Ripples spread across the water's surface, slowly revealing the figure of a blond guy.
Mira locked eyes with the man across from her, and both their eyes went wide at the same time.
"Laxus?! The evil dragon is you?!"
"Mira! How the heck did you contact me?!"
The second the words left her mouth, Mira remembered she was supposed to be the "Witch" right now. She instantly slipped back into an elegant, composed pose, her voice turning soft and magnetic.
"Good morning, esteemed Lord Evil Dragon."
"Would you perchance be interested in a… fascinating little deal with me?"
Laxus just blinked, totally lost. There was nothing about a "deal" in his script.
Did Kana sneak in some extra lines for me?
After a few seconds of brain-freeze, he snapped into "Evil Dragon" mode, tilting his chin up arrogantly and sneering:
"A mere human dares to negotiate with me? How laughable!"
"But—since you somehow managed to reach me, I, the great king, will graciously hear out your boring little proposal."
Mira flashed a polite smile and gave a tiny nod. "Thank you for your magnanimity, oh mighty dragon."
"The princess from the prophecy—with the crimson hair—has already set out. However, I conveniently left out info on one of the three dragon-slaying treasures. Now only two remain."
"And I will obtain the exact location of the final treasure—and offer it to you."
Laxus crossed his arms, racking his brain for the right dragon-y tone. "Hmph! Though I scoff at you humans and your prophecies, all treasures in this world rightfully belong to me!"
"So what do you want from me in return?"
Mira's lips curled into a cold smirk. "Snow White's… heart."
"With it, I'll gain the princess's innate divine power. And once she's dead, I can legitimately claim the throne and rule this kingdom."
"Her heart?" Laxus frowned, thinking fast. A beat later, he spoke in the dragons' signature aloof drawl:
"Fine. It's just a human girl's heart—useless to me."
"Deal struck."
"Thank you for your generosity, great dragonable dragon," Mira said with a sly smile.
"The moment I have the final treasure's location, I'll contact you."
"Mm." Laxus nodded mysteriously, trying to channel some fake dragon power. With a dramatic wave, the water mirror vanished.
"Alrighty~" Mira chirped, cheerfully puppeteering the stiff, zombie-like "King" beside her. "Time for me to get moving too."
"Let's hope my adorable little princess doesn't flop halfway through~"
Humming a random tune, hands clasped behind her back, she led the shambling "King" step by step toward the castle's dark basement.
---
Meanwhile, Erza stepped out of the castle with Little White trotting beside her.
She clenched her fist, testing this unfamiliar body, a flicker of confusion in her eyes.
"All my armors are gone from the Requip space… but I can still feel the magic itself."
"Is it because physical 'holder-type' items can't be brought into this illusion?"
She raised her right hand—a crimson magic circle flashed—and a nearby rock exploded.
"Add-on magic still works, but the power and effects are way weaker than in reality."
"This body's magic and strength are nothing like mine… Is it just temporary stats from the input glasses?"
As she walked the forest path, she sorted through the situation.
"HELP!!!" A familiar scream echoed from the woods ahead.
Erza looked up—Lucy, in a poofy sky-blue dress, was tied up tight and dangling upside-down from a crooked tree, swinging like a piñata.
Erza stopped, started forward—then remembered she was in a story.
After a few wary seconds, she turned to leave.
".⁊0 WAIT! HOLD UP!!" Lucy thrashed harder when she saw Erza walking away.
"A helpless young lady tied to a tree! You're not gonna save me?!"
Erza spun back, eyes sharp. "A random girl tied up in the middle of nowhere? Obviously a trap!"
"You're a monster in disguise, luring kind-hearted travelers to eat them!"
Arms crossed, she wore a smug "I've seen it all" look.
"An experienced adventurer like me would never fall for such an obvious trick!"
"=_= When did you become an adventurer? Aren't you the princess?" Lucy muttered, eyeing the creepy forest.
"But… now that you mention it, that does make sense…"
She cleared her throat, forcing the most pitiful face she could muster.
"B-but I really am a poor girl kidnapped by bandits! If you save me, I'll be super grateful!"
"Hard pass," Erza shot back without hesitation.
"Gratitude from a monster? Next thing I know, I'm dinner."
"(0_0 She's 100% convinced I'm a monster!!" Lucy gaped.
As Erza turned to leave for real, Lucy yelled, "WAIT! Your elf buddy Little White can tell good from evil!"
"Plus, I'm actually a guide—sent to help the princess from the prophecy complete her mission!!"
"Elf?" Erza paused, glancing at the puppy.
"You're an elf?"
"Woof?" Little White looked confused, then seemed to catch on—he nodded and wagged his tail happily.
"Woof!"
"Whoa! A real live elf! First time seeing one!" Erza's eyes sparkled. She crouched down, bombarding him with questions:
"Do you have wings? Can you bless me? Or make cake appear?"
Little White panicked, shaking his head frantically.
"=_= She bought the elf thing that fast—not surprising for Erza," Lucy twitched, watching the girl-and-dog "chat." She sighed dramatically.
"ANYWAY! Can you get me down already?!"
"Oh, right." Erza finally noticed the human ornament.
She turned to Little White seriously. "Little White, is she a monster?"
Little White shook his head, stuck out his tongue, and wagged at Lucy.
"Hm." Erza nodded. "Guess she's not a monster."
After some struggle, Lucy was finally freed from the tree.
Her hair was a mess, and she felt exhausted.
Why is Erza the protagonist?! She's ignoring the script completely—I had to spill later lines early!
I finally get what Mira meant by "bad acting"…
Taking a deep breath, she forced a professional smile.
"Pleased to meet you, noble Princess."
"I am your guide of fate. You may call me Celia."
Erza rubbed her chin, then asked point-blank, "Lucy, where do we go next?"
Lucy slapped her forehead, nearly laughing from frustration. "I—am—CE-LI-A! Princess! "
Erza frowned. "We'll worry about unimportant details later. Where's our first stop?"
Lucy wanted to cry. Somebody trade roles with me!!
With a defeated sigh, she mumbled, "Fine… First, we head to the Sky City to find the first weapon—the Dragonblood Armor, Unyielding Barrier."
"It's forged from the scales and heart-blood of an ancient dragon, the Mountain Wyrm, that was slain long ago."
"To keep the evil dragon from destroying it, only one family knows the Sky City's location."
"That family was cursed by the dragon—every generation only bears girls, and none ever grow up. They stay little girls forever."
"And since they sell matches to survive, each heir is called The Little Match Girl."
Lucy raised her hands—a faintly glowing crystal ball illusion formed between them.
"My crystal shows this generation's Little Match Girl is in the nearby Cat Town."
"Then what are we waiting for?!" Erza spun to leave. "Let's go find her!"
"WAIT! Princess! You're going the wrong way!!" Lucy yelled, heart even more tired.
---
As they neared the forest's edge, they spotted a roadside stall overflowing with gorgeous cakes.
A gentle, sweet-smiling woman who looked like the ultimate big-sis type was calling out cheerfully:
"Fresh cakes! The best in the whole kingdom!"
"The best cakes in the kingdom!" Erza's eyes lit up like fireworks. In a blink, she teleported to the stall.
"Hi! I'll take every cake you've got!"
"Coming right up~" The vendor smiled. "That'll be three gold coins."
Lucy: "????"
"HOLD IT!" She dashed over, yanking Erza back by the arm and hissing, "Are you serious?! You thought I was a monster for being tied up, but you'll buy from a random forest cake stall?!"
"Don't you think it's super suspicious to sell cakes in the woods?! She could be a monster too!"
Erza gave her a "you sweet summer child" look.
"Not suspicious at all. Roger and I once found a BBQ stall in the woods. And she's selling the best cakes in the kingdom!"
"Otherworldly best cakes!"
Lucy: "=_= Has it occurred to you that everyone says their stuff is the best…?"
Erza sighed fondly, like a patient mentor. "Fine, since you're worried she's evil, we'll let Little White check."
"Woof!" Little White trotted forward—but the vendor suddenly whipped out a tiny "No Pets Allowed" sign.
Little White tilted his head. "Woof?"
"Sorry, little guy," the vendor said with an apologetic smile. "Sanitation rules for cakes—no pets near the goods."
Lucy: "=_= Since when does this story have health codes???"
"No worries, I get it." Erza strode up, slapped her three gold coins on the table, and declared, "Here's for all the cakes."
"Thank you~" The vendor neatly packed the cakes into a basket, leaving a few especially fancy ones out.
"These are the tastiest, but the frosting will melt if you wait. Best to eat them now."
"Got it!" Erza grabbed one, took a bite, and savored it—then frowned slightly.
"It's delicious… but this flavor feels so familiar?"
The vendor—Mira in disguise—stiffened for a split second, then smiled smoothly.
"Maybe all good cakes taste kinda similar?"
"Makes sense." Erza shrugged, happily devouring the rest. She picked up the full basket and waved Lucy along.
The vendor blinked. "Um—how were the cakes? Any… special feelings? Just doing some market research."
Erza thought seriously. "Super tasty! And after eating, my heart's racing a bit—first time a cake's done that."
"But the sweetness was perfect. I loved it!"
"G-great…" Mira's smile twitched.
The poison dose in the book was too low… I was scared of getting caught, so I only spiked a few. Just made her heart race?
Watching Erza and Lucy walk away, Mira's grin turned sly.
But the tracking spell's planted.
The real show's just beginning.
---
Lucy glanced suspiciously at Erza happily munching as they walked.
She's fine? Was I overthinking?
But the script wasn't like this… Something feels off. Hope it doesn't get weirder.
With a helpless sigh, Lucy slapped her cheeks to psych herself up, jogging to catch up and guide the wildly off-script "Snow White" toward Cat Town.
At the town entrance, they spotted Mirajane—hood up, basket of matches on her arm—huddled pitifully by the road.
Every time someone passed, she timidly held up a matchbox and asked in a shaky voice:
"W-would you… like to buy my matches, meow?"
Erza pointed. "That's your Little Match Girl?"
"She doesn't look very… little?"
Kana's prop casting is trash! Lucy's eye twitched, brain scrambling to patch the lore.
"W-well, in this world, 'little girls' just… mature faster!"
"Yeah, mature! But she's definitely the one!"
Before Erza could grill her, Lucy grabbed her arm and dragged her over.
"Less talking, more asking about the first weapon!"
They stopped in front of Mirajane. Lucy leaned in, whispering conspiratorially:
"You're… the Little Match Girl, right?"
Hearing the code phrase, Mirajane raised her matches and recited:
"Would you like to buy my matches?"
Lucy: "????"
Wait—this is when she's supposed to drop Sky City clues! Why's she still on the match loop?!
"Ahem!" Lucy coughed louder, trying to nudge her.
"My friend here is the princess from the prophecy who'll slay the evil dragon! How do we get to Sky City?"
Mirajane blinked innocently, raised the matches higher, and emphasized:
"Would you like to buy my (extra loud) matches (extra loud), meow?"
"Only three gold coins!"
"Three gold coins?" Lucy froze—then it hit her like a truck.
She clutched her head, internally screaming: OH NO! I REMEMBER!!
Snow White's three gold coins were the quest item for HERE!!
Why did we spend them on cakes?! No wonder the forest stall was weird!!
We're screwed! What now?!