Jason, as a reporter for Sorcerer Weekly, was also an ardent fan of the Fairy Tail guild.
Much of Fairy Tail's public image and persona were largely shaped by him and Sorcerer Weekly's promotional efforts.
Titles like "The Demon," "Titania," and "Salamander" were mostly spread or even invented by this magazine to hype up the mages.
Moreover, Ankh actually had some history with this Jason.
In fact, Ankh's first "modeling job"—the one that accidentally made him famous throughout the kingdom as a "fashion icon" before he became a Wizard Saint—came from Jason.
Back then, Jason was still a rookie at Sorcerer Weekly who had recruited Ankh's help to complete assigned work because Ankh was simply passing by.
So facing this former client and hype-man, Ankh remained quite polite.
He answered a few questions about his fashion philosophy (which was mostly "wear whatever is comfortable") before having Elfman carry the enthusiastic reporter away to interview others.
Fortunately, Jason was perceptive enough (or just easily distracted) and went to interview the Guild Master instead.
"COOL! Guild Master Makarov! Tell us about the philosophy of DESTRUCTION!"
Watching Makarov trembling all over while swearing to dedicate himself to building a "harmonious, friendly guild" while Jason screamed "COOL!", Ankh felt somewhat helpless.
Harmonious? Friendly? Since when?
Mirajane brought some alcoholic drinks to Ankh's table, smiling as she said.
"Mr. Jason is still as enthusiastic as ever. He really loves Fairy Tail."
"That's probably for the best." Ankh took a sip of wine.
He gestured to the small girl sitting beside him. "This is Wendy, a guest at the guild. She's also a Dragon Slayer Mage."
Wendy quickly stood up and bowed, her blue pigtails bouncing. "It's nice to meet you, Miss Mirajane. You're even more beautiful than in the magazines."
Mirajane touched her cheek shyly and said, "Oh, not at all. You're very sweet."
She looked at the girl curiously. "But it's hard to tell that Wendy is actually a Dragon Slayer Mage. You look so... harmless."
In the eyes of everyone in the guild, Dragon Slayer Mages were supposed to be battle-hardened tough guys, like Natsu, Gajeel, and even Laxus.
A young, polite child like Wendy really didn't seem like someone raised by a ferocious dragon.
"What?! You're a Dragon Slayer Mage too?"
Natsu popped up from somewhere behind a pillar, staring in astonishment at the tiny Wendy.
Gajeel was also watching from the side in his wheelchair.
These two had been practically inseparable lately, always together like two peas in a pod (or two idiots in a pod).
Wendy nodded, clutching her skirt.
Then she said somewhat dejectedly, "I'm the child of the 'Sky Dragon' Grandeeney, but I can't find her now."
Natsu and Gajeel exchanged serious glances before asking, "Did Grandeeney also disappear in the year X777?"
Wendy's eyes lit up, and she nodded vigorously. "Yes! July 7th, X777! Do you know where Grandeeney went?"
Natsu and Gajeel shook their heads grimly.
Gajeel pointed at Natsu and said gravely, "His dragon is called Igneel. Mine is Metalicana. Our dragons also disappeared on that exact same day."
"No reason, no whereabouts. Just gone." Gajeel scoffed. "Seriously... that rusty guy was always like this."
Gajeel's eyes flickered with hidden pain, but his words were merciless.
The atmosphere among the three Dragon Slayer Mages suddenly became heavy with shared abandonment.
Then Natsu spoke up again, tilting his head.
"By the way... who are you?"
Wendy: ...
"Her name is Wendy, she's a guest I invited to the guild," Ankh suddenly interjected, saving Wendy from falling over.
Then he asked, "What about you two? Are you done with the interview? I have some clues about dragons I'd like to discuss with you."
Ankh could clearly see all three pairs of eyes—Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy—light up simultaneously as they asked in unison.
"Really?!"
"Of course it's true. Let's go to my place. It's quieter there. I'll help you sort things out and verify some information."
Then Ankh hesitated slightly, looking at Mirajane as he asked, "Are you free, Mira? Could you come to my place too?"
At these words, Wendy beside them seemed to remember the gossip Jason had just shouted about "Are you dating the Demon Mirajane?", and couldn't help but turn into a little steam engine.
Gossip! Live gossip!
Mirajane glanced briefly at the blushing Wendy, maintaining her gentle demeanor.
She understood immediately.
"Sure, I'll hand over my work to Lisanna and come over."
Ankh's actual intention was that bringing a young girl to his home alone might not look proper—it could seem like kidnapping—so he wanted Mirajane to accompany her to make Wendy feel safe.
Fortunately, Mirajane understood him well enough.
Then Ankh led the group back to his home again.
Upon entering his estate, both Wendy and Gajeel (who hadn't been to Ankh's home before) were stunned speechless by the size of the property.
"This guy is rich..." Gajeel muttered.
Ankh, long accustomed to such reactions, guided everyone to his study and began the discussion.
He sat behind his desk, while the three Dragon Slayers sat on the couch.
"You should all be wearing the necklaces I had Laxus give you, right?" Ankh asked.
Natsu and Gajeel nodded, pulling aside their scarves and collars respectively to reveal gemstone necklaces of different colors.
"Wendy might not know about this, so let me explain what these do."
Ankh spoke slowly, making sure the confused trio could understand.
"You can think of this gem as a kind of genetic modification tool. I previously extracted draconic components from Natsu's blood and amplified them to implant within the gem. When a Dragon Slayer Mage uses it, they can completely evolve into a dragon temporarily."
"But," Ankh raised a finger, "that day when you two were fighting Laxus, there was clearly an external force preventing you from turning into full dragons."
Gajeel propped his chin thoughtfully. "Now that you mention it, that does seem right. Even though Laxus consumed the gem later than us, he was the first to transform into a complete dragon. We just got scales and horns."
Natsu crossed his arms, recalling the events of that day. "True. Although the Dragon King Mode was quite powerful too, it felt like something inside me was suppressing the transformation, forcing me to use that as a transitional form instead."
Ankh took out several prepared, tattered pages from a drawer and placed them on the table.
"These are fragments I managed to find with great difficulty from the guild's secret archives and some... other sources."
"Legend tells of a powerful witch born in an ancient kingdom. Amidst raging wars, she longed for immense power to bring peace to the chaotic world. Guided by a benevolent god, she made a contract with a dragon and created a powerful magic: Dragon Slayer Magic!"
Natsu was stunned. "Created Dragon Slayer magic? But Dragon Slayer magic was taught to me by Igneel. Shouldn't it have been invented by dragons?"
Ankh glanced at him. "This is just one of many theories about the origin. The important part comes later—this witch 'betrayed' the god's guidance. After obtaining great power, she launched even larger wars and was thus cursed by the god. Her body turned into an evil dragon, never able to return to human form."
After reading this, Ankh couldn't help but internally complain: This curse is practically identical to Zeref's version.
Are these legendary stories all from the same wholesale supplier?
"Legends shouldn't be fully believed," Ankh continued, "but later generations did compile these legends based on facts. There must be some truth at their core."
"For example, the so-called 'curse' is actually just a side effect of Dragon Slayer magic."
"Side effect?!"
Wendy couldn't help but raise her hand like a schoolgirl. "But we haven't felt anything like that at all? I don't feel cursed."
"It's quite simple," Ankh explained. "Essentially, it's about 'deceiving' the magic."
Ankh looked intently at the three standing stunned in place.
"The seed of the dragon grows inside you and eventually, it consumes you."
"However... as long as there's a genuine dragon hidden deep within your magic power source, shifting the target of the Dragon Force's judgment, dragonification won't take effect."
"In other words," Ankh leaned forward, his eyes serious. "The dragons you've been desperately searching for—Igneel, Metalicana, Grandeeney—might very well be hiding within your bodies right now, generating antibodies against dragonification for you."