"Dragon egg? What nonsense are you spouting?"

In the main hall of the Fairy Tail guild, Laxus stared incredulously at the egg Natsu was cradling.

He didn't believe a word of it.

What kind of ridiculous "dragon egg" was that?

Just another delusion from Natsu's endless search for dragons.

"Don't you remember Natsu saying he was raised by a fire dragon? This egg seems to really like him—maybe it really is a dragon egg." Marco sipped his juice and said with a smile.

"Tch. That just a pure nonsense."

Laxus shot Natsu a dismissive glance, outright rejecting the idea.

He didn't even believe Natsu had been raised by a dragon in the first place.

"You—!" Natsu immediately flared up.

If he hadn't been holding the egg, he would've lunged at Laxus for a fight.

Of course, the outcome would've undoubtedly ended with Natsu flat on the ground—Laxus couldn't even be bothered to take him seriously.

Ignoring Natsu's futile rage, Laxus walked away.

He was currently preparing for the S-Class exam—this time, he was determined to pass.

Once he did, everything would change.

He'd become a powerful S-Class Mage, eligible to take on the more dangerous quests from the second floor.

Marco held back the agitated Natsu, preventing him from provoking Laxus further.

He used the reward from the Forest Vulkans extermination quest to treat the entire guild to a celebration feast.

Everyone got a share, even those who hadn't gone on the mission and the guild buzzed with excitement late into the night before finally dispersing.

*****

Over the next few days, Natsu carried the egg everywhere—incubating it in his dorm, incubating it at the guild—holding onto it almost the entire day without ever getting tired of it.

The temptation of a 'dragon egg', the allure of hatching a dragon, was simply too great for him.

It had even managed to make him patient.

"Natsu suddenly becoming so well-behaved is honestly a little unsettling," Makarov mused from his seat at the bar, clutching his cane as he watched Natsu with a mix of amusement and disbelief.

As for Natsu's so-called 'dragon egg', Makarov had already learned quite a bit about it—all from Porlyusica.

After being attacked by the Forest Volkans, the injured Natsu, Gray, and Elfman had gone to see Porlyusica again, only to be scolded harshly.

Porlyusica had berated them for visiting her too often, warning that if anyone dared get injured this frequently again, she wouldn't treat them.

And naturally, she had also seen the 'dragon egg'.

Because of it, Porlyusica had even made a special trip to see Makarov.

This egg was from another world—Edolas—the same world as Porlyusica and Mystogan.

Natsu was bound to be disappointed.

This wasn't a 'dragon egg' at all.

What it contained was a being of the "Exceed" race, the true rulers of Edolas, under whom even humans lived in subjugation.

As for why this 'dragon egg' had appeared here, Porlyusica had no idea.

And as for how to handle this "Exceed," she offered no advice either.

The decision would be left entirely to Makarov.

"Hey, everyone! I'm back!"

Just as Makarov was pondering how to deal with the Exceed, Macao's voice rang out from the guild entrance.

Macao pushed the door open, arms spread wide and shouted loudly.

The guild members glanced at him before immediately returning to their own business, ignoring him completely.

Wendy, who had followed Macao in, couldn't help but giggle behind her hand—the guild members were always so amusing.

"Is this guy an idiot?"

A small figure beside Wendy muttered sarcastically.

"Carla, don't say that about Macao-san..."

Wendy turned to the small, upright white-and-pink cat wearing a tiny dress—this was Carla, her new friend.

Wendy had originally just gone back to Cait Shelter with Macao to visit Master Robaoul and the others, never expecting to make a new friend—one who was even willing to come back with her.

It made her incredibly happy.

"Tch—"

At Wendy's quiet protest, Carla turned her head away with a scoff.

"Wendy's back!"

While no one paid Macao any attention, Wendy's arrival immediately drew everyone's focus, with the younger members quickly gathering around her.

Wendy's gentle personality and adorable appearance made her instantly likable.

Though she hadn't been with the guild for long, she had already grown close to everyone, especially the other girls.

"Seriously, is this the treatment I get for not bringing back souvenirs?"

Watching Wendy being surrounded while he was ignored, Macao sighed in resignation before obediently heading off to complete his mission report.

On the other side, Marco, having completed his training, entered the guild hall.

His gaze was immediately drawn to the white-pink cat and his expression turned to one of surprise.

'Wait, where did this cat come from? Happy is a blue cat, isn't he? And this one doesn't even look like a male cat. What's going on here?'

Marco was utterly baffled.

So, in the future guild, there were actually two cats? One blue, one white—one male, one female?

"This is Carla, my new friend," Wendy introduced her to everyone.

Under the curious gazes of the crowd, Carla gracefully bowed, carrying herself like a young lady from a wealthy family.

"A talking cat!"

"So adorable!"

"I want one too..."

The last remark was muttered quietly by Elfman.

His pet parrot had flown away and he was now in a phase where he wanted every "pet" he saw—even Natsu's 'dragon egg'.

It was strange.

Despite his appearance, Elfman had a gentle and refined personality, exuding an almost motherly vibe.

"Wendy, where did you meet Carla?" Marco approached the girl and the cat, asking the question while fragments of previously gathered information began piecing together in his mind.

"Near Cait Shelter. I met Carla while playing outside, and we became friends," Wendy tilted her head slightly, answering honestly.

She looked puzzled—Marco's expression seemed a bit serious.

"Was she alone?" Marco asked skeptically.

"Yes! Just Carla!" Wendy nodded firmly.

'That's odd. Then where did Happy come from?'

Marco's gaze returned to Carla, now surrounded by the girls.

He frowned, doubting his own deductions.

Based on the clues Marco had, the name 'Happy' was born within the Fairy Tail guild.

Before leaving, Happy had shouted at him, 'Still call me Happy!' This likely meant Happy was named and born within Fairy Tail.

'So... is Happy actually Carla's child?!'

This conclusion made some sense—and yet, none at all.

There wasn't another male cat in the guild.

Carla couldn't have given birth alone, could she? She didn't look pregnant either.

"Wendy! Look what I found! A dragon egg!" While Marco was lost in thought, Natsu bounded over, grinning as he proudly presented the 'dragon egg' to Wendy.

But the one who reacted most strongly was Carla.

She looked as if she'd seen a ghost, and this bizarre reaction suddenly sparked an epiphany in Marco.

His eyes shifted to the egg, his expression twisting into something between disbelief and amusement.

'Is this egg... Happy? Wait, since when do cats hatch from eggs?!'

Marco couldn't help but grumble internally—it really wasn't his fault for not thinking of this possibility.

His mind was just too normal to ever consider something like this.

-----------------------------

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