54)The King Finds Some Demons

“So, let me get this straight. After you so generously left me to deal with the backlash of arresting & executing Zash, you then went over to Stella to confront their king, correct?”

“Correct.”

“Then, you found out that their king was also a dragon and since you needed a dragon heart for this…thing you want to do, you decided to just kill him and take his heart as a prize.”

“Yep.”

“Then, when his retainers & heir promised death to everyone you love, you decided it was a good idea to just wipe them out along with their country to make sure that 'no threat to Fiore is left to carry out their plans', right?”

“That's right.”

“And as if that was not enough…you stole the Stellanium from all but one of their mines to make sure that the other country can't arm themselves for a war as you see it?”

“If you want to stop a war from brewing, you just got to have the bigger stick than the other guy.” Eric answered with a shrug, Hisui simply giving her new friend a deadpan stare before slowly turning to her father as she watched the man laughing his behind off.

“Father, this is not funny.”

“Hahahaha! I'd say it's hilarious!! Bahahahaha!” Eric was amused to see the man rolling in his chair while laughing before turning back & smiling sheepishly at the pointed stare the Queen gave him.

“…If you weren't a hero, I'd give you over to the Garou Knights as their playtoy for the next year.”

“No thank you. It would be the other way around.” Kama spoke with a shake of his head from one of the shadows near the bookshelves before sinking back in, Toma's laughter growing louder as Hisui sighed & pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Do you understand…just how much trouble you just caused me?”

“Uh, a bit, which is why you're either going to be more mad or overjoyed depending on your answer. Do you have a new Secretary of State or not?”

“No, despite the fact that I have nobles telling me left & right how perfect they would be for the role.”

“Then, how about this? When I get back from the last thing I need to do, then I'll just take over the role. That and I'll hand over half of my new Stellanium ores as payment for letting me stay indefinitely at the castle.”

“May I ask how much Stellanium you have?” Toma asked before Hisui could, the mage blinking before looking at Ms. Fortune who was busy writing away at the paper in front of her.

“Carry the seven. Divide by four. Make sure it's the correct measurements…About 112 000 metric tons scattered across numerous safe spots.”

“…And you want to give half of that to us? How the hell did you even manage to steal that absurd amount in just one night?” Hisui asked in shock and Eric smirked as he shrugged.

“Actually, it took three days & nights and I haven't slept since I started. Also, I can lift a crap ton of weight with my Requip so when I turned into a dragon, my lifting ability just got bigger.”

“Wait, you can turn into a dragon?!” Hisui exclaimed as she stood up from her seat and Eric blinked before slowly turning to Ms. Fortune who grinned.

“You forgot to tell them that.”

“…Right.” Hisui simply blinked at his nonchalant response before letting out a soft groan as she fell back into her chair, rubbing her temples as she glared up at the sheepish looking Eric.

“Anything else I need to know?” She asked and the mage blinked as he looked to be in thought.

“Uh, I'm going to turn myself into a demon-dragon hybrid to make sure I'm always strong enough to protect my friends?”

“…Of course, you are. I'm just going to wipe away the memories of the last part of our conversation.”

“That would do your sanity good, especially considering that Arcadios & the old man looks like they're about to keel over from shock.” Hisui looked over to her father & bodyguard before giggling slightly as she saw the two men frozen in shock, her giggles knocking them from their stupor as Toma shook his head while Arcadios cleared his throat.

“Apologies for our lack of response. It's just that we were still stuck on the fact that you had 112 000 metric tons of Stellanium. Do you understand just how incredibly wealthy you just became, Eric?”

“Uh, not particularly, no. I know Stellanium is an expensive metal, right?”

“Expensive is putting it lightly. A kg of Stellanium goes for 22 million Jewels per kg…and you have nearly 115 million kilos of it. You are by far the richest man currently in the world.”

“…So, what you're saying is that Fiore is by far the most profitable country in the world?” Eric asked with a cryptic smile, the others realizing what he meant as Toma chuckled while Arcadios looked pleased at his words.

“…Are you perhaps dating anyone right now, my dear boy? I know a beautiful Queen that would love getting to know you better.”

“Father!” Hisui hissed with a bright blush and Toma cackled at her embarrasment as Eric smirked before blinking as he remembered something.

“Let me get to you on that because I'm about to find out, but for now, it's a no on that question, Toma. Ms. Fortune, come on. We still need to go finish up a few things before I can become a demon.”

“And that is?” She asked before her eyes widened in understanding as Eric simply pointed to his chest where she knew the Sun tattoo was under his shirt.

“Right, forgot about that. Save me a salmon when we get back, Hisui!”

“I will. Good luck on becoming a demon. …That felt weird to say.” The Queen muttered to herself with a confused frown, Eric chuckling as he nodded at her & them the other two in the room before he grinned at Hisui's groan as he rushed past them & dove head first through the open balcony off to the side.

However, he didn't worry as Ms. Fortune grew larger to the size of a wyvern, gasps of awe echoing from those that saw her as Eric created a whip and pulled himself onto her back just as she began flying in the direction of the village where it all started.

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“Halt!” Eric blinked in confusion at the man sitting in the new watchtowers outside of Sun Village, staring at the sniper rifle aimed at him and then at the dull cyan-haired man aiming it at him.

“Do you mind dropping the gun?”

“I will when you tell me who you are and what you're doing here.”

“Eric, here to see Flare.”

“For what purpose?”

“To talk. What else would I see her for?”

“Well, then I'm sorry to say that Flare is occupied right now.”

“Well, considering I can see her walking towards us with Druwat right behind you, I'd say you'd be lying.” Eric answered while pointing at the entrance behind him, the man turning his head before giving a sheepish grin at the amused look on Flare's face.

“Hey, Flare. Just dealing with some idiot.”

“That idiot saved me. Now, get down here and stop aiming the gun at him, love.” Her words & the look on her face surprised Eric a bit, but he smiled as he saw her walking towards him right before blinking as a smack echoed in front of the entrance.

“That's for breaking my heart.”

“…Yeah, I deserved it.” Eric nodded as he turned his face back to look at her before being surprised as she gave him a quick peck on the lips before pulling back with a curious look on her face.

“And that's my final kiss. Also, I can finally see what you mean. I did not feel anything.”

“…Ms. Fortune, am I trapped in an illusion right now?”

“Then, we're both trapped in the same one seeing as Flare just kissed you.” Ms. Fortune answered and Eric just gave a slow hum before turning just in time to see Flare gesturing for him to follow after her as they walked back to an amused Druwat and the grinning sniper.

“How you doing? Drake, former sniper extraordinaire of Sylph Labyrinth and now boyfriend of Flare here.” He spoke with a happy smile while shaking Eric's hand with a tight grip, to which the dragon slayer simply blinked before slowly shaking his hand.

“I see. If it helps, I did not know she was going to do that.”

“Don't worry. He plays for both teams.”

“I already told you~! They have to look like a female for me to even find them interesting. This guy looks like he benches mountains for fun.”

“Not really, but thanks for the compliment. So, how did you two meet?”

“He tried robbing the Eternal Flame from us with his team.” Eric blinked at Druwat's answer before slowly turning to a smiling yet nervous Drake with an amused look.

'Right, there was that one arc before the whole Tartaros against Fairy Tail battle.'

“Really?”

“R-Really.”

“You saw the dragon in the flames?”

“Oh, they did more than see it. Atlas was about to eat them if I didn't stop him.” Flare answered, making Drake groan as Eric chuckled before looking up at the Eternal Flame to see it burning brightly.

“Well, I'm glad to see the old man's doing something that isn't sleeping.”

“I can hear you, you little shit.” Atlas' voice sent a rumble throughout the village as his head appeared above the flames, to which Eric snorted and nodded.

“I wasn't exactly whispering it, old bastard! Go back to sleep!”

“Go to hell.” Atlas grumbled as his head sunk back into the flames before Eric was amused by the look of awe on Drake's face.

“You…you actually talked back to it?”

“Eh, the old man respects bravery more than anything so if you talk shit back, he'll stop doing it as much.”

“That and Eric is his adopted son that learned dragon slayer magic from him so he lets him do as he pleases.” Flare answered and Drake quickly looked at Eric to see him nodding in agreement.

“That might also be a reason. Eh, not like I wouldn't talk shit back even if I wasn't his son. So, after you tried to steal the Eternal Flame, what happened after?”

“Well, I felt thankful & attracted to Flare for saving my team & I so I asked her out on a date and…yeah, that's about it.”

“Huh, well, glad to hear it.”

“You are?” Flare asked with a look of surprise and Eric snorted as he nodded.

“Of course. Like I said, I'd be happy for you no matter if that's happiness stems from me or another guy that you love. As long as you are safe & happy, that's more than enough for me.”

“…Well, thank you. So, was that all you were here to say?” Flare asked and Eric smiled as he nodded before Ms. Fortune leapt onto his back.

“Pretty much, yeah. Hey, Drake, can you take care of her for me? If I find out you didn't, let's just say Atlas isn't the only one that likes tormenting people and leave it at that.”

“R-Right. I'll protect her as much as I can.” Flare simply rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's words before looking to Eric to see him holding out a giggle, smiling softly as she took it & shook his.

“May you have a wonderful future, Flare Corona.”

“The same to you, Eric Creed.”

“Wait, he's the Hero of Fiore, Eric Creed?! The Slayer?!” Drake exclaimed in surprise and Eric chuckled as Ms. Fortune's wings flared out wide before they took off, the dragon slayer giving one final nod to Druwat and the finger to the Eternal Flame before smiling as he got one in response.

“You regretting your choice?!” Ms. Fortune asked as the two of them cruised away from the Sun Village at a slow pace, the dragon slayer smiling as he looked back at the giants waving at him before shaking his head as he looked forward.

“Not a single bit. She found someone to love and I can see that he loves her back. That's more than enough for me.”

“Hmm, you know that you're really mature for a guy your age, right?”

“I'm 22, Ms. Fortune. I'm not that immature.”

“Yeah, yeah. So, where are we off to now?” She asked and a grin appeared on Eric's face as he looked towards the direction of their next destination.

“The outskirts of Magnolia. It's time to become a demon.”

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A frown was on the face of a handsome young man with luscious black hair as he sat on a gothic-looking clone, his eyes closed as he felt the numerous battles happening around their headquarters.

For the most part, most of the battles seemed to be in his guild's favour with a few losing ground here and there, but there was just this foreboding feeling he couldn't shake off as if there was something wrong.

'No, it's most likely nothing more than my mind having gotten used to amusement and wanting something else to keep me awake.' Mard Geer thought with a smile as he sat straight on his throne, taking a deep breath before his eyes opened slightly just as an explosion ripped open his ceiling.

Expecting it to be a member of Fairy Tail, he was surprised to find a massive azure blade slowly descending upon his form, holding a hand up & unleashing a storm of thorny vines from the ground besides him that slowed it down just enough to let him get out of its path.

“The Celestial Spirit King? Ah, a key was sacrificed to bring you here, wasn't it?” Mard Geer asked with an amused smile as he watched the giant ethereal being pull his sword out of the ground, the jagged canyon its attack had created slowly crumbling in on itself as the King frowned while readying himself once more.

“And I see you have not changed at all, Mard Geer.”

“That is rude. As you can see, I have grown out my hair after our last battle or have you gone senile with age, you insignificant speck of a being?” Mard Geer asked with a raised eyebrow before chuckling as he saw the king simply frowning, the ground besides him cratering as even more vines began to slowly slither out of it & raise him up from the ground.

As the two glared at each other, they missed the figure dropping from the sky, Eric waiting until the last moment before unleashing a burst of flames to drop his descent just as he felt Natsu unleashing a powerful spell.

“Infiltration successful?” Ms. Fortune asked and Eric frowned as he waited for a few moments whilst scanning the area with his eyes before grinning & nodding.

“Infiltration successful. Now, let's head over to the demon-making room or whatever they call it.” He whispered before Ms. Fortune climbed onto his back and he began to jog in the direction of where he last saw it, making sure to hide himself whenever they came across an intense battle before continuing on towards their destination.

It took Eric five minutes before he finally came across his destination, slowly walking towards it while periodically scanning the surrounding area before letting out a sigh of relief as he touched the digital pad next to it.

'One transformation pod intact & in working condition. Hah, my luck is looking up. Now, I really hope this works but if Future Eric's memories are right…' Eric's mind trailed off as he quickly began to type a secret code into the pad, Ms. Fortune on the lookout on the back of his head before blinking as he took her off of his head & placed her on the ground.

“The process will take a minute at most so just wait until then. Then, when the pad flashes red, press the blue button and wait for another minute until it flashes green before you press the red button to open it. Under no circumstance are you to open it even if I start banging on the door & screaming in pain, understood?”

“Understood.” Ms. Fortune nodded with a determined look and Eric nodded before taking a deep breath as he climbed into the pod.

Animus' heart appeared with a scarlet flash in his grasp before he placed it inside the holding chamber next to his pod, quickly pressing a few buttons on the pad inside of the pod before giving Ms. Fortune a thumbs-up as he leaned back & the door snapped shut.

“If this doesn't work, I'm killing you in the after life.” Ms. Fortune spoke with a frown as she watched a viscous liquid beginning to fill up the pod, Eric simply smirking as he nodded & took a deep breath before the liquid filled up the entire pod.

He frowned & grunted as he felt needles stabbing into his arms & legs before his eyes widened as he felt even more needles stabbing deep into his spine, the liquid ignoring physics & slithering into his mouth, nose, ears & eyes before a gargle escaped his lips as an acidic-like liquid was being pumped into his body.

Ms. Fortune frowned in concern as Eric's eyes rolled over & he thrashed around inside the pod, reaching forward to stop it before pulling her hand back as she remembered his words.

'Wait until it flashes red and press the BLUE BUTTON!' Ms. Fortune quickly reached forward & pressed the blue button the moment the pad flashed red, her eyes widening as the viscous liquid turned pitch black & obscured Eric from view.

That didn't stop her from hearing the muffled roars that came from the pod as well as the four scarlet eyes flickering to & fro from the darkness as he punched away at the pod.

“Come on. Come on.” Ms. Fortune whispered as she saw the pod cracking, the oppressive aura that came from the pod growing with every second before her eyes widened & she quickly reached forward to press the red button the moment the pad flashed green.

However, her eyes widened and she quickly dove out of the way as the door to the pod went flying with a monstrous explosion, dust ripping up from the explosion and hiding Eric just as the viscous black liquid flowed out onto the ground.

Her eyes widened as she saw the liquid rapidly decaying the ground around it, her wings flaring out & keeping her safely in the air as she watched the decay spreading rapidly before slowly looking up to see a four scarlet-scaled arms grabbing the sides of the door & a menacing growl echoing from inside the pod.

“Hehehe~Oh, this feels nice.”

A/N: And Eric has finally become a demon!!

Also, a quick dive to the Sun Village just to check up on Flare right before she is forgotten from the story for a while again. Yes, I know I made a mistake writing her away as the love interest, but I only picked her for the alternate timeline.

In this one, I didn't feel like she would have the same connection with him so...eh, she had to go.

Next chapter…The Cursed Dragon of Despair VS The Black Dragon Of Apocalypse!!

As always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one…

Ba-Bye~!!