Hargeon Park—
Lucy sat on a park bench, continuously flipping through the latest issue of Sorcerer Weekly.
This week's edition featured a substantial section on Fairy Tail—the "Fairy Queen" Erza had slain a monster and harvested its horn, while "Salamander" had destroyed yet another forest.
'As expected of Erza, still so powerful.'
'But as for this Salamander, if it's the same one...' Lucy recalled what the flashy man on the street had said earlier.
"Do you want to join Fairy Tail?"
A voice suddenly sounded beside her.
The "Salamander" who had been surrounded by women on the street earlier now appeared before Lucy again, striking a pose.
Lucy was startled, barely resisting the urge to slam the magazine into his face.
She replied indignantly, "Your Charm Magic has no effect on me anymore!"
The man paid no mind to Lucy's attitude or tone. He flicked his hair and struck a pose with his thumb and forefinger under his chin.
"I already know. I could tell at a glance that you're a Mage. It doesn't matter—I came to invite you to the party on my ship."
Lucy looked at the man with disdain.
Though this man might be a Mage from Fairy Tail, and while Lucy adored the guild, she wasn't blindly worshipful.
After all, Fairy Tail was famous, and with so many Mages, it was normal for some to have questionable character.
"No thanks. I have no interest in a party thrown by a lowlife who uses Charm Magic to deceive women."
Bora was taken aback, then glanced at the magazine she was reading. "Don't you want to join Fairy Tail? I am Salamander. You must have heard of me, right? Come to my ship tonight for the party, and I can recommend you for membership."
Lucy frowned deeply.
Over the past year, she'd frequently heard Salamander's name, but it was always associated with causing destruction.
She never expected Salamander to have such poor character like this.
However, Lucy decided to attend anyway—she was somewhat confident in her own abilities.
If this Salamander turned out to be a fake, she'd deal with him herself, which would also be a contribution to Fairy Tail.
If he really was Salamander, she'd definitely tell Erza and Ultear so they could teach him a proper lesson.
'After this party, I'll go join Fairy Tail!' Lucy thought happily, jumping to her feet.
...
Meanwhile—
"What are you doing here, Raizel?"
"You mentioned there was Ignell here, and it wasn't far, so I came to check it out. I'm very interested in dragons."
Raizel had used Teleportation Magic to arrive directly and had been watching from a high vantage point while the fake Salamander deceived the crowd.
With the crowd's mixed scents, Natsu probably hadn't detected him until they met at the restaurant.
"He's fake. Its not Igneel." Natsu hung his head, his tone dejected.
"Cheer up. I'll treat you to dinner tonight." Raizel patted Natsu's shoulder to comfort him.
Beyond that, there wasn't much else he could do.
Over the years, whenever there was any news remotely related to dragons, Natsu would chase it down, no matter how far or dangerous it was.
...
Evening, Hargeon Port Observatory—
A well-fed Happy sat on the guardrail, gazing out at the ocean.
"By the way, Natsu, that guy said he'd be holding a party on a ship. Is that the one?" Happy pointed a paw toward the luxury vessel anchored in the harbor.
"Ugh~~" Natsu's face turned purple as he looked at the ship, quickly covering his mouth with his hand.
"I feel so sick."
"Could you please not get seasick just from imagining it?" Happy waved his paw, too exasperated to even complain.
"Look, isn't that Salamander-sama ship?"
"I'd love to attend Salamander-sama party too!"
"Don't you know? He's a Mage from Fairy Tail! He's super famous!"
Not far from the trio, several girls were also pointing at the ship and chattering incessantly.
'Fairy Tail?' Natsu frowned slightly, fighting the nausea to glance at the ship again.
He'd never seen that man before today, and he didn't recognize his scent either.
"Happy, have you ever seen him before?"
"Nope. Haven't we always been together? If you haven't seen him, how could I have?"
"Raizel, is there anyone in our Guild called Salamander?"
"That would be you dumbass..." Raizel's mouth twitched as he gestured toward Natsu with an open palm.
"NANIIIIIIIIIIII?!!"
Natsu and Happy screamed in unison, both pressing their hands against their cheeks in shock.
It was like a scene from a world-famous painting—The Scream.
...
On the Ship—
Lucy was confronting the fake Salamander, Bora.
Both sides had dropped all pretense of civility.
Just moments ago, the fake Salamander had tried to use Sleep Magic to knock Lucy out.
He had invited these young women and Lucy specifically to drug them and traffic them to the country of Bosco, where he could make a fortune.
"Don't get the wrong idea. I do want to join Fairy Tail, but I have no intention of becoming your woman. Besides, I actually know people in Fairy Tail. I'll definitely expose you."
Bora felt slightly surprised.
If she knew people from Fairy Tail, he couldn't let her escape under any circumstances!
"Too bad, it's too late now."
Bora snapped his fingers.
A curtain was pulled aside, and his accomplices appeared before Lucy, carrying the unconscious girls from the party.
"What's going on here?"
"Welcome aboard my ship. I'd advise you to behave until we reach Bosco."
"Damn it!" Lucy immediately reached for the pouch at her hip.
The fake Salamander moved quickly, snatching the keys away with a burst of flame magic.
"A Celestial Spirit Mage? Too bad only the contracted owner can use these. They're useless to me."
After saying this, he casually tossed the keys out the window and into the sea.
...
Outside the ship, Raizel—hovering above the water—activated his magic.
"Take Over: Dynasmon!"
Transforming into the white-armored Wyvern Warrior, he swooped down and caught the keys before they hit the water.
...
Back inside, Lucy was cornered.
"Are you really a Mage from Fairy Tail? Not only are you using forbidden magic, but you're also involved in human trafficking!" Lucy clenched her fists, glaring at Bora with gritted teeth.
BOOM—
The ship's ceiling suddenly shattered.
Natsu made a dramatic entrance, crashing down from above!
"Natsu!"
"Ugh~~"
No sooner had Natsu made his cool appearance than his cheeks puffed out. He covered his mouth, fighting back the urge to vomit.
"I can't hold it in... I still feel sick."
"How lame!"
"Lucy, what are you doing here?" Happy appeared through the hole in the ship's ceiling, flying with his wings.
"Happy! I was tricked! He lied about letting me join Fairy Tail. Wait, why do you have wings?"
Bora and his crew watched speechlessly as the cat and the girl carried on their conversation as if nobody else was present.
"We'll talk later. Let's go."
Happy flew in, wrapped his tail around Lucy, and lifted her into the air to fly away.
"Wait, what about Natsu?!"
"I can't carry two people! And it's fine, Raizel is here."
"Raizel? The Raizel from Fairy Tail?"
Lucy certainly knew that name!
Although they hadn't met often, she was familiar with his reputation through Erza and Ultear.
"After them quickly! If the Council finds out, it'll be terrible!" Bora turned his head and roared at his companions.
"Don't even think about escaping! Take this—Prominence Whip!"
With a wave of his right hand, Bora summoned multiple whips of crimson flame from a magic circle, lashing out at Happy and Lucy as they tried to escape through the air.