Fairy Tail: Saint Seiya Magic Unleashed

Chapter 42: Who's Jellal?

"She's a Dragon Slayer too? And she doesn't get motion sickness at all?! How is that even possible? Is that normal?!"

Deep in the eastern forest outside Magnolia, Natsu bounced around, shouting with exaggerated frustration.

He was full of curiosity about their two new companions, but what puzzled him the most was this: if they were both Dragon Slayers, why didn't Wendy suffer from motion sickness?

Natsu couldn't even ride a wagon without turning green, yet Wendy had taken a long train ride back from a distant place—and felt perfectly fine. To Natsu, this felt grossly unfair.

"Wait, Dragon Slayers get motion sickness?"

Only now, after hearing Natsu's rant, did Moen realize this odd weakness of Dragon Slayers. He had grown up around one at home, and somehow had never noticed.

"Laxus never mentioned that... He must've just powered through it, huh?"

Moen couldn't help but chuckle to himself. That was exactly the kind of thing Laxus would do—quietly endure anything just to keep up his stoic, invincible image. Even if he was about to puke his guts out, he'd still put on that calm, aloof face.

Laxus had already been a Dragon Slayer for years, but no one in the guild had even known about this side effect—until Natsu showed up.

"I-I don't know either..."

Wendy replied timidly, shrinking back as Natsu ranted right in front of her. She looked a little overwhelmed.

But Natsu wasn't being mean—he was just... Natsu. He blurted out whatever popped into his head without much of a filter.

"NATSU! You idiot! Don't be so rude to a new member!"

Gray quickly stepped up, seeing Wendy's unease and jumping at the chance to scold Natsu.

Of course, defending Wendy was just an excuse. What Gray really wanted was to pick a fight. And what better excuse than Natsu running his mouth?

"You wanna throw hands or what?!"

Sure enough, it didn't even take three sentences for the two of them to start brawling.

Classic.

Combat was their love language.

"P-Please don't fight..."

Wendy's eyes welled up with tears as she watched Natsu and Gray charge at each other. She didn't know why, but just seeing Natsu get so worked up—watching him argue with someone—made her feel like crying. It was as if she had seen this scene before, long ago.

"Don't worry about it, Wendy. Those two are always like this. Let them be—this is just how they 'get along.'"

Moen smiled and waved her over, gently trying to calm the anxious girl. She needed time to adjust.

"R-Really, Moen-nii? But... isn't this dangerous?"

Wendy asked nervously, glancing at Natsu and Gray as they exchanged punches and kicks. She looked genuinely concerned that they might get hurt.

"Sure looks intense, right? But trust me, they're holding back. Notice how neither of them's using magic?"

Moen patted her on the head, comforting the kind-hearted girl.

The scuffle between Natsu and Gray was just good old-fashioned hand-to-hand brawling. No spells, no fire, no ice—just fists and feet, a proper slugfest.

Both of them knew that messing around was one thing, but if it got out of hand, they'd be in for a real beating. Neither of them wanted to experience Moen's fists again.

"That's still not okay. Gray, Natsu—you both need to get along properly."

But unlike the easygoing Moen, Erza—whose presence had grown more commanding by the day—wasn't nearly as lenient.

As soon as she saw Natsu and Gray locked in another brawl, Erza strode straight toward them without hesitation. Compared to Wendy, she was much more effective at breaking up fights.

"BAM! BAM!"

With just two swift punches from Erza, both Natsu and Gray were flat on the ground, lumps swelling visibly on their heads—still steaming from the impact. Wendy stared, jaw agape.

Is... this how you're supposed to break up a fight?

Just knock everyone down so no one can fight anymore?

Wendy felt her worldview shake. She'd never been good at de-escalating conflict—whenever people argued or fought, she'd panic, tear up, and have no idea what to do.

Watching the imposing, armored Erza standing so confidently, Wendy couldn't help but feel a bit envious.

If only I could be that strong too...

"Wendy? Hellooo—Wendy!"

Moen called her name several times before she snapped out of her thoughts.

"Ah—what is it, Moen-nii?"

Wendy blinked, confused.

"That was the wrong example to follow, okay? Don't copy that. Got it? Be yourself—some things just aren't meant to be forced."

Moen's expression turned serious as he gently corrected her. Wendy looked like she half-understood at best.

She and Erza were completely different—different personalities, different styles. For someone like Wendy to force herself to act like Erza would only lead to disaster. She needed to walk her own path.

As the guild's unofficial "big brother," Moen had always treated this like a raising-sim. And he absolutely did not want to see their sweet, adorable Wendy try to become a mini-Erza. Not that Erza wasn't great in her own way—but Wendy trying to imitate her would just be... wrong.

"Okay~ Got it!"

Wendy nodded somewhat dazedly—not entirely sure what she just agreed to.

Nearby, Mystogan had quietly walked over and smiled at the scene. With Moen around, he didn't have to worry about Wendy being looked after.

Even though Moen was technically a year younger than him, he carried himself with a calm, mature presence and always took good care of the younger guild members.

"Jellal..."

Suddenly, Wendy blurted out his real name, reacting instinctively the moment she saw Mystogan.

"Shhh!!"

Moen and Mystogan both spoke at the same time. Realizing her mistake, Wendy instantly clapped her hands over her mouth, eyes wide with panic.

"Jellal? Wendy... did you just say 'Jellal'?"

Although Wendy's voice had been soft and she had been immediately shushed, Erza's sharp ears still caught it. Her expression changed as she turned toward them, suspicion written all over her face.

She stopped worrying about Natsu and Gray and walked right over, her eyes darting back and forth between Wendy and Mystogan.

"Uhh..."

Wendy froze, covering her mouth with both hands and staring wide-eyed. She had no idea what to say now—and she was too afraid of making things worse to speak at all.

"Wendy? What's wrong? Are you not feeling well?"

Seeing Wendy's panicked silence, Erza's first instinct was concern—not interrogation. She didn't press the question any further.

Moen and Mystogan exchanged a quick glance, both sharing a look of exasperation. Neither of them had expected this… That in such a big world, someone who actually knew the real Jellal would end up right here in Fairy Tail.

From the very first day he arrived at the guild, Mystogan had realized things might get complicated.

The way Erza looked at him—it held a strange kind of recognition. Like she was seeing someone familiar but couldn't quite believe her own eyes.