Chapter 26: Mukuro and Erza (1)
Sometime after the Lullaby incident...
Magic Council Headquarters, ERA.
All ten council members were once again summoned for an emergency meeting.
"Eisenwald may have been destroyed, but the underlying problem hasn't been solved at all."
"There are still more dark guilds than stars in the sky."
"Then we should launch a full-scale purge operation."
"And how would we do that?"
Led by Elder Org, the meeting proceeded with a review of the recent Lullaby incident involving Eisenwald.
In Org's hand was the demon from the Book of Zeref, defeated by Fairy Tail and resealed.
"If they bring out Zeref's magic again, we'll have a major crisis on our hands."
"More importantly, how did magic of that level even get out so easily in the first place?"
"Looks like the administration is going to be held responsible for that."
While the elders discussed among themselves, two younger council members—Jellal (Siegrain) and Ultear—added their own thoughts.
"Still, we owe Fairy Tail this time, much as they usually get on our nerves."
"To think just four or five of them could take down an entire guild… Impressive."
None of the elders, including Org, could refute their words.
Fairy Tail, usually seen as nothing but trouble, had brought the Lullaby incident to a close.
That much, they had no choice but to acknowledge.
"But let's not forget—it was my aide, Mukuro, who responded first to the incident. If he hadn't, it could've ended far worse."
"Yajima...?"
The one who answered Jellal's comment was Yajima, the elder who had long supported Fairy Tail.
As he spoke, a man in a white mask silently stepped out from behind him—Mukuro.
Seeing him, Org's expression twisted with anger. He pointed a finger at the masked man and barked:
"Yajima! Are you mocking this council? Regardless of him being your aide, using the Council's authority without permission and acting on his own—that's a serious offense! Not to mention he never even reported any of it!"
"He's right. No matter how effective he was, acting without clearance cannot be tolerated."
"Still… thanks to that, it wasn't just Fairy Tail acting alone—the Council also played a part. That public perception is important."
"Hmph…"
The elders began arguing amongst themselves over whether Mukuro should be held accountable.
Watching them with a smirk, Jellal leaned back in his chair and spoke with amusement:
"Let's not be too harsh. If not for that aide and Fairy Tail, we'd all be corpses right now thanks to Lullaby. Some of us in this room wouldn't even have our heads anymore."
"What nonsense! Are you trying to shift the blame back onto us?!"
"That's ridiculous! And those reckless Fairy Tail brats caused enough headaches already!"
"Why not just be honest and say, 'Thanks for the help'? A little encouragement wouldn't hurt."
Jellal then looked past Yajima to Mukuro and continued:
"And Mukuro, was it? Since you do bear some responsibility for this incident, I have a directive for you. Yajima, is that acceptable?"
"Hmm… As long as Mukuro himself agrees, I've no objection. Mukuro, what do you say?"
"I will accept it," Mukuro replied with a calm nod.
Seeing this, Jellal flashed a broad smile and issued his command.
...
The Lullaby incident, orchestrated by Eisenwald to target the Guild Masters' conference, became massive news across the entire country.
The fact that I was right at the center of such a huge event… I still can't believe it.
But despite that, I've been going about my daily life like usual.
Every now and then, I get a little excited thinking back on it, though.
From what I've heard, most of the Eisenwald members—including that guy Kageyama, who Natsu took out with a single blow—have been arrested.
Well, that's only natural.
But one creepy thing is that Erigor, who was the first to be captured, wasn't imprisoned—he was hospitalized.
Apparently, the nerves all over his body were so damaged that not even magic could heal them. He lost consciousness and became what they call a "vegetable."
According to the Guild Masters, the moment Erigor showed up, some masked guy from the Magic Council took him down instantly…
How could someone do that without leaving a single scratch on him?
Looking back now, I'm really glad we didn't have to fight that guy.
Just thinking about it gives me chills.
But… why did he feel so familiar the first time I saw him?
He reminded me of the man I saw back at Hargeon.
And for some reason, there was this strange sense of déjà vu.
At first, he was terrifying… but now that I think about it, it feels like I've met him somewhere before.
But no matter how hard I try, I just can't remember.
Ugh, whatever! I'll just let it go if I can't recall.
Big or small, things happen—but I'm not worried.
Because Fairy Tail has the strongest team: Natsu, Gray, Erza, Happy, and me! ♥
This guild is seriously the best.
So Mom, don't worry. I'm doing well and staying healthy.
…
"Phew…"
After sealing the envelope, I stretched and leaned back in my chair.
"Thrilling, heart-pounding adventures are great and all, but nothing beats home~! Rent for a place like this is just 70,000J? Definitely a steal."
"Hm…?"
"Nice place you've got, Lucy."
"...Unlawful entry!"
Turning toward the voice, I saw Gray, wearing nothing but a short, casually raising his hand on my sofa.
"Stop stripping in someone else's house!"
"Wait—hold on! You've got it all wrong! I didn't take them off—I came here like this!"
"Get out!!"
"But—y'know… it's today. Thought you might've forgotten."
"Today?"
I tilted my head in confusion. Gray shook his head, placed a hand on my shoulder, and said:
"You really forgot, huh…? Natsu told us before we left, remember?"
"Ah—that?! That's today?!"
"Then let's go already!"
Finally remembering what he meant, I followed after Gray as we left my house.
…
We arrived at the guild.
Everyone was standing in a circle, cheering loudly for Erza and Natsu, who stood at the center.
Today was the day Natsu and Erza had promised to have their showdown.
"Wait—are they seriously going to fight for real?!"
"Oh, Lucy."
"Mirajane! Elfman!"
Pushing through the crowd, I was greeted warmly by Mirajane and Elfman.
Looking toward Natsu, Elfman crossed his arms and said:
"Of course it's serious. If it's not, then you're not a real man!"
"Erza's a woman."
"She's a monster chick."
"Still… if two members of the strongest team clash…"
"Strongest team? What's that?"
"You, Natsu, and Erza! The top 3 of Fairy Tail!"
"Whaaat?!"
Gray frowned at me like he couldn't believe I'd say something so childish.
"How immature! Who even said that?"
"Ah… It was Mirajane, wasn't it…"
Mirajane quietly hid her face behind her hand.
Making a girl cry? That's the worst.
"You're joking… right?"
Watching the two, Elfman chimed in again with his booming voice.
"I'll admit that Natsu and Gray are real men… but calling them the strongest? I can't stay silent about that. There are still plenty of powerhouses in Fairy Tail!"
"That's true."
Right after Elfman, Levy—who had grown close with Lucy—and her team, Shadow Gear, joined the discussion.
"The strongest woman is definitely Erza, though."
"If we're talking about the strongest man, there's Mystogan… or Laxus… and you can't forget that guy, either."
"I just meant that Natsu, Gray, and Erza work well together as a team…"
"Huh? Didn't you say you were worried because they didn't get along?"
Flustered, Mirajane tried to laugh it off. But then Jet, looking excited, suddenly added something reckless:
"But the eternal strongest in Fairy Tail is still Ciel, right? Even Gildarts avoided him—and he toyed with Laxus like a kid!"
"Jet!!"
"You idiot, don't bring up Ciel in front of sis—!"
"Ah, crap!"
The mention of Ciel caused the atmosphere to grow heavy.
Everyone's eyes shifted to Mirajane.
Even other guild members who'd only been listening broke into a cold sweat and turned their gaze toward her. But… Mirajane wiped the tears welling in her eyes and smiled gently.
"It's okay. It's already been three years… To me, Ciel is still the strongest in Fairy Tail."
"S-sorry."
"It's fine~. If I keep being sad like this, Ciel would be mad at me."
Though the mood had briefly dipped, Mirajane's words helped lift it once more.
I'd heard a bit about Ciel from Gray.
He was Fairy Tail's strongest wizard—handpicked by the master to be his successor.
He was also part of Mirajane's family… and the one she loved more than anyone in the world.
But three years ago… he died during a mission.
That's likely why no one talks about him in the guild—to spare Mirajane the pain.
...
"It's been years since we've had a match like this…"
"Back then I was still a rookie! But not anymore! This time, I'm going to beat you for sure!"
"Then I'll go all out too. I've been wanting to test my strength again."
While I was lost in thought, Natsu and Erza began their fight.
As Erza switched into a different armor, murmurs of excitement mixed with nervous energy rippled through the crowd.
"The Flame Empress Armor! It reduces fire damage!"
"That'll cut the power of Natsu's flames in half!"
"Yeah… my money's on Erza."
"What kinda ridiculous cat bets against his partner?!"
While everyone was getting hyped, Cana and Happy were placing actual bets—and Happy, Natsu's own partner, bet on Erza!
While I scolded Happy, the master raised his hand—and the match officially began.
For a while, it was a spectacular clash of explosive magic, Natsu and Erza going head-to-head with incredible power. Everyone held their breath, sweating in suspense—
CLANG.
The loud sound of metal striking the ground echoed across the courtyard.
Natsu and Erza immediately stopped, and everyone turned toward the source of the sound.
Standing there was…
"You…?!"
"Huh?! It's that guy…?!"
"Who's that?"
It was him.
The masked man from the Magic Council—the one we'd seen before—had suddenly appeared again.
Unlike the tense expressions of the master and Erza, I simply stared at the man, puzzled.
That man—who'd introduced himself as Mukuro—held up his Council badge and addressed the master and Erza.
"I am the envoy of the Magic Council."
Gasps and whispers broke out among the guild members at his words.
But Mukuro continued without hesitation:
"In connection with the recent Eisenwald terror incident, I am placing Erza Scarlet under arrest—on charges including property destruction and 11 other violations."
"What…?!"
"WHAT DID YOU SAYYYYY?!"
With no time to react, Mukuro walked up to Erza, placed handcuffs on her, spoke briefly with the master…
And then took her away in a carriage.
We all stood there, stunned.
Meanwhile, we were too busy holding Natsu back from exploding in rage to even think straight.
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