Chapter 19: The Dragon Slayer Sword and the Tournament
"What?!"
"Kill the Demon Dragon?!"
The words hung in the stone throne room, heavy and cold. Ren and Erza were both stunned by the king's audacious idea, their minds struggling to process the sheer scale of his statement.
That was a Dragon.
Erza, who had faced countless dark mages, demons, and magical beasts, felt a chill run down her spine. She wasn't surprised by the existence of Dragons; Natsu's entire life was a testament to their reality. But she also knew what they represented. They were the pinnacle of existence, beings of mythic, world-ending power. Even the most common legendary Dragon was said to be capable of easily destroying an entire country.
Ren, however, was in a different state of shock. He had watched the Fairy Tail anime. He knew about Igneel, Grandeeney, and Metalicana. He knew about the Dragon King Festival, and he knew the name that haunted the entire world: Acnologia.
Giant Dragons, even ordinary ones, were beings that humans found almost impossible to defeat. Aside from Dragon Slayer Magic, human magic had almost no effect on them. Dragons were the ultimate darlings of this world, born with long lifespans, impossibly powerful physiques, and the ability to use magic that dwarfed human understanding.
A powerful Dragon Slayer Mage might be able to kill a Dragon, but a non-Dragon Slayer Mage? It was a suicide mission. The primary reason was the Dragons' inherent, near-absolute resistance to human magic. Most magic was ineffective, and even if it did have an effect, the damage would be negligible.
"That's right!" King Reno declared, his voice unwavering as he met their shocked gazes. "Kill the Demon Dragon! After four hundred years of being sealed, the Demon Dragon's strength must have been greatly weakened. Its power is leaking, poisoning our forest and driving the beasts mad. Instead of waiting for it to break the seal and slowly recover its full strength, it's better to strike first, actively break the seal, and then kill it to eliminate this threat for all time!"
The king said this with a serious and earnest expression, the desperation of his people hardening his resolve.
Ren and Erza were both somewhat astonished by the king's boldness and courage. This wasn't a request; it was a declaration of war.
Erza was the first to find her voice, her S-Class professionalism taking over. "Your Majesty, with all due respect, slaying a Dragon completely exceeds the scope of an S-Class Quest. This is a matter for an entire country, or perhaps all the Guild Masters of Ishgar."
The king nodded, his face grim. "I know, which is why I am raising the quest to SS-Class. And the reward will also increase... from 7 million Jewel to 30 million Jewel!"
"30 million!"
Ren couldn't help but open his mouth wide. His mind, which had been racing with images of Acnologia, suddenly changed tracks. 30,000,000 Jewel!
He had originally thought that earning 6 million J from the S-Class quest was a lot. 30 million... that was a king's ransom. It was enough to buy a dozen houses like the one he just purchased, enough to live in absolute luxury for decades.
Indeed, the greater the storm, the more expensive the fish.
Of course, the most important point, the one that made his heart hammer in his chest, was the system notification that flashed in his mind.
[Warning: Quest has been upgraded!]
[New SS-Class Quest Detected: Slay the Magic Dragon Alazam.]
[Quest Reward: Two (2) Ten-Pull Gacha Tickets!]
'Two... two ten-pulls.' Ren's breath caught. That was twenty pulls. Twenty chances at a new golden character. A chance to get another Ulquiorra... or a Yoriichi... or someone even stronger.
If he were to do A-Class Quests normally, it would take at least half a year, non-stop, just to get one ten-pull. This... this was a shortcut to immense power. But the price was... a Dragon.
Erza, oblivious to Ren's internal calculations, stepped in front of him, her body language protective. "Your Majesty, I must discuss this with my companion."
The king nodded, gesturing with his hand for them to proceed.
Erza pulled Ren to the far side of the throne room, her voice a low, urgent whisper. "Ren, this quest is too dangerous. I didn't expect them to be looking for more than just a legendary sword; they actually want to fight a Dragon. My suggestion is to give up. We are leaving."
She was no longer his partner; she was Titania, the S-Class Mage, giving an order to a junior member.
"We can attempt an S-Class Quest," she continued, "but an SS-Class mission against a Dragon is different. Courage and recklessness are not the same. That is a legendary creature. No matter how weak it is, it is not something we can contend with. Whether for my own safety or yours, giving up this quest is the wise choice."
Ren, however, was staring at the King, his mind weighing the risk. Two ten-pulls...
"He has a plan," Ren said quietly.
"What?"
"He's not a fool, Erza," Ren said, looking at her. "He's a King who is about to send his people to their deaths. Since he has such a plan, he surely isn't unprepared, is he?"
The king, hearing Ren's words, was slightly surprised. He looked at Ren with an appreciative gaze. "You are right, young man. After all, this concerns the life and death of our kingdom, so I naturally wouldn't be unprepared. But how did you figure that out?"
"Because Your Majesty's tone just now wasn't asking for our opinion," Ren said, walking back toward the throne. "It was describing an event that was about to happen. You're going to do this, with or without us."
The king nodded, a grim smile touching his lips. "Indeed! Even if the two of you hadn't come, I intended to launch an expedition against the Demon Dragon."
As he spoke, the king twisted the armrest of his stone throne.
Crack!
A grinding sound filled the hall as the floor beneath the king split open, and a stone pedestal slowly rose. On it, a magnificent longsword rested, its hilt inlaid with a single, massive, fiery red gem.
"A sword?!" Ren and Erza were somewhat puzzled. 'The preparation you made was just a sword?' Ren thought.
"This is no ordinary sword," the King said, his voice filled with reverence. "This is a Dragon Slayer Sword, crafted by the ancestors of this kingdom. And this gem... this is no ordinary gem. This is a Dragon Slayer Magic Lacrima."
"A Dragon Slayer Lacrima?!" Ren's eyes widened when he heard this. 'So this is a Lacrima... like the one that was implanted in Laxus.'
"Ren, you know about them," Erza said, her eyes fixed on the gem. She, too, understood its significance.
Ren nodded. "Yes. It's a magic crystal made from the heart, or perhaps the magic, of a Dragon. If it's embedded into the body, one can use Dragon Slayer Magic corresponding to the Dragon's attribute."
"The young man is truly knowledgeable. That's right!" the King confirmed. "This is a Fire Dragon Slayer Lacrima. I bought it at a high price from the northern continent of Guiltina. We... we tried to embed it in a human Mage's body, but the process is... volatile. And Dragon Slayer Magic requires long-term training to master. We do not have that kind of time."
"And as you know," the King continued, "human magic simply cannot harm Dragons. So, my ancestors, the great artisans of this kingdom, forged this Dragon Slayer Sword. The blade itself is made from the scales of a lesser dragon, and the Lacrima... it powers the blade. Only by wielding this sword and attacking the Demon Dragon can it truly be harmed."
As the king spoke, his hand grasped the hilt. The sword pulsed.
FWOOSH!
Fierce, crimson flames—identical to Natsu's—suddenly blazed to life on the blade. The terrifying temperature made the entire royal palace hall feel as if it were in a furnace.
"So hot!" Erza took a step back, her armor glowing red from the heat.
Soon, the flames extinguished, and the king re-sheathed the sword on its pedestal.
Ren frowned and asked, "Such an important weapon... the key to your entire plan... surely you wouldn't be given it to us to use casually, would it?"
"Of course not!" the King said. "This is the key to victory against the Demon Dragon, and it also determines the life and death of this country. Naturally, it cannot be casually given to others to use. Only the strongest swordsman is worthy of wielding this sword."
"The strongest swordsman?"
"Exactly! You two have come at just the right time. For this operation, I, in the name of the king, have convened the World's Strongest Swordsman Tournament to select the strongest warrior in the Ishgar continent to wield this blade in battle!"
"The World's Strongest Swordsman Tournament?!" Ren and Erza were both dumbfounded. This king really liked to surprise people.
Then the king looked directly at Erza, his eyes gleaming with admiration. "This Mage... you are also an excellent swordswoman, are you not? My guards reported that you defeated a 5-Star Blazing Boar with a single, imperceptible strike. Your strength is at least that of a 6-Star, or even 7-Star swordsman by our kingdom's standards. Don't you want to give it a try?"
Erza, who had been firmly against this entire, suicidal plan, felt a sudden, undeniable stir of interest upon hearing that phrase.
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The World's Strongest Swordsman Tournament.
As a warrior, as a knight, as a woman who prided herself on her strength and her blades... who wouldn't aspire to be the strongest?