Reigning Him In (2)

Noelle POV

Asta's words, his mere presence beside me, filled me with courage again as I charged forward, facing my rebellious familiar. Weak as I was, I had no choice but to stand on the sidelines, watching as Asta fought the very creature that was supposed to be my partner. I couldn't protect anyone, couldn't save anyone. Yuno, as always, had managed that by himself.

I knew they were stronger than me—Asta and Yuno. But feeling the gap so up close, so viscerally, stung more than I expected. As a member of the Silva family, a royal lineage of proud and powerful Magic Knights, this wasn't just a battle. Even though this wasn't my nation, I still had responsibilities. It was my duty to step up and take charge, not to stand around helpless like some fragile princess.

I hovered at eye level, meeting Leviathan's tired and anguished gaze. His massive form loomed before me, and I could see the exhaustion in his movements. It reminded me of what I'd need if I wanted to stand and fight beside Asta and Yuno. His power. His strength. I let the thought flow freely through our mental bond, unshielded, knowing he would hear me. His glowing eyes flickered, processing my emotions as the bond between us pulsed with shared understanding.

But I wasn't going to let it go so easily.

"You said you needed to bond with me to fight the 'Sinner,' so where did you get the confidence to face Asta alone? The very person you said could rival him?" I asked, my voice a mix of genuine curiosity and biting sarcasm. I glanced at the scar running down his enormous body, feeling a pang of heartache before I quickly shoved it aside. Hmph, serves you right for attacking Asta, idiot.

Leviathan let out a deep grumble, mist curling from his nostrils in response. He clearly wasn't pleased with my thoughts, but he didn't argue. It seemed even the great Sea God knew when he'd overstepped.

"Why were you so angry?" I asked, not expecting a clear answer but needing to understand.

"I...don't...know... I... don't... like... sharing... title... But... when... saw... him... felt... like... meeting... mortal... enemy..." His words were slow and broken, forcing me to patiently decipher his meaning.

Is this another side effect of this world acknowledging his status as a dragon? I wondered. Not only had his body become resistant to all non-draconic magic, but he had seemingly inherited a dragon's temperament too. That primal urge to dominate, to never yield to anyone who challenged his element. In our world, he had likely never felt this irrational anger before—he was the (probably) only one of his kind there.

At least this meant there probably wouldn't be a repeat of this incident—provided Leviathan and Mercphobia didn't meet again. Still, I wasn't about to let him off without addressing the real issue.

"Leviathan, as a royal of the Clover Kingdom and a Magic Knight, I can't accept teaming up with a mindless beast that doesn't care about the innocent lives crushed beneath him. If you can't promise me that this will never happen again, I'll shatter our contract here and now. You can live out your life in this world while the rest of us finish this mission and go home. Got it?"

I thrust my spiraling water lance directly toward his face, my voice firm even as my heart raced. Please, Leviathan... I need you...

There was a long pause, the tension between us thick. Then, finally, Leviathan sighed.

"Fine... I... promise..." he grumbled, his voice softened with reluctant acceptance. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding, relief flooding me. His body began to glow, shrinking down into his smaller, Chibi form. Even with the fresh scar marring his body, he still looked undeniably cute.

"I... Sea... God..." he mumbled, and I reached out, gently patting his head as though soothing a naughty child.

"Yes, yes, you're a Sea God," I cooed inwardly, allowing myself a moment of indulgence. So soft… I could get used to this.

"Hahahaha, how interesting!" My heart froze as a familiar voice, deep and commanding, pierced the air. Every hair on my body stood on end as I slowly turned to see him descending before us.

Ignia.

The Fire Dragon God.

His form was imposing—dark red scales, a beige underbelly, with a sharp, horn-tipped snout. His wings, broad and bat-like, cast a shadow over me as his fiery presence radiated outwards. His body was adorned with several caudal spines and a large crystal-like horn atop his head. Flames licked at the tattoos etched across his chest, and fire danced in his eyes, a fierce power emanating from every pore of his being.

Why is he here?! My mind screamed. Of all the times, why now? Asta's out of commission... and so is Leviathan. My only hope is Yuno, but where is he?!

Ignia's gaze swept over me, dismissive, as though I were nothing more than an insect. "Looking for your friends?" he asked, his voice sending a shiver down my spine.

I watched, paralyzed, as the massive dragon's body began to shrink, flames morphing into the shape of a man. His fiery orange hair was styled upwards, with the tips singed, and tattoos marked his chiseled body. He moved with the confidence of someone who knew he was the strongest in the room.

"Any mage worth their salt can hide their presence—let alone a dragon," Ignia continued, his voice casual but carrying the weight of a predator. "No one but you two knows I'm here."

Leviathan tensed on my shoulder, and I clutched my lance tighter. What should I do? I considered fleeing—diving into the ocean and shifting into mermaid form to escape. But even as the thought crossed my mind, I remembered the legend of Salamander, the fire spirit who could burn entire seas. If Salamander could do that, what could a Dragon God like Ignia accomplish?

Just as panic threatened to consume me, Ignia's flaming aura began to recede. His grin widened as he retracted his power.

"Relax, little girl," he said, amusement in his voice. "I'm not here to fight you. I'm not interested in weaklings. I'm here for him."

His gaze shifted from me to Leviathan, and I felt my heart sink. I was nothing to him. The realization stung, but I bit back the retort forming on my lips. There was no point in provoking him. I had to accept this mercy. One day, I'd repay this humiliation.

Ignia moved closer, his intense presence looming over Leviathan. "I never knew another dragon walked Earthland... or should I say, swam," he said, chuckling at his own joke.

"Me... Sea... God—" Leviathan started, but Ignia cut him off with a wave of his hand.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. No need to repeat yourself. I watched the whole thing. So tell me, how does it feel to pick on our kin who couldn't even access 10% of his power?"

10%?! I could hardly believe it. Mercphobia had been that weakened? So Elefseria hadn't been lying... but how? Why was Mercphobia so powerless? Did that other group have something to do with this?

"It... boring," Leviathan responded, and I loosened my grip on my lance slightly as Ignia let out a booming laugh, seemingly approving of his answer.

"Good! Good! You're truly worthy of being a dragon!" Ignia declared, his grin turning almost respectful. "I'm Ignia, the strongest dragon around. Right now, you're too weak to entertain me, but the Dragon Festival will return soon. When it does, let's fight to the death."

Dragon Festival? The ominous words hung in the air, filling me with unease. But before Leviathan could respond, Ignia exploded into a mass of flames, shooting into the sky and disappearing into the horizon.

I let out a shaky breath, my heart still pounding in my chest. You're alive, Noelle, I reminded myself. That's all that matters.

I let Leviathan return to my grimoire as I slowly flew back toward Ermina, the weight of the encounter pressing down on me. Bottled-up frustration and unresolved feelings swirled in my mind, but I pushed them aside as I prepared to reunite with my friends.

Yuno POV

As Asta was wrapping up his fierce battle with Leviathan, I blinked across the battlefield, using Conjunction to instantly transport myself to Mercphobia's side. Appearing before the fallen Dragon God, my chest tightened at the sight before me. Blood seeped from the numerous wounds scattered across his body—his scales, his mouth, even his throat, where Leviathan had left a particularly vicious scar. His life force was fading fast, far too fast for my liking.

My brow furrowed in frustration. If only I knew some recovery magic, I could do something—anything! I racked my brain for alternatives. Maybe I could patch his wounds using my star seals, temporarily binding them like makeshift bandages. I nodded to myself as I dismissed the forcefields I'd been using to shield the Erminans. They were safe now that Asta had dealt with Leviathan, but this... this was going to take all the mana I could muster.

With a wave of my hand, stars began to blink into existence—one after the other—each one a different color, illuminating the wounds that marred Mercphobia's colossal form. The star seals clung to his torn scales and slashed flesh, weaving together into radiant shields of starlight that helped stem the bleeding, at least for the moment.

Another quick motion conjured a gust of wind, sweeping away the nauseating scent of blood that filled the air. Small whirlwinds formed, gathering the pools of blood into neat tornadoes, which I then guided back into Mercphobia's body. But even as I worked, I could still feel his life ebbing away, though at a slower pace. It wasn't enough.

Dammit, dragon, hold on! My mind raced. Back home, devils had incredible vitality—they could regenerate from almost nothing. I just assumed dragons here would be similar, but... maybe I overestimated him. Still, the fact that he had survived this long after having his throat nearly severed was a testament to his resilience.

In that moment, I couldn't help but think of Mimosa and her incredible healing magic. How much I'd taken for granted having someone like her on my team. I need a healer. It doesn't have to be her—just anyone who can help!

"Um... excuse... me?" A soft voice snapped me out of my thoughts, and I mentally berated myself for being so absorbed in the situation that I hadn't noticed someone approaching.

I turned to find a petite girl standing before me. She had fair skin and long, dark blue hair that cascaded down her back, with two strands framing her face. Her brown eyes were filled with hesitation, and her elongated canine teeth gave her a slightly distinctive look. My gaze flicked to her shoulder, where a prominent sky-blue guild mark caught my attention. She's not from our group...

"Are you from Fairy Tail?" I asked gently, careful to keep my tone calm. I could see she was on guard and didn't want to startle her.

"Huh? Y-yes," she stammered, clearly taken aback that I'd recognized her so quickly. Her wary expression deepened, and I realized I needed to ease her tension.

"My friends and I also accepted this quest," I explained, offering a small nod. "Elefseria told us about you."

Her face briefly twisted into a frown, no doubt realizing that Elefseria had hired multiple groups for the same mission. Given the monumental task of sealing the gods, it wasn't surprising. After a moment, she seemed to accept it, her gaze shifting from me to the dying Mercphobia. There was something she clearly wanted to say, but hesitation kept her silent.

She's even more awkward than I am, I thought with a touch of sympathy. I decided to break the silence for her. "I'm Yuno. As you can see, our friend here needs some help."

"I'm Wendy," she said quietly, before adding, "a healer."

My eyes widened slightly. Well, would you look at that—there's mercy in this world after all.

But her next words brought my hopes crashing down. "Although... I'm really low on magic power."

Her voice was small, filled with an almost apologetic tone. That's not good.

I studied her for a moment. She wouldn't have introduced herself as a healer only to reveal she was out of magic unless there was a reason. She must have some plan in mind, something I could assist with. "How can I help?" I asked, trying to stay calm despite the urgency.

Wendy fidgeted nervously, twiddling her thumbs like a child about to confess something embarrassing. Her face flushed a bright red as she lowered her head, her voice barely audible. "I saw you... use wind magic right now..." she mumbled, her words coming out in fits and starts.

I blinked in confusion. "Yes..." I responded slowly. What does that have to do with anything?

Suddenly, Wendy gathered her resolve, her embarrassment still visible as she stepped closer, her face mere inches from mine. Her blush deepened, and before I could process what was happening, she blurted out, "T-then please feed me!"

Wait... what?