Suddenly, four cards appeared on the table. Each one bore the word "Death."
"Hey, hey! That's not a very funny joke," Noel said with a smile still on his face.
After all, casinos were full of strange performers—dealers who slipped in bizarre cards, chefs who barged into private rooms with kitchen knives. Their purpose wasn't to intimidate customers, but to stage some kind of spectacle. Noel figured maybe the man in front of him was just that type.
"How about it? Care to try your luck on a bet?" the dealer asked politely.
"No thanks. I just got lucky earlier, and I've already played two rounds. Honestly, I'm tired and would rather rest a bit," Noel explained.
"I see…" The dealer tilted his head thoughtfully. "Then forgive me."
In the next instant, a playing card shot from his hand like a blade. Noel dodged with ease, but the unfortunate man standing behind him was struck—and instantly sucked into the card.
"What the—?"
"Where am I? What's going on?" The person inside the card still hadn't realized what had happened, sounding utterly confused.
Only then did Noel realize the danger. If I hadn't dodged just now… would I have been the one sealed inside?
More cards flew into the air, swirling around like a storm. Everyone in the area—except Noel—was sucked into the cards.
"What's happening!?"
"How can this be!?" Voices of panic erupted all around.
But what exactly was this man's objective? Was he here specifically to attack Noel? That didn't make sense—Noel had no reason to be involved with people like this.
Still, the more he thought about it, the more his expression darkened. "What do you want?" he demanded.
"Tell me—where is Erza?" the man suddenly asked, his voice cold and abrupt.
"What are you talking about? I don't understand."
"I'll ask again. Where is Erza?" he repeated in a low murmur.
"I don't know," Noel answered.
And it was true—he hadn't seen her. Noel had been fooling around on the beach for quite a while, while Erza had left early to return to the inn and sunbathe. How could he possibly know where she was now? At best, he could guess she was somewhere in the casino… but it was just a guess.
Still, the fact that this man was targeting Erza specifically—and had tracked Noel down with precision—meant the enemy's intelligence was thorough. Meanwhile, Noel himself knew absolutely nothing. He was already at a severe disadvantage.
"Meow."
A voice suddenly came from behind. Ropes tightened around Noel's body, binding him before he could react.
"What the—!? What's happening?" Noel struggled, unable to make sense of the situation.
"Meow, caught you." A cat-eared girl appeared behind him, smiling slyly.
"I don't exactly have time for games. Can you let me go?" Noel tried to test if negotiation was possible. But the girl clearly had no intention of obliging.
"One down," she said, exchanging glances with her partner.
"After all, our master ordered it. This one needs to be dealt with in advance."
The two spoke cryptically, like they were sharing riddles. Noel couldn't understand any of it.
He tried to gather his magic, but nothing formed. The moment he attempted to use it, it felt as though his energy was being drained away.
"What did you do to me?" Noel asked calmly, staring at them.
"We just bound you with magic. Don't bother struggling—it's useless. Even one of the Ten Saints wouldn't be able to cast under this spell," the cat-eared girl explained.
"This one's handled. Let's go find Erza," she added.
"Tch…" Noel's temper flared. Did they just ignore me completely? This is beyond irritating.
The two left, vanishing into the distance, leaving only chaos behind. Noel struggled desperately against the magical restraints, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break free.
Just as his frustration peaked, darkness suddenly enveloped everything. His vision went pitch black.
A bad feeling… has the raid begun?
But powerless as he was, Noel could do nothing. He could only remain trapped, useless.
In the dark, his foot hit something hard. Pain shot up his leg.
Clang! Something fell to the ground, liquid splattering as it broke.
When light returned, Noel saw the scene was even messier than before. His struggles had toppled chairs, and even the glass of cocktail he'd ordered lay shattered on the floor.
The shards… maybe they can work.
It wasn't much, but he had no better option. He crawled painfully toward the broken glass. His arm scraped across the shards, leaving deep cuts, but eventually he managed to grab a larger piece.
With painstaking effort, Noel used it to slice at the magical restraints. Bit by bit, they tore. Finally, after exhausting work, the spell shattered, and he was free.
As for the people trapped inside the cards—Noel was helpless. He had no idea what kind of magic was used, so he could only leave it to the Magic Council to handle. Though, knowing their infamously slow efficiency, he muttered a few curses under his breath. Still, in terms of magical research, the Council was unmatched.
He moved toward the roulette area—and found Natsu sprawled on the ground, clearly taken out. His face twisted in pain.
But then Natsu suddenly stirred. "Damn it, that hurt like hell! What kind of psycho shoves a bullet down someone's throat? That's seriously dangerous, y'know! I could've died!" he shouted, complaining loudly.
They weren't trying to mess with you, they were trying to kill you! Noel thought dryly. A normal person would already be dead. Only Natsu could still be standing and spouting complaints like that.
Further ahead, Noel reached another counter, where Lucy had just arrived from the other side. She froze at the sight before her, her face going pale.
Noel followed her gaze—and froze as well. Gray's body had been completely frozen through, lifeless beyond any doubt.
"This can't be real! Please, don't scare me like this!" Lucy cried, rushing forward to check for any sign of life. But when she touched him, Gray's frozen body shattered into pieces of ice.
Frantic, Lucy tried to gather the fragments, but they only broke further.
Noel sighed inwardly. Honestly, this girl really needs her eyesight checked. How can you not tell the difference between a frozen corpse and ice chunks?
Suddenly, water pooled on the ground, rippling outward. From within the puddle, a silhouette formed. As the figure solidified, Noel recognized her immediately—Juvia of the Phantom Lord.
Why the hell is a Phantom Lord mage here? Could this be revenge?
Even more surprising was her magic—liquid form combined with stealth? Noel had never heard of such a thing.
"Please, don't worry," Juvia said softly.
"Gray-sama is inside Juvia's body."
Noel nearly choked. What a terrible line! Do you realize how completely misleading that sounds!?
"Inside… her body…?" Lucy stammered, her face burning with embarrassment. She gave an awkward laugh.
"Ahaha…"
Even Noel's mouth twitched. He couldn't figure out why the entire situation had become so unbearably awkward.
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