The final clash between Charles and Gildarts ended in a draw. Charles's Dragon Slayer Ultimate didn't break through Gildarts's Crush Magic, and Gildarts's attack was burned away by Charles's flames.
But Charles wasn't satisfied with the answer he got from Gildarts.
Gildarts told him that at full power, Charles could rival his own prime. But compared to the Black Dragon, the gap was still vast.
The key issue was that even Gildarts didn't know exactly how strong Acnologia truly was.
After all, he had been gravely wounded by Acnologia in an instant.
Though it was because he hadn't expected the dragon described by Natsu to be so violent, and he was caught off guard, the fact remained that Acnologia had broken through his Crush Magic and was clearly stronger than him.
Since Gildarts didn't know what Acnologia was truly capable of when going all out, he couldn't give Charles a definitive answer.
All he could offer was one piece of advice: Charles did not yet possess the strength needed to challenge Acnologia.
Charles understood this himself. His battle with Gildarts had been to figure out exactly how much he lacked.
As thanks for being his sparring partner, Charles forged a new set of prosthetics for Gildarts.
Coincidentally, right after Charles finished crafting the prosthetics, Mystogan returned to the guild and informed Charles that he had found a way to travel to Edolas.
So Charles gathered everyone and explained Mystogan's situation to the guild.
Fairy Tail was known for its spirit—breaking the sky for a comrade was nothing new to them. An alternate-world kingdom? They were already shouting about toppling the Edolas monarchy.
To them, Mystogan wasn't some prince from another world—he was Fairy Tail's own S-Class mage.
Makarov sat cross-legged on the bar counter, tapping the table with his staff. "Quiet down, all of you!"
As soon as they heard Makarov's voice, everyone fell silent, waiting for his decision.
Makarov looked at Mystogan, now with his true face revealed, and said to everyone, "Everyone in the guild is family. When family's in trouble, there's only one answer!"
Natsu breathed fire. "Gramps, what are we waiting for?!"
Erza looked at Mystogan's face, identical to the Jellal she knew, and confirmed for herself that he was not the same person.
She spoke up, "That's right. Our comrade's trouble is our trouble!"
Wendy nodded. She had learned that this Jellal was the one who had helped her when she was younger, and she wanted to repay that kindness.
Only Carla looked visibly uneasy.
Makarov said, "Then it's settled. Fairy Tail will form an expedition force to the alternate world of Edolas to help our comrade!"
Everyone cheered with raised arms. Charles, seeing Carla dragging Wendy away, thought for a moment and followed them.
Wendy, confused, asked, "Carla, what's wrong?"
Carla looked serious and said, "Wendy, there's something I must tell you. About me and that tomcat…"
"If you don't mind, I'd like to hear it too."
Carla immediately went on alert, glaring at Charles who had suddenly appeared.
Wendy quickly grabbed Carla's paw. "Carla, Brother Charles is part of the guild. Don't be like that!"
Charles crouched down and looked at Carla. "You don't need to be so tense. I know where you and Happy came from."
Carla didn't relax at all. "How do you know that? Was it that Mystogan who told you?"
Charles waved a hand. "You don't need to worry about where my information comes from."
Wendy asked from the side, "Brother Charles, do you know where Carla and Happy are from?"
Charles answered, "There are no talking, magic-wielding cats in our world, Earthland. They're from Edolas and belong to a race known as the Exceed."
Carla's expression fell. "That's right. That tomcat and I are both from Edolas. We came here for a certain purpose… Ow!"
She hadn't even finished when Charles flicked her hard on the head.
"Alright, stop talking nonsense. The 'purpose' you mentioned—are you talking about those occasional visions you get?"
Carla clutched her head, stunned. "How do you…?"
Charles sighed. "Don't tell me you actually believed that those were orders from the Exceed of Edolas. Communication magic is the most basic kind of magic, but even then, it's not something that can be used so easily. Do you have any idea what kind of cost it would take to send a message across worlds? There's no way that magic-starved world could manage it."
Carla was shocked that Charles knew even her most hidden secrets. But more than that, she was curious—what were those visions that had been troubling her?
Charles gently patted her head. "It's your natural gift. Carla, you have the power to foresee the future. Those images are fragments of what's to come."
Carla forgot to swat his hand away, staring up at him. "Foreseeing the future… Is that really what it is?"
Wendy chimed in eagerly, "Brother Charles would never lie to us! Carla, that means you're amazing!"
Charles added, "This trip to Edolas is a good opportunity. Figure it out for yourself.
Also, it's not just Wendy—you're part of Fairy Tail now, too. When something's troubling you, you need to learn to lean on your comrades."
With that, Charles waved and headed back to the guild. Makarov was surely done selecting the expedition team by now.
Still… Charles rubbed his hands together thoughtfully. Petting a real cat was definitely different from stroking Fahl. It actually felt kinda nice. Maybe he should go find himself an Exceed partner too.
Wendy and Carla quickly followed Charles and returned to the guild.
As Charles had guessed, Makarov had already finalized the list.
Since they might be up against an entire kingdom, Makarov decided to dispatch all the top members.
Naturally, the strongest team—Erza, Natsu, Lucy, and Gray—was included. The newly joined Gajeel, Juvia, and Wendy were also in.
The Thunder God Tribe trio, Elfman, Cana, and others would go as well.
Combined with the Edolas natives Mystogan, Happy, and Carla, this force had more than enough strength to topple a kingdom.
Aside from Gildarts, who was still recovering, and Makarov who would remain behind to guard the guild, nearly all of Fairy Tail's elites were dispatched.
And the person Makarov named to lead this team was, of course, Charles.
Among them, only Charles and Erza were considered reliable. And since Erza occasionally went a bit overboard, Makarov ultimately chose Charles to command.
Suddenly, Charles said, "Let Mirajane come too."
Though Mirajane had recovered her magic during the Harvest Festival, she'd gone back to working as the guild's barmaid. She didn't understand why Charles wanted her to go.
Charles gave her a mysterious smile. "Who knows—maybe there's a surprise waiting for you."
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