As the pampered daughter of a wealthy family, Lucy's sense of danger was already pretty sharp for her age. She immediately noticed something was off.
"Well, what else could it be? You are the one with a rich old man for a father. My guess is those people are kidnappers coming for your family fortune again."
Aquarius spoke in a light, almost casual tone, but her expression was much more solemn.
From the approaching ship, she could feel several presences similar to her own, a power that was all too familiar.
Celestial Spirit mages. And Zodiac keys on the same level as mine.
Aquarius instantly sensed trouble. She quickly gave Lucy a shove on the back.
"Go call for help. The sea is my home ground, I will hold them off for you."
"No, I want to fight with you, Aquarius!"
Lucy clung stubbornly to Aquarius's tail, refusing to let go.
Aquarius lost her patience and simply grabbed the girl, flinging her backward.
"Idiot, this is not the time for you to throw a tantrum. Go get help. If your magic runs dry and I am forced back to the Spirit World, then it really will be too late."
Thankfully, the ground was all soft sand, so even though Lucy hit the beach, she was not hurt.
She rolled over and pushed herself up, eyes already brimming with tears. But when she saw Aquarius's resolute back, she swallowed her complaints. For once, she did not act spoiled. Instead she turned and sprinted away as fast as she could.
Hearing the panicked footsteps recede behind her, Aquarius let out a small breath.
Lucy's damn father might be a piece of work, but at least he had supplied her with enough bodyguards. As long as the girl ran back to them, they would naturally protect her and get her away from danger.
As for herself, she was a Celestial Spirit. At worst, she would be beaten back into the Spirit World. As long as Lucy still held her key, Aquarius could always be summoned again.
Alright. All I have to do now is hold these people here.
Aquarius summoned her urn again and fixed her gaze on the merchant ship, her guard fully raised.
...
On the ship, everyone could clearly see Lucy's small figure turning to run.
Before Babitt could even open his mouth, Wright, the younger of the two brothers, leapt from the bow of the ship.
"Not so fast, kid. You are not getting away!"
As he spoke, a mass of seawater gathered beneath his feet, forming a platform that lifted him and carried him rapidly toward Lucy.
Meanwhile, the merchant vessel slowly came to a halt. Any farther in and the ship would run aground. They could only launch their attack from here.
"Leave the child to my brother. Our main target is still the mermaid."
Bart gave a quick explanation, then gathered an even larger water platform at the bow. He stepped onto it and looked back at the others.
"Come on. I will bring everyone ashore."
At this point, anyone with half a brain could see something was wrong with this job.
Yet Karen, a mage from a legal guild, hesitated for only a moment before accepting Bart's offer and hopping onto the water platform.
Kabe, on the other hand, waved off the invitation. Under the others' surprised looks, his feet left the deck and he floated upward, one arm wrapping around Mirajane's slender waist as the two of them rose into the air together.
A faint flicker of regret and caution flashed through Bart's eyes, but he said nothing more. He simply directed the water platform after Wright.
On the other side, Aquarius naturally would not sit back and watch Wright catch up to Lucy. She had already engaged him in battle.
"And you dare to use water magic in front of me? Get down here!"
A dazzling blue magic circle lit up beneath her.
Two towering pillars of water shot up from the sea, surging in from both sides and slamming toward Wright.
So fast. There was no warning at all.
Startled by Aquarius's swift casting, Wright scrambled to control the water platform under his feet, trying to shoot higher into the air.
To his shock, the platform suddenly stopped responding to his will and froze in place.
The next instant, the twin water pillars crashed into him. He let out a miserable scream and tumbled headfirst into the ocean.
"Idiot. She is a Spirit who has lived who knows how many years, and he still lets his guard down at a time like this."
Bart cursed under his breath. He quickly reached out, conjuring another water platform to catch his falling brother.
Beside him, Karen's eyes lit up the moment she heard the word "Spirit."
So I was right. A mermaid shaped Celestial Spirit, that has to be Aquarius of the Zodiac. Lucky I did not storm off yesterday just because I argued with that brat. If I had, I really would have missed a prize like this.
Smirking to herself in secret, Karen no longer hesitated. She reached into her pouch and pulled out a golden key, thrusting it forward as she shouted at Bart's back:
"Leo, Regulus Brilliance!"
Feeling the violent surge of magic behind him, Bart turned in shock.
All he saw was a flash of gold before the roaring golden light beam swallowed him completely.
When the dust and magic smoke finally cleared, a tall man in a brown suit stood in front of Karen, one hand braced before him as if he had just finished his attack. Karen rested her hand lightly on his shoulder, her voice full of smug pride.
"Idiot. I am still a mage from a legal guild. I am not stupid enough to do something like robbing someone else's Celestial Spirit, that would be a direct violation of Council law."
She lifted her eyes toward the shore, where Aquarius was watching them with clear wariness, and her gaze turned greedy. Suppressing her excitement, she spoke softly.
"Compared to crude methods like that, I would much rather play the hero. If I save that master and servant pair at the critical moment, asking them to repay me with a Zodiac key should not be too much, right?"
Karen let out a low chuckle, obviously pleased with her own brilliance.
In front of her, Leo fell silent at her words.
He too had noticed Aquarius on the shore. He did not know the details, but just from Karen's muttering he could piece together the general situation.
So I am being used as a tool in a struggle again. Looks like your situation is not much better than mine, Aquarius.
Leo could not help a bitter sigh in his heart for the pitiful fate of Celestial Spirits.
Just then, a low, strained laugh cut through the air.
"Heh, heh, heh. Quite the clever scheme you have there. Unfortunately, your strength is still lacking."
"What?"
Karen and Leo both jerked their heads toward the source of the voice.
The man who should have been laid out by Leo's attack, Bart, was still standing when the smoke dispersed.
His clothes were charred and in tatters, burns marring the exposed skin all across his body. He gritted his teeth against the pain and forced down his anger as he glared at Karen.
"Stupid woman. If you will not cooperate, then you can die first."
Before Karen or Leo could react, the water platform beneath their feet abruptly changed.
Two streams of water shot up and locked around their legs, holding them in place. At the same time, the platform folded up on itself at high speed, shaping into a sphere of water that wrapped around the two of them completely.
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