Jason somehow survived once again.
Even as he staggered to his feet, battered and bleeding, he still managed to lift his camera and snap photos of Natsu, Gray, and Juvia squirming beneath the Demon Horn Bear's massive claw. Truly a professional to the core.
The Guild was lively for a while, and before long, Master Cook worked his magic in the kitchen. He turned the enormous paw Erza had brought back into an entire feast, dish after dish, all made from bear meat.
The giant table groaned under the weight of fragrant dishes, and everyone ate to their heart's content. Jason tagged along for lunch too, though he flinched nervously every time someone raised their voice or waved their arms near him. Even so, he ate like an over-excited fan at a concert, completely thrilled just to be there.
To adore Fairy Tail this much, year after year, through every mess and scandal, that kind of devotion could only come from a true fan.
As the tavern buzzed with noise and laughter, Mira slipped naturally into her old habit of helping out. She carried plates with her usual grace, smiling warmly at her guildmates. To her, serving food was part of "taking care of people," and she genuinely seemed to enjoy it.
She poured Asuka a cup of juice, playfully used her Transformation Magic to amuse the child, and ruffled her hair affectionately.
Then Mira turned and set a teacup in front of Lucy. "Lucy, why didn't you ask your father to come with you?"
Lucy let out a weary sigh. "Ah… he's already gone back."
"So soon? But Levy said yesterday he was very ill," Mira said in surprise.
"Before, when he thought his body was giving out, he entrusted his assets to the Commercial Guild for resale at a low price, planning to leave me an inheritance." Lucy gave a strained smile. The word inheritance weighed heavily on her, though she was grateful things hadn't ended the way she'd feared. "Now that he's okay, he rushed home to stop the sale. Hopefully he can recover some of what was lost."
Mira's brows softened with sympathy. "Oh dear… that must have caused quite a mess. Your family could suffer a huge loss."
Lucy nodded slightly, then managed a small smile. "In any case, it's thanks to Rhodes, Wendy, and Porlyusica that he's alright. But…" her voice dropped into a sigh, "I still have to figure out how to pay rent again."
Though Jude had left her a little money for living expenses, most of his wealth was tied up in assets. Lucy would need to start taking missions again just to keep up.
"Cheer up." Mira encouraged her gently, then cast a glance at the job board. "If you're planning to take on a request, better hurry."
Lucy shot up as if struck by lightning. "That's right! There aren't many missions posted lately!"
She spun around and grabbed Natsu by the arm. "Natsu! Let's go work!"
"Eh? I'm not even full yet…" Natsu grumbled through a mouthful of meat, clutching his plate protectively. With Erza treating today, he was trying to eat as much as possible without spending a Jewel.
Lucy ignored him, dragging him toward the notice board. She rifled through the papers quickly, only to groan. "There are only four left…"
Nabu leaned over with a shrug. "There were five this morning. Cana and Gildarts already took one."
"Gildarts?" Natsu's eyes immediately lit up. He grinned, suddenly pumped with energy. "Did they take a difficult job?!"
Nab scratched his head. "It was just a normal escort job, reward's only 20,000 J."
Lucy nodded thoughtfully. "Then it must've been Cana who wanted to take a job, and Gildarts insisted on tagging along."
Still, the thought struck her, hiring Gildarts for a measly 20,000 J? The client was either making the biggest profit of their life… or about to take a massive loss.
While Lucy mulled it over, Natsu, still chewing on meat, wiped his greasy hand across the task board and yanked down the slip with the highest reward. "Let's take this one! Call Erza and Gray!"
"Wait, hold on! I haven't even looked at it yet!" Lucy cried, trying to stop him.
"It's just a bandit group. We'll beat them flat, no problem!" Natsu's voice was full of confidence, then he paused. "But Happy hasn't come back yet. That means our combat power's down."
Lucy twitched. "So Happy counts as an important part of your fighting strength?!" She snatched the paper and jabbed her finger at the reward. "Two million J for a bandit group with only eight members? That's obviously suspicious!"
"Just beat them flat," Natsu repeated with a grin, already calling out for Erza and Gray.
"Stop repeating yourself!" Lucy groaned. She rubbed her temple and thought quickly. I should check with Rhodes first… but he hasn't taken over request management again. That means Wakaba or Laki should know.
Dragging Natsu by his scarf, since that was the only way to stop him from breaking free, Lucy marched him toward Wakaba.
Luckily, Erza and Gray were already there, and they, like Lucy, wanted more information before rushing in.
"The Black Knight Bandit Group…" Wakaba muttered, rubbing his chin. "Yeah, I've heard of them. They're pretty infamous. All eight members use enchanted armor and weapons made specifically for combat."
His voice grew darker. "Remember those Magic weapons from Edolas? These are upgraded versions. Early on, some slipped into the black market. Criminals bought them up like hotcakes. A few even had experimental functions added. That's why the Black Knights are so dangerous, and why the bounty's so high."
Even Wakaba himself wouldn't take on this kind of mission. The risk was too high. Just one mistake could end in disaster, much like the time Macao got taken out by Vulcans.
Right on cue, Macao swaggered over, slamming his glass on the table. "Oi, Wakaba! You tryin' to badmouth me again?"
"Don't have time for you," Wakaba grumbled, pressing a palm to Macao's face and pushing him aside. "Anyway, a high-paying request like this must've come in because people heard you guys were back. We've got to seize the opportunity."
"I agree," Erza said firmly. "This is also a chance to rebuild Fairy Tail's reputation."
Her words lit a fire in everyone else. Gray crossed his arms with determination, Lucy felt her resolve firm, and even Natsu puffed up his chest, grinning wide. The first big job since their return, they had to complete it perfectly.
Macao squinted at the task slip again. "Black Knights, huh? Be careful. They should be considered part of the New Wave, a generation of mages who use all sorts of borrowed magic and weapons. Their strength is messy but dangerous."
Rhodes leaned in with mild exasperation. "Seriously? Even today's bandits and thieves are this much trouble?"
"Only the rich ones," Macao replied dryly.
Rhodes nodded. So, in this era, as long as you've got money, you can get your hands on powerful magic gear, legal or not. Strong enough to trouble even Erza's team? That's worth remembering. But what's the ceiling of these things…?
Breaking his thought, Rhodes asked, "Shouldn't you bring Wendy along too?"
Erza tilted her head. "Wendy? She's been with you most of the time, hasn't she?"
"Yes," Rhodes nodded. "But I'll be tied up the next few days, and you'll be facing enemies unlike before. Wendy's healing and support magic will be a huge help."
Rhodes himself wasn't short on money anymore and didn't want to take jobs that could go to others.
Erza agreed immediately. "Alright. I'll go invite her."
"Oh, and take this little guy too," Rhodes added. With a flick of his wrist, a small puff of light appeared, and in his palm was a tiny, snow-white furball, barely smaller than Happy.
Lucy's eyes widened. "Warm?! How did he shrink so much?!"