"What about me? What about me?" Happy zipped over, eyes wide with curiosity. "Kira, what about me?"
Kira glanced at Dispel, who was sporting a pair of dead-fish eyes and yawning. "This guy… he's probably an Exceed, right?"
"Exceed?" Natsu echoed.
Dispel explained, "In Edolas, humans don't have magic power in their bodies. Only Exceeds do. They're a race of winged cats living on floating islands, worshipped as gods by the human kingdom!"
"Floating islands… winged cats…" Natsu's eyes lit up. "So, does that mean Edolas is Happy's hometown?"
Dispel shrugged. "Probably. As far as I know, there are no Exceeds in Earthland."
Natsu shouted in excitement, "For real?! Happy…"
Happy puffed out his chest, a little smug. "I'm a god…?"
"Don't get too full of yourself, blue cat!" Dispel doused Happy's enthusiasm like a bucket of cold water. "The Exceed race isn't exactly something to envy!"
"Just because they can fly, those guys act like they're above everyone else, lording it over human society and hogging all the glory and resources! And the idiots in the human kingdom obey their every whim. It's laughable!"
"You should be glad you didn't grow up in a place like that, turning into one of them!"
The news hit Happy like a thunderbolt, the high of being "divine" crashing hard. He turned and buried himself in Natsu's arms, sniffling. "How could this be…"
Seeing Happy so upset, Natsu glared at Dispel. "Why're you being so harsh to Happy?! This has nothing to do with him!"
"Why're you being so harsh to me?!" Dispel shot back, mimicking Natsu's tone with zero remorse. "I'm just telling it like it is!"
"Blindly worshipping a bunch of powerless, freeloading cats who contribute nothing to society and just bask in privilege? I couldn't stand that messed-up world for another second, so I came here!"
Realizing his origins might not be so noble, Happy's mood sank even lower.
Natsu hugged him gently. "Don't worry, Happy. You're just Happy—my partner, a member of Fairy Tail's family. Not some jerk lording it over people in another world!"
"Wahhh, Natsu…" Happy, touched to the core, let out all his emotions in Natsu's arms. It didn't take long for him to bounce back, his spirit renewed.
Seeing this, Kira steered the conversation back to Dispel. "Alright, let's hear about you. Why'd you come to Earthland? And how'd you end up in Fairy Tail?"
"Oh, that? It's a long story…" Dispel began, launching into his life story.
In Edolas, where humans had no magic power, magic (in the form of magical tools, called "magic" by Edolas folks) was strictly forbidden for civilians. It was only available on the black market at steep prices, so most people were powerless weaklings.
But Kira Dispel was different. Born a commoner, he had an extraordinary gift for swordsmanship.
He started training with a sword at three, without any master to guide him. Purely self-taught, he achieved incredible skill. By eight, he ventured alone into the ferocious Beast Forest, cutting through every challenge and defeating its most fearsome creature, a giant tiger.
After that, he traveled far and wide, sparring with anyone who'd cross blades with him, his fame growing with every victory. Eventually, word of his skill reached the king.
The human kingdom's king—Mistgun's father—witnessed Dispel's swordsmanship and immediately appointed him Knight Commander, leading the kingdom's army. Dispel was only twelve at the time.
"What a coincidence," Kira mused. "I became an S-Class wizard at twelve too."
No surprise there—even without magic, he was a force to be reckoned with.
"Your swordsmanship… you really taught yourself?" Erza asked, stunned. Her own sword skills were largely self-taught, so she knew just how grueling it was to reach Dispel's level and how rare that kind of talent was.
Dispel had seen that awestruck look countless times and brushed it off, continuing his story.
His first twelve years were like something out of a legend: unparalleled strength, fame at a young age, traveling the world, earning the kingdom's respect, becoming Knight Commander, and reaching the peak of success.
During his time in the kingdom's army, he naturally met Mistgun, the prince. Dispel was a bit older, and while they weren't exactly buddies, their roles made them familiar with each other.
Achievements that might take others a lifetime, Dispel accomplished in less than a decade.
By all accounts, the story should've continued with him and Mistgun as king and knight, the king handling politics while the knight led the army, ruling the human kingdom together. But the Exceeds changed everything.
With their meager magic and a bit of foresight, the Exceeds spun a convincing myth, hogging the kingdom's resources and enjoying privileges even above the king. This didn't sit well with the king—no ruler likes being overshadowed.
The Exceeds' arrogance only fueled the king's growing obsession with magic, twisting his personality into something increasingly erratic and unhinged. Eventually, he set his sights on magic-rich worlds, including Earthland.
Using the space-transfer magic "Anima," he began siphoning magic-rich places from Earthland—people, magical beasts, and entire cities—converting them into magic-filled lacrima crystals.
This sparked opposition from the king's son, Mistgun, who came to Earthland to stop the Anima from activating.
Meanwhile, Dispel, fed up with the Exceeds' behavior, repeatedly clashed with the pompous cats. This earned him punishment from the king and backlash from the kingdom's people. So, he decisively left the army and followed Mistgun to Earthland.
"Wait, so Mistgun's from Edolas too?" someone gasped.
"You're saying both you and Mistgun have no magic power in your bodies?" another asked.
"It's unreal… people without magic power being that strong…"
Everyone was floored by Dispel's story. Sure, he was clearly an incredible swordsman, but the idea that someone without magic could take down Jose in seconds was mind-boggling.
And Mistgun—an established S-Class wizard in Fairy Tail—relying entirely on the magic in his staff? That hit them even harder, stirring a mix of awe and embarrassment.
All eyes turned to Mistgun, sitting alone in a corner, head bowed in silence. Perhaps knowing Dispel's arrival would inevitably expose his long-hidden secret, he hadn't slipped away as usual but stayed in the guild.
Even so, with everyone's gazes on him, the shy wizard shrank back. His scarf and mask covered him completely, but he instinctively pulled his wide blue cloak tighter around himself.
This guy's so shy… everyone thought.
"So, Mistgun's been hiding because he didn't want his secret out?" Lucy mused, raising her hand. "If he's from Edolas, does that mean there's someone in Earthland who looks just like him? Is there something off about that person?"
Others nodded. "If it's someone famous, hiding his face to avoid trouble makes sense."
"Kira and Laxus mentioned before that Mistgun's face looks like someone well-known. Who was it?" someone wondered.
Natsu rubbed his chin, then gasped. "No way… is it, like, the king or prince of Fiore?"
Lucy shook her head. "Nah, the king of Fiore's a short old guy, and he's got no sons, just a daughter."
"Then who could it be?"
"I might know the answer to that!" Dispel raised his hand with a grin. "Same name, different surname across worlds. His name is…"
"Jellal!"