Under Erza's terrified gaze, the rest of the guild finally arrived on the scene.
"Chase! Look! I won! Twenty thousand Jewels!" Lucy ran up, proudly waving the bills in her hand. "And I got ten thousand more from Happy!"
She deliberately emphasized the word Happy, smiling like a champion.
Erza, eyes wide and heart racing, instinctively stepped back into the shadows, trying to shrink into the background. Her thoughts raced:
They can't see me. They can't see me. I am a wall. I do not exist.
Gray clapped a hand on Chase's shoulder and grinned. "That was one heck of a fight. I didn't think you'd actually manage to beat that monster Erza."
They still can't see me.
"Manly!" Elfman roared with clenched fists. "You were both super manly!"
He seemed completely lost in his own world, shouting to the heavens.
"Um… Elfman, Erza's a girl…" Kana mumbled sleepily from atop her half-empty wine barrel. She gave a tipsy hiccup and waved vaguely in Erza's direction.
Still unnoticed, Erza felt her stealth tactic was working.
Perfect. I'll just quietly disappear before anyone remembers
"Erza, how could you lose to Chase?! You're the captain of our strongest team!"
Happy suddenly swooped in from above and latched onto her leg, crying dramatic tears.
"…"
Erza's soul nearly left her body. Her mind blanked.
What did you just say...?! In front of everyone?!
"Erza, what's wrong?" Happy looked up innocently, noticing her twitching eye and ashen face.
She stood stiffly, unmoving, her whole body trembling. One by one, the others began to notice something was off and gathered around her with worried faces.
"Did she get hurt in the match?"
"Maybe she took a blow to the head?"
"Is she bleeding?"
As more and more eyes locked onto her, Erza closed her eyes and took a deep, quivering breath. After a painfully long moment of internal screaming and courage-gathering, she finally opened her mouth.
In a high-pitched, overly sweet voice, she declared:
"L-Love~! I… I'm not hurt!"
Dead silence followed.
The entire area went still. Birds stopped chirping. The wind held its breath.
Ten full seconds passed.
Then
"HUUUUUUUH?!?!?!"
The entire guild exploded with disbelief.
Everyone gasped in disbelief, as if they had just seen a creature rarer than a dragon.
"Wait, wait a second Harpy No. 3? Did Erza just turn into Harpy No. 3?!"
Lucy rubbed her eyes in confusion, unable to believe what she'd just heard.
"Haha, Harpy, you're pretty lucky today," Chase chuckled as he walked over and clapped Erza on the shoulder. He turned to the others and explained with a grin, "It's just a little punishment game. Nothing serious."
"Right, Erza?"
Erza slowly turned her head toward him. Her glare was so fierce, so terrifying, it could make monsters flee.
"Love~! That's exactly what happened," she replied with a sweet, saccharine tone that sent a chill down everyone's spine.
Before anyone could recover from the shock, the air around them suddenly grew hot sizzling, even. Waves of heat rose like a furnace roaring to life.
With a fiery burst, Natsu who had been unconscious thanks to Erza's earlier punch sprang to his feet, fists clenched, shouting at the top of his lungs:
"Damn it! Who dares to sucker punch me like that?! Where is that crazy Erza?! I want revenge! I want payback!!"
"Oh, perfect timing, Natsu."
Erza, still burning with humiliation and fury, cracked her knuckles menacingly. Her eyes gleamed darkly as she added with deadly emphasis, "Love~!"
"Huh? A cheerful Erza…?!" Natsu recoiled in horror.
He didn't know what was going on, but he could feel it this version of Erza was far more terrifying than usual!
All his earlier bravado evaporated. With a yelp, he spun around and threw himself into the arms of the nearest person Gray.
"Love~! Gray and I are getting along just fine! No fighting here!"
"Don't you drag me into this!" Gray shouted, his hair practically standing on end. He kicked Natsu away like he had the plague. "You were unconscious the whole time, you idiot! Don't act like we're buddies now just to save yourself!"
"It's happening! Harpy No. 2 has appeared!" Lucy cried out in mock horror.
The chaos only grew as the usual mischief-makers in the guild couldn't resist jumping in.
Macao and Wakaba, grinning from ear to ear, cheered them on gleefully.
"Yeah! Go for it, Natsu and Gray! She's low on magic! Strike now while you've got the chance!"
"Don't hold back, boys! We believe in you!"
The whole scene descended into madness.
"You two are so unmanly, begging for mercy at a time like this!" someone shouted from the crowd.
"Screw you! If you're so tough, why don't you do it yourself?!"
"But hey, Mira-sis, what's for dinner tonight?" someone else asked casually.
"Two beautiful ladies over here, let's keep talking and ignore those fools," another chimed in.
"Hey, Erza, do you want fish tonight?" came a teasing voice.
"Don't worry, Levy. No matter what happens, we've got your back!" someone declared valiantly.
Boom!
A sharp, distinct sound rang out, cutting through the chaos and silencing the growing noise.
Everyone turned in surprise to see a peculiar figure approaching.
A short, squat man dressed in a Council officer's uniform stepped forward with a grim expression. His wide, webbed feet made strange squelching plop-plop sounds as he walked across the cobblestones.
"Who's that frog-faced guy?" Makarov narrowed his eyes.
"Everyone remain still," the toad-like man ordered with a cold, emotionless voice. "I am a messenger of the Magic Council."
He reached into his robe and pulled out an official document embossed with the Council's seal, then presented it with practiced authority in front of Erza.
"Regarding the Iron Forest incident, you are suspected of destroying public property and committing eleven other criminal offenses."
The man's pale eyes glinted.
"Erza Scarlet, you are under arrest."
A wave of stunned silence swept through the guild.
"What?!" Lucy cried out in disbelief. "Why is this happening?! We protected the passengers and the whole town from the Dark Guild's attack!"
She stepped forward, fists clenched. "This doesn't make any sense! Why are you arresting Erza when Eligor, the real villain, is still at large?!"
"Yeah, what kind of sick joke is this?!" Natsu growled. "You're not taking Erza anywhere!"
"Try laying a finger on her, I dare you," Gray added coldly, stepping beside Natsu.
The two who had been trembling just moments earlier now stood defiantly in front of Erza, shielding her without hesitation.
The toad man's gaze grew even darker.
"Is Fairy Tail planning to defy the authority of the Council outright?" he barked.
That was enough to ignite Natsu's short fuse.
"Wanna see defiance? I'll send you flying!"
He stepped forward, flames flaring from his fists.
But before things could explode, Erza placed a calm hand on his shoulder.
"Stand down, Natsu. Don't act rashly."
She stepped forward without hesitation and held out her arms.
"President…" Natsu turned to Makarov with pleading eyes.
But Makarov didn't speak. He simply stood still, his face calm, watching silently as Erza's wrists were bound in magic-suppressing cuffs.
This wasn't his first time seeing a Council arrest. He knew how things worked.
Most of the time, arrests like this were nothing but show public gestures by the Council to remind the world of their authority. No real punishment would come from it.
That's why, even as Erza was led away, Makarov didn't interfere.
But still
"Damn it!" Natsu clenched his fists in frustration.
Natsu, still unaware of the deeper reasons behind the arrest, thrashed about, trying to shake off the grip of Makao and the others. Just as he managed to break free and lunge forward, a strong hand clamped down on his shoulder and slammed him back to the ground.
"Just go along with what the Master and Erza want, Natsu," Chase said calmly, his voice firm but composed.
Seeing this, Makarov finally exhaled a deep breath of relief.
Having an S-Class wizard on hand to maintain order really does save a lot of unnecessary headaches.
But just as he thought the situation had settled, Chase suddenly turned around and began walking toward the Council messenger. He stopped right next to Erza.
"Chase?" Erza looked at him, eyes wide with confusion.
The toad-faced envoy squinted at him. "You're Chase? The one involved in the Ruins Island case?" he asked, clearly recognizing him. "What is it now?"
Chase gave a casual smile. "I was also involved in the destruction of official buildings mansion, meeting halls, maybe a gate or two. Why don't you take me in as well?"
The others blinked in disbelief.
What was this guy thinking?
But Chase had his reasons. Deep ones.
He knew that somewhere inside the Council's branch were two people: Jellal and Ultear. The shadows behind the Tower of Paradise.
That place, that dark truth, was a ticking time bomb a place soaked in blood and suffering. A year ago, he hadn't had the strength to face it.
But now…
Now he was ready.
If it took being arrested to get closer to that darkness and blow it all apart, then so be it.
And besides, it wasn't such a bad deal. Tagging along with Erza? Not the worst way to spend a fake arrest.
Though… looking at it from the outside, it did seem like he was going out of his way to get detained. Was he an idiot?
The toad man scoffed. "Erza is the only one charged. This is Council business. No one else is to interfere!"
Then
Thud!
A heavy thump echoed across the guild hall. The toad envoy doubled over in pain, clutching his stomach where Chase's fist had landed squarely.
"I guess I'm guilty now too," Chase said with a bright, innocent smile as he pulled his fist back.
Everyone was stunned.
Lucy, Natsu, Gray, even Erza still shackled just stared at him with wide eyes.
Makarov's jaw dropped. His eyes bulged as he gaped at the scene in horror.
In his mind, one frantic phrase screamed on repeat:
Don't escalate it, you idiot!!!
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