Lucy was still a bit puzzled. "But won't the Magic Council suppress the reports? And wouldn't the magazines be too scared to spread scandals about the Council?"
Mira chimed in, "Big magazines definitely wouldn't dare. With all the resources they have these days, they don't need to take risks like filming this incident."
"But those little magazines on the brink of bankruptcy? They couldn't care less," Mira said, her narrowed eyes opening just a touch wider. "Especially when five of them are racing to scoop the story—the first one to report gets the biggest payoff. Even if they're a bit late, it could give those failing rags a quick cash infusion."
Her voice was soft but carried a sly edge. "The Council's seal getting broken by a mid-tier dark guild like Eisenwald—is it negligence, or an inside job? And with Fairy Tail getting involved? That kind of juicy topic is a lifeline for those small magazines to make a comeback."
Erza nodded from the side, picking up the thread. "Once the news spreads, the Council won't be able to pin the blame on us—the public won't stand for it. Plus, this time we didn't go on a rampage destroying buildings; we lured Lullaby out of town."
"The Council can only thank us for stopping this disaster."
"At the latest, in three days, they'll send over the commission fees for taking down Eisenwald and Lullaby."
Roger smirked. "So right now, all we need to do is spend a day 'taking down a dark guild.'"
"After all, that was our original mission, not some 'accidental' run-in with Eisenwald."
Lucy's eyes widened a bit. "Because those five magazines are competing for the scoop—the news will spread like wildfire."
"And by delaying a day, we let it ferment just right. Even if not everyone finds out, it's enough to keep the Council from pulling any funny business…"
Mira winked playfully with her left eye. "Lucy, you're sharp! Spot on."
Happy stared at Lucy in shock. "L-Lucy actually got all that?!"
Lucy couldn't help but retort, "Just how dumb do you think I am?!"
Natsu's eyes were spinning like crazy, steam puffing from his head. After a moment, he gave a thumbs-up with a grin. "So all we gotta do next is take down another dark guild, right?"
Lucy deadpanned. "…"
"Should I say you nailed the key point, or that you didn't understand a thing?"
Happy raised a paw. "Aye! That's Natsu for ya."
Watching Erza, Mira, and Roger walk ahead, Lucy took a slow, deep breath.
Guild reputation, magazine rewards, handing over Lullaby, the Council's gratitude fee—they'd turned a sudden crisis into a total win across the board.
Every step calculated to perfection, even forcing the Council to bow their heads in thanks.
She gazed at their backs, muttering to herself, This group… they're really kinda terrifying.
A day later, the crew rode the train back to Magnolia. As soon as they stepped off, Lucy couldn't wait—she dashed to a newsstand nearby and snatched up three weekly magazines. Her slender fingers flipped through the pages rapidly, her eyes growing wider and wider.
"Amazing!" she exclaimed, unable to hold back. "They're all covering the Lullaby incident, but each one's angle is totally different!"
She laid the three magazines side by side, her fingertip darting across the layouts.
"This one goes into detail on our battle with Lullaby, even the backstory on the flute. This one actually caught the moment we handed the flute over to the Council's messenger. And the most shocking? This one's all real interviews from the townsfolk, including how we protected the civilians!"
She snapped the magazines shut and headed toward the guild, her eyes sparkling with curiosity and a hint of regret. "Too bad the other two magazines were too far away; I really wanna know what they wrote…"
"Who cares about that stuff anyway!" Natsu suddenly bolted past her in a flash, his fist blazing with hot flames. He skidded to a stop right in front of Erza, blocking her path.
"Erza! Let's fight!" he shouted, flames flickering with his excitement. "If I beat you, I'll be an S-Class wizard!"
"?!" Lucy sweated bullets. "After seeing all that, you're still challenging Erza? Is it bravery or just a death wish? =_="
Erza casually swatted him aside. "Beat Gray first, then we'll talk."
Natsu tumbled to the roadside but popped back up, shaking his head and yelling defiantly, "That guy's just my punching bag—I've beaten him ages ago!!"
"Oh? Really now?" Gray strolled up with his arms crossed, smirking mockingly. "Then who's the one who took down one less guy than me during the dark guild takedown?"
He waggled two fingers in Natsu's face. "And it happened twice—twice—I took down one more each time."
He shrugged with feigned helplessness. "Ahh~ Some dead-last's gotta delude himself like this, plugging his ears and stealing bells. All I can do as the winner is watch him brag."
"Hah?!" Flames erupted around Natsu. "Who're you calling dead-last? You only beat one more than me, and it was some weakling you could've squashed easy—that proves nothing!!"
"Hmph," Gray tilted his chin up. "Even one more means I'm stronger by that much, you—subor—di—nate—loser!"
"You exhibitionist!!" Natsu roared, lunging at him. The two instantly rolled into a brawl, kicking up dust, with flames and ice shards flying everywhere.
Just then, Erza halted abruptly, her gaze locked on the new seasonal display in the window of a roadside cake shop.
"It's the limited edition! They've got a new one out!" Her eyes lit up, and she rushed inside, joining the line at the back of the group.
Lucy's eyes bulged in disbelief. "Erza's… actually queuing up?!"
Roger couldn't help but chuckle, shaking his head. "What, you think she'd just barrel through everyone, slap money on the counter, and yell, 'One cake for me!' or something?"
Lucy's mouth twitched as she whispered, "Honestly? That sounds exactly like what Erza would do."
Mira smiled sweetly at Natsu scrapping with Gray up ahead, then glanced back at Erza in the cake shop, her face full of anticipation.
She tapped her chin lightly, her smile deepening, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"This might get interesting in a bit."
Soon, they made it back to the guild. Natsu burst through the doors first, hollering at the top of his lungs, "We're back!"
"Oh, welcome home!" Macao set down his beer mug, turning with a grin toward the entrance.
Wakaba propped his face on one hand, a cigarette dangling from his mouth as he chuckled. "You guys really stole the spotlight this time. The Master was grinning at those weeklies all afternoon.