— — — — — —
In the blink of an eye, another three days passed.
"Lady Telne, are we really just going to ignore that newly formed Fairy Faction?"
"Ignore them? And how exactly do you expect us to intervene? First of all, they're not even in our world. They're in the human world. What, do you want me to lead an expedition into the human world and start a war with them?"
Telne looked at her subordinate and shook her head. It wasn't that she didn't want to get involved; the problem was that she simply couldn't.
"But a lot of dragons have already gone to the human world to join that Fairy Faction. Even members of our own Harmony Faction want to leave."
The dragon sounded genuinely worried.
"If they want to leave, let them leave. Kazuma's whole philosophy is pretty appealing."
"The Fairy Faction isn't our enemy, but they're not our friends either. The humans in that world don't revere gods at all, and that man named Kazuma doesn't fear anyone."
"They just do whatever they want, at least that kind of freedom is different from the Chaos Faction's kind of freedom."
Telne sighed as she explained.
"But Lady Telne… even if we don't start a war, can't we at least send a couple people to teach that human a lesson? He's just a human. Who does he think he is?"
Telne stopped what she was doing and looked straight at the dragon. "You didn't hear the rumors? That human fought Damocles. He lost, sure, but he still managed to injure him. Do you really think we can beat someone like that?"
"I… is that story even real?"
Of course he didn't dare challenge someone of Damocles's level. He didn't even have the courage to try.
"If it were fake, the rumor would never have lasted this long. The one who started it would have been erased by Damocles ages ago. But he never denied it. So he's basically acknowledging that it happened."
"Besides, humans aren't that weak. There are plenty of powerful people protecting their home. If we really went to war with Kazuma, it wouldn't just be against him—it'd turn into a full-blown war with all of humanity. The Harmony Faction would take huge losses."
"They have home-field advantage, perfect timing, and honestly, they even have momentum on their side. With all that, it's better to just let them be."
Telne rubbed her temples. She'd had too much to deal with lately and was starting to feel a headache coming on. But that was the burden of being the Harmony Faction's second-in-command.
The dragon bowed and backed away.
---
Meanwhile, in the human world—
"You want to join my faction?" Kazuma looked at the dragons gathered at his door.
"Yes. We're tired of the Harmony Faction's rules, sick of the Chaos Faction's madness, and we can't stand the Bystander Faction's inaction."
"So we want to join yours."
Most of these dragons were exiles or defectors unhappy with their original factions. A few had never belonged anywhere.
"That's fine."
Kazuma nodded and handed each of them a smartphone. "These are phones. They'll give you random tasks now and then. Do them or don't—it's totally up to you."
He paused, then added, "But you still need a way to make a living, right? Completing tasks earns money. And even if you don't care about human currency, you can trade it with me for whatever you want."
"Gold, treasure, booze, food, artifacts, you name it."
Kazuma was preparing to expand the "otherworld missions." Humanity already had students running missions in the human world, but the other worlds needed agents. These dragons would do nicely.
"A phone? Something humans invented? It lights up… is this magic?"
The dragons huddled together, poking at the screens with wide curiosity. They had never seen technology before and naturally assumed it was some kind of magic.
"We get it. But before that, to prove you're qualified to be our leader, we want a one-on-one duel!"
A dragon stepped forward. That was the dragon way. If someone wanted to lead them, they had to be strong enough.
"I'll fight in his place—"
Tohru was about to step forward, worried Kazuma hadn't fully recovered yet. But he cut her off before she could finish.
"No need. I've been wanting to stretch anyway. But forget one-on-one. Come at me together. Yolda, open a dimensional space."
In an instant, Yolda appeared and opened a pocket dimension. Kazuma walked in with the dragons behind him.
...
A short time later, he came back out without a scratch. The dragons, on the other hand, looked like they'd been beaten within an inch of their lives.
"Convinced now?"
Kazuma grinned. Seriously, he might not be able to beat Damocles, but these guys? Please.
His GOB's magic wasn't great for hitting a single target, but when it came to AoE, it was pure overkill.
No matter how many came at him, it was effortless.
These dragons weren't anywhere near Damocles's level. They weren't even close to Tohru's. Kazuma could beat them easily.
"We're convinced."
The dragons lowered their proud heads. It seemed the rumors weren't exaggerated. Maybe this human really had fought Damocles.
...
Soon, a brand-new faction appeared to all in this world: the Fairy Tail Faction.
Unlike the Harmony Faction, which sided with gods and humans, or the Chaos Faction, which sided with dragons and themselves…
Unlike the Bystander Faction, which simply watched from the sidelines…
The Fairy Faction could stand with anyone or with no one at all.
Sometimes they helped humans—if paid in money or items. Sometimes they sided with dragons—if given treasures.
Anyone could request their help. If a dragon found the task interesting, they would take it. If not, the request simply stayed posted until someone eventually did.
---
At this moment, inside the Harmony Faction—
"Lady Telne, these dragons have gone too far. They're interfering with matters inside our territory again."
"They're even helping people from the Chaos Faction. We can't tolerate this anymore. We need to go to war!"
Hearing that, another dragon jumped in immediately. "I disagree. They've solved quite a few of our headaches. Last time a Chaos dragon tried causing trouble, they helped us drive him off."
"I don't see them as enemies. They're more like a group we could win over."
The two sides began arguing loudly. Telne sat at the head of the hall, quietly watching them squabble.
"More change, more trouble… but also more possibilities. Is that good or bad?"
She honestly couldn't tell yet, and she wasn't inclined to intervene. For now, she would simply watch.
Even though she led the Harmony Faction, she had no intention of eliminating the other groups. Her relationship with the Chaos Faction's Damocles was actually fairly decent. They chatted on occasion.
---
Meanwhile, in the Chaos Faction—
"Lord Damocles, many of us have gone to join that Fairy Faction. Shouldn't we destroy them?"
Damocles had fully recovered from his injuries. He half-closed his eyes and spoke in a relaxed tone. "They can join whatever faction they want. It's their choice. We can't stop them, and there's no reason to."
"B-But this weakens our faction's strength."
Despite what had happened before, his subordinates remained respectful. Damocles had ruled the Chaos Faction for countless years. His authority wasn't something a single defeat could shake.
Damocles stood up and looked down at the dragons around him. "Don't forget, at the very beginning all dragons belonged to one faction."
"Time divided us. Each group chose its own path."
"Whether they join the Harmony Faction, the Bystanders, or even our Chaos Faction, it's their own choice."
"If you're unhappy with someone, challenge them directly. But that's not a declaration of war. Our only true enemies are the gods."
"Yes, sir."
All the dragons bowed their heads.
---
After a few days...
The Fairy Faction within dragon territory had completely stabilized. Kazuma received a constant stream of mission points every day.
"Master, a demon wants to meet you."
Yolda approached Kazuma, looking a bit hesitant, but she finally spoke.
"A demon? Fine, let him in." Kazuma sighed. Dragons one day, demons the next. There really was no such thing as a quiet moment for him.
Yolda opened a portal. From it stepped an old man in casual clothes. Behind him stood the resurrected Jabberwock.
"Hm… the 34 Pillars. What is it? Lost last time and still not convinced? Want another fight?"
"I'll make sure you're all reduced to ash for good this time. Body and soul."
Kazuma hadn't thought much of these demons before and still didn't. Killing them was effortless.
"It's not that. We wish to change allegiance. The entire 34 Pillar Division of the Demon World is willing to serve you."
Behemoth had been considering this for a while. After hearing about Kazuma's battle with Damocles, that consideration became a decision.
Now that he saw Kazuma alive and well, he didn't hesitate.
"There's no way Prince En could defeat someone like you. And with a foster father this powerful, Master Beel's claim to the throne is practically guaranteed."
"So we intend to choose the winning side."
.
.
.