Chapter 261: Making a Move
That night, a dark figure crouched on a rooftop in Magnolia, scanning the area.
Everyone in the city was already asleep. The streets were empty and silent, save for the faint sounds from a few houses that still had their lights on.
Suddenly, voices drifted from down the street, getting closer.
"Are you sure about this, Levy?"
"Wouldn't it be better to stay at Fairy Hills with Laki?"
Laki Olietta was a female guild member who used Wood-Make Magic. She had a... unique way of expressing herself, and she collected torture devices in her room.
"It's fine, it's fine! We're a team, aren't we?"
"Ohhh! Levy!!"
The voices belonged to Team Shadow Gear: Jet, Droy, and Levy.
Levy walked down the street with her arms spread wide, swaying happily, while Jet and Droy followed, looking at her with blissful expressions.
"As long as the three of us are together, we'll be safe!"
"Yes! I'll protect you, Levy!"
"No, I will!"
Jet and Droy started bickering, but Levy, used to it, just kept walking.
The figure on the roof narrowed his eyes. He was about to move when he heard a familiar female voice. He froze and shrank back into the shadows.
"What are you three doing out so late? Don't you know it's dangerous right now?"
Ultear and Sorano stepped out from around a corner, looking at Team Shadow Gear with exasperation.
"We're just heading home. What are you doing?"
"We detected a magic signature that doesn't belong to a guild member nearby, so we came to check it out," Sorano explained.
The three of them tensed. "Not a guild member? Is it... Phantom?"
"We're not sure," Ultear said, glancing around. "But since you're here, we'll walk you home. Don't stay out too long."
The figure on the roof crouched lower, afraid of being spotted.
"Okay. Thank you!" Levy said, knowing better than to joke about safety.
Ultear stayed behind to search while Sorano escorted the team home.
Seeing Ultear moving toward his building, the figure realized a quick fight was impossible. Any scuffle would make too much noise and ruin his plan. He turned and fled into the night.
Ultear hadn't gone far when Noah's voice echoed in her mind. "Target is leaving to your front-left."
"Good thing he's not stupid, or I wouldn't know how to let him go again."
"Good work."
"It was nothing. I'll keep chasing."
"Mhm."
Noah's voice faded, and Ultear smiled, heading in the direction he indicated.
After leaving his position, the figure tried to find another target. But he couldn't. Instead, he ran into Ultear and Sorano several times. They were always close by. And he had heard their conversation earlier. They could detect his general location.
Unable to find a target, unable to quickly defeat the two women, and with them actively hunting him, the figure had no choice. He turned and left Magnolia. His mission was a failure.
"The Iron Dragon has left Magnolia." Noah's voice sounded in both Ultear's and Sorano's minds.
"Finally," Sorano sighed, stretching her arms and showing off her curves. "Chasing him around was exhausting."
Ultear ignored Sorano's display and asked mentally, "How far has he gone?"
"A fair distance. He's stopped at a nearby town."
"So he might try again?"
"It's possible. But it looks like he's done for tonight. Good work. Come on back."
"I'm going to take a bath and relax!" Sorano declared.
"I'm tired too. Let's bathe together," Ultear agreed, rubbing her shoulder.
"Okay!"
The two walked back to the guild, chatting happily.
After bathing, they came out in their pajamas to find Noah sitting at the counter. Under the warm glow of the lamp, he was staring at his Archive screens.
"What are you looking at?" Sorano asked, walking up behind him and peeking at the screen.
Noah caught the scent of her bath products. It was nice. "Just some magic data. You done?"
"Mhm. A bath makes everything better. Your turn. And don't try anything funny~" she teased.
Noah rolled his eyes, closed his Archive, and went to shower.
When he came back out in his pajamas, Ultear and Sorano were applying the skincare potions he had developed.
"How long do you think he'll keep this up?" Ultear asked, not stopping her routine.
"Probably just a day or two. We let him know we can detect foreign magic. He'll try again, realize he can't complete the mission, and report back to Jose.
"If Jose were patient, this could drag on. But he won't be. He sees time as being on our side. Lucy has joined, and if we have time to leverage the Heartfilia fortune, we'll grow even faster. He can't allow that. So I suspect he'll make a different move very soon."
"That's what I thought," Ultear agreed. "So just a couple more nights of this."
"Two nights? That's fine. But Noah... why didn't you drive him off yourself? You could have controlled your power," Sorano asked.
"Because I haven't been active lately. The Iron Dragon probably doesn't know me. If someone 'inactive' fought him to a draw, they might get suspicious and raise their guard. We want to avoid that.
"But you two have been very active and are famous throughout the kingdom. It's not strange for you to fight him. And having two of you barely drive off one Iron Dragon... that will make them underestimate us even more."
Ultear looked at him with a helpless expression. "You really think of everything."
"I just don't want to fail at the last minute. Avoid risks where possible."
"Fine, fine. Go to sleep early," Sorano said, standing up.
"You guys go ahead. I'll read a bit more."
"Don't stay up too late."
"I know. Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
The girls waved and went to their temporary rooms. Noah read for a while longer, then went to bed.
The next day, the guild learned about the incident from Levy and was furious. They demanded to counterattack. Noah calmed them down, telling them the plan was working and to just wait a few more days. He also reminded them not to go out alone, especially at night.
That night, Gajeel returned to Magnolia.
He searched all night but couldn't find a single Fairy Tail member out and about. Instead, he ran into Ultear and Sorano again. They appeared near him almost as soon as he arrived.
Gajeel confirmed it: they could track his magic, though their accuracy seemed low. But it made his mission impossible. They were always nearby, ready to respond. He wasn't good at stealth or hiding his magic.
Fairy Tail members were all in their homes. He didn't know how to break in quietly. And a break-in would escalate things beyond a guild dispute into a crime against civilians. The Council wouldn't ignore that, and it went against Jose's orders. Plus, with Ultear and Sorano nearby, the risk of discovery was too high.
After thinking it through, he left Magnolia again.
Noah saw him leave and told the girls to come back.
After they showered, Noah checked the map. Gajeel's dot was moving away from Magnolia, heading toward Phantom Lord's base.
"He's probably going back to report. Looks like they'll change tactics soon," Ultear said, looking over his shoulder.
"Really? So no more patrols? Nice!" Sorano beamed. She missed sleeping with her adorable sister.
"Let's see what they do. We'll stick to the plan," Noah said, watching the dot. The advantage was theirs. As long as they stayed steady, the enemy was doomed.
Gajeel returned to Phantom Lord headquarters and reported to Jose.
"How did the mission go, Gajeel-kun?"
"No good. They had two women guarding the place. They were pretty strong. I was intercepted. One used ice, the other had big dolls with wings."
Jose's expression darkened, and the pressure in the room spiked, terrifying his subordinates. But when he heard the description, he relaxed. "Ultear and Sorano? They're S-Class wizards. Naturally, they have skill."
"Gehee. They were alright. Took two of 'em to stop me."
"Is that so? You are truly strong, Gajeel-kun. But if the attack failed, why did it take a day to return?" Jose's eyes narrowed.
"I tried to target their members," Gajeel explained, unfazed. "But they can monitor magic across the city. They found any magic that wasn't theirs, though their accuracy was crap. Those two women kept showing up to search. I couldn't find an opening for two nights, so I came back."
"I see. They have some capability, to stop you. But this means we must change our approach."
Jose pondered. "Since attacking the guild failed, we will return to our original objective. Tomorrow, I will have the Element 4 support you. Complete the mission."
"Gehee. You want to do that, Master? I hope the Fairy-butts have an interesting reaction." Gajeel grinned wickedly.
Jose's lips curled into a sinister smile.
The next day, Noah was studying in the guild when the Archive alerted him.
He looked up and saw five red dots approaching Magnolia: Gajeel and the Element 4. He immediately called for Ultear, Sorano, Lucy, and Natsu.
"What is it?" Lucy asked, seeing his serious expression.
"Phantom Lord is making their move. I need your help."
"It's starting? Just tell us what you need," Lucy said without hesitation. Natsu and the others waited for orders.
Noah nodded and began to lay out the plan.
Soon, Ultear, Sorano, Lucy, Natsu, and Gray split into groups and left the guild, heading toward Gajeel's location.
~~~
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