At the Fiore Kingdom branch of the Magic Council, it was already afternoon when Kira arrived, led by a frog-like messenger. This was the time of day he'd usually be napping, basking in the warm sunlight and cool summer breeze—perfect conditions for a lazy snooze. But instead, here he was, dragged in for questioning, all because of that cursed Lullaby incident. And who was to blame? Zeref, of course. And since Natsu was Zeref's brother, Kira figured he'd pin the blame on him too.
Every five minutes or so, Kira would pester the messenger with questions like, "Where are we going? When will we get there? What happens when we do?" The poor frog messenger was at his wit's end. Most criminals would be trembling at the thought of facing the Magic Council's judgment, too scared to even speak. But Kira? He was calm, casual, and maybe even a little bored.
Typical Fairy Tail behavior, the messenger thought, grumbling to himself. These guys are way too bold for their own good!
Finally, the frog messenger snapped. "Hey, don't you have any sense of being a criminal?"
"What sense?" Kira shot back, unfazed. "I didn't do anything wrong! Justice will clear my name, and fairness will set me free…"
"Enough!" the messenger interrupted, clearly not expecting Kira to launch into a full-on speech. "Hiding one of Zeref's demon books? You call that not a crime? What's your excuse then? That you're from Fairy Tail, so it's all fine? Give me a break!"
Kira clicked his tongue. "What do you know, frog-face? I was doing it for research, for progress! For the advancement of magic, the innovation of technology, the stability of society, the march of time—"
He stopped mid-sentence, his eyes catching two figures up ahead.
One was a middle-aged woman with her hair tied up like a starfish—Teacher Belno, the Fifth Seat of the Magic Council. She might look like a stern old lady, but she was actually quite kind and widely respected within the Council.
The other figure Kira knew all too well. Black hair cascading down to his waist, a muscular frame, an arrogant attitude, wild clothing, and a face studded with piercings, exuding an unmistakable "I'm the best" vibe.
This delinquent was none other than Gajeel, the ace wizard of Phantom Lord and the Iron Dragon Slayer.
From the looks of it, Gajeel had also been hauled in for some kind of trouble and had just finished getting scolded by a few Council elders.
"Hold on, Gajeel," Belno called out, stopping him as he turned to leave. The title "Teacher" wasn't because she'd actually taught him anything—it was just a respectful term for Council members, like calling a judge "Your Honor." It was common in the magic world, and Kira went along with it.
"What's it now?" Gajeel growled.
Kira paused, curious to eavesdrop on their conversation.
Belno looked at Gajeel with a pitying expression. "I've said this before, but… you really should leave Phantom Lord."
Gajeel, still the cocky teenager, scoffed impatiently. "Tch, mind your own business, old lady."
"Phantom Lord's recent actions have been hard to stomach," Belno pressed. "If things keep going like this…"
"Hey!" Gajeel snapped, cutting her off. "You think you can tell me, Gajeel, the Iron Dragon Slayer, what to do?"
"I'll keep saying it as many times as it takes!" Belno said firmly. "I've seen plenty of young people like you. Deep down, you're just afraid of being alone."
"You…" Gajeel's voice trailed off, his bravado faltering.
"I'm not saying you have to walk the straight and narrow," Belno continued, "but at least live a life that means something."
Gajeel's smirk returned, more defiant than ever. "Oh, don't worry, my life's got plenty of meaning! We're about to start a war, you know—with Fairy Tail!"
That was Kira' cue. He couldn't stay silent any longer. Striding forward, he matched Gajeel's arrogance with his own. "A war with Fairy Tail? You've got some guts to say that, Iron Dragon!"
"Who's the punk talking to me like that?!" Gajeel spun around, only to see a red-haired guy standing a few steps away, oozing confidence. Despite the mocking smirk on his face, the sheer magical power radiating from him was undeniable.
"You're…" Belno, with her vast experience, recognized him immediately. "Killa Hoplite from Fairy Tail."
Kira grinned. "Phantom Lord better have their surrender papers ready! If you can't even read, you might wanna crack open a dictionary now, so you don't embarrass yourselves when the other guilds start laughing!"
Hearing that this guy was from Fairy Tail, Gajeel sneered. "Fairy Tail, huh? Tch, what a joke! Phantom Lord's the strongest guild in Fiore!"
"Strongest? Heh…" Kira tilted his head, letting out a soft chuckle. But that single sound and glance carried a tidal wave of mockery, pity, disdain, and outright insult.
"You little—! You're pissing me off!" Gajeel roared, throwing an iron-clad punch.
Hot-headed, ruthless, and straight to the point—that was Gajeel in a nutshell. He was way weaker now than he'd be after joining Fairy Tail. Guess being in the right guild really does level you up.
"Stop it, Gajeel!" Belno shouted, trying to intervene before the two caused a scene. As a thought projection, she'd be powerless to stop them if they actually started fighting.
Kira caught Gajeel's iron fist with ease. "Give it up. You might be able to spar with our guild's Fire Dragon, but when it comes to strength or character, you're nowhere close."
"Fire Dragon?" Gajeel smirked. "Oh, yeah, I heard you guys have a Dragon Slayer too. But compared to me, he's just trash!"
Kira nodded calmly. "I'll make sure to pass that along to Natsu, word for word. Don't come crying when you lose!"
"Lose? Me? That's the funniest thing I've ever heard!" Gajeel barked. "I'll show him what a real Dragon Slayer looks like!"
Kira stared at Gajeel for a moment, then shook his head. "Man, you're dense. So easy to provoke, so quick to take the bait I set for you…"
"You—!"
"I mean, you're out here talking big about starting a war with Fairy Tail, so I thought maybe you had some brains to back up that attitude. Guess I overestimated you."
"What'd you say?!"
"Getting mad already?" Kira grinned, clearly enjoying himself. "If a guy like you is Phantom Lord's best, you might as well disband now. Save yourselves the humiliation of being labeled a dark guild and tarnishing your century-long history."
"Damn you! Let's settle this right now!" Gajeel roared.
What, was he supposed to admit he wasn't Phantom Lord's strongest? No way! That'd make him look weak. Besides, other than the guild master, who in Phantom Lord could take on the Iron Dragon?
"Oh, by the way," Kira added casually, "my shop's hiring some cleaning staff. If you start now, you can read some books for free while you're at it. Might help you write that surrender letter without making a fool of yourself. I know you were raised by a dragon, so you're basically half-illiterate, right? Reading level of a seven-year-old?"
He wasn't wrong. The Dragon Slayers, having time-traveled from 400 years ago, faced a language and writing gap between eras. Gajeel, who preferred fighting over books, really only had about seven years of modern education.
Gajeel's face turned red with rage. He couldn't argue back because, well, it was true—he was half-illiterate. Before he could come up with a retort, Kira was already walking away.
"That jerk! Next time I see him, he's done for!" Gajeel fumed.
Belno, watching his frustration, spoke gently. "Don't let his attitude fool you. Killa Hoplite is incredibly strong. If he hadn't been too young back then, he'd probably be one of the Ten Wizard Saints by now."
Instead of discouraging Gajeel, her words only fired him up more. "So you're saying if I beat him, I could be a Wizard Saint too, huh?"
Belno chuckled. "You might take a beating, but… don't get too hurt, kid."
Gajeel froze for a moment, caught off guard by the warmth in her eyes. A strange feeling stirred in his chest. "Old lady, why do you keep saying stuff like this to me?"
"Why?" Belno paused, then smiled softly. "Maybe because… you remind me of my late son."
Her words hit Gajeel harder than he expected. He stared at her for a long moment before turning away.
"Tch. Lame," he muttered, walking off.