"What?!" Natsu's anger flared, and he slammed his fist into the man's face again. "How could you not know?! I heard you guys talking about using moonlight to revive Deliora! The moon turning purple has to be your doing!!"
His fists rained down like a storm. After three more punches, the white-haired man passed out completely.
Natsu stared at his fist, tilting his head in confusion. "Why won't he talk? I'm following the guild's interrogation method exactly!"
"Natsu!" A familiar voice cut through the air. Natsu froze, standing ramrod straight as cold sweat soaked his back. He stammered instinctively, "Y-Yes?!"
Lucy, watching from the side, deadpanned. What kind of reflex is that?
Natsu's head turned slowly, like a rusty gear grinding to a halt. He prayed the voice was just his imagination, but when he saw the figures standing next to Lucy, his face paled, as if all the color had drained from him. His hands flew to his face in terror, perfectly mimicking the despair of The Scream.
"Erza! Mirajane!! Roger!!! Why are all three of them here?!"
He blinked, squeezing his eyes shut, muttering to himself, "This has to be a dream. Yeah, I'm definitely dreaming. There's no way all three of them are on this tiny island."
Taking a deep breath, he mumbled, "All I have to do is open my eyes, and they'll be gone. That's how it works in manga, right?"
He clenched his eyes shut, then snapped them open. But instead of an empty scene, Erza was somehow closer than before.
He gasped, forcing a dry laugh. "Wow, this dream's a stubborn one, haha… ha."
He shut his eyes again. When he opened them, Erza's icy face was inches from his own.
A sharp pain shot through his head. Natsu clutched the spot where she'd whacked him, his face contorting in agony. "Ow!! What the heck?! This isn't a dream?!"
Happy waved a paw helplessly from the side. "Natsu, in manga, when you close your eyes, the monster just gets closer. They don't disappear."
As he spoke, Erza's dangerous glare shot toward him. Happy slapped a paw over his mouth, quickly backtracking. "I mean, it's Lady Erza! When you close your eyes, Lady Erza gets closer!"
The moment he finished, a hammer materialized above his head, surrounded by a crimson magic circle. With a loud thunk, stars swirled around Happy's head as he collapsed, tongue lolling out.
Lucy couldn't help but mutter, "You just called Erza a monster, you dumb cat."
When Erza's gaze shifted to Natsu, his hair practically stood on end, like a startled hedgehog. "I-I'm sorry!! I know I messed up! I'll never do it again, please forgive me!!"
Lucy's eyes widened. He totally stole my apology line!
Still, she felt a smug satisfaction. Good thing Erza came for me first, or I'd be the one sounding unoriginal. That would've made my apology seem way less sincere.
Erza sighed, rubbing her temples. "What did you find out?"
"Huh?" Natsu blinked, but his face quickly lit up with excitement. He blurted out, "This whole thing is because these guys are trying to revive Deliora!"
"This island stores the moon's magic power, so it's the perfect place for the Moon Drip ritual."
"They've been holding the Moon Drip ritual here every night. It focuses the moon's magic into a purple beam that creates Moon Drip, which can break any magic."
"These guys are using Moon Drip to melt the ice around Deliora. If we hadn't shown up, the ice would be gone by tomorrow, and Deliora would be revived!"
Lucy stared, stunned. "You got all that info in such a short time? That interrogation trick actually works?!"
"Pretty awesome, right?" Natsu grinned, rubbing his nose proudly. "I grilled him for fifteen minutes straight. My hand's kinda sore from all the punching."
His grin turned to a scowl. "But no matter how much I hit him, he wouldn't spill how to break the curse on the villagers. Talk about stubborn!"
Lucy glanced at the man on the ground, his face swollen like a pig's head. Hesitating, she asked cautiously, "What if… he really doesn't know how to break the curse?"
"No way!" Natsu shot back, crossing his arms confidently. "He's the mastermind behind this. There's no way he doesn't know how to break the curse. I just haven't hit him hard enough!"
A wicked smirk spread across his face as flames sparked in his hand. "Maybe I'll try burning his hair next. He uses ice magic, so he's gotta hate fire!"
Lucy groaned. "Are you a demon or something?"
Erza studied the man on the ground for a moment before stepping forward. A flash of white light enveloped her right hand, covering it in dark green armor. She held her hand near the man's face, and faint green gas seeped into his nose.
The moment the scent hit, the man's face twisted in pain. His eyes shot open, and he coughed violently, curling up like a shrimp.
After a few minutes, the coughing subsided. He weakly wiped blood from his mouth, his eyes filled with despair and exhaustion. Breathing heavily, he rasped, "I've told you a hundred times, I don't know how to break the curse! No matter how much you beat me, I can't give you an answer!"
Erza crouched down to his level, her gaze steady. "When did you start the Moon Drip ritual?"
He paused, then answered hoarsely, "Three years ago."
Erza turned to Lucy. "When did the villagers start turning into demons?"
Lucy thought for a moment. "Also three years ago."
Erza looked back at the man. "Have you all been on this island the whole time?"
"Yeah," he nodded, closing his eyes wearily. "We've been under the purple moonlight this whole time, but none of us have shown any signs of turning into demons."
Erza nodded slightly, standing up as her armor clinked softly. "I've got a rough idea, but it needs to be confirmed."
She crossed her arms, her tone firm. "No need to keep questioning him. He doesn't know how to break the curse."
"What?!" Natsu's face fell, like a kicked puppy. "How could he not know?! So we have to actually think to solve this?!"
He grabbed his hair in frustration, clearly unhappy with the conclusion.
Erza shot him a look. "If you know you're bad at thinking, maybe don't go picking missions you can't handle."
"Ugh…" Natsu deflated, his shoulders slumping. He muttered, "S-Sorry…"
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