Chapter 40: Think Things Through
Gray began recounting his encounter with Deliora. His home was destroyed, his parents killed—all by that demon's rampage. Then Ur found him, took him in, and taught him magic. After learning Ice-Make, Gray discovered Deliora's location and recklessly challenged it… only to cause his master's death.
As he spoke, Gray's face twisted with pain. Dino and the others remained silent. There were no words of comfort that could help—Ur had made her choice, sacrificing herself to save her beloved student.
"I'm asking you to leave Lyon to me," Gray said firmly. "No matter who the enemy is, I won't let anyone disgrace my master's memory."
"Fine. He's yours," Dino replied without hesitation.
Natsu, Lucy, and Gray all blinked in surprise at how readily he'd agreed.
"Don't look so shocked. This is something you need to settle as Ur's student—I get that." Dino crossed his arms. "Besides, with me here, they'll have to go through me first if they try anything stupid. So do what you need to do."
Dino's easygoing demeanor made it easy to forget just how terrifying he actually was—this was someone who'd sent a dragon running with its tail between its legs. Gray had always believed Ur was the strongest mage alive, yet even she'd fallen to Deliora.
But after meeting Dino? Gray had to admit there were monsters among humans far more frightening than any demon.
"So what now? We go out there and kick everyone's butts?" Natsu grinned wickedly, cracking his knuckles.
Gray shook his head. "No. Not yet. I want to see what they're planning. They mentioned something called 'Moon Drip'—I need to know what that is."
"Then we wait." Dino sat down cross-legged on the ground and closed his eyes.
"What? We're just gonna sit here? Wait, Dino, what're you doing?"
"Training. No point wasting time."
Everyone's expressions went stiff. Both Natsu and Gray had pushed themselves hard in their own training, but compared to Dino? They weren't even close. It was like being in class with that one student who studied during lunch break while everyone else goofed off—completely demoralizing.
Lucy whispered to Happy, "I knew Dino was serious about training, but seeing it firsthand is something else…"
"Aye…"
"But why train so hard when you're already this strong?" Lucy wondered aloud.
"Because I don't want regrets." Dino's eyes remained closed. "When something precious needs protecting, I don't want to fail because I wasn't strong enough. I don't want to lose what matters most and only realize too late that I should've done more."
"I never want to see that happen. So I use every moment I can—even times like this—to get stronger."
Lucy felt her cheeks warm. That's… actually really cool.
Natsu and Gray exchanged glances, then sat down themselves. Dino had given them pointers recently that they hadn't fully absorbed yet. Now seemed like the perfect time.
Lucy felt awkward being the only one not doing anything while three people trained around her. "Um, Dino? Do you know anything about Celestial Spirit Magic?"
"Celestial Spirit Magic?"
"Yeah! Like this—Open, Gate of the Little Dog! Plue!"
A magic circle appeared, and a small white spirit that looked like a trembling snowman popped out. Lucy scooped him up and hugged him. Dino raised an eyebrow. Well, can't blame a girl for wanting a cute pet.
"See? This is Plue! Isn't he adorable?"
Dino considered for a moment. "Summoning magic, huh? That's actually incredibly powerful. The key to improving it is quantity and quality—the more magical power you have, the more spirits you can maintain simultaneously."
"As a summoner, you should be able to borrow your spirits' abilities. Like channeling one spirit's power, or two at once, or three… maybe even more."
"But honestly, I'm not the one you should be asking. Your spirits would know better than me how to develop your magic."
Lucy's jaw dropped. She'd only asked on a whim, never expecting a real answer—and definitely not one this insightful.
"Oh my gosh! How do you know so much, Dino?! I never even thought about asking my spirits for training advice, or borrowing their powers like that!"
Dino shrugged with a slight smile. "Think things through. Experiment. Try new approaches. The strongest magic comes from people who aren't afraid to innovate."
"That's amazing!"
Time slipped by quickly when immersed in training. Before they knew it, night had fallen.
Suddenly, purple light streamed down from the sky, illuminating the frozen Deliora. The commotion snapped everyone out of their meditation.
"Hey! Look! Moonlight—purple moonlight! And it's shining right on Deliora! That can't be a coincidence!"
"Let's check it out!"
They rushed upward and discovered a group of robed figures kneeling in a circle, chanting in unison. It looked like some kind of ritual. As they chanted, the purple moonlight intensified, gathering and concentrating.
Lucy gasped. "They're collecting moonlight! Are they trying to melt the ice around Deliora? Are they trying to resurrect it?!"
Gray shook his head vehemently. "No! Impossible! Ur's ice can't be melted!"