Chapter 29 : 'Iron Dragon' Gajeel

It was already evening when Knight and his group arrived in Kuroba Town.

The fiery red sunset painted the sky, casting a warm, rosy hue over the mountains. Natsu walked out of the station, looking defeated—his back hunched, arms hanging down, and his movements slow, like a dehydrated mummy. He had woken up halfway through the trip and spent the rest of the time vomiting.

"Where... where are we? And why am I here?" Natsu asked, still dazed.

"This is Kuroba Town, where the guild presidents are holding their regular meeting," Happy explained, flying beside Natsu and patting his shoulder with a small paw in a gesture of comfort.

Knight also patted Natsu's other shoulder, encouraging him, "Come on, Natsu. Cheer up! You're going to be the pillar of Fairy Tail one day!"

"Pillar?!" Natsu's ears perked up, and his back straightened as if an invisible switch had been flipped. "Oh yeah!"

He opened his mouth and shot a stream of flames into the sky, causing passersby at the station to scatter in fear.

"It's too easy to fool him," Lucy sighed, rubbing her forehead. Then she wondered, Is this how Knight usually tricks me?

"By the way, Natsu," Knight continued, "there might be some enemies showing up later, so I'll leave them to you, alright?"

With Natsu all fired up, Knight turned to Gray and asked, "Do you know where the meeting is being held?"

"It's not in the town itself," Gray said, leading the way. "It's up on the mountain outside of town. Follow me."

After passing through the forest along a narrow path, the group finally reached a clearing where a large, luxurious mansion came into view.

From a distance, Knight's sharp senses picked up on several magical auras surrounding the mansion. There were more than twenty strong presences, with two particularly powerful ones standing out—one of which was unmistakably Makarov's.

As for the other...?

"We're here," Gray announced.

Natsu sniffed the air, his nose twitching. "I smell food! Happy, Knight—let's go eat!"

"Wait, Natsu..." Knight tried to warn him, but it was too late.

Suddenly, a figure leaped down from the roof of the mansion.

"Iron Dragon Club!" the attacker shouted. His arm transformed into a steel rod and extended toward Natsu, who was sprinting ahead.

Natsu, ever quick on his feet, flipped forward and planted his hand on the ground, using a somersault to dodge the incoming blow. The iron rod slammed into the earth with a heavy thud.

"Are you the enemy here to attack the president?" Natsu growled, taking a fighting stance.

"No," Gray said gravely. "That guy is Phantom Lord's S-Class wizard, 'Iron Dragon' Gajeel."

Lucy gasped and hid behind Knight. "So it's true what Erza said! Natsu's not the only dragon slayer."

Knight, meanwhile, was curious as to why Gajeel was here. It seemed out of place.

"Tch, you dodged," Gajeel sneered, retracting his arm and looking at Natsu. "Fire Dragon, huh? This is our first meeting. Sorry, I thought you were someone else."

"You jerk! You want to fight?" Natsu was already itching for a battle, and now facing another dragon slayer only heightened his excitement.

He leaped at Gajeel, shouting, "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

"I've wanted to fight you for a long time," Gajeel retorted. His arm morphed into a rotating steel blade. "This world doesn't need two dragons!"

"Iron Dragon Sword!" Gajeel roared, clashing with Natsu mid-air.

As the two began their fierce battle, Knight showed little interest in the fight. He slipped around them and entered the mansion, leaving Lucy and Gray to watch the show.

Inside the banquet hall, Knight was greeted by the sight of numerous guild leaders—over twenty of them, each representing a different wizard guild from the Kingdom of Fiore. It was the first time Knight realized just how many guilds there were.

His eyes immediately landed on Makarov, who was standing on a dining table, locked in an intense conversation with another man. The stranger wore a purple robe and a pointed hat with horns. His small devil wings and presence were hard to miss. Knight quickly recognized him—Joseph Pola, the Phantom Lord's guild master and one of the Ten Wizard Saints.

"What's Joseph doing here?" Knight wondered. Phantom Lord was a legitimate guild, so Joseph was certainly qualified to attend, but his presence still raised some questions.

Makarov finally spoke up, his tone serious. "I didn't expect to see you here, Jose."

Joseph gave a sly smile, sipping his wine. "Hehe, long time no see, Makarov."

"Why are you here?" Makarov asked, visibly suspicious.

"I'm not here for you," Joseph said with a faint laugh. "I'm waiting for someone who just arrived." His gaze shifted to the doorway. "You must be Knight, Fairy Tail's rising star and the creator of Internet magic."

The attention of the entire room turned to Knight. Suddenly, all the guild leaders were staring at him with interest.

"Knight? You're the genius Makarov's been talking about?" one president asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Come over here, young man! Show us your magic. It sounds fascinating," another added.

Knight couldn't help but notice the president of Blue Pegasus, Bob, a plump man with a flamboyant appearance, waddling toward him.

"Oh, what a handsome little cutie~" Bob cooed, his voice dripping with sweetness.

Knight recoiled, feeling goosebumps rise. He would've preferred another sparring session with Erza rather than deal with this.

Bob reached out, trying to pat Knight's shoulder. "Don't be shy~"

Shy?! Knight groaned internally, quickly taking a step back.

Bob wasn't the only one vying for his attention. Other guild leaders started chiming in.

"You should join our guild, Knight!"

"No, come to Four Hounds!"

"Ignore him—join my guild!"

Makarov's face darkened as he watched his colleagues trying to steal his new recruit. "Enough! What do you all think you're doing?!"

Regret flashed across Makarov's face for showing off the Internet magic earlier.

Just then, Joseph spoke up once again, his voice cutting through the commotion. "How about joining Phantom Lord, Knight? You'd be much better off with us than staying in a weak guild like Fairy Tail."

Knight stared at Joseph, taken aback by the bold offer.

What did I do to become so popular? Knight thought with a mixture of disbelief and dread.

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