Fairy Tail: Collapsing Stars

Chapter 371: The Belserion Family Trip

”Damn it, what a miscalculation…”

Ireneʼs beautiful brows knit together slightly. Of all the scenarios she had prepared for, she hadnʼt anticipated that Evan was here to invite her on a trip.

And now that the lewd dragon Selene had caught wind of it, sheʼd definitely go to any lengths to mess things up…

”This is exactly why I knew something troublesome would happen…”

Evan looked helpless. He couldnʼt use telepathy magic in front of Selene, sheʼd notice instantly. So this situation was… quite awkward. However, 

”Actually, Miss Selene, the Kingdom of Stella is well-known as a family-friendly tourist destination, so…”

Just as Irene was mentally fuming, Evan gave Selene a bright smile, trying to hint at something.

The meaning behind his words was obvious, the Kingdom of Stella was meant for Irene to take Evan and Erza to, as a family.

”Nice save, Evan!”

Ireneʼs eyes lit up. Her scowl disappeared, and she gave Evan a subtle thumbs-up under the table.

”Family trip? Thatʼs a human concept, right? I know what that means, itʼs when parents go out with their children for fun.”

”And I have a child! Iʼll go get him right now!”

Selene raised a brow in thought, but only for a moment. Her eyes sparkled as she snapped her fingers, summoning a spatial portal beside her.

”Youʼve got to be kidding…”

Evanʼs brow twitched. He already had a good idea of who Selene was going to summon.

With a long sigh, he threw Irene an apologetic look.

”...”

Irene didnʼt say a word, but internally her mind was roaring. She knew things were about to spiral into a full-blown disaster.

As the whole Belserion family, Evan, Irene, and Erza, watched Selene with dead-serious expressions, she smirked.

”Itʼs decided then. Come on out, Kirin~”

Selene reached into the portal, and moments later, Kurnugiʼs figure appeared inside the Scarlet Empress shop.

But that wasnʼt all.

Behind him came a pink-haired brat, then a black-haired teenager, and finally a little girl with mid-length blue hair.

”Huh? Didnʼt expect this many kids to show up…”

Selene blinked in surprise. Sheʼd only meant to summon Kurnugi, she hadnʼt planned for a whole entourage.

”M-Mom…”

Kurnugi trembled as he faced Selene. Just seeing her was enough to make him shiver uncontrollably.

”Kurnugi, what the hell is going on? It was enough for you to show up, whyʼd you bring three others with you?!”

Evan sighed, clearly exasperated, and asked.

”Well, Master… Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy wanted to test their strength against a real dragon, so they begged me for a fight. Naturally, I won.”

Kurnugi explained matter-of-factly.

”Uh-huh…”

Evan turned his gaze toward Natsu.

”I saw Kurnugi trying to run, so I grabbed his leg to stop him!”

Natsu, bruised and bandaged, stood proud.

”Geh-heh~ I did the same as Flame Brain here.”

Gajeel crossed his arms confidently. Despite being thoroughly beaten up, he wasnʼt backing down.

”I-I… I saw Natsu and Gajeel get pulled into the portal, so I tried to save them… but got sucked in too…”

Wendy said timidly, looking nervously at Evan and the others.

”This is a nightmare…”

Evan felt a headache coming on.

”So, Mom, Master, why exactly did you call me here?”

Kurnugi turned to Selene and Evan with a puzzled expression.

”Well…”

Evanʼs eyes narrowed slightly. If he told the truth here, wouldnʼt that mean dragging all these brats along to the Kingdom of Stella?

After all, if thereʼs one thing Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy canʼt ignore, itʼs the word dragon…

”Evan said he found another dragon in Ishgar besides us, so weʼre all going to go check it out~”

Selene, seated elegantly in her chair, casually revealed the whole plan before Evan could stop her.

”Dragon?!”

And right on cue, the eyes of Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy lit up with blazing excitement.

”Evan! You really found another dragon?! Is it Igneel?!”

Natsu stepped forward, trembling with anticipation.

”No no no, itʼs definitely Metalicana!”

Gajeel grinned, visibly thrilled at the thought of seeing his foster father again.

”Hah?! Itʼs got to be Igneel!”

Natsu scowled at Gajeel, clearly not having it.

”You wish! Itʼs obviously Metalicana!”

Gajeel shot him a death glare.

”Maybe… maybe itʼs Grandeeney…”

Wendy said softly, trying to interject.

”Huh? What was that, Wendy?”

Both Natsu and Gajeel turned to her with intense, icy glares.

”Eep… so scary…”

Wendy instinctively shrank back, lowering her head.

To be fair, Natsu and Gajeel werenʼt trying to scare her, they genuinely hadnʼt heard what she said. Their expressions were just naturally intimidating…

”Sigh…”

”Knew it would turn out this way.”

Evan had suspected from the beginning how this would end. What was meant to be a simple Belserion family trip had now turned into a dragon summit.

But technically speaking… all Dragon Slayers were Ireneʼs children in a sense, so this was still a Belserion family trip. Just… with extra steps.

”Well, in that case, letʼs all go together.”

Evan quickly adjusted his expectations. Besides, he remembered that cowardly dragon hiding in Stella was supposedly quite knowledgeable and came from 400 years ago. Who knows, maybe it was even acquainted with Igneel, Metalicana, Grandeeney, and Selene…

With so many dragons on their side, persuading that timid one would be a piece of cake.

And if persuasion failed, well, then theyʼd convince it physically.

”Awesome!!”

The moment Evan said that, Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy leapt to their feet, brimming with excitement.

”But donʼt get your hopes too high…”

”The dragon I found… isnʼt Igneel.”

Evan gave them a gentle smile, offering a quick reality check.

”Not Igneel?”

Natsuʼs face dropped, his eyes full of disappointment.

”Haha, I knew it! Then it must be Metalicana!”

Gajeel folded his arms, gloating.

”Itʼs not Metalicana either… and itʼs not Grandeeney.”

Evan looked at the other two and calmly crushed their hopes as well.

”Not Grandeeney either…”

Wendy had been hopeful when she heard it wasnʼt Igneel or Metalicana, but now that her guess was off too… her joy faded fast.

”So none of them, huh…”

All three Dragon Slayers slumped, visibly let down.

”Lame~”

Natsu and Gajeel pouted simultaneously, clearly displeased.

”You two keep whining, and Iʼll beat you both to a pulp right here.”

Evanʼs brow twitched at their bratty expressions.

”Heh…”

Natsu and Gajeel immediately gave awkward smiles, trying to play it off.

SMACK SMACK

Too late. Evan landed a solid punch on each of them, his way of expressing brotherly affection.

”Now that all the Dragon Slayers in the guild are here…”

”Feels kinda wrong not to invite Laxus, donʼt you think?”

Evan looked around at the group and thought for a moment. Might as well bring Laxus along too.

Otherwise, if Laxus realized everyone else went to Stella except him, heʼd probably feel left out…

And knowing Natsu and Gajeel, theyʼd definitely rub it in his face,

”Hey Laxus, guess which Dragon Slayer didnʼt get invited to see the cowardly dragon with Evan?! Itʼs you! Yep, itʼs totally you!!”

Sigh…

In response, Evan sighed softly. Then, with a casual wave of his hand, a teleportation portal appeared in front of him, it was, of course, Seleneʼs Wings of Water spell, though Evan had just blatantly NTRʼd it from her.

After all, when it comes to mages, is there really such a thing as ”plagiarism”?

Sighing again, Evan reached into the portal.

Meanwhile…

Out in the wilderness…

Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe were currently dealing with an S-Class magical beast.

”Fried, donʼt engage it head-on. Youʼre not ready to face that monster directly!”

”Evergreen, fly up and keep distracting it from above, divert its focus.”

”Bickslow, keep hammering its back with your puppets. Mess up its rhythm!”

Laxus stood with his arms crossed, taking on the role of a strict mentor as he gave out calm, precise orders.

For someone of Laxusʼs strength, on par with the Ten Wizard Saints and advancing toward becoming the strongest human alive, an S-Class beast was nothing. But it made for perfect training fodder for his squad.

”Dark Écriture, Pain!”

”Fairy Machine Gun!”

”Babies, shoot it!”

Under Laxusʼs command, Fried, Evergreen, and Bickslow unleashed tremendous power. And before their magic ran dry, the beast finally collapsed.

”We did it!”

The three celebrated, clearly thrilled with their victory.

”Well done, but remember, until the beast stops breathing, donʼt ever drop your guard!”

Laxus nodded approvingly, but at the same time, an overwhelming aura of magic erupted from him.

”ROAR!!”

Just as Laxus prepared to finish it, the beast sprang back up, it had been playing dead all along.

”What?!”

The three of them froze in surprise. They wanted to act, but it was already too late!

The beast slammed into them, sending them flying, then charged straight at Laxus, instinctively recognizing him as the biggest threat.

”Tch.”

Laxus let out a cold snort. He looked down at the onrushing beast with disdain. How could such a weak creature possibly defeat him?

”Ah! There you are…”

Just as Laxus was about to act, a soft murmur whispered into his ear. The next second, a large hand gripped the back of his neck.

And then, without warning, he was yanked backward, into a teleportation portal.

In an instant, Laxus vanished. The magical beast lunged forward and landed on empty air.

”What?!”

Everyone froze, Laxus, the beast, the Thunder God Tribe… all stunned.

”Oh, there was still a beast here? Sorry, forgot about you~”

A light voice drifted in.

BOOM!!

Suddenly, thunder echoed from the skies. A burning meteor, trailing a blazing tail, tore through the clouds and hurtled straight toward the magical beast at visible speed.

”Meteor?!”

”RUN!!”

Seeing the fiery projectile plummeting, the Thunder God Tribe instantly panicked.

Before it hit, the three launched themselves into the air like clockwork, 

Evergreen flew using her fairy wings, Fried with his Dark Écriture, Wings, and Bickslow soared with the help of his babies.

As for the magical beast, it could only look up in silence.

BOOM!!!

With a deafening crash, the battlefield was reduced to rubble.

Back aboard the airship…

”So… can someone please explain whatʼs going on?”

Laxus stood there utterly bewildered, staring at Evan, Irene, Selene, and the others.

”Evan found a dragon in another kingdom. Want to come with us and check it out?” Erza asked with a grin, like she was saying, ”Hey Laxus, a rare creature just arrived at the zoo. Wanna go see it?”

”Sounds interesting…”

Laxusʼs lips curled into a small smirk. A living dragon was rare, but not really that big of a deal in Fairy Tail.

”So how do you plan to get there?” he asked.

”By ship, of course! Itʼs a vacation, after all~”

As Evan spoke, the sky above the Scarlet Empressʼs shop darkened, overshadowed by a colossal magical airship sponsored by Precht himself.

”Ship…?”

Hearing the word, Laxus, Natsu, and Gajeel all froze.

Having spent time at Saint-level power, Laxus had long awakened part of his dragon force. As for Natsu and Gajeel, one had become a true Dragon Slayer with Evanʼs help, the other awakened his latent power thanks to Erza.

The Belserion family really was a group that loved dragons, they always helped Dragon Slayers find their true selves.

Unfortunately, this also meant that every one of them got motion sickness from travel.

”Letʼs go~”

Before anyone could complain, Evan cast a teleportation spell and sent them all onto the airship.

”Ugh…”

As soon as Laxus set foot on deck, his body weakened. He clutched the railing, barely staying upright.

Natsu and Gajeel, meanwhile, had already collapsed on the floor, out cold.

As for the Belserion family…

Evan, Erza, and Irene gathered around a beautiful table, happily enjoying hotpot.

After all, this was a vacation, what better way to travel than with hotpot and songs?

”Um…”

Wendy looked at the passed-out Natsu and the others, wanting to help.

”Come on over, Wendy. Donʼt mind them, come eat hotpot~”

Evan cut her off, scooping her up and plopping her between Erza and Irene.

”Here, Wendy, have some meat~”

Erza and Irene lovingly loaded up her bowl with heaps of delicious food.

”Sorry, Natsu… I couldnʼt help you…”

Wendy looked back at him with a twinge of guilt, but then dug into her meal.

”Heh…”

Evan chuckled. As if heʼd let Wendy revive those troublesome brats.

Until they reached their destination, they could stay knocked out and behave.

As for Kurnugi and Selene, they stood out on the deck, enjoying the wind. Compared to the noisy interior, the open sky felt far more peaceful and free.

At the same time…

Inside the grand royal palace of the Kingdom of Stella, a young boy king with golden hair and a crown sat seething with fury.

”USELESS! All of you are USELESS! A million soldiers couldnʼt even take down Fiore?!”

His golden eyes burned with murderous rage, causing the entire court to fall silent in terror.

”King Animus! Itʼs not the armyʼs fault!”

”Our plan was perfect, except for one thing, we didnʼt account for Fioreʼs mages…”

”If it were just conventional forces, weʼd have steamrolled them! But that old fox Toma had the gall to ask that man for help…”

”The man who stands at the pinnacle of Fiore, no, of the entire continent of Ishgar… the First of the Ten Wizard Saints…”

”The Starbreaker, Evan Belserion!”

As the king raged, a man in close-fitting armor, rugged, a cigar between his lips, bowed respectfully. This was Chize, a traitor from Fiore, now aligned with Animus. His tone was polite, but there was a sharp gleam in his eyes, he clearly had his own agenda.

But the king… simply didnʼt care. Or rather, he looked down on all humans.

”Evan Belserion?!”

And yet, upon hearing the name, even Animus, who scorned humans, gasped, eyes wide.

”Oh? So youʼve heard of Evan?”

Chize looked surprised at the kingʼs reaction.

”No… I donʼt care about human power. Itʼs just… never mind. For now, donʼt provoke that Evan…”

Animus frowned deeply. Belserion, that was a dragon name. How could a human bear such a title? Something didnʼt add up…

”Even so, Evanʼs someone we must engage with…”

”Because the Dragon Tear, the one I told you about, was borrowed by Evan.”

Chize watched Animus carefully, not taking his unease too seriously.

”WHAT? Evan… Evan Belserion took the Dragon Tear?!”

Animus froze. If it was just the name ”Belserion,” he could chalk it up to coincidence. But a man named Belserion taking the Dragon Tear?

Impossible.

The Dragon Tear was a treasure that only dragons could use. A human stealing it would be pointless, unless…

”Belserion… Dragon Tear… the strongest on the continent… this canʼt be a coincidence. Could it be…?”

Animus whispered to himself, suddenly struck by a terrifying thought.

”Could it be… that Iʼm not the only dragon still alive on Ishgar…?”

He stood in shock, overwhelmed by his own theory.

What he didnʼt know was, 

Not just one dragon…

A whole ship full of dragons was heading straight for his kingdom.

And they all had one goal,

To see which little crybaby dragon had been traumatized by Acnologia and gone into hiding in a human kingdom.