The banquet stretched on for hours, the lively chatter and clinking glasses only starting to quiet down as it neared its end.
Roger scanned the room, his gaze landing on Levy, who was nibbling on a pastry. "Levy, where's Kagura? Is she out on a job?"
"Yup," Levy mumbled through a mouthful of cake, swallowing quickly before continuing. "Cana snagged a subjugation mission, so she took Lisanna and Kagura along."
"Why, you looking for her?" she asked, tilting her head.
"Not me," Roger said, gesturing toward Simon. "He's the brother Kagura's been searching for all these years."
"What?!" Levy's voice shot up, her eyes widening as she studied Simon's profile. "He's Kagura's brother?!"
She squinted, muttering under her breath, "They don't look that alike around the eyes… but Kagura's gonna be thrilled to see him."
Munching on a fry like a little hamster, she added, "They should be back today, if my timing's right. Wonder if Kagura will recognize him."
Nearby, Lucy was savoring a slice of Erza's cake, quietly impressed. It looks a bit odd, but wow, it's actually delicious!
She glanced at the perfectly shaped, almost artistic cake in front of Roger and felt her mouth twitch. Did Erza give us the ugly ones because hers were too weird-looking?
"Lu~cy~," a sweet voice purred in her ear.
Lucy turned slowly, stiffening. "What's up, Mira—Miss Mira?"
Mira's mischievous expression loomed in her vision, and for some reason, Lucy had the sinking feeling that Mira might transform into her demon form and pummel her any second!
"Time for training~," Mira said, leaning in close, her eyes curving into crescent moons. "The sooner we start, the sooner we finish, right~? Our little 'contract-abiding Celestial Mage'?"
"QAQ Stop reminding me about the contract!" Lucy wailed internally, letting out a resigned sigh. After a few seconds of mental preparation, she lifted her head like she was marching to her doom, eyes squeezed shut as she shouted, "Fine! Let's get this over with!"
Her dramatic reaction made Mira pause, then her smile deepened. "Such an obedient girl~ Don't worry, Erza and I will make sure you're a whole new person by the end of this week~"
Lucy gulped, muttering nervously, "I—I mean, I don't need that much of a transformation…"
Mira just giggled, saying nothing more. She called Erza over, and the three left the guild, heading toward a nearby grove.
The light dimmed as they entered the woods. Lucy rubbed her arms, uneasy. "Why are we training out here? Doesn't the guild have a new training ground out back?"
"Oh, Lucy~" Mira said without turning, her voice teasing. "Do you really want everyone at the guild to see you looking 'miserable' during training?"
"Miserable?!" Lucy's hair practically stood on end. "What kind of training gets described as miserable?!"
"Don't listen to her," Erza said, her voice accompanied by the rhythmic clank of her armor. "It's just standard training. Nothing miserable about it."
"That's what I thought!" Lucy exhaled, slightly relieved.
Mira didn't argue, but the sly curve of her lips and the way she twirled a strand of hair suggested she wasn't done teasing. Her steps grew lighter as they reached a clearing in the grove.
Lucy noticed a freshly carved path stretching into the distance. "What's with this road? Does it lead to town?"
"Nope~" Mira said with a grin. "Erza and I made it by accident during our 'training.' There used to be a small hill over there, but we kinda… flattened it."
"What?" Lucy froze. "Training… flattened a hill?!"
Her throat went dry as a wave of dread hit her. What kind of training does that?!
Erza's hand flashed with white light, summoning a plain silver longsword. "Since you'll be using Celestial Spirit outfits, you'll need to learn the basics of wielding weapons. For example, Cancer's great with blades, and Sagittarius needs archery skills."
"So this morning, I'll teach you the basics of cold weapons and some magic control techniques."
With that, she casually tossed the sword to Lucy.
"Wait! (0_0) You're throwing it?! That could stab me!" Lucy scrambled to catch it.
The moment her hand touched the hilt, a crushing weight yanked her down. She yelped, crashing to the ground with the sword. "W-What is this?! It's so heavy!!"
It felt like she was holding a chunk of solid iron.
Erza blinked, surprised. "That's heavy? It's the lightest sword in my requip space."
"No way!" Lucy gritted her teeth, veins popping as she strained to lift it. She barely got it off the ground for a second before collapsing again. Impossible! It's too heavy!
Erza thought for a moment, then raised her hand. A crimson magic circle appeared. [Requip Magic: Lightness]
A teal glow washed over the sword, and Lucy instantly felt the weight ease. With effort, she managed to lift it. "I did it!!" she cheered.
"Good," Erza nodded. "Your task this morning is simple: swing the sword five thousand times."
Lucy's jaw dropped. "F-Five thousand?! Erza, are you kidding? You said this was normal training!"
"It is," Erza said matter-of-factly. "Five thousand swings is standard. My usual basic training is fifty thousand swings."
"F-Fifty thousand?!" Lucy gaped, feeling like she was in a fantasy novel. "That's not humanly possible!"
Erza raised a brow but didn't respond directly. She turned, another plain iron sword appearing in her hand. Her stance shifted slightly.
Lucy barely registered any movement before a soft whoosh sounded. A nearby boulder, half her height, silently split into dozens of perfectly uniform pieces, scattering across the ground.
"What just happened?!" Lucy rubbed her eyes. "Erza, you didn't even draw your sword! How'd the rock break?"
"It wasn't undrawn~" Mira said, pointing at the rubble with a smile. "She was just too fast for your eyes to follow. In that split second, Erza swung over fifty times, each strike perfectly controlled."
"F-Fifty swings?!" Lucy couldn't believe it, but the neat pile of rubble forced her to. "But… I'm not fighting with a sword! Do I really need to practice this much?"
Erza frowned. "Of course you do. Sword swings aren't just for swordsmanship—they train your arm strength, wrist control, and coordination. A strong foundation helps with any weapon, or even hand-to-hand combat."
She flashed another light, this time summoning a leather whip, a hint of pride on her face. "And it's not just swords. I know a thing or two about whips too. Over the next seven days, I'll teach you everything I can."
"(TT) Five thousand swings… my arms are gonna fall off!" Lucy whined.
"Don't worry~" Mira said, pulling out a vial of vitality potion. "If it's just muscle soreness, one sip of this will keep you bouncing through the week~"
She handed the vial to Lucy, her smile turning extra bright. "Now that Erza's covered her part, it's my turn."
"My training's in the afternoon. Hmm~" She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "To hit others, you first need to learn to get hit. Day one, we'll work on your agility and dodging. Tomorrow, we'll start on real fistfighting and combat techniques."
"What?!" Lucy looked thunderstruck, pointing at herself. "Me… sparring with you, a nation-destroying mage?!"
"No way! You're joking, right? I'll die!"
"It's no joke~" Mira tilted her head, flashing a sweet smile. "Don't worry, I'll suppress my strength to your level. It'll only hurt… a tiny bit. You won't die."
She waved another vitality potion. "We've got these, after all~ Real growth comes from fighting someone way stronger than you. Like in, uh, fighting games? You know, when a level-one newbie takes on a level-fifty boss. To avoid getting one-shotted, you dodge like crazy and figure out how to survive, right~?"
Lucy's face screamed your smile is NOT reassuring!! Is this just an excuse to beat me up?!
Erza stroked her chin, nodding. "That's actually a good method. Roger and I used to spar to improve our swordsmanship. Starting tomorrow, we can add sparring to your training. I'll keep my strength at your level too."
Lucy's vision darkened, nearly fainting. Morning sparring with Erza, afternoon sparring with Mira?! This is hell! Absolute hell!!
Wait… did I drink too much at the banquet? Is this all a nightmare?
She was about to pinch herself to wake up when Erza, lost in some intense daydream, clenched her fist, eyes blazing. "Lucy! Your hard work won't go to waste! Under my guidance, you'll become the strongest Celestial Mage!"
"Your guidance?" Mira's eyes narrowed, her tone teasing. "If I recall, Erza, your training's pretty… intense. As for results, well~ I think Lucy would improve faster with me."
"Are you saying my training's bad?" Erza stepped forward, meeting Mira's gaze head-on. "Who laid the foundation for Kagura's swordsmanship? Your devilish training's the one that scares people off. Lisanna ran off on a mission after just a week with you!"
"Oh~" Purple magic flickered around Mira. "So you're pretty confident in your teaching, huh, Erza?"
"Of course!" Crimson magic surged around Erza, their auras clashing, stirring a breeze that rustled the nearby leaves.
"Let's settle this," Mira said, lifting her chin with a challenging smile. "We'll see who's the better teacher."
"Interesting!" Erza's competitive spirit flared. "How?"
Mira turned to Lucy, who was trying to shrink into invisibility, trembling. "We'll see who can boost Lucy's strength more. In seven days, she'll use what we each taught her to fight Natsu. Whoever's training lets her deal more damage or last longer wins. Sound good?"
Oh no!! Lucy's heart sank as the competition zeroed in on her. She rushed forward, trying to defuse it. "Uh, Erza, Mira, we're teammates—family! Why fight over this? It'd ruin the vibe. Let's just get along, safety first, right?"
Erza didn't hear a word, her eyes burning with victory lust. "Fine! It's settled! I'll win, Mira, so get ready to admit defeat!"
She turned to Lucy, her tone firm. "No slacking, Lucy! Seven days will fly by—we need to make every second count. I'll wake you at 5 a.m. tomorrow. Be ready!"
Lucy wailed, "How did it come to this?! (T_T) I must've been out of my mind to make that bet with Roger!!"
"Gambling ruins lives!!"
Despite her protests, as the "contract-abiding Celestial Mage," Lucy grudgingly lifted the lightened sword and began her first swings.
Just then, rustling came from the woods, followed by two familiar voices.
"Hurry up, Lisanna! We're gonna miss the show!"
"Don't blame me, Cana! You're the one who stopped to draw cards, saying it's your lucky day, and all you got was some weird machine!"
"If it wasn't for that, we'd have made it to the banquet, and Kagura could've seen her brother sooner!"
"Relax, this machine's perfect for the Harvest Festival. That's lucky enough!"
Cana and Lisanna burst out of the trees, nearly colliding with the trio in the clearing.
Cana froze, then scratched the back of her head with a sheepish grin. "Haha, fancy meeting you here, Lucy! Heard you're doing special training, so we came to cheer you on!"
"Cheer me on?" Lucy's eyes zeroed in on the massive bucket of popcorn in Cana's arms. "Then what's with the popcorn?"
"Oh, this?" Cana's gaze darted aside. "It's, uh, to keep your energy up!"
"Yeah, energy!" Lisanna chimed in. "Training with Erza and Mira? You'll burn through calories. Gotta make sure you don't pass out!"
Lucy's mouth twitched. "Thanks for the… 'kindness.'"
"No problem!" Cana grinned, seizing the moment. "That's what friends are for~"