As she flew away, four Level 7s she didn't know along with Thomas followed after her.
"Where are you going Grace, don't make this harder than it has to be, give up". Thomas shouted following behind her.
The reason Thomas a level 7 would dare do such a thing to a Level 9, was because of two reasons. One he knew Grace was so disgustingly nice she would never harm anyone no matter what they did. And the ancient drug he put in her food was said to not only be undetectable by those at Level 9, make them uncontrollably horny but it also made them powerless during its usage period.
In fact he was surprised that she could actually resist it and manage to run away. He then thought that it could be because the pill was so old that its potency had decreased. But seeing how Grace's aura was slowly decreeing he knew that eventually she will lose control so he pursued her along with the four foreign friends he had hired.
....
....Back to Igneel's view point...
"Hehehe, why you ask, well I tried to honestly pursue you for years but you never put me in your eyes did you?, you thought I was beneath you right, well today I'm going to show you that you are the one beneath me... literally hahahaha". The lust in Thomas' eyes had intensified with an even greater madness accompanying it this time.
{Oh, so that's what's going on, them being human, I thought she had stolen something from them or something like that...well they are humans so this also makes sense...maybe I should do something about this}. Igneel who was looking on with his devine sense undetected by any of them thought.
With that he disappeared...
Just as Thomas was about to jump on Grace who was close to her limit. A man appearing to be in his thirties wearing a red robe appeared in-between them, halting his actions.
He wanted to rip the man apart for getting in his way, but the little reasoning he still had warned him against that action. From how the man appeared undetected and he couldn't sense his level, he felt he might not be the man's match.
"W-who are you, why are you getting in my way?,". Thomas cautiously asked as he and his four helpers got into a defensive position.
"Sigh, just give a bit of face and leave the little girl alone okay?". Igneel didn't bother answering him, only said what he wanted while looking at Grace's weird situation which he had never seen.
"How dare you disrespect Commander Thomas, do you want to...".
Boom!
One of Thomas's accomplices thought he'd get paid more if he appeared more helpful than the rest but... Before he finished speaking, a silver lightning bolt descended from the sky and erased him from existence.
Thomas and the remaining three looked at the scene with shock and horror. His previous madness and lust where nowhere to be seen. Without even looking at each other, as of in que, Thomas and his now three accomplices scattered into the sky each man running or rather flying for his life.
"Oops, that was supposed to only leave him at death's door...oh well, as long as it worked out." Igneel who was now walking toward his cabin with Grace floated behind him surrounded in his mana said to himself.
He didn't notice that Grace's fading consciousness cleared up a bit after seeing such a shocking act.
...
A while later in Igneel cabin...
A red faced Grace could be seen sitting on the bed while cautiously looking at Igneel. He was sitting on the only chair in the room his gaze unmoving from her full of curiosity, without an ounce of lust which confused Grace. She thought she had escaped a dog only to be captured by a tiger, but it seemed the tiger wasn't interested in her I'm the way she assumed.
"Hmm... What an interesting state, although your body isn't injured, your strength is getting sealed while your lust is getting amplified. I'm assuming it's because of some drug, but I don't think you humans can make such a thing...a relic from an olden age maybe?, that seems likely. I wonder what's going to happen to you now, the curiosity is so overwhelming.
After a while of just staring at each other, Igneel started talking. Not particularly to Grace since his eyes went vacant as if he was stuck in thought.
"Umm, senior thank you for saving me, I'll forever be greatful." Grace seeing that he really didn't seem to be interested in doing obscene things with her, mastered up some courage and thanked him.
She was a bit confused as to why he spoke in a way that suggested he wasn't human. Though that's not her fault since at that point in time, the humans didn't know that there were devine beasts in the Great Beast Forest. Let alone know that they could assume human forms. This was because the Great forest was filled with beasts from Level 1 to Level 9 the deeper you went in. So meeting or even knowing about the elders and the beast king was impossible.
"It's fine little miss, now you have two options, you can satisfy my curiosity by allowing me to expel the drug from your system with my mana or I can just drop you off at the base of the mountain and you'll be on your way.
"Oh and since it's a lust drug I don't know if removing it without doing what it dictates would lead to adverse effects, so choose wisely."
"If you choose to indulge my curiosity I will take care of you until you're fine, no matter what happens. But if you choose the other, I don't know how long you'll last before you become a lust maniac who will likely throw themselves at the very first male they see". Igneel unhurriedly gave Grace her options.
At first when she heard the word "satisfy", Grace's body tensed since she felt she couldn't outrun him, even in her best state let alone her current one. Which perplexed her since she was supposed to have reached the highest level anyone can reach. But all those thoughts dispersed when she was told her situation and the two ways it could end. And she did feel slightly resentful that he was so blunt about it and was clearly steering her into his clutches, though she knew he wasn't lying as her consciousness that had cleared up a bit before was clouding over again.
"If--if it's like that.. then I'm in senior's care". After a while of contemplating Grace felt that dying during his experiment would be better than the alternative so she agreed to his conditions. She thought he might reached the fabled Level 10 so if she was to be saved and keep her dignity, only such a figure could do it.
"Good, you've made the right choice now turn around". An exited Igneel quickly movee into action, turning her around on the bed and placing his hand on her back around the spot where her dantian would be.
Grace was startled by his actions and also grumpily thought why he even told her to turn around, when he was going to make her do it himself anyway.
Before she could at least express her displeasure she felt a gentle yet scary energy invade her body. She wanted to call it mana but felt that it would be disrespectful to the energy and she had a sudden thought, he was even beyond the Level 10 that all of the humans only knew from legends.
As she was lost in her thoughts, Igneel was busy trying to force out the drug from her body. Oddly enough, it seemed to have turned into an energy that latched on to her mana.
"Well, this really is intriguing....well I guess there's no other option."
As he spoke, Igneel's input of his devine mana increased and the drug energy was forced out...not without consequence to Grace.
"Oops, seems I got to serious, but she should be fine.... probably. Igneel talked to himself again as he looked at the now unconscious Grace who fell backwards on his lap.
Seems when he viciously expelled the drug mana out, he also expelled all her mana. And no matter who it is, if all they're mana was suddenly all wiped out like that, fainting is the least they would do. Very likely, if she wasn't if such a high level, Grace would have died.
Looking at the unconscious and defenceless beauty on his lap, Igneel couldn't help but get dazed a bit.
"Well, this is odd, have I involved myself with humans so much, I now find them attractive...or is she just an exception?"
....
"I hope I'm not "going native", we don't even have the study of Sociology in this world". Igneel seriously thought out loud.