the princess frowning as she shook her head before sighing as she turned to the redhead.
"Their matters are theirs. I wish to discuss a more…personal one with you."
"Does it include Eric?" Flare asked with a raised eyebrow and a narrowed stare, Veronica giggling as she nodded.
"Yes, but do not worry. This is more of a question for you."
"Oh, okay. What do you want to ask?" Flare asked with a smile, Veronica just rolling her eyes at the personality switch before the redhead's eyes widened as Veronica spoke.
"How would you and Eric feel about permanently moving to Crocus and becoming nobles?"
"And here we are~! Welcome, everyone, to Crocus and remember to give me five stars!"
"One star at best." Bacchus said to Eric with a groan as he shook his head, the others still stumbling as Eric rolled his eyes.
"If you want to blame someone, blame Guy. He's the one that wanted us to get here as soon as possible to rest."
"I said speed up a bit more. I didn't say go supersonic and try to see how many things we can vaporize along the way."
"Eh, potato tomato. Now, we have five days instead of just four to be rested and create battle plans for the games." Eric spoke with a shrug, Guy just shaking his head before they all turned as they heard an amused chuckle.
"Hahaha, I see the training went well." Goldmine spoke with a smirk as he watched his mages stumbling around, Eric just nodding happily as Guy sighed and Bacchus snickered.
"As well as it could, even though two certain people tried to work us to death numerous times."
"Think he's talking about us?" Bacchus whispered to Eric, who saw the glare Guy was giving them before smirking as he shook his head.
"Nah, we were the most tame of the group. It's probably Screech and Leo since they were the laziest."
"…Master…"
"No, Guy. You are not allowed to quit." Goldmine denied Guy's request, who groaned before glaring at Eric as the mage wrapped an arm around his neck.
"Don't worry, captain. With the training we did, I think we can make a good showing of our capabilities."
"…I'm too sober to deal with this. Screech, Leo, you two need to…where are Screecher and Leo?" Guy asked Warcry with a raised eyebrow as he noticed the two missing teammates, to which the man just smirked before answering.
"They left while you were trying to not kill these two. Said that they'll meet us at the inn as they wanted to look around Crocus first."
"…They had the right idea. Come on and no, you two are not allowed to join us." Bacchus and Eric just smirked as they watched the two S-Class mages walking away before turning to Goldmine as the man chuckled.
"Can he keep up with you?" The guild master asked, the dragon slayer narrowing his gaze as Bacchus chuckled before nodding.
"Yep! Turns out that all we needed was just two months of me kicking the shit out of him before he finally managed to keep up with me."
"Oi, we both know that I could kick your ass with my eyes closed."
"Not so much a boast when you can quite literally see through your eye lids." Goldmine chimed in, Bacchus shrugging in agreement as Eric just shook his head before the guild master spoke again.
"However, I am glad to hear that. With Fairy Tail having joined in on the competition this year and the rumours of Sabretooth finally deciding to put in their heavy hitters, we need another heavy hitter other than Bacchus."
"If that's the case, then I guess I can't disappoint. Now, if you will excuse me, gentlemen, I have a very important person to say hello to."
"We know. Go ahead, kid." Goldmine said to Eric with an amused smile, the dragon slayer just grinning as he gave a salute before rocketing up into the air.
'Ah, two months away from your girlfriend really can fuck with your mental state, huh?' Eric thought with an excited grin as he flew through the air, his eyes swiftly scanning the entirety of Crocus before he spun in the direction of where he was currently watching Flare walking through the city.
With a quick lunge, the air around Eric trembled as he sent himself flying towards Flare's location, a loud whistling echoing in the sky above Crocus as he slowed down and landed softly in the middle of a shocked crowd.
"I know you missed me, but you shouldn't disturb the public." Flare spoke with an amused smirk as Eric landed in front of her, the dragon slayer just grinning as he leaned down and stole a quick kiss.
"We've been apart for the past two months. I couldn't wait any longer than I needed to." Eric answered with a smirk, Flare giggling as she wrapped her arms around his neck before gasps echoed from the crowd as she captured Eric's lips in a searing kiss, even more gasps echoing in the air as Eric gripped her hips and pulled her closer.
Flare moaned as she felt pleasure flooding her body before gasping in surprise as Eric pulled her tight to his body, his hands firmly grasping her ass as he slowly pulled back.
"While I don't mind the audience, I think anything further is left for just us two to know." Eric whispered to Flare with a feral smirk, who just gave a dazed nod before blinking slowly as gravity around them disappeared.
"Now then, let's see if I can't make you squeal louder than when I left."
"Ah, the capital seemed to have changed a lot over the past seven years." Erza spoke with a smile as she stood with her hands on her hips, looking at how developed the infrastructure and gardens outside the city had become.
"I…want to die." Natsu groaned as he laid on the ground, to which the scarlet haired mage just rolled her eyes before turning to the other three with them.
"Lucy, Gray, Wendy, get up from the floor and be a better example for the unified strength of Fairy Tail."
"W-We…can't."
"Bones…aching…in places…I didn't know…I had."
"I-I wish I could."
"Argh, you all are just complaining for the sake of complaining."
"H-How…are you not in pain?"
"S-She most likely already…have her Second Origin opened." Gray answered Lucy's question as he laid on the ground, trying to cool down his body as he felt as if he was overheating.
"…Probably." Lucy grumbled before groaning as she pushed herself up from the ground, standing on shaky legs as Erza gave her a proud nod before glaring at the other three on the ground.
"Up or else, I'm taking out my paddle."
"We're up!" Natsu, Gray and Wendy exclaimed as they flew to their feet before all three stifled groans as the world spun even more, Erza just shaking her head and Lucy giggling before she blinked as she saw a figure flying in the sky.
"Hey, Erza. Isn't that your friend Eric?"
"Really? Where?" Erza asked as she spun around and looked at the sky before smirking as she saw Eric floating in the air with Flare floating besides him. However, she was surprised at the sight of a nervous Princess Hisui and Princess Veronica flying along with them.
'Is he close to the royal family? I should ask him that when we next meet each other.'
"Yes, but we're not here to make friends. I'm certain he's in the games and thus, that makes him a foe of Fairy Tail."
"I still need…to punch him."
"You're just mad…he beat you in less…than ten seconds." Gray spoke with a smirk before growling as Natsu glared at him.
"You wanna go, popsicle?"
"Any time, charcoal." Erza just watched as the two mages started insulting each other before shaking her head as she grabbed her wagon and began walking away.
"Hah, why do I even bother?"
"I see you all made it." Erza smiled at the voice before turning to see Makarov walking towards them with Asuka sitting happily on his shoulders, her parents along with Levy, Jet and Droy following closely behind.
"Master." Erza greeted with a bow, Makarov chuckling as he nodded back before smiling in amusement at the rest of the group struggling to stand behind Erza.
"I see that the training went splendid."
"As splendid as it could have gone." 'Don't mention that we were stuck in the Celestial World for three months, Erza.' Erza thought with her best fake smile, which Makarov instantly saw through but left it be as he nodded before speaking.
"Well, you all can rest for the day. I've done the entry paperwork for you, but I'm not much help after seeing as I don't know anything about the Games other than that the first event is tomorrow."
"Hey, isn't that those losers Fairy Tail?"
"Wait, those idiots actually came? Hahaha, they must be stupid to think that this year is going to be different."
"Yeah, but hey, at least I'll make a killing this year if I bet on them losing everything."
"Oi, who's laughing?!" Natsu exclaimed as he spun towards the few people laughing at them before grunting as Gray placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him from attacking everyone.
Watching as Natsu turned to glare at him, he just shook his head before nodding at Makarov as the guild master smiled in thanks.
"Calm yourself, Natsu. As the saying goes, 'action speaks louder than words'."
"Indeed, we shall show them all what Fairy Tail is capable of instead of shouting at the top of our lungs." Erza agreed with a nod, to which Natsu just grumbled as he nodded before Makarov turned back to Erza while a golden glow covered his hand.
"This is the rulebook for this year. Read it by tomorrow and see if there's anything of note."
"If you want, I can use my Wind Reading Glasses and give you a quick run-down." Levy suggested as she put on a pair of blue rim glasses with wings on the side, to which Erza smiled in thanks as she nodded and handed the book to the bookwork.
"Hmm, there's not much here other than the usual rules one would expect from a tournament except for that anyone not bearing the guild's mark is not allowed to participate and must remain as a spectator."
"That is to be expected. What else?"
"Well, this last one is weird. It just says that all guild teams are to be in their inns at midnight or they will be disqualified."
"That…is weird, indeed." Erza muttered with a frown as she glanced at Makarov, who looked just in thought before blinking in surprise as she saw him stretching.
"Something to add, Natsu?"
"Nope! The city is big and there's so much to explore! I'll see you guys at the inn! Come on, Happy!"
"Aye sir!"
"Wait for me!" Lucy exclaimed as she rushed after them, the others just shaking their heads as they watched the trio leave while Erza shouted at them.
"Do you even know what inn we're staying at?"
"The Honey Bone Inn, right?!" Lucy shouted back, to which Erza just nodded before shaking her head with a sigh as she watched them leave.
"Ahaha, let them be. Kids will be kids. Now then, let's all head to the inn and get some rest before tonight."
"Maybe we should start heading to the inn. Master & Erza are probably worried about us." Lucy said with a look on concern, to which Natsu just gave a dismissive wave as Happy gnawed on a full tuna.
"Eh, they're probably making up plans and stuff. Besides, we're not even close to checking out the rest of the city! Look, a crowd!" Natsu exclaimed as the trio turned the corner, Lucy looking to where he was pointing before frowning slightly at the large crowd surrounding something.
"What's going on over there?" Lucy asked with a frown as she watched the crowd looking excited and cheering, Natsu grinning as he turned and started walking over.
"With how many guilds there are in the city, those are probably strong guys fighting! Let's go check it out, Happy!"
"Aye sir!" Happy saluted as the two rushed over, Lucy just watching them leave before shaking her head with a groan as she jogged after them.
"Move it! Move it! Move it!" Natsu said to the crowd as he moved between them, frowning at how dense the crowd was in front of him before grinning as he quickly dropped down and crawled straight towards the front.
As he reached the front however, his eyes widened at the sight of two guys his age standing tall as another bigger group of mages laid on the ground with bruises decorating their body.
"Anyone else want to go?" The blonde man asked with a cocky smirk as he stepped on one of the mages, Natsu frowning as the crowd cheered at him before speaking up.
"Why do you smell of a dragon?"
"You're kidding, right? That's Sting Eucliffe and Rogue Cheney, the Twin Dragons of Sabretooth and the corner stone of Fiore's strongest guild." Natsu's eyes widened at that as he stood up, Sting's smirk having been replaced by a look of surprise that was mirrored on the face of the black-haired man besides him.
"Hey, Rogue, are you seeing what I'm seeing?"
"Natsu Dragneel." The black-haired man, Rogue answered, to which Natsu looked happy as he smiled bashfully.
"You know who I am?"
"Yeah, you're the Dragon Slayer that couldn't slay a dragon, right?" Sting asked/ said with a mocking smirk, Natsu's happiness disappearing as he glared at them while Rogue just looked slightly amused.
"What did you say?"
"I'm just saying, man. I used to look up to you and then I found out you couldn't even do the one thing that you are supposed to: slay a dragon."
"You're talking a lot for someone that wasn't there." Lucy interrupted with a frown, Sting just smirking at her as Rogue answered.
"If we were, Acnologia would be dead since we would have killed him like you were supposed to."
"What Rogue means is that the difference in our aptitude as Dragon Slayers is the reason why we would have done it with ease."
"Aptitude?" Lucy asked with a frown before blinking in surprise as one of the two Exceeds below her answered.
"Your Natsu, Gajeel and Wendy are but simple First Generation Dragon Slayers, who learned it from their dragon parents. Then, there is Laxus Dreyar and Oracion Seis' Cobra, who have a Dragon Lacrima implanted into them and making them Second Generation Slayers. Sting and Rogue, however, are the best of both worlds, having been taught by real dragons and having Dragon Lacrimas implanted into them. The hybrid Third Generation Dragon Slayers!" Sting just gave Natsu a smug smirk as the Fire Dragon Slayer at them before being surprised as he heard a familiar voice from the crowd.
"My, my. Here I am, taking a simple stroll through the city only to stumble onto three Dragon Slayers talking smack to each other. It must be my lucky night." Eric spoke with a smile as he walked towards the mages gathered in the centre, the crowd's eyes widening at the sight of him and quickly making a clear path for him to walk through.
"I-Is that…"
"Y-Yeah, it's him."
"M-Man, the aura exuding from his is incredible."
"He's even more handsome in person~" Eric rolled his eyes at the last question with a smirk as he stopped next to Lucy, who gave him a thankful smile and he simply nodded before turning to the confused group of Dragon Slayers.
"Good evening, gentlemen. Let's have a quick chat, Dragon Slayer to Dragon Slayer."
