"Let's head back to the Guild first."
After saying this, Raizel constructed a Teleportation Magic Circle beneath their feet.
Erza and the others nodded and stepped into it.
The location Raizel chose was not far from the Guild's main entrance. As soon as they materialized, they saw Loke running out of the guild hall, crying his eyes out.
However, upon seeing Erza standing there, Loke immediately screeched to a halt.
His face paled, and he turn around, sprinting back inside faster than he had come out!
"It's terrible! Erza's back!" Loke shouted as he pushed open the Guild doors.
'I can hear you perfectly fine from this close, you know...' Erza's corner of her mouth twitched.
...
Inside the Guild—
Silence.
The Guild suddenly became extremely quiet. Even Gray and Natsu, who had been in the middle of a brawl, froze mid-punch.
"Huh? What's going on? Why does everyone look so scared that Erza is back?" Lucy looked around at the Guild members, who seemed frozen in place like statues.
"You'll find out in a moment," Mirajane replied with a smile, her eyes narrowed pleasantly.
It wasn't like she was the one in trouble; she was quite happy to watch the show.
Erza strode majestically into the Guild, holding the massive Magic Beast horn with one hand. She set it down with a heavy thud, placed her hands on her hips, and let out a sigh.
"Listen, all of you. We've heard a lot of rumors on our way back, saying that the Mages of Fairy Tail are causing trouble all day long."
"Even if the Master forgives you, I won't!"
"Vijeeter, if you want to dance, do it outside. Don't always dance on the tables."
"Wakaba, your cigarette ash is falling all over the floor."
"Nab, are you still just staring at the Request Board? Get to work!"
"Macao... Sigh..." Erza looked at him, sighed helplessly, and rubbed her forehead.
She had also heard about Macao being Taken Over by the Vulcan on Mt. Hakobe.
'Well, I won't scold him today,' she decided.
"At least say something!" Macao protested, feeling that being scolded outright would be better than this disappointed silence.
Not being scolded made him feel even more uncomfortable.
"You're all just a bunch of kids who never grew up. I think I'll let you off today and not lecture you any further."
"So that's how it is. Erza is the disciplinary committee member of the Guild," Lucy remarked.
As soon as Lucy spoke, Erza finally noticed her. S
he turned and nodded politely. "Lucy, congratulations on joining Fairy Tail."
"Congratulations, Lucy," Ultear and Kagura added, nodding to her as well.
"Yes, thank you! I'm really happy to have joined Fairy Tail!" Lucy replied excitedly, clenching her right fist.
Ultear added, "We'll treat you to dinner tonight as a welcome."
"Great!"
"Alright, now let's get down to business. Are Natsu and Gray here?"
"Erza! We've been getting along really well today..."
"Aye!"
Natsu and Gray, with their arms around each other's shoulders, answered while trembling and sweating bullets.
If Erza had scolded them along with the others earlier, they might not have been as afraid.
What they feared most was Erza singling them out.
"Natsu has become just like Happy!" Lucy watched in astonishment.
This was the first time she had seen Natsu like this, considering he usually acted fearless.
Erza crossed her arms and nodded with certainty. "Even best friends argue occasionally, but I really enjoy seeing you two getting along so harmoniously. You're doing quite well."
"Not that great, really..." Gray muttered through a forced smile.
"Aye!" Natsu chirped.
"Why are Natsu and Gray acting like this?" Lucy whispered.
Mirajane squinted her eyes and explained with a smile, "Because Natsu challenged Erza earlier and got beaten half to death. As for Gray, he used to take off his clothes randomly in the guild and would often get beaten by Erza. Finally, she's managed to beat some sense into him—at least enough to keep his shorts on."
"Loke also got beaten half to death by Erza when he tried to flirt with her," Mirajane added casually.
"I see." Lucy pinched her chin thoughtfully.
She hadn't expected this side of Erza—when Erza visited the Heartfilia estate, she gave the impression of being incredibly strong, deeply obsessed with sweets, and somewhat airheaded... but not this terrifying.
Raizel clapped his hands to gather attention. "Natsu, Gray, there's something I need your help with. We'll set off tomorrow, so go back and pack quickly. Lucy, if you're interested, you can come along too."
"Eh? Me?" Lucy pointed at herself with her index finger, surprised to be called out by name.
Ultear smiled and nodded. "Yes, come along, Lucy."
The guild buzzed with discussion about Raizel actually needing help, but they quickly accepted it.
'None of my business, better to drink...' seemed to be the consensus.
Raizel and Erza sat at the bar counter, drinking cocktails mixed by Mirajane and Lisanna.
While wiping a glass, Mirajane asked Raizel, "What exactly happened that requires both Natsu and Gray to go?"
"A Mage from Eisenwald stole a magical artifact sealed by the Council. We're not sure of its specific purpose yet. Actually, Ultear and the others should be enough to handle it, but I want to give Natsu and Gray a chance to try and gain some experience when dealing with a dark guild."
If possible, Raizel would have liked Wendy to come along too, but Wendy and Carla had gone out for work and hadn't returned yet.
Wendy had learned the Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang and other techniques from Natsu, so she could protect herself well enough.
She also had a mature cat accompanying her, so Raizel wasn't too worried about her being deceived.
Otherwise, he wouldn't feel comfortable letting such an innocent girl like Wendy take on missions alone.
Mirajane nodded slightly.
'There was nothing to worry about then. If Raizel said so, it probably wasn't anything major.'
She was actually more interested in seeing Natsu and Gray team up—the destructive power should be impressive...
"Should I report this to the Master?"
"Yes, you can write a letter to Gramps later and let him know."
...
The Next Day—
They had agreed to meet at Magnolia Station. Erza and the others came to find Raizel early in the morning, and they walked to the station together.
Lucy had been startled awake by Natsu climbing through her window... and was now resting on a bench at the station, looking exhausted.
Meanwhile, Natsu and Gray were bickering again.
"Why do I have to team up with someone like you?!"
"That's what I want to say! If it's to help Raizel and Erza, I alone would be enough."
"Then you go alone!"
The two were going at it fiercely, drawing stares from passersby at the station.
Lucy covered her face, too embarrassed to watch.
"Sorry, have you been waiting long?"
Raizel spotted Natsu and Gray face-to-face in their argument from afar.
"Erza..."
Lucy turned to look at Raizel and Erza, staring blankly at the mountainous luggage cart Erza was pulling behind her.
Even though she had seen it before, such a huge cart of luggage never failed to amaze her every time she saw it.
"We got along really well today, too!"
"Aye!"
Natsu and Gray immediately put on different faces upon seeing Erza.
"It's appeared, Happy Number Two!" Lucy didn't even know where to begin with her complaints.
"Well, getting along harmoniously is what matters most." Erza nodded with a satisfied expression.
"Natsu, I'm charging you copyright fees! Ten fish!" Happy protested loudly while munching on a fish.
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