"I got the Canis Minor key for just 10,000 J! This is great, and it's all thanks to that kind guy!"
Lucy hung the silver key on her keyring, unable to hide the joy on her face.
This was truly a win for her; the Canis Minor key was quite popular these days, and getting it for only 10,000 J was an incredible deal.
---
After settling the details with the shopkeeper, Noel left the magic item shop.
At this point, his task for the day was half complete. As for his next mission… well, maybe it would be "world peace."
At the very least, everything was still heading in a good direction. The streets weren't engulfed in flames yet, which was a good sign. At least the destruction hadn't begun…
---
"Um, thank you!" The blonde girl suddenly ran up to thank him.
She seemed to recall seeing an alchemist named "Noel" on the cover of a magazine. At first, it was his striking looks that caught her attention.
But over time, she learned that this alchemist was also a novelist.
Even though he had only published a single book, it had been well-received—and she even owned a collector's edition.
---
"Wait, are you really Noel himself?" Lucy immediately showcased her social energy.
"You know my name? Have we met before?" Noel asked, puzzled.
He was certain he had never seen this blonde girl before, and her warmth felt excessive for what he thought was just a small favor.
Of course, the oblivious Noel didn't realize that he was actually quite famous, with his photo appearing in many magazines.
---
"Yeah! I saw you in a magazine, and seeing you in person now… Alchemists really are strange people," Lucy said with interest, studying him.
"What's that supposed to mean? Is that a compliment or an insult?" Noel was stunned. No one had ever approached him like this before.
---
"My name is Lucy. We haven't met, but I heard you're also a novelist, and I really admire that! I've always dreamed of becoming a writer myself," Lucy quickly explained.
Novelist? Had he written a novel? Noel couldn't quite remember, though he vaguely recalled publishing a semi-autobiographical book that was reportedly quite popular back in the day. But he had long since stopped writing.
He had nearly forgotten, but to think someone still remembered that book…
---
But even if she was a fan, that couldn't stop him from carrying out his mission of "saving the world." His current wish was for the town to remain peaceful, and he had no time to waste.
Under normal circumstances, he might have gone to a café, had a cup of coffee, and chatted about life and dreams.
But now was not the time.
---
"I have something important I need to take care of. We can talk another time," Noel said, politely declining.
Lucy watched Noel hurry away, surprised at how busy an alchemist's life was.
---
Meanwhile, Noel's mind was filled with concerns about Natsu. His alchemist's intuition told him that if he left things alone, Harujion would face a catastrophe.
He once imagined that Natsu might destroy half the city, but quickly shook off the thought. Wasn't that a bit too dramatic? Maybe he was just overthinking it.
---
At that moment, Natsu was wandering the streets, diligently searching for the fire dragon, but to no avail. The figure etched into his DNA, the one he would recognize even from a mere shadow, was nowhere to be seen.
"Hey, Natsu, why haven't we found the fire dragon yet?" Happy asked, seeing Natsu's excitement and feeling bad about dampening it. Still, Happy had a feeling that the fire dragon was probably just a rumor.
"Igneel must be hiding somewhere really well. That's why I need to find him!" Natsu declared with confidence.
This was the first lead he had in a long time, and he was determined to find Igneel.
---
As Noel was about to search for Natsu, he ran into the boy and the cat at a street corner. Natsu looked drained, clutching his stomach, clearly starving.
Happy didn't look much better, though having eaten some fish back at the guild, he was in slightly better shape.
---
"Natsu, doesn't that look like Noel up ahead?" Happy tugged on Natsu's sleeve.
Natsu, who had been slumping from hunger, immediately perked up—after all, Noel had promised to treat them to a meal.
But their priority was still finding the fire dragon. Eating could wait.
---
"Let's invite Noel to join our fire dragon search party, Natsu!" Happy suggested.
Natsu agreed immediately; having three people searching was better than two.
"Come help us look for the dragon!" Natsu called out, inviting Noel.
---
Noel had already deduced that the "fire dragon" rumor in the city was fake, but he couldn't refuse an invitation from his guildmates.
And so, the three of them formed a small party to search Harujion for a fire dragon that did not exist.
---
Still, Noel was intrigued by the rumor. It was clearly fake, but who had spread it, and why?
Recently, Hargeon had been unsettled, with rumors of missing young women circulating. Whether those rumors were true or not was unclear.
---
"Ahhhhh—"
Ahead of them, a large crowd of girls, mostly in their teens and twenties, screamed excitedly.
"Fire Dragon-sama! I love you!" Natsu's sharp ears caught the words, specifically "fire dragon," and he immediately perked up.
"There!" Natsu grabbed Happy and dashed toward the source of the commotion.
---
"Wait for me!" Noel called out.
But the two had already disappeared from sight. They were so fast that Noel would have to use wind magic to catch up.
Dragon Slayers really did have monstrous physiques, making Noel feel comparatively weak.
---
"See, Happy? I knew this lead wasn't wrong. There really is a fire dragon in Hargeon!" Natsu said happily. He was finally going to see Igneel.
"Aye, I guess the fire dragon really is in the city!" Happy, who had been skeptical, quickly changed his tune, proving just how fickle he was.
---
The two squeezed into the crowd, underestimating the power of a group of excited girls. No matter how hard they pushed, they couldn't get in.
Suddenly, Natsu felt everything go dark, unable to see or breathe, struggling to get words out.
"Happy… I think… I'm… dying…" Natsu gasped.
---
When Noel arrived, he was met with this awkward scene.
The girls, realizing what was happening, screamed and shoved Natsu away—so hard, in fact, that he flew quite a distance.
Did this girl have super strength? Girls really were scary sometimes.
---
In certain situations, it wasn't uncommon for girls to exhibit surprising strength.
Noel, on the other hand, had no trouble squeezing in. Using wind magic, he slipped through any gaps he found in the crowd.
Natsu, still unwilling to give up, continued to push forward, desperate to see what this "fire dragon" in the middle of the crowd looked like.
Could it be Igneel, the one he had been searching for? That was all he cared about.
If it really was Igneel, he had so many questions to ask: Why did you disappear? Why did you leave me alone…?
---
"Should I just blast them all away?" Natsu whispered to Happy.
"That's a bad idea. Plus, Noel is still in there. If he finds out…" Happy quickly tried to dissuade him.
Realizing the consequences of his idea, Natsu immediately abandoned it. He knew that if he went through with it…
He would be dead. Horribly dead, with nothing left of him.
PS: Access the complete chapters/series at