Chapter 37
A heavy silence followed Naruto's final words. The weight of his revelation pressed down on the room like an unbearable force, suffocating and inescapable. No one knew what to say. No one knew how to process it.
Gray was the first to react. His fists trembled at his sides, his face dark with barely contained anger. "That bastard… He betrayed you." His voice was low, dangerous. "You treated him like family, and he—he threw it all away? He tried to kill your son?"
"No… not betrayal." Mystogan's voice was calm, yet heavy with thought. His sharp eyes bore into Naruto. "It was devotion. A twisted, desperate kind."
Natsu growled, his hands sparking with flames. "That's supposed to make it better?! He still tried to murder Boruto! He still forced Naruto away from his own son, his own world!"
Lucy covered her mouth, her eyes wide with horror. "He really believed he was saving you…" she whispered. "But to go that far… to send you away, to separate you from everything you love—" She looked at Naruto, her heart aching for him. "How do you even begin to process that?"
Erza's voice was quieter, yet firm. "You woke up here… in a different world. Without any way to stop him. Without knowing what happened after." Her red hair framed her solemn expression. "You were forced to leave your son behind, in the hands of someone who saw killing him as the only solution."
Naruto gave a slow nod. "That's exactly what happened."
Mirajane swallowed hard. "And your wife… Hinata… she was taken with you. She must have been devastated."
Naruto let out a shaky breath, shaking his head. "I don't know…." His hands clenched into fists. "She's probably still in whatever dimension—Kawaki intended to throw us in. I don't know what state she was in right now but I know Kawaki wouldn't harm her."
The room somehow grew even colder.
Happy's ears drooped, his small voice breaking the silence. "That's… too cruel."
Natsu's flames flared hotter. "Damn it! So what, you just woke up here, powerless to stop any of it? Not knowing if Boruto is even still alive?!" His voice cracked with frustration, with helpless rage. "That's messed up! That's beyond messed up!"
Gray ran a hand through his hair, pacing. "So now what? If Kawaki wanted to wipe out the Ōtsutsuki, that means he's probably hunting Boruto as we speak. If Boruto's still alive—"
"He is," Naruto interrupted, his voice firm.
Gray blinked. "How can you be sure?"
Naruto met his gaze. "Because I believe in him. My son… he's not going down without a fight. No matter what."
Erza straightened, nodding. "Then that means we still have time. But we need a plan."
Natsu cracked his knuckles, his flames burning brighter. "Then let's stop wasting time! We find a way back to your world, and we fix this!"
"About that… I already have one," Naruto said, his voice calm yet resolute.
The group turned to him, their expressions a mix of curiosity and anticipation.
"When I arrived here, I devised a new technique—one that utilizes what I already had in my arsenal. A seal containing two self-sustaining sources of power…"
Wendy's eyes widened in realization. "That's—"
"The nuclear fusion thing!" Carla blurted out, her fur standing on end.
Naruto gave a small nod. "Yeah. Ever since then, I've been working to perfect it, and now—" He took a deep breath, his body radiating a subtle yet undeniable shift in energy. "I finally achieved it."
He raised his hand, his fingers curling into a loose fist as a strange, eerie glow began to emanate from his form. Then, in an instant, his eyes changed—his pupils expanding, shifting into something otherworldly. Ethereal blue orbs now stared back at them, releasing a soft yet almost unnerving glow.
"This."
A hushed silence fell over the group.
There was no overwhelming burst of power, no blinding aura, and yet… the air around them felt different. Almost suffocating in its quiet intensity. An invisible force weighed down on them, not in an oppressive way, but in a manner that sent a shiver down their spines.
Mystogan's sharp gaze narrowed, analyzing the phenomenon before him. "So… this is the power he used to defeat Acnologia."
Lucy swallowed hard, gripping her keys. "I can't sense it. It's like… it's there, but it isn't?"
Erza, ever the warrior, remained composed but alert. "It's not just power. It's something deeper, more refined… almost like he's become part of something larger than himself."
Gray clenched his fists. "Damn… just how strong are you now Naruto?"
Natsu, for once, didn't immediately rush in with a challenge. Instead, he gritted his teeth, the flames at his fingertips flickering unsteadily. "Tch… it's like my body knows it should be scared, but I don't even know what I'm scared of."
Happy's ears drooped. "I don't like this… it feels weird."
Naruto let out a steady exhale, his new form maintaining its quiet radiance. "With this power, I finally have enough strength to face the remnants of Kara, the Ōtsutsuki… and my son, Kawaki."
"Y-you're going to fight your son?" Mirajane asked, her voice filled with hesitation. Her usually gentle features were marred by concern.
Naruto shook his head, his expression softening into a warm, fatherly smile. "Nah, just knock some sense into him."
Despite his lighthearted tone, there was an underlying weight in his words. The very idea of a father having to go against his own child was something none of them could fully grasp. Except for Gray who had just fought his father early on, the pain that it caused him to fight his son on a duel to the death was unimaginable.
The room remained tense, the revelation sinking in.
Naruto shifted his attention to Mystogan. "As for my way home…" he said, his tone growing more serious.
Mystogan straightened slightly, already understanding what Naruto was about to say.
"Back then, during the S-Class trials, after I defeated Acnologia, I met with Zeref," Naruto began, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. "I told him that I'd train Natsu enough to face him, and when that time comes, he'd help us—me and Mystogan—return to our world."
A heavy silence followed. Zeref—the most feared dark mage in history—had made a deal with Naruto?
Naruto continued, his gaze steady. "This whole mission—the subjugation of Tartaros—was presented to me by Mard Geer himself." His expression darkened slightly. "It was a means to push Natsu toward a breakthrough… to force him to grow by facing them."
Everyone's heads turned toward Natsu.
The fire dragon slayer remained silent, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. The weight of what Naruto had just revealed hung over him.
"Y-you gave me those training wristbands to prepare me for this mission, didn't you…?" Natsu's voice was quieter than usual, carrying a rare weight of introspection. His fists clenched as he looked at Naruto, searching for confirmation.
Naruto simply nodded, his expression steady yet understanding.
"Not just you," he replied. "But everyone in the guild."
Natsu exhaled, shaking his head slightly as he processed it all. "You know… if it weren't for those wristbands, I wouldn't have been able to defeat that guy."
He was referring to Mard Geer—the most fearsome member of Tartaros, the ruler of the underworld itself. The memory of that battle played vividly in his mind. The pain, the struggle, the sheer desperation of it all.
"It was a gamble," he admitted, his voice growing more intense. "I was having these glimpses of something—this secret power of mine that I always felt whenever I got completely drained of magic. I didn't know what it was, but it was always there, just beyond my reach."
His gaze darkened, recalling that moment—the raw, uncontrollable power that surged through him when he reached his limit.
"I hung on… and then I finally managed to pull it out. Awake. A new, different flame."
A quiet flicker of fire appeared in his palm—a flame unlike any he had wielded before. The usual vibrant orange was tainted with something else—black streaks of ink-like energy flickering and twisting unnaturally within the fire.
The group watched in silence, recognizing the sheer power contained within that small flame. It wasn't just dragon fire anymore. It was something beyond that. Something more.
"Then… I got lost."
His voice dropped to a near whisper.
"I went berserk for a moment… and suddenly, Zeref was all I could think about."
He swallowed hard. The weight of that experience still clung to him.
"I even lashed out at Happy."
At the mention of his name, Happy's ears drooped, and he forced a smile. "B-but I know it wasn't really you, Natsu."
Natsu looked at his best friend, guilt flashing across his face. But Happy wasn't blaming him. He never would.
Still, it had been terrifying—losing himself like that.
"That's when I realized… I was different." Natsu took a slow, deep breath, staring at the flame in his hand. "I wasn't normal. I wasn't just a dragon slayer anymore… I wasn't just human."
He let the fire dance in his palm, the black streaks flickering hypnotically.
"Then I remembered your words, Naruto." He turned to the blond shinobi, his expression soft yet resolute. "You told me… that it doesn't matter if I'm a human, a dragon, or a demon…"
The fire flared just slightly, his grip tightening.
"I am me."
A small, determined grin stretched across his face.
"Natsu. Of Fairy Tail."
The flame in his hand flared, burning brighter than ever—an undeniable testament to his resolve.
The room remained still for a moment, absorbing the sheer weight of his words.
Naruto smiled, a soft one. "That's right."
Natsu took a deep breath, staring at his hand as flames briefly flickered to life before vanishing. "I won't question your deal with Zeref… knowing he's my brother… I'm probably going to face him down the line."
His voice was steady, but the weight of that revelation lingered in the air like a storm cloud. It wasn't just the knowledge that Zeref was his brother—it was the understanding that their fates were inevitably intertwined.
Naruto watched him for a moment, his expression unreadable. He could see the storm raging inside Natsu's mind, the conflict between what he had always believed and the truth he had been forced to accept. But deep down, he knew Natsu would handle it in his own way.
"Thanks to you, I got to know more about myself…" Natsu admitted, looking at Naruto with a rare sincerity.
The room fell into a hushed silence until Erza, ever the sharp tactician, spoke up.
"Is there anything that we're missing?" she asked, her brown eyes narrowing in thought.
Before Naruto or Natsu could respond, Gray's voice cut through the room.
"Hold up. What do you mean Zeref's your brother, Natsu?"
The tension in the air thickened instantly.
Lucy's eyes widened in shock. "Wait, what!?"
Wendy's small hands tightened into fists at her sides, struggling to process the sudden revelation. "Zeref… is your brother!?"
Carla and Mirajane exchanged stunned glances before turning their gazes toward Naruto and Mystogan, searching for answers.
Naruto exhaled, knowing it was time to lay everything on the table. He stepped forward, his usually carefree expression now serious.
"You all deserve to know the full truth." His voice carried the weight of everything he had learned.
The room fell completely silent as Naruto began to explain.
"As you've heard… Natsu is Zeref's younger brother… and also one of his demons—the strongest among the demons from the Books of Zeref. E.N.D." Naruto's voice was firm, his expression serious.
Natsu gulped, feeling the weight of the confirmation settle over him. Even though he had already acknowledged the truth, hearing it spoken aloud still made his stomach twist.
"E.N.D.?" Gray's voice wavered slightly. His hands clenched into fists as he took a step forward, eyes locked onto Natsu. "You're the fire demon… the one my dad told me about?"
Natsu exhaled through his nose. "Apparently." His tone was light, but there was an unmistakable tension beneath it.
Mirajane, who had been watching closely, saw through his discomfort. Without hesitation, she reached out and gently took his hand.
"Either way… Natsu is still Natsu, right?" she said softly, breaking the heavy tension in the room.
Natsu blinked, then gave her a small, grateful smile. "Thank you, Mira…"
"Aye!" Happy chirped, his voice filled with relief.
Gray's grip loosened slightly as he glanced down at the Ice Devil Slayer mark on his wrist. This magic… it was meant to be used against demons. Against E.N.D. .
Against Natsu .
A flicker of doubt crossed his face, but he inhaled deeply, forcing himself to think past his instincts.
"Mira's right," he muttered under his breath. "Natsu is still Natsu… No matter what, he's still my friend." His gaze lingered on the mark on his wrist before he exhaled slowly, pushing his emotions aside.
Wendy and Carla, who had been holding their breath, let out quiet sighs of relief. They had feared this would escalate into a fight.
Erza, meanwhile, remained silent, her brows furrowed as she processed everything. It took her a moment before she finally spoke.
"…So this entire mission… this entire subjugation… was meant to awaken Natsu's hidden potential?" Her voice was dangerously calm, but there was an edge to it. "Do you have any idea how reckless that was?" Her fists clenched at her sides.
Naruto sighed and closed his eyes. "I'll take responsibility. Slug me if you want."
Mystogan, who had been listening quietly, finally stepped forward. "Erza… Master knew about this as well." His voice was level, but firm. "Originally, he planned to tell all of you the truth himself. We just… didn't expect to encounter Zeref on this mission."
"But still…" Erza looked down, her fists clenching at her sides. Frustration flickered in her eyes. "It's a lot to take in."
Mirajane, sensing that there was still more left unsaid, turned to Naruto. "Naruto… that wasn't all, right? Earlier, you told us that Zeref went to our guild. Specifically, to take something. The secret that Master has kept hidden beneath the guild all this time."
All eyes turned to Naruto as he let out a slow breath, gathering his thoughts.
"Yeah… you're right," he admitted. "Zeref used Mard Geer and the Etherious demons as a means to an end. On the surface, he made it seem like his goal was to awaken Natsu's true power—to draw E.N.D. out. Mard Geer believed that too, which is why he led me into negotiations instead of outright war. He knew Tartaros alone couldn't defeat me, so he proposed something else—a joint collaboration. A light guild and a dark guild, working toward the same purpose—to awaken Natsu's dormant power."
Natsu gritted his teeth. The idea that Tartaros had been playing them from the very start made his skin crawl.
"But that was only part of the plan," Naruto continued. "A distraction. Zeref had something else in mind. He used Tartaros to lure us away from the guild, leaving it vulnerable. And while we were fighting, he made his move… All so he could usurp the power hidden beneath Fairy Tail."
A heavy silence followed.
"The founding master…" Erza murmured, realization dawning on her.
"And the source of Fairy Tail's greatest secret," Naruto confirmed. "Zeref's true goal was to obtain Fairy Heart ."
"Fairy Heart?" Wendy tilted her head, confusion evident in her expression.
Naruto turned to her, his face grim. "Fairy Heart isn't just some relic or ancient spell. It's an infinite source of magic—true, endless power. The ultimate life source."
Everyone's eyes widened in shock. Even Erza, who had heard countless stories of Fairy Tail's origins, hadn't expected this.
"Wait… infinite magic?" Lucy repeated, almost breathless.
Naruto nodded. "That's right. Fairy Heart is the embodiment of limitless magic. And Zeref wants it for one reason—because it's the only thing powerful enough to fuel Neo Eclipse ."
"Neo Eclipse…" Gray narrowed his eyes.
Naruto met his gaze. "A spell capable of rewriting time itself."
The room went deathly still.
"Rewriting time…that's…" Mirajane echoed, the words barely escaping her lips.
Naruto exhaled. "Zeref isn't just trying to become stronger. He isn't just trying to rule or destroy. His goal is far more dangerous than that… He wants to erase history. To reset everything from the very beginning. To go back to a time before his curse. Before immortality. Before death magic."
Lucy's breath hitched. "He wants to undo his entire existence…"
"More than that," Naruto corrected. "He wants to erase the current world and create a new one. One where his curse never existed. One where he never lost Natsu. A world where all his past mistakes are wiped away."
The weight of that revelation crushed down on them.
Erza's fists trembled. "So he was willing to sacrifice everything —everyone—for that chance?"
Naruto nodded. "Four hundred years ago, Zeref was cursed. It all started when his thirst for knowledge led him down a dangerous path—one where he sought to defy death itself. Using everything he had learned, he tried to salvage the one thing that mattered to him at the time… Natsu. That's how Etherious came to be. And along with it, another creation—one meant to defy time itself. The Eclipse Gate."
Mystogan stepped forward, his expression grave. "A contradiction… That was the true nature of the curse placed upon Zeref. A punishment from a god, angered by his attempts to manipulate the natural order through his intellect. From that moment on, he was forced to take life against his will. The more he cherished life, the more he erased it."
Naruto's gaze darkened. "To contain it… to control that curse… he had to change. He had to strip himself of morality, of compassion. He had to force himself to see life as meaningless. Only by rejecting the value of life itself could he suppress the very curse that stole it from him."
"Bound by sin, regret, loss… and a curse that dictated his fate. That was the answer he forced upon himself." Erza murmured, her expression darkening as she pieced it all together. The weight of it reminded her of Jellal—of the moment he had surrendered himself to the Council after they had defeated Oración Seis. "To redo it all… to erase everything and start over."
Lucy's eyes widened as something clicked. "H-Hey, wait… You said this all happened 400 years ago, right? Then… doesn't that mean Natsu is actually 400 years old? I mean, if he's Zeref's younger brother…"
Gray crossed his arms, frowning. "Yeah, but that doesn't add up. We've all grown up with him. I've been bickering with this fiery idiot since we were kids, and he doesn't exactly look ancient."
Mystogan stepped in, his tone calm but firm. "That's because Zeref used the Eclipse Gate to send Natsu from 400 years ago to the present. If you recall, Natsu… Wendy… both of you have experienced this before. The two of you didn't just grow up here—you arrived here from 400 years ago, summoned to this specific time. July 7, X777."
Wendy's breath hitched. "T-That's…" She clasped her hands over her mouth, as if afraid to say it out loud.
Then, at the same time, she and Natsu whispered the truth.
"The day Igneel and Grandine disappeared."
"That's not all…"
A new voice cut through the heavy silence. The door creaked open, and standing there in the dim light was none other than Zeref, accompanied by Mard Geer.
The tension in the room skyrocketed. Everyone immediately turned to face them, muscles tensed, magic flaring instinctively.
"You two weren't the only ones sent from that specific time," Zeref continued, his voice calm yet unwavering. "All the Dragon Slayers… every single one of you was sent from that same day."
"ZEREF!" The guild shouted in unison, the name laced with shock, anger, and confusion.
But Zeref merely held up a hand. "Allow me to tell you everything—the full truth. You deserve that much."
Something was different about him. His once glowing red eyes were now black, his expression neither cold nor cruel, but… human.
The man once feared as the Legendary Dark Wizard now stood before them—
As Zeref Dragneel.
The group remained still.
And so, Zeref began his tale.
"Centuries ago, I lived a quiet life in a small village, surrounded by my family," Zeref spoke, his voice distant, as if reaching back through time.
"My parents were kind, loving. And then… there was my younger brother, Natsu."
For the first time, his name fell from Zeref's lips—not as a threat, nor a weapon, but as a cherished memory.
"That world was small… safe. But safety is an illusion. The day the dragons came, everything burned. My home. My parents. My brother."
Fire. Ash. Death.
Orphaned and lost, he found solace in knowledge, devoting himself to the study of magic at the Mildian Magic Academy. But what began as a pursuit of understanding became an obsession. He could not accept death—could not accept that Natsu was gone.
"I sought answers where none should have been sought. I created theories, magical constructs… The R-System. The Eclipse Gate." His voice hardened.
"Methods to defy fate itself."
But such defiance came at a cost.
The god Ankhseram had noticed. Enraged by his attempts to disrupt the natural order, the deity cursed him.
"The Contradictory Curse." Zeref exhaled, his eyes shadowed with the weight of centuries. "The more I valued life, the more I stole it. The closer I reached for warmth, the colder the world became around me. The only way to survive… was to feel nothing at all."
And so, to restrain the curse, he severed himself from emotion, from love, from humanity itself.
But even in his hollow existence, he sought a way to end it all. Thus, he created the Etherious—a race of demons forged with a singular purpose.
"To kill me."
And among them, at the pinnacle of all his creations—his final, desperate hope—was E.N.D.
Etherious Natsu Dragneel.
His brother.
But Zeref's ambitions did not end with himself.
He had foreseen the true threat looming in the shadows.
Acnologia.
The Dragon King, a force of nature whose wrath would one day threaten all of humanity. Against such an existence, no ordinary mage could hope to stand.
"To counter that monster, we needed warriors. Slayers of dragons, born from dragons themselves," Zeref admitted. "And so, I sought out Anna Heartfilia, an ancestor of Lucy's, and together we devised a plan."
They would send the Dragon Slayers through time.
But to achieve such a feat, they needed more than magic. They needed a gate that transcended time itself.
Thus, the Eclipse Gate was created.
Through it, Natsu, Wendy, and the other Dragon Slayers were sent 400 years into the future—to a time where the air was rich with Ethernano, where they could grow strong enough to challenge Acnologia.
Zeref's gaze softened, lingering on Lucy.
"But none of this would have been possible without one final key figure in this grand design…" he continued. "Layla Heartfilia."
A quiet gasp escaped Lucy's lips.
"On July 7th, X777, Layla reopened the Eclipse Gate from the future, fulfilling the plan that had been set into motion centuries before." Zeref's voice grew solemn. "But such an act was not without consequences."
Manipulating such vast celestial forces came at a price.
The strain of opening the gate afflicted her with Magic Deficiency Disease.
It was a death sentence.
A mother's final sacrifice, a life given for a future unseen.
Lucy's hands trembled at the revelation, her breath caught between grief and understanding.
The celestial wizard did not expect her mother's name to come out from the ex dark wizard's lips and more so involved on a grander script that is to defend and fight against a grander threat that was Acnologia.
"And the rest is history. I'm sure Naruto has already told you why I came to Magnolia to obtain Fairy Heart…" Zeref said, his gaze sweeping over the group.
He watched as they gave subtle nods, confirming what they already knew.
Silence filled the chamber, heavy with the weight of truth, sacrifice, and a destiny centuries in the making.
Naruto was the first to speak. "With Acnologia stripped of his hatred and power... and you and the First Master freed from your curse..."
Zeref met Naruto's gaze. "Yes. Just as we agreed, I will help you and Mystogan return to your worlds."
He glanced at Mard Geer, who gave a slight nod in confirmation. "I have already begun discussing the matter with the remaining members of Tartaros," Zeref continued.
Mystogan folded his arms. "And what about Tartaros?"
Mard Geer stepped forward. "After we assist Lord Zeref in creating the passage for you and Master Naruto to return home, the remnants of Tartaros will submit to the Light Guild wizards."
Natsu narrowed his eyes. "You're surrendering? Just like that?"
Mard Geer inclined his head slightly. "Yes, Lord Natsu. We Etherious have already fulfilled our purpose. Whatever happens next… we are prepared for it."
Wendy turned her gaze to Zeref. "And what about you?"
Carla, in her human form, crossed her arms. "I doubt you're just going to surrender to the Magic Council. Curse or not, your crimes remain."
Zeref sighed, his expression unreadable. "For me… I cannot. Surrendering would send the wrong message to my empire. It could ignite a war between kingdoms."
Erza's brow furrowed. "A war?"
Gray's eyes narrowed. "What empire?"
Mard Geer answered without hesitation. "The Alvarez Empire. The empire—Lord Zeref reigned for centuries."
Silence. A heavy, suffocating silence.
Natsu's fists clenched, his mind racing. "H-he's an emperor?"
Gray took a step forward, his voice sharp. "Alvarez? That's the empire across the western sea… You're telling me you control it?"
Erza's eyes darkened. "An empire vast enough to rival all of Ishgar… and you're its ruler?"
Mirajane's usually calm expression twisted in disbelief. "T-that's…"
Wendy swallowed hard, absorbing the details.
Naruto, who had remained quiet, finally spoke. "So that's why you can't just walk away. You're not just a rogue wizard… You're a king."
Zeref gave a slow nod. "Precisely. The power of my empire… is far greater than you can imagine."
His gaze drifted to Mavis' sleeping form, and for the first time, his lips curled into a soft, almost wistful smile.
"Now that I'm… free," he murmured, his voice quieter, almost reverent. "I wish to avoid any needless bloodshed."
A brief silence settled over the room.
Mard Geer finally spoke, his tone composed. "I suppose we'll take our leave, then. We'll return to our quarters. You're welcome to stay here for the night and regroup. If you require any assistance, use the lacrima over there to call for us."
With a graceful bow toward Natsu, Mard Geer turned to Zeref, silently signaling their departure. As he accompanied the former dark wizard back to his quarters, he added, "You have free rein around the fortress—but please, don't wander too far."
Carla crossed her arms, flicking her hair with a refined air. "Well… that's quite a change for them," she mused. "Not too long ago, they were hell-bent on killing us. Now, they're acting like professional butlers."
Happy, deep in thought, suddenly gasped as realization struck. "Wait a minute… if Zeref is Natsu's older brother… and he's the emperor of the Alvarez Empire… that means…"
The group collectively leaned in, gears turning in their heads.
"ROYALTY?!" they all shouted in unison.
Natsu blinked, pointing at himself as sweat formed on his forehead. "Wait, wait, hold on—does that make me a prince?"
Gray recoiled as if physically pained by the thought, rubbing his temples. "This flame brain… a prince?" He shuddered. "No, no, no… I refuse to acknowledge that idiot as royalty—"
Natsu smirked smugly, puffing out his chest. "Know your place, peasant! From now on, you're the royal jester! Hohoho~"
Gray twitched, his eye twitching dangerously. "What did you just say?!"
Within seconds, the two were locked in a scuffle, wrestling and throwing playful punches at each other.
Erza stood frozen, mouth agape in complete disbelief, struggling to process the absurdity of the situation. Meanwhile, Mirajane let out a soft, amused gasp, covering her mouth. "Oh my…"
After his short-lived brawl with Gray, Natsu straightened up and turned to Lucy with a mischievous grin. "Alright, Lucy, since I'm royalty now, go do the dishes and laundry."
Lucy's eyebrow twitched dangerously as a vein popped on her forehead. "HELL NO, I WON'T!" she snapped, smacking him upside the head so hard he nearly toppled over.
Gray, now rolling on the floor, laughed uncontrollably.
Naruto and Mystogan burst into laughter as well, the tension from earlier melting away in an instant.
Wendy sighed, shaking her head with a small smile. "I don't think royalty works that way, Natsu…"
Happy crossed his paws, nodding sagely. "Aye… but I guess that makes me the royal advisor! I'll accept payment in fish!"
Carla scoffed, rolling her eyes. "As if."
Chapter End