This arc has been arround for 40-50 chapters and there is another important plot cooking itself on the sidelines. What "dragging"? Maybe it has to do with your interest in the manga and not the manga itself.
And it's not that Hiro isn't taking it seriously, just that he decided beforehand that it's going to be a happy-go-round manga.
Nah, it's fine, this is really the first time I've had a problem with the pace of FT. And I'm not really bothered by the pace, just kinda worried that with so much going on, that some points will get rushed. I really hope it's not the end too, there's so much I still wanna see. But like I said, I'm probably just cranky.
EDIT: Crankiness level dropping thanks to that link. XD
Well he could have planned out a lot more since that interview took place. Maybe at the time, he was just going with what he felt like doing, but now that it's getting a lot more serious I'm sure he planned ahead. I don't wanna see a train wreck. I've read too many manga that have ended badly, so I'm hoping this one is done right.
Then again she might use Lecter's life as a form of blackmail to trigger Sting's nakama-sense in order for him to grow stronger. It seems to me that having Lecter locked somewhere, showing him to Sting in order to tease him is much more favorable than just lying (assuming that she wants Sting to gorw stronger) and it also leaves a window open for Sting to join FT since Natsu might as well show up and help him save the cat.
Not likely since shit is going to hit the fan before those two ever meet again.