By the time Kael Vane came down from the second floor, Natsu and Gray were fighting again.
"You smelly fire-user!"
"Underwear thief!"
"You bastard! Is that the only thing you know how to say?"
"Underwear thief!"
"Aaaah!!"
Gray was starting to lose his cool. In their previous fights, at least they'd yelled different things. Now this bastard Natsu would only shout, "underwear thief." It wasn't like he'd stolen that many pairs of underwear.
By now, even Lucy—who had only been in the guild for a week—was used to it. Natsu and Gray did not get along. They could barely exchange a few words before fists started flying.
"So, are you going to take that mission?" Mira asked when she saw Kael come down.
Kael waved the request form in his hand. "Of course. I can't miss an S-Class mission."
A normal S-Class mission would take at least twenty days. But since he knew the secret to this one, it would only take three or four days, round trip. This was basically a free 10-pull.
Suddenly, Clang—!
The guild doors burst open, and Loke yelled, his face pale with terror: "This is bad—!!"
The guild went dead quiet. Every head turned.
Loke's eyes were full of fear. "Erza... is back!!"
"What—?!"
Nearly everyone in the guild froze, panic flashing across their faces—as if something terrifying had just returned.
"What's wrong? What's going on?"
Seeing the reaction ripple through the room, Lucy felt her own nerves tighten.
A moment later, heavy footsteps approached. A figure carrying a giant monster horn on one shoulder walked into the guild.
She had striking red hair, a refined and beautiful face, and silver armor that made her look both beautiful and cool. It was the Fairy Tail S-Class wizard—'Titania' Erza.
"She's so beautiful!"
The moment Lucy saw Erza, she was stunned—not just by her beauty, but by the pressure of her presence.
Thud!
Erza set the giant horn down. "I'm back. Is the Master here?"
Mira stepped forward. "Welcome back. The Master left for the regular meeting."
"Is that so..."
Someone in the guild couldn't help asking, voice shaking, "E-Erza... what is that giant thing?"
"Hm? This?" Erza tapped the horn lightly. "It's the horn of a monster I defeated. The locals gave it to me as a decoration. I thought it was pretty, so I brought it back as a souvenir."
"The horn of a monster you defeated?"
"Amazing..."
The horn alone was over four meters tall. The monster it came from must have been twenty meters high.
Then Erza's tone shifted. "More importantly... you've all been causing trouble again, haven't you? Even if the Master forgives you, I will not."
Hearts skipped across the guild. It was happening.
"Cana, why are you drinking in that position?"
"Vijeeter, if you're going to dance, do it outside."
"Wakaba, you're dropping your ashes."
"Nab, are you still just staring at the request board? Go find a job."
"Honestly, you all make me worry. But I'll let it slide for today."
Lucy couldn't help murmuring, "She said plenty. Is she the discipline committee chair or something?"
"She's Erza," Happy replied.
Just then, Erza's gaze landed on Natsu and Gray.
"Hey... hi, Erza... We're getting along great today..."
"Aye!"
Natsu and Gray—who had been trying to kill each other moments before—now had their arms slung over each other's shoulders.
Both of them looked terrified. They had caused a lot of trouble recently, and they had just been fighting again.
"Natsu's acting like Happy again!!" Lucy's eyes widened. The last time she'd seen him like this was when she first joined the guild.
Erza nodded, satisfied. "Is that right? Good friends fight sometimes. But I like seeing you two getting along like this."
"Uh... no... I've told you, we're not friends."
"Aye!"
"Wh-what is going on?! Why are they acting like this?" Lucy blurted out, completely lost.
The Natsu she knew was reckless to the bone. Aside from being scared by Kael, she had never seen him this terrified.
Mira smiled and explained, "Natsu and Gray are both terrified of Erza. Natsu challenged her once and got beaten to a pulp. Gray was walking around naked, Erza caught him, and she beat him up. Loke tried to hit on her and was beaten half to death."
"Kael!"
Erza's gaze moved past the two and landed on Kael Vane.
"Yo! Erza! Long time no see!"
Kael raised his hand in greeting. He and Erza had gotten to know each other much better after they did that SS-Class mission together. They were now relatively good friends.
"It's good you're here," Erza said. "I actually have a favor to ask. I heard about some trouble while I was on my last job. I should probably report it to the Master, but I think we should deal with it sooner. I want to borrow your strength. Come with me."
"Ehhhhh—?!"
"What?!"
"Wh-what's going on?!"
"Erza is actually inviting someone?! And she invited Kael!!"
"The last time those two teamed up was half a year ago!"
"They're teaming up again? Are they going to destroy a country this time?!"
The guild was stunned. Kael and Erza had done an SS-Class mission together half a year ago—when Kael took down that dragon. It was still a legend told across Ishgar.
"We leave tomorrow. Get ready. I'll explain on the way," Erza said. Then she turned and left.
"Wait..."
Kael quickly tried to call her back, but Erza walked out without looking back, leaving Kael standing there, confused.
"I... I was just about to go on an S-Class mission!"
She just does whatever she wants! I didn't even say yes yet!
Mira smiled and took the S-Class request from Kael's hand. "I just remembered—S-Class quests need the Master's personal approval anyway. You'll have to wait until he gets back from the meeting to do this one. Besides, for someone as strong and proud as Erza to ask for help—and to ask you—it must be serious trouble."
"Sigh. I guess you're right. Mira, you have to save that mission for me."
Erza rarely asked for anything, so Kael couldn't refuse. The mission could wait a little longer.
Mira smiled. "Don't worry. I'll keep it for you."
Erza was gone, but the guild was already buzzing. Everyone was talking about what Erza and Kael were going to do. With those two together, it was bound to be SS-Class difficulty.
Their last mission was still a legend. Now they wondered what kind of massive event those two would cause this time.