Reborn As Papa Silva (Extras)

There Might Possibly Be Major Spoilers for the future of the main story. Read At Your Own Risk.

—

In the southeastern segment of Fiore, near the nation of Bosco, lay a decent-sized settlement nestled between grassy mountain ranges and forests.

It was called Clover Town, one of many Fioren towns connected by a massive railway linking to other towns like Magnolia and Oshibana. Clover Town had once been a gathering place for legal guild masters across Fiore and, occasionally, the entire continent of Ishgar. Meetings, parties, events, and other delegations were held there.

However, like many places in Ishgar and beyond, the guild master building was destroyed due to Fairy Tail's actions and was never rebuilt. Now, such gatherings take place within structures and buildings owned by the Magic Council, whether at the Ishgarian headquarters or smaller Fiore branches.

By the year X794, Clover Town had quietly become the base of a few foreigners, though no one realized their origins. These newcomers established a new guild, called Rabbit Foot, where the old guild master building once stood.

No one thought much of it. The unknown wizards were polite, friendly, brought in good traffic and income to the town, and generally kept to themselves—except when needed. With their paperwork in order, confirming their identities as Ishgarians, neither the people of Clover Town nor the Fiore Magic Council investigated their origins or intentions. There was simply no reason to.

For all intents and purposes, they seemed like an average group of low-key or unknown wizards trying their luck at forming a guild to support themselves. As long as they didn't destroy anything or draw unnecessary attention, no one would bother them, allowing them to live in peace in Clover Town, surrounded by lush mountains and forests.

Within one such forest surrounding the town, at the heart of it, a steady stream flowed where two individuals sat shoulder-to-shoulder, their feet dipped in the water.

One was a broad, muscular, ashy blonde-haired man with green eyes. The other was a slender woman with silver hair and pink eyes. Both displayed their guild emblems: a silhouette of a leaping rabbit over a crescent moon.

The man's emblem rested just below his left bicep, barely visible under the slightly rolled-up sleeve of his collar shirt, black in color with a white outline. The woman's emblem was on the back of her right hand, silver with a hint of lavender outlining it.

The man turned to the woman with a strained smile and groaned, "Noelle…" His voice carried a plea as he slowly reached for her hand resting in her lap.

She snorted and slapped his hand away.

Noelle frowned. "Absolutely not, Bakasta!"

"Why?!" Asta asked incredulously, his expression puzzled. He raised his left hand to reveal a plain silver ring on his ring finger and pointed at a matching one with a diamond on Noelle's. "We're engaged! Why can't I hold your hand?!"

Noelle flicked her pigtail, her cheeks turning rosy as she glared at Asta. "I-it's too lewd! N-no hand-holding till marriage!"

Asta blinked, then stared blankly at the river, absentmindedly swishing his feet through the water.

Asta couldn't understand his fiancée. Before they got engaged—and frankly, before they even officially started dating and confirmed their relationship—they held hands and did so much more. So many PG things that teenagers their age shouldn't have done, even if they were considered adults by kingdom law.

But as soon as Asta got on his knees and proposed, Noelle took a complete 180 and became more reserved than ever.

It was like their relationship had gone backward. Noelle told Asta she wanted to save her purity and chastity for their wedding, and he would have respected that—if it were the truth.

Spoiler: it wasn't.

Just remembering some of the things Noelle had done to him since they got engaged—on her birthday, on his birthday, on Valentine's Day—using and abusing his body as she pleased, chaining him to her bed, taking his "precious thing," giving him hers as she squeezed him dry mercilessly, and then going back to acting like nothing happened the next day—made him as frustrated as it scared him.

Scared, not shocked, because he was at least a little prepared for it, thanks to Noelle's father.

Sebastian Silva, who was pushing 52 at the time but still didn't look a day over 30 (thanks to their nearly quadrupled lifespans), had pulled Asta aside after they became officially betrothed to give him an idea of what he was in for.

Asta could still remember his words as if they were spoken yesterday.

"Asta?"

"Yes, Father?"

"…I said you can call me Dad."

"…Yes, Dad?"

"You must know Noelle takes after her mother in more ways than one… right?"

"Yeah, she's just like Mom!"

"Well… I'm telling you this because I need you to know something—or at least remember something…"

"What is it, Fath—Dad?"

"Ahem… try to avoid being alone with Noelle anywhere too private… at least till your wedding day, alright? It's probably for the best…"

"…Alright?" Asta had responded, unsure and bewildered, when Sebastian didn't elaborate.

He never got the chance to. A sweet voice from behind them froze them both stiff.

"Sebby… are you badmouthing me and our lovely daughter?"

Asta had never seen the man so panicked. Sebastian spun around, sweating bullets, waving his arms in a desperate, placating motion.

"No… no… not at all, Dear. W-why would I do that?!"

Acier smiled brightly at that. That smile scared Asta, who then watched blankly as his father-in-law was pulled away by his mother-in-law, dragged by the neck with a steel-chained collar.

Perhaps because of that comical scene, Sebastian's warning escaped Asta's mind entirely.

Asta wished it hadn't.

Nothing could have prepared him for the day his "meek" Noelle bound him to her bed with ropes of water, manhandled him, and stole his innocence.

All he could do was lay there and take it. Liebe had completely bailed on him at the time, cutting off the anti-magic and taking refuge deep within his body.

The following day, Asta trembled and shivered like a trauma patient until Sebastian sniffed him out.

His father-in-law had to sit him down in a chair and hug him tightly to steady him somewhat, whispering softly in his ear with an equal tremble.

"Asta… Son… me and you, we'll get through this hell together. Remember, they say God gives the toughest battles to his strongest warriors. And we've already dealt with God. Many gods. We can overcome this too."

Asta had never cried and bawled so hard in his life as he did at that moment, using Sebastian's embrace like a tissue to let it all out.

Even Nozel, who always glared daggers at him—looking like he wanted to riddle him with mercury bullets just for being within Noelle's line of sight—gave him a consoling pat on the shoulder.

Asta didn't know what to think when Zora joined their group hug of his own accord. Apparently, Mr. Cool Mask wasn't so cool when it came to Nebra in the bedroom.

Because of all this, Asta—who had already deeply respected and admired Sebastian—felt that admiration amplify tenfold.

It wasn't until that day that he truly comprehended what Sebastian had been enduring for nearly 35 years. And that realization made Sebastian his idol.

Who suffers most in the Clover Kingdom? The Wizard King? The King? The peasants? Foreigners? Those with low magic? The magicless?

No. It's the ones who court Silva women.

Asta's rude awakening wasn't over, though. He soon learned that Noelle was merely a watered-down version of Acier—not nearly as extreme.

Asta understood, right then and there, that no one had suffered more in the Clover Kingdom. No one suffers more now. And no one will continue to suffer more than Sebastian.

To Asta, Sebastian was an ideal to follow.

To Asta, this was true strength and endurance. The exact resilience needed to become Wizard King.

So, he endured. He had been enduring for a year now, with just one more to go until he turned 21 and could marry Noelle.

Asta hoped that meant things would change—for the better.

But despite everything, he still couldn't understand Noelle—her thought process, her logic.

She had no problem doing those things to him. No problem kissing and hugging him in public. Yet holding hands was suddenly "too lewd"—even in private, when it was just the two of them.

Asta couldn't understand.

So, he decided he wouldn't try to understand anymore. She had expended the last bit of his patience.

From now on, he would just do his own thing.

Before Noelle could react, Asta shot his hand forward, grabbed her wrist, and wrapped his hand around hers.

"Bakasta?!" Noelle cried in shock and tried to yank her hand away.

Before she could, Asta grabbed her chin with his right arm—the devilishly corrupted one encased in a leather guard—and growled,

"Shut up and stay put."

Noelle stiffened in shock, her wide eyes locking onto his.

But Asta wasn't done.

"From now on, all you have to do is be quiet and stay pretty by my side. If I want to hold your hand, you will give me your hand. If I want to kiss you, you'll lean in. And if I want to do more, you'll cooperate. Understood?!"

A shiver ran up Noelle's spine—an excited one—as she flushed crimson and bobbed her head up and down.

"Y-yes…"

"Yes who?!"

"Y-yes, Asta!"

Asta nodded in satisfaction, his growl replaced by a flowery, disarming smile—like Morgen or his sister-in-law Mimosa's—and then pulled Noelle close.

The two sat in silence for a moment, enjoying the peace and the warmth of each other's presence.

But their moment was short-lived.

Both of them abruptly froze, their Ki senses flaring.

They jerked their heads backward, scanning the surroundings.

The two shared a glance and narrowed their eyes before standing up, arms crossed.

They waited.

—

Leading his team to the two targets, Natsu's nose twitched again. He whispered softly, just enough for his team to hear.

"The guy who smells like me… he may be like Mira, when she couldn't turn her Take Over magic off."

Lucy and Happy let out deep sighs of relief. Take Over magic was good; that meant the guy was human and not a demon. They could handle Take Over magic.

Wendy twirled her hair and nodded in agreement. "It does smell like Mira-san when she uses her Satan Soul."

Gray and Erza's ears perked up at the declaration, but they kept silent. Erza merely nodded her head, keeping her guildmates' theory in mind without putting blind faith in it, while Gray narrowed his eyes.

Each moment he followed Natsu and got closer to the target, Gray felt his Devil Slayer mark on his arm burning and throbbing—a feeling he hadn't recalled since the day he got it. Gray didn't think that was a coincidence.

They trekked through the forest, their boots and shoes crunching grass and leaves underfoot.

Erza spoke up, attracting all of their attention. "Is there anything else you can distinguish by their smell… anything at all?"

Wendy and Natsu blinked, exchanging a look, before the former shrugged. "Just their genders, I guess. The demon that may not be a demon seems to be male, while the dragon that may not be a dragon seems to be female."

Erza nodded again before shooting Gray a deathly glare that made him stiffen. She hissed, "I don't know what you have to do, but find a way to stay clothed. If you so much as lift your collar in front of her, I'll make Juvia an early widow."

Cold sweat ran down Gray's face as he nodded. Natsu stifled another laugh as Erza turned back toward the path ahead.

Erza didn't bet on all dragons being as eager for men to shed their clothing as Selene. Although this mysterious dragon wasn't an enemy just yet, or might have no intention of being one, Erza felt that could swiftly change if Gray flashed her.

Lucy and Happy weren't the only ones typically not eager to fight another dragon. Erza was no exception. Perhaps the only one in their party excited at the prospect was Natsu.

Erza hoped to god her other little brother wouldn't start something should he inevitably "feel a fire in his belly." She hoped and prayed.

A few minutes later, with Natsu in the lead, they froze like statues as they reached a forest clearing.

That was because they saw a duo that were evidently their targets, standing straight, arms crossed, and shooting heavy frowns their way.

Erza blinked. They knew we were coming. She wanted to slap herself on the head. Of course they knew. How could they forget it wasn't just Dragon Slayers who had strong senses? Naturally, the dragons they mirrored and imitated had even stronger ones.

She shot a look at the taller of the two targets—a slender, silver-haired, pink-eyed woman who, Erza had to admit, was very beautiful and oddly reminded her of Queen Hisui for some reason. Well, I guess there's more proof she definitely has something to do with dragons…

Team Natsu exchanged a look before Lucy, gritting her teeth and hiding her fear, stepped forward.

No one amongst them was more diplomatic or suited for disarming conversations than their resident Celestial Mage and author.

Lucy gave a stiff wave to the duo and parted her mouth, but before she could say anything, she watched the slightly smaller and very bulky, ashen-blonde man raise a brow.

"How can we help you, Fairies?"

Lucy paused before offering a weak smile. "Y-you know who we are?"

It was the silver-haired woman who spoke up next. Her tone was matter-of-fact and, dare Lucy say, the slightest bit playful and teasing. "No one in Ishgar doesn't know who the Fairies are, especially the team who completed the 100-year quest."

Of course, they'd know… Fiore had declared that achievement to the world in a show of pride and excessive boasting, to establish further prestige and honor as the strongest kingdom in Ishgar—and perhaps even the world now.

Team Natsu exchanged a glance, their cheeks slightly redding and noses pointing sharply smug, before Lucy coughed awkwardly.

"I-I see, that's right, but j-just to introduce myself officially, I'm Lucy Heartfilia." Lucy bowed, which turned slightly awkward as the duo said nothing.

A moment later, she straightened herself up and nodded at them. "May we know your names?"

The duo exchanged a look before nodding slightly.

The ash-blonde man began by introducing himself, intoning curtly, "I'm Asta Staria."

Then he pointed to the woman beside him. "And this is my fiancée, Noelle Silva."

Lucy paused again. She hadn't expected that. She then noticed rings on both of their left hands. Behind her, Wendy flushed red like a tomato, steam escaping her ears, causing Charla to sigh.

When will this girl ever change? Levy and Gajeel have become parents before even marriage. Is this so shocking?

Perhaps Charla should have voiced those words and said them to Erza as well, who was blushing just as bright, envisioning an image of a blue-haired man with a red marking on the right side of his face, on his knees, holding a ring, and whispering hotly and boldly:

Erza, Fairy Tail is nice and all, but let's make our own family. What do you say?

Erza's eyes spun as she went dizzy.

Gray absentmindedly spun his left hand, rubbing the cobalt on his finger with a slightly fond smile.

Lucy took a moment to collect herself, not understanding why she felt a pang of jealousy looking at the duo, and shot Natsu a dark glare, prompting the salmon-haired Dragon Slayer to look at her in confusion.

Clearing her throat, she forced another smile, one that was a tad more genuine. "Well, congratulations on that and to the future."

Asta and Noelle curtly nodded as the latter parted her mouth. "Now, once again, how can we help you? And why have you specifically sought us out?"

Lucy tensed slightly as she chewed her lip bitterly. Well, let's hope this goes civil. She put her arm across her chest and spoke softly.

"Well, since you know us, and evidently of our achievements as well, you should know our guild—and specifically this team—has had less-than-pleasant runs with dragons and demons in the past, right?"

Asta and Noelle nodded once more as Asta furrowed his brows. "What does that have to do with us?"

Lucy chewed her lip and pointed to Natsu and Wendy flanking behind her with her thumbs, stammering out, "O-our Dragon Slayers picked up those scents… and so we came to investigate, seeing if anything was up."

The couple blinked, shared a glance, and then looked at Team Natsu in realization.

"Oh...…" Asta trailed off as his countenance softened, and he smiled lightly. "You don't have to worry about that. We're humans. You're just smelling the byproduct of our magic."

Noelle nodded along with her lover, causing Lucy to let out an inward scream of relief.

Oh thank goodness! She nearly fell to her knees in joy, relieved that it was just magic and that they were cooperative enough they didn't have to push for answers.

She was just about to wave them a polite goodbye, turn around, and push herself and her team out of here, before an icy voice spoke up.

"Yeah, I'm not buying that."

Lucy froze, her eyes widening as she saw Gray step forward in front of her.

The hell are you doing, Gray?! she inwardly cried, but the Ice Wizard's attention was all on Asta as he pointed to himself.

"My Devil Slayer mark should be no secret to you. It's been covered many times in Sorcerer Weekly. It only reacts and resonates to demons—even Mira's Satan Soul hasn't prompted this much throbbing from it."

Lucy and the rest of Team Natsu watched in stunned silence as Gray, utterly ignoring Erza, took off his shirt—but thankfully left everything else on. The entire right side of his body, from his arm to the right half of his stomach, was wrapped in his black Devil Slayer mark.

His blue guild mark had turned white to match the smooth white markings and lines that adorned his blackened body. The black mark also crossed over his right eye like a scar.

This entire time, Asta and Noelle simply watched him transform, neither saying a word for a moment before the former narrowed his eyes.

Asta and Gray's gazes matched for a moment, and then, perhaps relenting in invisible contest, Asta held out his right arm, encased in a long brown leather arm guard, and unstrapped it.

As the guard was unstrapped and fell to the ground, Team Natsu's eyes widened as Asta's arm was exposed to them.

It was as pitch black as Gray's currently was, but rather than possessing smooth white markings, Asta's arm had red, cragged ones that seemed to follow his veins.

He then shot Gray a cold look and spoke just as icily. "My arm became like this because of a demon…" He trailed off for a moment as a squeaky voice yelled in his head.

Devil, not demon!

Liebe, could you be quiet for a second?

As his adopted brother went silent, Asta continued on indifferently. "How that happened and what that means—besides me having a permanent demonic arm—is none of your business. The only thing that does concern you is that your magic is probably reacting to this."

Asta let that sink into the Ice Devil Slayer's mind for a moment before he snorted. "Does that satisfy you, stripper?"

Noelle didn't look too happy either, with a dark glare in her eyes.

"Heh heh heh…" Natsu's laugh, which he couldn't contain anymore, didn't get far before Erza's wilting glare shut him up.

She then looked back at Gray, narrowing her eyes on Asta's arm. A moment later, Gray's transformation became undone as his arm and body went back to normal, his demonization receding into his Ice Devil tattoo mark.

Gray nodded politely, and much to Team Natsu's shock, bowed stiffly to Asta. "Yes, sorry for bothering you."

The moment Asta exposed his arm, Gray's throbbing mark cued him in that the feeling was only coming from Asta's arm and nothing else.

So that undoubtedly means Asta is human, Gray reasoned, and probably just one of many like myself, who had a bad run-in with a demon. He apologized accordingly.

His excessive and unexpected politeness was more attributed to Juvia. Ever since he truly comprehended how much he loved her back, he had vowed to become a man worthy of her.

Improving my manners is a good place to start. So, since he was in the wrong, he apologized.

Asta's icy gaze softened again, along with Noelle's, as he put his arm guard back on and muttered softly, "No problem."

Gray nodded, and then the rest of Team Natsu's attention turned to Noelle, who crossed her arms.

"I'm obviously human, but if your noses mistake me for a dragon or something, perhaps that could be attributed to me being able to use a dragon's magic."

Team Natsu paused, as Wendy cocked her head in confusion. "You mean Dragon Slayer magic, or have you had a dragon's lacrima implanted in your body…"

Wendy trailed off as her eyes widened—not just her, but Natsu's too. They realized that Noelle seemed to smell like second- and third-generation Dragon Slayers, or perhaps even fifth generations.

She smells like those who've had dragon lacrima implanted in them, or eaten a dragon's flesh and gained their magic and power… but just far more pure, Wendy thought, her mind racing.

Noelle parted her mouth. "Just as my Asta has told you, the situation or circumstances don't concern you. All you need to know is that I'm not a dragon, but a human who can use a dragon's power. Are you satisfied now?"

Wendy, who blushed profusely as Noelle said my Asta, meekly nodded her head with the rest of Team Natsu.

The couple then gave them a look. "If there's nothing else…"

Team Natsu picked up the message, and Erza nodded. "Of course, we'll be getting out of your hair. Thank you for being so cooperative with our uncalled-for interrogation."

Erza then gave them a knightly bow and turned around, pulling Natsu and Gray away by their collars.

Wendy and the Exceeds swiftly followed, with Lucy trailing behind a moment, committing the hopping rabbit mark on Noelle's hand and Asta's arm to memory.

I'll ask Levy-chan when we get back home if there's any guild with that marking.

As Lucy turned and walked away, she didn't register Asta and Noelle's gaze intensely locked on her—or rather, her side, where her celestial spirit keys hung from her waist.

Asta and Noelle looked at one another as the former sighed.

"They seem like good people… especially her… that kind of makes what we're going to do harder to stomach…"

Noelle ran a hand gently on Asta's back, tracing circles as she whispered softly, "Our loyalty is to our home. If you want to be Wizard King, you'll have to hurt others to protect your kingdom. You'll have to do that many times."

Asta bit his lip. "I know… and I will… but it'd be easier if they were assholes."

Noelle went silent and merely offered a stiff nod.

Author's Notes:

[1] Rabbit Foot matches the Celtic clovers and represents good luck. That's why I chose it, the guild emblem is attached to this note, but you can only view it on this drive: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nBfnNKJ_m1aWV8yCrJXlwch-aU0GCQFj/view?usp=sharing

[2] I need a day break or something from the main story, so probably no chapter today. 

[3] Feel free to join the Discord! https://discord.gg/s3MME8X8ar