"Hey, Miss Lucy! Someone's coming!" a man shouted from the village gate.
"It's those guys. Open the gate!" Lucy replied to the guard above.
"Yes, ma'am!"
Lucy pumped her fist, full of confidence. "Alright, let's do this!"
"Oh, hey Lucy! Everyone's okay, right?" Chen Fan came running toward them, not even looking at the path beneath his feet.
"Ah"
"Chen Fan!"
"No, don't come over here!"
"What did you say?"
"Wait, stop!"
"Huh?"
"Ah!"
Thump!
Everyone stared wide-eyed as Chen Fan plummeted. "Someone actually fell for it..."
"I'm pretty surprised myself."
"A failure. Now I'm certain Chen Fan wasn't the one who saved me," Lucy said definitively.
"Hey, hey, hey! Who played a prank here?" Chen Fan complained from the bottom of the pit.
"It definitely wasn't Lucy," Happy called from above.
Chen Fan realized immediately. "So it was her!"
"No, it wasn't!"
"But it's great that Chen Fan is okay," Happy added.
Chen Fan was fuming. He had actually fallen for such an obvious trap. What did they mean, 'okay'? He shouted at the mocking cat, "Get over here, you cat! Pull me up, or you're never eating fish again!"
"Aye! No! I'm coming!" Happy flew down instantly. Chen Fan grabbed Happy's legs and was carried back up.
Reaching the surface, Chen Fan's face was dark. Swoosh, swoosh. He immediately began restoring the trap to its original state. Watching him work, Lucy pulled Happy aside and whispered, "Has Chen Fan always been this vengeful?"
"Aye..." Happy put on a serious face. "Chen Fan is very scary. People who offend him never end up well."
Lucy jumped, clutching her cheeks. "Ah! Then I'm doomed!"
"Don't worry. Just change the subject and make him forget what happened. Chen Fan is very forgetful," Happy suggested. Lucy gave him a thumbs-up, and the girl and cat shared a sinister chuckle.
Meanwhile, a villager pulled Chief Moka aside. "Chief, are these people really okay?" He glanced at the busy Chen Fan and the giggling duo of Lucy and Happy, his tone laced with worry.
"Er... I can't be sure, but they're the only ones who can help us now."
Chen Fan finally finished and called Lucy and Happy over. "Are Natsu Dragneel and Gray Fullbuster not back yet?"
"Not yet, but they should be soon," Lucy said uncertainly.
"Oh, alright," Chen Fan replied casually.
Swoosh! Lucy pulled Happy away again. "Are you sure his memory is bad?" she whispered.
"Aye."
"What are you two doing?" Chen Fan asked, eyeing their suspicious behavior.
"Ah! Nothing! Nothing at all!" they stammered.
Suddenly, a voice rang out. "Is everyone okay?" Everyone looked toward the source to see Natsu, frozen into a block of ice, carrying Gray on his shoulders.
"Ah, don't come over mmph!" Before Lucy could finish, Chen Fan covered her mouth.
"What was that? Ah!"
Thud! Natsu and Gray fell straight into the pit.
Chen Fan finally felt satisfied and beamed with joy, startling Lucy and Happy. But the smile vanished instantly, replaced by a worried expression. He ran to the edge of the pit. "Are you guys okay? I'll save you right away!"
"Who is this 'merciful' person?" Lucy deadpanned.
"Hey, hey, hey! Who played a prank at a time like this?" Natsu yelled from the pit.
"It definitely wasn't Lucy," Chen Fan said. "It must be her!"
"No, it wasn't!" Lucy denied.
"Hmm?" Chen Fan turned his head, his eyes darkening as he bared his teeth in a savage grin.
"Aye... it was me," Lucy whispered.
The villager whispered to the Chief again, "Chief, are these people really okay?"
"They're a bit problematic..." Moka couldn't guarantee it anymore.
"Hey, Chen Fan, hurry up and check on Gray! He's badly hurt!" Natsu shouted.
"What?"
With a swoosh, Chen Fan leaped into the pit. He carefully examined Gray's injuries and found only external wounds. There wasn't much internal damage, though he had suffered a significant mental shock.
Without much effort, Chen Fan gave Gray some basic treatment. "Alright, don't worry. He'll be fine."
"Then why hasn't he woken up yet?"
"His mind took a hit. He'll wake up in a bit. Now, let's get him out of here," Chen Fan said.
"Oh? Hey, the ice is gone! Even fire couldn't melt this! Haha!" Natsu cheered.
"Hoho... everything went according to my battle plan..." Lucy interjected proudly.
"It is likely that the magical effect weakened because the distance from the caster became too great," Virgo said from beside Lucy, immediately debunking her claim.
Only then did Chen Fan notice Virgo in her maid outfit. With a swoosh, he appeared beside her and looked her over. "Nice. Very cute. 95 points."
"Are you going to punish me?" Virgo's words hit Chen Fan like a lightning bolt. It was too stimulating; two streams of blood erupted from his nostrils, and he collapsed.
Lucy turned to Happy. "What does 95 points mean?"
"That's Chen Fan's rating system for beauties," Happy explained.
"Then what's my score?" Lucy asked, striking a pose.
Ding-ding! A sound effect played as Happy held up a sign that read '0'.
"You stupid cat!" Lucy started chasing Happy.
"Wait a second," Natsu interrupted. "Are those guys not here yet?" Lucy stopped playing and thought for a moment. "It is quite slow. They should have headed for the village before you, but you arrived first."
"Yeah, and I was delayed for quite a while."
Lucy suddenly clenched her fist. "This is our chance! Quick, hide the pit again!"
"You still want to use the pit?!" everyone complained.
Suddenly, a villager pointed at the sky. "What's that?" Everyone looked up to see the green rat, Angelica, flying in the air and carrying a massive iron bucket.
"They're coming from the sky?! Then my trap is useless!" Lucy yelled at the rat.
"You're still thinking about the trap?!" They were speechless.
A green, water-like droplet fell from the bucket. Lucy reached out as if to catch it, but Chen Fan quickly pulled her back. Sizzle! The ground where the droplet landed was instantly corroded, leaving a hole.
Lucy realized what had happened and took a shaky breath. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it. Since I'm here, I'll take responsibility for your safety," Chen Fan said plainly. He looked like a reliable elder brother, radiating a sense of duty. Lucy found herself staring, dazed. Between his usual cynicism and this reliable side, she didn't know which one was the real Chen Fan.
🚨 Note: Consider supporting this story on Patreon.com/kleinmoretti to access 100+ advance chapters and 2 new chapters daily! (Full story bundles also available without a subscription).