"Definitely not the sturdiest thing around, huh?" Mira's voice floated over from the other side.
"And it's pretty ugly for a knockoff, too!"
Daphne instinctively turned toward the sound, only to see a blinding burst of dark purple magical light erupt around Mira. The intense glow forced her to squeeze her eyes shut.
When she opened them again, the artificial lifeform in front of Mira was gone, as if it had never existed.
Meanwhile, Natsu casually picked up a chunk of metal debris that Erza had sliced into a perfect cube. His right hand ignited with searing flames.
The heat warped the air around it, and the solid metal block began to glow red, softening visibly before melting into a pool of molten iron. It dripped onto the floor with a sizzle, scorching small pits into the surface.
"This junk thought it could mess with my magic?" Natsu scoffed, shaking out his hand to extinguish the flames, his face full of disdain.
"Way too weak!"
"Aye!" Happy raised a paw. "We know! That's what you call biting off more than you can chew!"
Watching her prized combat-type artificial lifeform get dismantled like a toy by the trio, and with Roger standing by—having not even lifted a finger—Daphne's face drained of its last bit of color. She gave up any thought of resistance.
"I surrender," she said weakly, a faint shimmer of magic flickering across her body.
"I've undone the permanent cloaking spell on the Silent Town residents," she added, sounding defeated. "That's gotta be good enough, right?"
"Who said we came here just for that?" Roger raised an eyebrow, his tone teasing as he shot back a question.
"Huh?" Daphne froze, looking up in confusion. "There's… something else?"
She suddenly perked up, fumbling at her waist to pull out something that looked suspiciously like a sausage. Hesitantly, she asked, "Wait—did you guys come here to buy my Slim-Easy weight-loss product?!"
Her eyes lit up as if she'd cracked the code, her voice brimming with pride. "I can't believe my product's fame has reached Fairy Tail's ears! Is it that popular?!"
"Slim-Easy?" The words immediately caught Mira's attention.
"You sell weight-loss stuff?"
"Hi-yi-hi-yi! It's not just for weight loss!" Daphne's enthusiasm kicked into overdrive as she talked about her invention, her face lighting up with a salesperson's grin.
"It's got whitening and skin-smoothing benefits, too! A total health food package!"
"Oh, wow!" Mira's face brightened with curiosity as she stepped closer. "That sounds super interesting. Can I try one?"
"Of course!" Daphne eagerly handed her one, tearing open the packaging. "Hi-yi-hi-yi! This is the latest cheese flavor—our best-seller, super popular!"
Mira took it, giving it a light sniff. A faint grainy aroma mixed with a hint of seaweed. She took a small bite, savoring it, and the unique salty-cheese flavor made her eyes widen.
"Hmm, this is actually pretty good," Mira said, nodding approvingly. "If this thing really helps with weight loss, it'd sell like crazy, right?"
"You bet!" Daphne beamed, hands on her hips. "All the pricey materials I need for my artificial lifeforms? Most of that funding comes from selling Slim-Easy!"
Happy's face twisted in disbelief. "(=_=) Hold up—you're actually making honest money selling stuff?"
"Shouldn't a 'mad scientist' like you be, like, robbing research labs or cities or something?" he added.
"Hi-yi-hi-yi!" Daphne pushed up her glasses, dead serious. "Robbing too much gets you wanted by the Magic Council. Besides, following the law and creating wealth with my genius is what a classy scientist does!"
The room went quiet for a few seconds.
Happy hesitated, then muttered, "Didn't expect you to have such… professional ethics."
Silence fell again.
Erza, arms crossed and brow furrowed, spoke slowly, as if something was off. "It feels… like something's missing. It's not as natural or fun without Lucy here to throw in her snarky comments."
Everyone nodded in unison. "Agreed."
Mira giggled, her smile warm. "In that case, let's bring Lucy along next time we do something like this."
"She makes things way more fun," she added.
"Ahem," Roger cleared his throat, steering the conversation back on track. "Anyway, Daphne, the real reason I'm here is you."
He looked at her, stunned into silence by the sudden shift. "Your dream is to see a real dragon—or maybe even create one that's convincing enough, right?"
"I want you to join my guild and use your knowledge and skills to help me make some things I need."
"In exchange, I'll provide the resources and guidance to help you build your dragon—and maybe, in the future, even see a real one."
"Really?!" At the words "see a real dragon," Daphne's eyes blazed brighter than ever, like twin suns. All her earlier fear and gloom vanished.
"I'm in! I'll join Fairy Tail!" she blurted out, practically bouncing with excitement.
Roger nodded, satisfied, but quickly added a warning, remembering her chaotic tendencies. "There are a few rules you'll need to follow."
"No letting your weird machines run wild outside the guild or in towns, and definitely no using them for anything shady."
"You'll be part of Fairy Tail, so you can't tarnish our name."
"If you need to test stuff, you can always ask other guild members for help. They should be able to handle your combat data collection or whatever else you need."
"Hi-yi-hi-yi!" Daphne nodded so fast her head looked like a pecking chicken. "No problem at all! I actually love doing good things—helping the guild, helping everyone!"
Happy watched her do a complete 180, a giant sweatdrop sliding down his head. "(=_=) This chick flips attitudes way too fast."
Curious, he flew closer to Roger. "So, Roger, how're you gonna help her make a dragon? Sounds crazy tough."
Roger didn't answer right away. Instead, he flipped his palm, revealing a magic crystal with a swirling, fiery red glow inside.
"Recognize this? A low-grade Dragon-Slaying Crystal."
"It's got magic power equivalent to Natsu's dragon-slaying magic."
Then, his hand flashed, and four more crystals appeared, each shimmering with cyan, dark purple, golden yellow, and ashen black light. He used levitation magic to let them float in the air.
"Not long ago, I used sub-dragon bones and blood as base materials, reshaping them with material reconstruction magic into blank crystal shells capable of holding massive amounts of magic power."
"Then, I channeled elven magic into them for charging and stabilization."
"In the end, I created these—what I'd call 'budget' Dragon-Slaying Crystals."
He paused, then added, "They're not quite on par with real Dragon-Slaying Crystals, but the fire, poison, lightning, sky, and iron dragon-slaying magic inside them is super stable and packs a serious punch."
"They're perfect for powering a giant dragon."
"Hi-yi-hi-yi!" Daphne's eyes locked onto the five glowing crystals, her pupils practically turning into stars. She wiped drool from her mouth, giggling like a maniac who'd just found a priceless treasure.
"With these, not only can I make my dragon, but I can upgrade it beyond my original designs!"
"Sky magic for flight and speed! Iron for reinforced defensive skin! Poison for claws and teeth to boost lethality! Fire as the core power source for massive energy! And lightning for long-range attacks and stabilizing the energy system!"
Burning with the urge to dive into research, Daphne pushed up her slipping glasses, her voice trembling with excitement as she looked at Roger and the others. "Wanna check out my lab? It's right downstairs!"
Natsu leaned forward, curious. "A lab? Under this dumpy inn?"
"Hi-yi-hi-yi!" Daphne nodded vigorously, leading them to a plain bookshelf in the corner. She pressed a few spots, and with a soft click of hidden mechanisms, the shelf slid aside, revealing a staircase leading down.
"It's right here! I used cloaking magic to hide the entrance and everything inside!"
"Besides artificial lifeforms, I've got some other little inventions down there!" she said, her tone brimming with pride.
The group exchanged glances, curiosity piqued, and followed her down the stairs.
When they reached the bottom and saw the underground lab, Happy's eyes went wide, his wings freezing mid-flap as he shouted, "No way! There's that many?!"
The vast underground space was lined with rows of cylindrical transparent tanks, each filled with countless lizard-like artificial lifeforms, their skin tones and details slightly varied but all sharing the same basic form. Beyond the tanks, more lizardmen stood like sleeping soldiers, their numbers stretching endlessly into the distance.
Happy gawked at the eerie sight, blurting out, "Selling weight-loss stuff is that profitable?! How many Slim-Easies did you have to sell?!"
"Lucy shouldn't be writing novels—she should be selling weight-loss products!" he added. "Though, with her chubby figure, she might not sell much."
"Oh, my~" Mira said with a soft laugh. "Happy, I might 'accidentally' let Lucy know you said that~"
"∑(°□°?) Nooo!" Happy clapped his paws over his mouth, shaking his head frantically. "I-I didn't say anything! You heard wrong, Mira!"
Oh no, oh no! he thought. Mira's totally gonna spice this up when she tells Lucy! She's been training so much lately, her speed's insane—I can barely outfly her now!
Daphne, oblivious to the side drama, proudly showed off her "army." "Hi-yi-hi-yi! As you can see, these are all my painstaking creations!"
"Though, most of these lizardmen aren't nearly as advanced as the custom models you fought earlier," she admitted. "Those were made with expensive alloys and magic-conducting materials, specially designed to capture and study fire dragon magic."
Her tone dipped with a hint of frustration. "Didn't expect them to go down in one hit, though."
She sighed but quickly bounced back. "Their design lets them absorb and learn from their enemies' data, magic traits, and combat skills during a fight."
"The longer they fight, the more their core magic furnace optimizes itself, boosting magic output and strength!"
Intrigued, Roger stepped closer to one of the tanks, eyeing a lizardman with iron-gray skin. He pointed a finger, and a faint crimson magic circle flickered at his fingertip. A thin red stream of light, almost alive, darted into the lizardman's body.
The creature's body suddenly began to tremble violently. Red scales, like glowing embers, appeared on its iron-gray skin, spreading rapidly like ink in water. In moments, its entire body was covered in what looked like burning armor, and the nutrient liquid in the tank seemed to heat up.
Roger raised an eyebrow, his tone a mix of surprise and amusement. "It can actually adapt and evolve with new magic?"
"This thing's compatibility with magic is even better than I thought. Interesting."
"The magic properties changed?! Its form evolved too!" Daphne practically teleported to the tank, her face pressed against the cold glass, eyes wide as she studied the transformed lizardman.
"Its magic strength, physical defense, and… even its energy parameters went up?!"
"And its surface is radiating heat!" She was breathless, practically incoherent with excitement, her eyes behind her glasses burning with a thirst for new knowledge. "How'd you do that?! What did you do?!"
"Augmentation magic," Roger said, a red spark flashing at his fingertip. "I infused some of the properties and power of Fire Dragon-Slaying Magic into its existing structure."
"It seems the added magic meshed perfectly with its evolvable traits, triggering… targeted evolution, maybe?"
"Augmentation magic!" Daphne looked like she'd heard a divine revelation, whipping her head around to stare at Roger with blazing intensity.
"There's a magic this incredible, this full of possibilities?!"
"It's like it was tailor-made for enhancing my artificial lifeforms!"
Meanwhile, Erza's curiosity was piqued. She began experimenting with another lizardman in a tank, casting various augmentation spells—Strength Boost, Hardness Reinforcement, Gale Acceleration, Elemental Resistance.
Different-colored magic lights sank into the creature's body. After more than a dozen spells, the lizardman finally started trembling, as if overloaded.
"Not bad," Erza said, nodding with approval. "It can handle that many augmentation effects without breaking down."
"This material's compatibility and magic conductivity are better than any armor blanks I've commissioned from nearby shops."
She turned to Daphne with a request. "Could you use this material and tech to make me a few custom armors? I'll pay you market price."
"Armor…?" Daphne's face twisted with hesitation. "I've never made anything like armor before. The structure, ergonomics, joint mobility—it'd all need new calculations and designs—"
"She's my girlfriend," Roger cut in, flipping his palm to reveal two more Dragon-Slaying Crystals. "Consider these a deposit for the custom armor. If the final product's good, there's more where that came from."
"Hi-yi-hi-yi!" Daphne's hesitation vanished, replaced by a dazzling, almost fawning smile. She practically snatched the two crystals, clutching them tightly.
"Armor, huh? Leave it to me!" she declared, thumping her chest with confidence. "I'm the greatest, most creative magic scientist—Daphne, the genius! Armor's a piece of cake! Just give me detailed designs and specs, and I'll have a prototype for you by tomorrow!"
Rubbing her hands like a scheming merchant, she turned to Erza. "As for payment, forget the money! How about you and Roger help me strengthen and test my artificial lifeforms with your augmentation magic instead?"
"I think this magic was made for my inventions! The evolutionary possibilities are insane!"
"Deal," Erza agreed readily, happy to test new armor and help a new guild member. "Come find me anytime you need."
"Hi-yi-hi-yi! Thank you! You're as awesome and beautiful as the rumors say, Fairy Queen!" Daphne bowed repeatedly, practically vibrating with excitement.
"Oh, my~" Mira giggled, sidling up to Roger and looping her arm through his, leaning in slightly. She smiled at Daphne. "Daphne, dear, Erza's not Roger's only girlfriend."
"Huh?" Daphne blinked, her gaze bouncing between Mira, Roger, and Erza. But her smile quickly turned brighter—and suspiciously business-like. "Hi-yi-hi-yi! No problem at all! One, two, or more—I'm happy to work with everyone!"
Her tone was chipper as she turned to Mira. "So, lovely girlfriend, any special custom requests? Lay 'em on me!"
"Hmm~" Mira tapped her chin thoughtfully for a few seconds before speaking. "I want a magical transformation belt."
She gestured as she explained. "You slot in specific magic crystals, and it instantly activates a magic circle, deploying a pre-set, super cool magical armor that covers your whole body!"
"And it'd be great if the armor had some basic combat support, like strength boosts or short-range teleportation."
"A transformation belt?" The request was so far outside Daphne's expertise—even more abstract and complex than Erza's armor—that she'd never heard of such a thing.
"You don't even fight in armor! Why do you need that?" Erza asked, arms crossed, puzzled.
"Oh, my~" Mira twirled a strand of white hair around her finger, smiling slyly. "I can't let you be the only one called Roger's 'girlfriend' and get exclusive custom gear, can I?"
"I want a unique magical item that screams 'special relationship,' too."
"You…" Erza sighed at Mira's mischievous grin, her cheeks faintly pink, but she didn't argue further.
"Alright, alright," Roger stepped in to smooth things over, his hand flashing as eight more Dragon-Slaying Crystals appeared. He handed them to Daphne, whose eyes were practically popping out.
"Daphne, I'll put together detailed notes on the transformation belt's design and functions later."
He paused, lowering his voice slightly. "And, uh, if you can pull it off, make one for me too. Crystals? No issue—I've got plenty."
"Hi-yi-hi-yi!" Daphne's eyes sparkled with golden Jewel signs as she lunged for the eight crystals, clutching them like they were her lifeline. The overwhelming magic power made her dizzy with joy.
"No problem! Leave it to me!" she shouted, her voice pitching high with excitement. "I'm the genius scientist Daphne! If I can create an artificial dragon, a transformation belt—whatever that is—is no sweat! You can trust me 120%!"
Natsu's eyes lit up, his mind racing with images of epic transformations. He shoved his way to Daphne, yelling, "I want one too! A super cool transformation belt like a Masked Rider! That sounds awesome!"
He rubbed his hands excitedly but froze, scratching his spiky head as he thought about what he could offer. "Uh, I can… Oh!" He slapped his forehead. "I've got it! You can use my dragon-slaying magic! Whenever you need to study or charge something, just come to me—unless I'm in a fight. Deal?"
"Hi-yi-hi-yi!" Daphne felt like this was the luckiest day of her life, practically floating with happiness. She started rambling, "Perfect! No problem at all! Any more dragon slayers out there? The more, the merrier!"
"Hit me with all your requests! Magic, materials, tech—anything's fair game!"
"Ha, haha, hahahaha!"
Watching Daphne hug her crystals, eyes gleaming with money signs and teetering on the edge of mania, Happy sweatdropped again, thinking, This chick's gone full-on research-and-materials nutcase. She's beyond saving.