"Sorry!" Erza said, her face full of apology as she looked at Lucy. "I forgot to mention, the book says the scales on this beast's thigh can deflect damage. If your blade isn't sharp enough or your strength is weaker than the beast's, your attack will just bounce off."
She thought for a moment, then offered a solution with complete seriousness. "If you're really scared, you can take it out on me to vent your fear!"
Lucy stood up, speechless. "=_= Another weirdo with bizarre ideas! Is there even a single normal person in this guild?!"
Your suggestion is only making me more terrified!!
She forced a smile that looked worse than crying, frantically waving her hands in refusal. "No! No need! Really! Thanks for the offer, though!"
Seeing Lucy's firm rejection, Erza relented. "Alright, fine. Then eat some extra shark-lion meat later—it's my way of making it up to you."
Before Lucy could protest, a flash of white light gleamed from Erza's hand, and a massive, icy-blue blade radiating cold appeared instantly. With a light flick of her wrist—whoosh!
A streak of icy-blue light cut through the air like a cold moon.
"...!? What just happened?!" Lucy blinked, and when she looked again, the massive beast's corpse was gone! In its place were perfectly uniform, cleanly cut chunks of meat!
The cuts were smooth as a mirror, not a drop of blood in sight, only faint wisps of white frost rising from the meat.
"W-Why is the meat already in chunks?! And why's there no blood?!" Lucy's jaw dropped.
Levy, pushing up her red-framed glasses, stepped closer to explain. "Erza's a master of all bladed weapons, but her best are knives and swords."
"In that split second, even though you couldn't see it, she swung her blade over twenty times!"
Levy pointed at the frosty meat chunks. "That blade has an added effect—ice. Every strike slows the enemy down, makes them feel cold, like they've been hit by ice magic."
"By the end, their body is frozen stiff, unable to feel pain, and they're essentially frozen to death."
"Eek?!" Lucy stared at the "flash-frozen" meat, her mouth twitching. "So… Erza used that weapon, one that's killed countless enemies, to… cut meat?"
This feels even weirder! The chubby chef mustered his courage, struggling to lift a piece of meat nearly half his size and dragging it toward the kitchen with a grunt.
Seeing this, the others rushed forward like they'd been injected with adrenaline.
"Me! Let me help!"
"No, I've got this!!"
They scrambled to assist, creating a scene of chaotic "harmony."
Erza watched this "helpful" display with a satisfied nod. "They may bicker a lot, but I love seeing everyone get along like this."
Lucy, watching their "enthusiastic" backs, felt a bead of sweat slide down her forehead. "Are they… really doing this willingly?"
Once the beast was dealt with, Erza walked over to Roger, casually taking his hand and leading him to a quieter corner of the guild.
Her relaxed demeanor vanished, her brows furrowing as she lowered her voice. "When I was resting at a small tavern during my mission, I overheard some shady wizards at the next table whispering about how to break the seal on 'Lullaby.'"
"The shark-lion was blocking the tavern's back door, and the owner asked me to move it since it was bad for business. By the time I got back, those guys had slipped away."
"I didn't catch their full plan—thankfully," Erza's eyes glinted sharply, "when I heard the name 'Lullaby,' something felt off, so I secretly left a tracking magic mark on them."
"On my way back, I kept thinking the name 'Lullaby' sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it. That's why I wanted to talk to you."
"'Lullaby'—" Roger crossed his arms. "It's another name for the Cradle Song. We read about it in some old texts."
"It's a sealed mass curse-killing magic—the Forbidden Lullaby, strictly guarded by the Magic Council."
"Legend says it was crafted by the dark wizard Zeref, a terrifying magical tool made from a flute that steals lives."
"Damn it!" Erza slammed her fist into a nearby pillar, shattering half of it, her face burning with anger.
"I remember now! A forbidden magic that can wipe out countless lives with a single note!" Her eyes blazed. "Anyone trying to unseal something like that has to be from a dark guild! I should've cut them down the moment I heard them!"
"No way!" Erza turned to storm out. "We can't let them succeed! Countless people will suffer if they do!"
Roger, quick as a flash, grabbed her arm. "Wait, Erza! Calm down! Did they mention anything about when they might break the seal?"
Erza stopped, her brows knitted as she tried to recall. "I think… yes! I vaguely heard one of them say, 'It'll take at least three days,' but the tavern waiter interrupted, and I didn't catch the rest."
"The Council's sealing magic isn't easy to break. Three days… that's probably how long it takes to undo it!" Her eyes sharpened. "That means it could be today!"
Roger nodded. "Got it. Hold on a sec, I'll grab Mira to come with us."
"Mira?" Erza tilted her head, confused. "Aren't the two of us enough to handle a few dark guild wizards?"
"There's something the books don't clearly state," Roger said with a smile. "'Lullaby' isn't just a magic flute—it's likely a living demon crafted by Zeref himself!"
"A demon?!" Erza gasped, but then her tense expression eased, a knowing smile spreading across her face.
"No wonder you're bringing Mira. If it's a demon, she could probably take it down and take it over with ease, right?"
Roger grinned and nodded. The two of them quickly headed to the bar.
Roger turned to Mira, who was sorting through papers. "Mira, hand your work to Lisanna for now. We need you to come with us."
"Huh? Okay," Mira blinked but didn't question it, promptly passing her half-sorted papers to her sister Lisanna nearby.
As the three prepared to leave the guild, Natsu's loud voice boomed from behind. "Hey! Roger! Erza! Mira! Where are you guys off to?!"
Roger paused, glancing back with a raised brow. "To take down a dark guild. Why?"
That was like dropping a spark in a pool of oil—the entire guild erupted!
"They need all three of them?!"
"My god! Is it the Oración Seis?! Or maybe Demon's Heart?!"
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