Ten years ago, the village where Erza lived as a child was destroyed by the Dark Magic Cult, and she herself was captured as a slave and sent to a secluded island far from the mainland, which was also the location of the final Tower of Paradise.
Although she was reduced to slavery, Erza's strong conviction did not waver in the slightest, and she made good friends with many people her age.
Erza also got to know an old man named "Rob," who was a Mage, but due to his age, he had weakened to be indistinguishable from an ordinary person.
Erza firmly believed she would regain her freedom, so she secretly tried to escape, but the result was failure after failure.
Later, when a group escape failed, she was identified as the instigator, captured by the guards, and subjected to torture, which led to necrosis in her right eye, but the torture continued.
A boy named Jellal couldn't stand it, so he voluntarily confessed that he was the mastermind of the group escape, trading himself for Erza and continuing to suffer the beatings in her place.
After losing an eye, Erza, guided by Grandpa Rob, finally understood a principle: running away would not bring freedom; only resistance offered a glimmer of Hope.
For freedom, and also to rescue Jellal, who was still suffering in her stead, Erza persuaded some of the slaves to join her in resisting the Dark Magic Cult.
After all, compared to being tortured to death in the Tower of Paradise, it was better to risk their lives for Hope; even if they failed, it was still just death.
Their unified conviction caused the slaves to erupt with unprecedented combat power, defeating many Cult guards along the way.
However, when the Dark Magic Cult's Magic Soldiers began to move, the situation was instantly reversed in a one-sided defeat, and the slaves, who were just ordinary people, were routed immediately.
Grandpa Rob, who usually took great care of the children, exhausted his last bit of magic power and was killed while saving Erza.
As her companions were killed one after another, the immense grief awakened the hidden power within Erza's body, and she awakened the magic 'Armor: Knight'.
Controlling the weapons of the previously defeated soldiers, Erza successfully eliminated the Cult's Magic Soldiers.
Then, she boarded a ship and left alone; not only did she abandon her companions, but before leaving, she also burned all the remaining boats.
Two years passed, only for them to be abandoned by the person they trusted most.
The slaves, deeply wounded in spirit and lacking means of escape, collectively succumbed to darkness under Jellal's leadership, inheriting the desire of the Dark Magic Cult to resurrect the legendary "Black Wizard."
Eight years later, the Tower of Paradise was complete.
This was the story Hope summarized from the Memories of Sho, Wally, and Millianna.
"Impossible!"
"Erza is definitely not that kind of person!"
Just as everyone fell silent, Natsu was the first to stand up and loudly refute without hesitation.
Sho, with tears in his eyes, burst out laughing, "We trusted Sister Erza just like you back then, but what happened in the end! She left us behind and ran away alone!"
"No! There must be a reason!"
Gray stood up. He had been a member of the Guild for ten years, and among those present, only Makarov and Cana had been members longer than him.
Gray could never forget how Erza always secretly hid by the river and cried after joining the Guild. He believed Erza must have had a hidden reason.
Gray walked up to Erza, "Tell us the truth. You're not that kind of person. There must have been something that forced you to leave..."
Erza's eyes were filled with pain and struggle, but in the end, she remained silent.
This sight chilled everyone's hearts.
Hope sighed and speechlessly pushed Natsu and Gray back down, "I haven't even finished speaking yet. What are you two rushing for?"
"Huh? Didn't you already summarize their Memories?"
Seeing Natsu's bewildered expression, Hope reluctantly spoke, "I was referring to the Memories of Sho, Wally, and Millianna. There is still one person's Memory left untold."
In that instant, not only the Fairy Tail members but also the three—Sho, Wally, and Millianna—focused their attention on Simon.
Hope dragged a chair and sat down in front of him, "Simon, should I speak, or will you tell it yourself?"
Simon gave a wry smile, "Since it's come to this, I'll tell it."
Simon's experience was roughly the same as the other three, the only difference being that eight years ago, after the resistance against the Dark Magic Cult ended, he saw Erza go to rescue Jellal.
Because he also cared about Jellal, Simon quietly followed.
Before Erza could reach the Torture Chamber, Jellal walked out from inside. He had also awakened his magic and killed the Interrogator who tormented him.
This should have been a good thing.
However, Jellal, after awakening his magic, was like a different person. He was no longer gentle, and he had inherited the Dark Magic Cult's plan to resurrect the Black Wizard.
Naturally, Erza disagreed with this.
However, having exhausted her magic power fighting the Magic Soldiers, how could she be Jellal's opponent? She was beaten without any ability to fight back.
Jellal threatened Erza's life and the lives of everyone in the Tower of Paradise, demanding that she leave, never return to the Tower of Paradise, and never reveal its secrets.
To protect her companions, Erza had no choice but to leave alone.
Simon saw clearly that after Erza left, Jellal burned all the ships and fabricated the lie that "Erza abandoned everyone," all to make the slaves continue working to help him complete the Tower of Paradise.
The reason Simon concealed the truth from the three—Sho, Wally, and Millianna—was also to protect them, otherwise, they would surely die. Jellal could let Erza go, but he could not tolerate anyone else who knew the truth.
Now that the time was right, Simon felt no need to hide it anymore. He looked at Erza, his true feelings revealed, "It's truly wonderful... to see you again, Erza."
"Simon..." Erza showed a look of deep emotion.
Sho, Wally, and Millianna, upon learning the truth, burst into tears. Eight years—they had been deceived by Jellal's lie for a full eight years.
How many eight-year periods does one have in a lifetime?
And most importantly, they had been wrongly blaming Erza all this time... Looking at her former companions weeping bitterly, Erza's eyes also welled up, but now was not the time for tears; her gaze gradually became resolute.
Erza spoke solemnly to Makarov and her companions: "Master, everyone, I apologize for the trouble. I will handle this... It's time to settle things with Jellal."
Natsu immediately jumped up: "Hey, Erza! What are you saying! How can we possibly let you go alone!"
Gray chimed in, "Exactly! Your trouble is our trouble!"
The others also expressed their support one after another.
Erza looked at her reliable companions, a flash of warmth in her eyes, but she still shook her head: "No, this is my past, my responsibility..."
"Don't take matters into your own hands, Erza."
Hope patted her shoulder, interrupting her words, a relaxed smile on his face as always, "Have you forgotten what a Guild is? One person's trouble is the whole Guild's trouble."
Erza looked at Hope, then at the resolute, supportive eyes of every companion around her, and finally, that heavy burden seemed to lighten considerably.
She nodded, showing a sincere smile, "Thank you."
"In that case, let's put the vacation on hold."
"Let's set out and get back at them for Erza!"
Hearing Makarov speak, everyone looked at him in surprise. Hope couldn't help but say, "Master, surely we don't need to trouble a Ten Wizard Saints like you to personally move out for this..."
Makarov smiled, "To hell with 'Ten Wizard Saints.' I'm just an old man who wants to help his child resolve her inner demons."
"Besides, my dear friend Rob is sleeping there too..."
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