Fairy Tail: Saint Seiya Magic Unleashed

Chapter 24: Jellal and Wendy

"Pegasus Meteor Fist!"

BOOM!

Moen's gauntlets flared with magical energy

as he launched forward like a thunderbolt,

his fists slicing through the air with blazing momentum.

In an instant, he sent a towering Horned Lizard

crashing down into the forest floor.

These creatures weren't your average beasts.

They were humanoid lizards, walking upright,

each with a single, twisted horn protruding from their forehead.

Easily over two meters tall.

Its underbelly, lacking scales, was its fatal flaw.

Moen's punch landed squarely there—

a sickening crunch, and its organs twisted out of place.

The monster collapsed, trembling uncontrollably,

clearly incapacitated.

Moen didn't let it suffer for long.

He stepped forward, arms tightening around the creature's neck—

CRACK.

The Horned Lizard's pain ended with a single, clean motion.

"Pat, pat."

He clapped the dust from his armor—

the Pegasus Bronze Cloth, gleaming and pristine as always.

The sea-blue armor shimmered faintly in the sunlight,

its sleek design covering most of his body.

In a forest like this, the armor made things so much easier—

no bug bites, no thorn scratches, no nonsense.

He only had to mind the small, uncovered areas.

Not to mention, the Cloth came with self-repair and auto-cleaning.

Blood, dust, or dirt—just stow it in the Cloth Box,

and it'd come out good as new.

Convenient was an understatement.

"Click!"

With practiced ease, Moen yanked the horn

from the fallen monster's skull

and tossed it into his small pack.

Inside were already thirteen others.

Thirteen Horned Lizards defeated—

and that wasn't even counting the other beasts

he'd taken down over the past two days.

All that combat experience had seriously boosted

his Pegasus Meteor Fist proficiency.

Nothing beats real battle for leveling up.

"Grrrkk?"

Just as he was securing his pack,

a strange noise rustled through the underbrush nearby.

"Who's there? Come out!"

Moen slung the bag over his shoulder

and turned sharply toward the sound.

The rustling… it didn't sound like a beast.

It sounded human.

"Ahh~ We've been spotted. Sorry, Jellal."

Sure enough, a voice—clearly human—came from the trees.

A moment later, two figures emerged

from behind the foliage.

A boy and a girl, both with blue hair.

The boy was about Moen's age,

taller than average, with lighter-toned hair.

The girl looked much younger—around four or five—

adorably small, with soft features and a shy expression.

"Sorry. We're just passing through."

The boy stepped forward calmly.

His hair was short and sky blue,

and on the right side of his face was a strange tattoo,

almost like a magic sigil—

it stretched across nearly half his face.

He wore a black short-sleeved shirt, gray pants,

and carried a green military-style pack,

with a staff strapped diagonally across it.

He looked like a mage—

but Moen sensed no magic energy from him at all.

Weird.

The little girl, on the other hand—

she gave off a faint magical aura.

But hers was strange too.

How to describe it?

…A little like Natsu's,

but not quite.

It wasn't strong—

just enough to make Moen pause and think.

Noticing Moen's eyes on her,

the little girl grew anxious.

She shrank back, trying to hide behind the boy.

The boy stepped forward instinctively,

shielding her from view.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?"

Moen asked the boy calmly,

his voice no longer tense—

these two didn't feel like a threat.

The little girl, clearly only about four or five,

was downright adorable—her big eyes and timid look could melt anyone's heart.

And the boy—he had this air of sincerity,

his eyes clear, almost too honest.

"My name is Jellal. She's Wendy.

We're… trying to find a way out of this place."

Jellal answered after a moment's pause.

He didn't seem to be lying.

"That's… a strange pair,"

Moen replied, raising an eyebrow.

"You two siblings? Locals?

How the heck did you get into the Waas Forest in one piece?"

This forest wasn't some summer picnic spot—

it was the kind of place even seasoned adventurers approached cautiously.

"We're not siblings," Jellal said honestly.

"We just met. She was lost, looking for her mother…

this place is dangerous, so I decided to help her."

His tone was calm, the words believable.

Everything about this boy screamed "noble idiot"—

the kind of guy who'd risk his life to save a stranger.

"Big brother… have you seen my mom?"

Wendy peeked out from behind Jellal,

clutching his shirt tightly.

Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears

as she looked up at Moen with hope.

"…No. Sorry. You two are the only people I've seen around here."

Moen shook his head.

Still, this whole "looking for mom" thing…

it felt strangely familiar.

"My mommy's not a person—she's a dragon! A Sky Dragon!"

Wendy blurted it out, her voice urgent.

And just like that—

click.

It all made sense to Moen.

Natsu's looking for his dad. Wendy's looking for her mom.

Natsu's dad was a Fire Dragon. Wendy's mom… a Sky Dragon.

The magic aura from Wendy was similar to Natsu's,

though weaker and less defined.

But the resemblance was enough—

she was definitely a Dragon Slayer.

"Wendy… do you know Natsu?"

Moen asked directly.

If she knew Natsu, things would be easy—

he could just bring her back to the guild.

"Natsu…"

Wendy frowned, tilting her head in thought.

The name sounded vaguely familiar,

but no specific memory came to mind.

"I don't think so…"

She shook her head.

"I see. Well, whatever. For now, stick with me."

"This forest's no joke, and the last thing I need is two kids getting eaten while I'm not looking."

Moen nodded, his tone light but firm.

There was no way he could just leave them alone in this place.

They were lucky to have survived even this long.

"We… actually have other things to do,"

Jellal said hesitantly.

"Could you at least tell us which way is out?"

"Jellal, I'm gonna be blunt—no offense, but you don't look like you can use magic. Right?"

Moen frowned.

He hated it when people didn't realize how weak they were.

He was offering help, not pity—

and this forest wasn't forgiving.

"What? No! I can use magic!"

Jellal looked startled.

Immediately, he pulled out the staff from his pack—

ready to prove himself.

End of Chapter