Chapter 33

[After Grandeeney left, you continued living in the forest with Wendy. Over the course of two years, you had completely taken control of this forest.]

[Your peaceful life was supposed to continue like this, but it was interrupted by humans who accidentally arrived and shattered the tranquility.]

"Natsu, don't be so excited. The dragon's legend from here was from years ago."

"No! There's definitely a dragon here. I can smell it!"

Makarov looked helplessly at the pink-haired child beside him and said, "I hope so."

Natsu had been raised by Igneel, the Fire Dragon King, but on July 7th, X777, Igneel had also mysteriously disappeared.

Natsu wandered around aimlessly and somehow ended up joining the Fairy Tail guild. At the same time, he started his journey to search for Igneel.

"Roar!"

A tremendous dragon roar echoed throughout the entire forest.

"That's the sound of a dragon's roar! It must be Igneel!"

Hearing the roar, Natsu dashed off excitedly.

"Could it be... that there really is a dragon here?"

Makarov found it hard to believe, but feeling the immense power and pressure carried by the roar, he started to doubt himself.

The two quickly headed toward the direction of the roar. Along the way, they encountered many animals, all of which bowed their heads in submission.

"According to legend, dragons possess enormous bodies, brilliant intellect, advanced magic, and incredible strength."

"Wherever they go, all beasts bow before them. Their Dragon's Aura is terrifyingly powerful! Could it be that there really is a living dragon here?"

The closer Makarov got, the more frightened he became. The overwhelming Dragon's Aura made him feel immense pressure, even though he hadn't yet seen the creature itself.

...

"Roar!"

As part of his daily morning routine, Kei roared to the sky and then began cooking breakfast, roasting the ingredients he had prepared the previous night over a fire.

"Nii-chan, good morning."

Wendy stumbled sleepily out of their small cabin and went to the stream to wash her face and wake herself up.

Then the two of them began eating breakfast. They hadn't even finished when—

"Igneel!"

"Slow down!"

"Hm?"

"Who's that?"

Natsu and Makarov appeared from the trees, one with a face full of excitement, the other filled with worry. On the other side, Kei looked puzzled while eating, and Wendy instinctively hid behind Kei.

"N-No... Not Igneel?"

Natsu looked at Kei and Wendy, his expression turning disappointed. But his nose twitched, not from hunger, but from the strong scent of a dragon he detected from Kei.

"Y-You two were raised by a dragon too!"

Natsu, without a hint of caution, rushed over and introduced himself, "I'm Natsu! I'm looking for a dragon named Igneel. Have you seen him?"

"Nope. Never heard of him."

Kei replied bluntly.

"I-I don't know."

Wendy whispered softly from behind Kei.

"Really? Then were you raised by a dragon too? Where did your dragon go? Do they know Igneel?"

Natsu continued asking questions.

"You suddenly barged into my territory and started asking all these questions. What exactly do you want?"

Kei looked at the rude kid in front of him and spoke.

"Please, don't misunderstand."

Makarov hurriedly stepped forward to explain, "This child was raised by a dragon, but a few years ago, on July 7th, X777, the dragon that raised him suddenly disappeared."

"We heard there were legends of dragons here, so we came to investigate. We didn't mean to cause trouble."

"M-Maybe... Maybe he was forced to leave and live on his own because he grew up."

Wendy spoke softly from behind Kei.

"Huh?"

"Hmm!"

Natsu stared blankly at Wendy, and Makarov looked at her curiously.

"W-What do you mean by that?"

Wendy hid a bit more behind Kei before explaining, "Don't you know? When we grow to a certain point, the dragon mom will push us away."

"Nii-chan said it's like how eagles push their chicks off the cliff to force them to learn how to fly."

"Grandeeney left us two years ago, but when we become independent and become qualified dragons, she will return to us."

"Right, Nii-chan?"

Wendy looked up at Kei with hopeful eyes. Kei nodded. At this point, he couldn't possibly reveal that he had been lying to her.

"Yes, Wendy explained it very well."

Kei patted Wendy's head, and she beamed with happiness.

"Oh! So that's what happened! I thought Igneel abandoned me! But it turns out I've just grown up! Hahaha!"

Natsu clapped his hands together with sudden realization and started laughing loudly.

"Uh... Do dragons really have such customs?"

"Maybe they do! After all, these kids were raised by dragons. They can't be compared to ordinary humans."

"They've already learned magic. To a dragon, that probably means they've grown up and can live independently."

Makarov, though confused, chose to respect their explanation. "Natsu, isn't that great? Igneel didn't abandon you."

"Yeah! I wasn't abandoned!"

"But... Where did Igneel go? I want to see him again!"

Natsu looked back at Wendy, asking how he could see Igneel again.

"Nii-chan said that first, you have to learn how to roar like a dragon, then become strong enough, then learn Dragon's Aura, and then claim your own territory."

"Have your own followers, then defeat a dragon to prove your strength. Once you prove you can be independent, Grandeeney will come back to see us."

Wendy repeated what Kei had told her a long time ago.

"Oh, I see! No wonder I couldn't find Igneel anywhere. Turns out he was deliberately hiding from me!"

"He's waiting for me to pass the test so I can meet him again!"

Natsu suddenly looked enlightened.

"Ah! So dragons have this kind of tradition?"

"Well, it's possible. After all, they're an ancient race. To maintain their strength, it's natural to have strict tests."

"When you put it like that, it does sound reasonable!"

Makarov immediately rationalized the explanation.

At this moment, hidden within Wendy's body, Grandeeney was speaking to Igneel in the void.

"Igneel, that child you raised seems pretty dumb. How come he doesn't know anything? Didn't you tell him anything before you left?"

"No way... No way you just left him without explaining anything, did you?"

Hiding within Natsu's body, Igneel was so furious he could almost erupt like a volcano, but he had no way to argue back.

(End of Chapter)

[Check Out My Patreon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][www.p@treon.com/zaelum]

[+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]

[Thank You For Your Support!]