Fairy Tail: Igneel's eldest son in Anime Multiverse

While Charles was busy training Welf and Bell, a certain goddess sat high atop the Babel Tower, quietly watching in the direction of the northern wall.

Freya sat languidly on a sofa, holding a wine glass filled with blood-red wine. Through its rim, her gaze painted the world in crimson.

With her divine power sealed, she naturally couldn't perceive what was happening on the wall with any real clarity.

But that wasn't what Freya was trying to see.

"I wonder… just how much can that child's light be drawn out?"

To her, the rest of the world had faded away, leaving only that flickering flame far in the distance.

The moment Bell withstood Charles's killing intent and awakened his resolve, that flame blazed forth with brilliance.

Freya trembled with excitement, her cheeks flushed, her eyes shimmering as if tears were about to spill.

Alas, no one was around to witness this captivating sight—except for a certain boar-man.

Orario's only Level 7 and strongest adventurer, Ottar, stood expressionless in the shadows. He only reacted when Freya addressed him.

"Ottar."

"I'm here, Lady Freya."

"That child… he's far more than what we've seen. And most important of all, his light still holds imperfections."

Ottar responded, "Only through true adventure does one become a true adventurer."

Freya smiled with satisfaction at her familia's ever-reliable "Warrior."

"Then I'll leave it to you, Ottar."

"If that is your will."

Ottar had always fulfilled his goddess's every desire.

…

After several days of training, Charles told the boys they could take a day off.

Their growth had been obvious to anyone watching—especially Bell, who could no longer be called a rookie. His skill Argonaut was astonishingly powerful, and even Charles was surprised by how quickly he progressed.

Of course, it wasn't just the skill—Bell trained with tenacity, enduring pain and exhaustion until he collapsed each session.

Charles had decided to give them a break because the Monster Festival was the next day.

The Monster Festival was Orario's grandest celebration, proposed by the Guild and hosted by the Ganesha Familia.

During the festivities, tamers from Ganesha's Familia would demonstrate how to tame monsters within the arena—a spectacular show on a massive scale.

Charles guessed the Guild's real intent was to ease public fear of monsters and, ultimately, pave the way for society to accept Xenos—monsters with intelligence.

Still, regardless of the Guild's motives, having another excuse to celebrate was always welcome.

Charles also wanted the boys to unwind a little, so he gave them the day off.

But Charles knew this year's Monster Festival wouldn't be so peaceful.

Not only was Freya planning to stir up trouble to help train Bell, but Dionysus would also begin his trial run for his city-destruction plot during the event.

And so, the fateful Monster Festival began. From dawn, Orario was bustling with energy.

Charles walked through the streets, munching on some freshly bought fried potato balls. For some reason, they were soy-sauce-and-octopus flavored—basically tasted like takoyaki.

After swallowing, Charles found himself wondering why he didn't just buy actual takoyaki instead.

That's just how this world was, born from a franchise rooted in Japan's peculiar charm—even otherworldly food was full of creative oddities.

Charles followed the crowd toward the Ganesha Familia's arena. After all, the Monster Festival's main event was the monster-taming performance.

Charles had seen a few tamers before, but none were exactly… normal. That guy Jarrah only managed to dominate monsters by using magic tools. And the white-haired freak was even stranger—he could command monsters because he'd become one himself.

Charles was genuinely curious to see a real tamer subdue monsters with pure skill.

However, when he arrived at the arena, he spotted Loki and Ais speaking with Eina the half-elf Guild advisor.

Immediately, a sense of impending trouble washed over him. His first instinct was to quietly turn around and slip away.

But Loki spotted him instantly—even through the crowd, he stood there like a sore thumb with his "you can't see me" expression.

"Hey! Charles, over here!"

Charles pretended not to hear. But before he could disappear, Loki had already jogged over and wrapped an arm around his neck.

"Don't be so cold, Charles! Sure, we had a little misunderstanding, but isn't that all cleared up now?"

Charles sighed and glanced at the goddess hanging off him. "Loki-sama, I don't think we're quite close enough for this kind of greeting."

Loki grinned. "Oh come on, don't be stingy! Stingy guys never get the girl, you know?"

Charles shot her a look but said nothing. Ais then stepped forward.

"Charles… about the other day… I'm really sorry."

Charles sighed. "That day had nothing to do with you. You're not the one who should be apologizing."

Ais fell silent. She was never good with words, and this situation was particularly awkward.

Loki, however, had no such trouble. "I knew it—Charles, you're the type to let bygones be bygones. Say, could I ask you for a tiny little favor?"

Charles groaned. "I knew it. Loki-sama never shows up without an ulterior motive."

Trouble had indeed arrived. If he'd just gotten here earlier and entered the arena, she wouldn't have been able to drag him into this.

Now, Charles stood on a rooftop, surveying the nearby streets while replaying everything in his head. He hadn't originally planned to get involved with today's chaos.

But with both Loki and Eina personally requesting his help, he couldn't ignore them—for the sake of the Hephaestus Familia's reputation if nothing else.

Charles released his senses, quickly locking onto the monsters running loose across the district.

Just like in the original storyline, Freya had secretly unlocked the cages holding Ganesha Familia's monsters, letting them loose throughout the streets.

Though these were all Level 1 monsters from the upper floors of the Dungeon, the city was packed with non-adventurer visitors for the festival.

And even most adventurers didn't carry gear to a festival. Facing a monster unarmed was truly dangerous.

Loki and Eina wanted Charles's help to subdue the monsters that had escaped.

Leaping between rooftops, Charles quickly located a half-beast monster attacking a civilian.

With a single kick, he shattered its skull. Without waiting for thanks, he dashed off toward the next threat.

Meanwhile, Ais was sweeping through other streets, slicing down monsters with ease.

Together, the two of them cleared nearly all of the escaped monsters in short order.

Then Charles sensed it—that foul, corrupted aura.

The taint of the fallen spirit.

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