— — — — — — —
"By the way, Miss Erza, what kind of magic do you use?"
Lucy curiously looked at Erza as she asked. Despite being in the guild for a while now, she hadn't seen the magic of anyone other than Natsu.
"Just call me Erza."
"Erza's magic is really pretty. Lots of blood flows out, you know... the opponent's blood."
Happy deliberately tried to scare Lucy.
Erza chuckled and said, "It's nothing remarkable. I actually think Gray's magic is more beautiful."
"My time has come"
Gray posed dramatically, preparing his magic. As cold air gathered, an ice crystal formed, taking the shape of the Fairy Tail guild emblem in his hand.
"My magic is ice-based."
"Wow! That's so beautiful!"
"Ahhh!!"
Suddenly, Lucy seemed to have an epiphany. "Ice! Fire! So that's why you two don't get along!"
"Is that so?"
Gray, looking annoyed, said, "That doesn't matter, does it? Let's get to the main point. Erza, what's going on? For someone as strong as you to seek help, it must be something tricky."
"That's true."
"Alright, I'll explain now. On the way back from a job, I stopped by a bar in Onibas where wizards tend to gather. There was a group of people there that caught my attention..." Erza described the group she had encountered.
"They were acting arrogantly in the bar, clearly not good people."
"Apparently, they had found something called Lullaby and seemed intent on breaking its seal."
"Lullaby?"
"A lullaby... some kind of curse-related magic?"
"I'm not sure. But since it was sealed away, I'd assume it's a very powerful magic."
"No idea what they're thinking. Maybe unsealing some mysterious magic is just part of their job, and nothing will come of it." Gray nonchalantly dismissed it. Breaking magical seals wasn't an uncommon request for Fairy Tail wizards.
"Exactly. At first, I thought the same and didn't pay much attention. But then I heard the name Erigor, and that changed everything."
"Erigor of the Eisenwald guild, their ace... also known as the Grim Reaper."
"The Re... Reaper?!"
Hearing the terrifying title, Lucy shuddered in fear.
Just then, the sound of the train arriving at the station interrupted the conversation, and everyone got off the train.
"Erigor specializes in assassination missions, hence his nickname. Normally, assassination requests are forbidden by the Council, but Eisenwald only cares about money."
"So… six years ago, Eisenwald was expelled from the wizard guild alliance and categorized as a dark guild."
"A dark guild?!"
Lucy was drenched in sweat. She had just heard about dark guilds yesterday, and now she was about to encounter one?!
Happy teased, "Lucy, you're leaking a lot of juice!"
"That's just sweat!!"
"Wait a minute! Expelled? Doesn't that mean they weren't punished?!"
Lucy caught onto Erza's phrasing.
"They were punished. At the time, Eisenwald's guild master was arrested, and the guild was ordered to disband. But most dark guilds ignore such orders and continue their activities."
"I was too careless. If I'd recognized the name Erigor earlier, I could've sacrificed the whole group as a blood offering!"
"Ehhh?!"
Lucy was completely freaked out. She had just joined the guild, and now she was already involved in such a dangerous mission. It was too overwhelming.
"I'm going back..." Lucy turned to leave.
Kitaro reminded her, "The train had already left."
"I see. If it's just the group I saw, Erza could probably handle them alone. But if it's the entire guild..."
"They're clearly planning something with Lullaby's magic. I can't just sit by and do nothing. We're going to infiltrate Eisenwald."
Hearing this, Gray's interest was piqued. "Sounds like fun! Looks like this trip won't be a waste."
Erza glanced at Kitaro.
Kitaro smiled. "I'm in."
Eisenwald? He didn't remember much about them. But since this was the early stages of the anime, it was probably just a low-level mission.
For someone like him, a max-level player clearing a beginner dungeon, it could be fun.
Plus, traveling with Erza was a good chance to get closer to her.
"I knew I shouldn't have come," Lucy muttered in regret. Her curiosity had led her here, and now she was paying the price.
"Alright, don't be so pessimistic. I won't let them lay a finger on you," Kitaro reassured Lucy.
"Really?!"
Lucy's spirits lifted. She had seen Kitaro's power firsthand and trusted him.
"Do you know where Eisenwald is?"
"We can find out by investigating here. Dark guilds still need a base of operations. If they appeared here, their guild can't be too far."
"Wait... oh no! Natsu's gone!"
Lucy suddenly realized Natsu was missing.
"Could it be..."
"Oh no! Natsu's still on the train!"
Erza turned to Kitaro. "How long does your hypnosis last?"
"I'm not sure. It depends on the quality of his sleep. If he sleeps well and isn't disturbed, he could stay asleep until the final stop."
Happy added, "Natsu sleeps really well."
"Then there's nothing to worry about."
"Exactly!" Gray nodded.
Lucy groaned, "That's not the point!"
— — —
Meanwhile, on the train
"Zzz... Zzz..."
Natsu was snoring soundly, sprawled out on his seat.
A man boarding from Onibas passed by, noticing Natsu. But what really caught his attention was the Fairy Tail guild emblem on Natsu's shoulder.
The man sat across from him, staring enviously at the emblem and muttering to himself:
"Fairy Tail... a legitimate guild. I'm so jealous."
.
.
.