Beneath the tree, the three members of the Three Crows were bound tightly together, unable to move an inch.
Vidaldus's eyes had rolled back, his body limp from the impact of Aquarius's indiscriminate flood.
Lucy, having grown somewhat used to near-drowning experiences, was far more resistant to the water this time. She escaped with only a sore backside courtesy of Aquarius's whip.
The Owl's head hung low, his condition unclear, while only Ikaruga remained conscious, eyes burning with resentment.
"Tell me, who sent you to assassinate Chase?"
Mira, still in her Satan Soul form, lifted Ikaruga's chin with a faint, dangerous smile.
"The mission failed because of my miscalculation," Ikaruga replied coldly. "There's no need for pointless talk. Kill me or cut me down as you wish."
The assassination guild had its own code. From the moment she stepped into that world, she'd been prepared to face death.
Principled, aren't they? No wonder Jellal had no hesitation sending them to kill me, Chase thought from nearby.
"Oh? Still acting tough."
Mira's lips curled as she flexed her clawed fingers, her voice low and teasing, yet dripping with threat.
Not far away, Chase pulled a bottle of oddly-colored liquid from his cards and handed it to a panting Erza.
"Here. Stamina Enhancer Super Z. It won't heal wounds, but it'll restore your magic power."
"Thank you," Erza said, taking it without hesitation and drinking.
After Aquarius's flood, Erza had remembered she wasn't alone her friends were here. With renewed resolve, she'd stopped relying so heavily on armor, switched into the simple Pure Heart Clothing, and defeated Ikaruga with a single strike, breaking through her own limits alongside her enemy.
"Lucy, you burned through a lot of magic just now, didn't you?"
Halfway through her drink, Erza paused, then handed the devil-shaped bottle to Lucy.
Lucy immediately stepped back half a pace, waving her hands frantically. "Ah? I-I don't need it! My magic's still fine!"
Erza didn't answer. She simply kept holding the bottle out, her gaze fixed seriously on Lucy.
This stuff must taste awful if even Erza's trying to give it away, Lucy thought confidently. But Erza's imposing presence was too much. Within two and a half seconds, Lucy caved and reluctantly took the enhancer.
"Okay, okay… I'll drink it!"
She pinched her nose, took a sip then her eyes lit up in surprise.
Cool, refreshing liquid slid down her throat, and instantly her body felt lighter. Fatigue melted away like snow in the sun.
"Anything from Chase has to be top quality," Erza said with a smile, giving a thumbs-up.
"Yeah! Thanks, Erza!" Lucy beamed, finishing the rest in one go.
"Shouldn't you be thanking me…?" Chase muttered under his breath.
Erza ignored him and turned to Ikaruga, still tight-lipped despite Mira's "interrogation." "So, what are you going to do with them?"
"Seal them in a card and bring them back. I've got plenty of ways to make them talk," Chase said, taking out a blank card with a dark smile.
For the first time, a flicker of fear crossed Ikaruga's resolute expression.
She had wandered through the dark underworld for many years and had seen countless terrifying sights. Without meaning to, a vivid image flashed through her mind:
A dark, damp cell. Chains binding her limbs so tightly she could not move. A deranged man approaching step by step…
"Come on then! No matter how you torture me, I will never give in!" the turtledove shouted, her voice loud and defiant, masking the panic in her eyes.
"Uh… feels like she just imagined something way too dramatic," Lucy muttered, holding her forehead. Do all assassins think this way?
Chase isn't that kind of person! she thought with exasperation.
"In that case, I will leave the interrogation to Chase~" Mira said sweetly, now released from her Satan Soul form.
Like Lucy, she had complete confidence in a certain troublemaker.
"Since Mira says so, I have no objections," Erza added, shrugging.
When it came to interrogation, Chase armed with his strange and unpredictable cards was certainly more experienced than either of them.
Without paying the slightest attention to the turtledove's odd expression, Chase sealed all three of the captured assassins into a card and headed back to Magnolia with Lucy and the others.
After seeing off his guildmates who had gathered on the wrecked streets, he looked at his own home now nothing more than a pile of rubble and fell into thought.
Catching the Three Crows ahead of time was a victory, but the warm little home he had cherished was gone for good.
And of course, the bill for repairing streets, houses, and public property would undoubtedly land on his shoulders…
It was not a huge problem. He had enough savings, and turning in the Three Crows who were wanted by the Magic Council would earn him a hefty reward.
The real problem was… where to sleep tonight?
"Chase, how about staying at my place tonight?"
A gentle voice with a hint of shyness broke the silence.
"Mira? You haven't gone home yet?"
Turning around, Chase saw her standing under the moonlight in a burgundy dress. A faint blush tinged the white-haired girl's cheeks, half-hidden by the silvery glow.
"Well, the hotels in town are probably closed this late. And with everything that happened so suddenly, I think it would be safer if we stayed together."
"It's fine. If nothing else, I can just stay in the card space "
"Then it's settled! Let's go!"
Mira frowned slightly, grabbed his hand, and marched toward her home, not giving him a chance to protest.
Through the warm contact of her palm, Chase sensed something unspoken in her expression. After a moment's thought, he decided not to comment.
They walked the rest of the way in silence.
Because she needed to care for her younger siblings, Mira didn't live in the guild's girls' dormitory like Erza and Levy.
Instead, she had chosen a modest two-story house on the outskirts of Magnolia.
The moment the door opened, a wave of sheer masculine energy hit Chase in the face Elfman, who had returned earlier, was in the living room lifting weights.
"I'm back," Mira said with a smile.
"Man up! Welcome back, Sis wait, Chase?!"
Elfman's eyes went wide. He nearly dropped the barbell in shock, his brain scrambling to process the sight of Chase walking in with Mira.
Before he could say a word, Mira stepped up to him, placed a hand gently on his shoulder… then chopped him neatly on the neck.
"Good night," she said sweetly.
Thump. Elfman crumpled to the floor.
Elfman, knocked out by Mira's precise chop, slumped instantly into her arms.
"At least let me say hello before you do that…"
Even as he spoke, Chase helped lift Elfman and laid him gently on the nearest sofa.
"Oh, Chase, aren't you the least bit surprised?" Mira took a seat across from him, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
"You brought me home yourself. I doubt it's just to give me a place to sleep for the night, is it?" Chase replied casually, already leaning forward to rummage under the coffee table in search of tea leaves.
"I'm curious to see how you plan to make the Three Crows talk."
Mira's gaze was steady, as if reading his mind. She passed him the small box of tea leaves, adding firmly, "And I'm not the slightest bit worried about you being alone with that woman."
"Relax. Her sword was shattered in the fight with Erza. She can't do anything to me now," Chase said, taking the tea leaves from her. He poured them into the kettle on the coffee table, channelling a bit of magic into it to heat the water.
Mira: "…"
A quiet settled over the room, broken only by the soft, steady bubbling of the boiling kettle.
....
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