The next day, at the temporary bar beside the guild's request board
The strongest team gathered once more.
Because they had destroyed a considerable amount of public property during yesterday's job, the payout had been completely wiped out. Erza and the others decided to accept another request immediately to ease their tight, awkward financial situation.
Especially Lucy, who was worrying over this month's rent.
"Marcus, why are you the one handling jobs today?" Gray asked.
"Marcus! I saw you in Sorcerer Weekly!" Lucy said in surprise.
It had been quite some time since she joined the guild, yet she had never spoken with Marcus face-to-face before.
"As a new member of Fairy Tail, Lucy, I've heard plenty about you," Marcus replied, sitting in the chair usually occupied by Mira, one arm resting casually on the table and a friendly smile on his face. He was the type who enjoyed chatting with everyone.
"Even if you don't say it outright, I can already tell it's all embarrassing stuff…" Lucy muttered, covering her face with both hands in resignation.
"Hey, Marcus, you haven't answered me yet where's Mira?" Gray pressed, clearly annoyed at being ignored.
"You should probably put on a shirt before asking that."
"Huh? Since when?!"
After reminding Gray, Marcus finally explained, "Mira left with Chase early this morning. They're going after the assassination guild, the Skull Society, following what happened last night. The Master originally wanted Loki to go with Chase, but Loki hasn't been in great shape lately, so I'm covering here instead."
The moment Natsu heard that, his eyes lit up. "Assassination guild? Skull Society? Chase is out looking for a fight?!"
Having spent the night with Happy in their cabin outside Magnolia, he had no idea about the Three Crows' attack.
"…Is fighting all you can think about? Someone tried to assassinate Chase!" Lucy began to explain, but halfway through, a realization hit her and she blurted, "Wait does this mean Chase and Mira are teaming up?!"
Her shout drew the immediate attention of everyone nearby.
"Hahaha! In a way, if those two monsters join forces, no team in the guild could stand against them!"
"Poor Natsu and Gray your title as the 'strongest team' lasted exactly one day~"
"That's not entirely true. In terms of raw power, Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe aren't weak either… though they're insufferable."
"Man! What happened last night? How did my sister get kidnapped?"
"There's a connection there~~!"
Aside from Elfman, who was completely lost, most of the onlookers were either laughing or teasing without restraint.
"Damn it! They formed a team in secret?! Erza, let's hurry up and take an S-Class request we can't let them pull ahead!" Natsu shouted, already forgetting about the assassination attempt.
"Are you stupid? The Master said no S-Class jobs during reconstruction," Gray retorted, sniping at him as usual before turning to Erza. "Fine, then let's take three no, five jobs at once!"
When it came to refusing to back down, the two were perfectly in sync.
"Love! I'm excited!" Happy chimed in, pumping his little fists.
"That's right, work, work!" Lucy chimed in.
Unlike Natsu's burning competitive spirit, she cared only about one thing right now money.
I really have to thank Brother Chase and Sister Mira for making these guys so motivated, she thought, covering her mouth to hide a sly grin.
But while Natsu and Gray's energy burned hotter, Erza's expression remained grave.
Seeking revenge was natural, but the Skull Society was still a powerful dark guild. No matter what, protocol dictated they report to the Magic Council first and await further instructions.
And thinking back, Chase's idea to interrogate the Three Crows alone last night… had also been improper.
Ignoring Natsu and the others, Erza stepped up to Marcus.
"Where's the Master?" she asked.
"He took the members of the Bones Society to the Council said he wanted to see how they'd react."
Marcus scratched his head, remembering the unusual sight from that morning. "Weird, he's never this proactive."
Erza's frown deepened.
Hasty decisions… reversed order of operations…
Something was off. It felt like the Master, Chase, and Mira were hiding something from her.
"Natsu, Gray I won't be taking any jobs for now," she said firmly.
Then her sharp gaze fell on Elfman. "Elfman! Get over here! You said Chase went to your house last night?"
Southern Fiore, Kaemuru Coast
A pair of dark blue wings split the clouds, slicing through the sky toward their destination.
Chase sat in front, Mira behind him, the two pressed close on the back of the city-guarding pterosaur. Wind roared past, tugging at their clothes and hair.
The Tower of Paradise's location had been pried from the Three Crows.
According to Owl, Jellal had cloaked the structure in a barrier much like Tenrou Island's shielding it from ordinary detection. It would only be revealed once completed, when it could be targeted by the Council's magic cannon.
Of course, its strength was far below that of Tenrou's barrier, but even so, in the waters surrounding the tower, birds and fish alike had perished under its influence.
"By the way, Chase do you have an infiltration plan?" Mira leaned forward, her long white hair whipping wildly in the wind.
Whether from the pterosaur's speed or some other cause, their mount dipped and jolted every so often. To keep from being thrown off, Mira wrapped her arms tightly around Chase's waist.
"Don't worry," Chase replied, grinning. "I came prepared. The plan is "
Even over the roaring wind, he could feel her warmth and faint fragrance close to his ear.
" land at the entrance, then fight our way up until we take Jellal's head."
With Jellal's cautious nature, he'd likely accounted for failure long before the Three Crows returned. A surprise attack wouldn't work.
And besides no matter the risk, this was too good a chance to pass up. Cards could drop, strength could grow.
In a world where magic came from heart and will, overthinking only held you back.
Fight! Cool! Just do it!
"Ah… such a detailed and thorough plan," Mira teased, eyes narrowing as a knowing smile curved her lips. "Then it's fine if I cut loose a little, right?"
With Chase by her side, there was no need to worry about accidentally hurting an ally.
In other words, as long as the innocent workers in the Tower of Paradise are dismissed, he can use the move that was banned by the president without any scruples!
....
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