Sorry, he's our friend. He's just here traveling, and he'll be leaving after a while. He can't accept your offer.
Just as Doragon and the shopkeeper were locked in their tug-of-war, Erza walked into the store. She pulled Doragon away from the man and spoke expressionlessly.
"Fairy Tail?!" The shopkeeper froze. His eyes flicked back and forth between Natsu and Doragon for a long time, his face full of shock and unwillingness.
He took a step forward, about to protest—
But Erza didn't give him the chance. She dragged Doragon straight out of the shop, with Natsu covering the rear.
"Uh, thanks." Free from the shopkeeper's persistence, Doragon let out a long breath. He glanced nervously at Erza, then thanked her sincerely.
"It's fine. You're our guest here—it's the least we can do. But tell me, why was that shopkeeper so obsessed with you?" Erza waved a hand, then asked.
"Oh, that… It's a bit of a long story." Doragon scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. "When I ran out of the forest earlier, I was scared and didn't really know where I was going, so I just wandered around…
I went into that shop and casually asked a question. Then I compared the magic engines here with the ones in Edolas, and I might have… said too much about my opinion. Almost got into an argument with the shopkeeper.
And then, well…"
He rubbed his cheek, still embarrassed even thinking about it. He never should've asked about their magic engines in the first place—let alone criticized them. None of this would have happened otherwise.
"Sigh!!"
"You're amazing." Doragon's self-deprecating sigh sounded a bit like false modesty, but Erza felt as if she had just been struck with a heavy blow. She used Magic Vehicles often, so she understood them better than most.
If Edolas' magic engines were as advanced as Doragon described, then Magic Vehicles could play a far greater role here. It would be a tremendous boon for all of Aslant's development.
Not to mention that staggering salary offer. A monthly wage of 1.2 million J… that was on par with the payout from some S-Class missions.
In other words, even risking life and limb on an S-Class job could earn less than what he could make in a single month just from working in that shop.
Still, Erza wasn't the type to harbor resentment toward the wealthy, nor did she feel jealousy. She had clarity and enough vision to see that in Aslant, Doragon was worth that much. He might even be undervalued.
"What a pity," Erza murmured to herself with a sigh. "If only I could see that other world—there must be even more fascinating things there."
"Yeah." Doragon assumed she was referring to him turning down the lucrative job and chuckled. "But it's not like I could stay here anyway. The old man only gave Lisanna and Mira's group the ability to travel freely between worlds."
Even so, his expression clouded with regret. One point two million J… a monthly salary like that could have placed him at the very top of society.
"If only I could stay in this world…"
Compared to the harshness of his original world, Doragon's firm resolve began to waver.
The silence stretched on until it was finally broken when Natsu caught up. "I'm back."
"Mm." Erza nodded.
"Uh, hey." Doragon avoided Natsu's eyes but forced himself to greet him.
It was clear Natsu and Erza had been searching specifically for him, probably for a long time. Doragon felt guilty—he had let this world's Natsu down. If he'd just stayed put like he was told, he wouldn't have caused them so much trouble.
But it had been so terrifying…
Even recalling the situation made his legs weak. Just as he was about to apologize, Natsu suddenly bowed deeply, almost ninety degrees.
"I'm sorry."
"Eh?!" Doragon froze. The world behind him seemed to turn into a blank slate, everything stilling in that moment.
"It was my fault. I didn't think things through. I shouldn't have left you alone and put you in danger. I'm really, truly sorry." Natsu's voice rang out loud and clear.
His apology was so loud that windows started opening nearby, people peeking out to see which poor guy was apologizing to his wife or girlfriend. But when they noticed two identical-looking men, some people lost interest and shut their windows, while others became even more fascinated, staring without blinking.
Erza nodded approvingly at Natsu's display. He was finally growing. All her efforts hadn't been wasted.
"No, no, I was wrong too," Doragon quickly shook his head after coming back to his senses. "I shouldn't have just run off without saying anything. I should've explained first."
"All right, enough. What matters is that you're both safe now. You two need to get along, okay?" Erza stepped in at the right time, putting a hand on each of their shoulders and pressing their heads together, cutting short their endless exchange of apologies.
"Wait… your hand—what's going on?" At that moment, Erza noticed something strange about Doragon's hand. It was glowing.
A faint white light seeped through the fabric of his sleeve, hazy and dreamlike in its beauty.
"Erza, you too!" Natsu chimed in. Her right hand was also glowing with the same light.
Doragon seemed to realize something. He immediately pulled up his sleeve. On his forearm, a dumbbell-shaped mark shone softly, and his face lit up with joy.
"This… this is the mark that allows world travel?" Erza asked, uncertain.
"That's right! Lisanna and the others have this too. The old man said With this mark, you can cross worlds by consuming a certain amount of magic power or stamina." Doragon confirmed.
"Old man, can you hear my thoughts?" Erza wondered silently to herself. Why would she, of all people, have this power?
But there was no response.
"Damn it, old man! What about me? I want one too! I want it!" Natsu yelled at the sky, jumping and waving his arms wildly.
Still no response.
"Stingy old man," Natsu grumbled.
Meanwhile, the very "old man" being insulted—Paipa—pulled his gaze back.
Doragon's actions were interesting. They might even bring unexpected changes to this world.
As for Erza, she wasn't technically within his domain. He couldn't see through her heart—not with this avatar, at least.
So he'd simply responded to her earlier "what a pity" with a gift. A small compensation for the pain he'd caused her when he had once taken Rob's form.
And Natsu? This time, he'd caused enough chaos. Letting him off was already generous—mainly because Erza had already beaten him senseless, and he'd shown decent awareness afterward. A gift? Not a chance.
This side can be left for now. Next… It's time to visit the Council. Paipa closed his book, tore open a rift in the air, and stepped through, vanishing without a trace.