Chapter 28 : Lullaby!

"Hey, is everything alright with this guest?" The train attendant approached Natsu, who was kneeling on the ground, with concern evident in his voice.

"It's fine! Just an old issue," Happy reassured.

Lucy chimed in with a complaint, "Happy, you're hopeless!"

Erza, meanwhile, was steadily making her way over.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Natsu's mind raced, recalling Erza's immense power from their encounter at the guild yesterday. He couldn't help but break into a nervous sweat.

"Lucy, you're so juicy!" Happy remarked.

"That's not juice, it's sweat!" Lucy retorted, her instinctive complaint surfacing even in the face of fear.

Suddenly, Erza stood before Lucy with a resounding thud.

"Oh no!" Lucy instinctively covered her eyes, anticipating the worst.

"Huh? Weren't you at Fairy Tail yesterday too?" Erza's calm voice caught Lucy off guard. Contrary to her expectations, Erza appeared calm and nonchalant.

"Happy" quickly introduced Lucy, "This is Lucy, a new member of the guild, currently teamed up with Natsu."

Erza responded with surprise, "Is that so? Natsu, teaming up with someone? You must be a trusted companion, then."

Lucy realized Erza wasn't as intimidating as she initially seemed. In fact, she was easygoing and trustworthy.

"Um, hi, I'm Lucy, a newcomer. Please give me some guidance," Lucy greeted with a bow.

"I'm Erza, pleased to meet you," Erza replied with a smile.

Erza's tone shifted, "So, what brings you here?"

"We were just curious about your plans," Happy interjected, trying to cover their true reason for being there.

"Curious?" Lucy's eyes widened in disbelief at Happy's blunt admission.

Erza raised an eyebrow, prompting Lucy's heart to race as she feared the consequences of their deception.

"Is that all? Then come along."

"What?! I didn't get chopped?" Lucy exclaimed in surprise, unable to contain the disbelief bubbling within him.

Erza was taken aback by Lucy's reaction, then smiled reassuringly. "How could I harm a comrade from the guild?"

"But yesterday..."

"Yesterday was merely a greeting."

"A greeting?!" Lucy was momentarily dumbfounded. How could a greeting involve someone losing their head?

"Happy" chimed in, "Kyros and Erza share a deep bond. In their youth, they trained together. Erza would often spar with Kyros, but no matter how fierce the strikes, Kyros always endured."

Upon hearing "Happy's" explanation, Lucy was left awestruck. Enduring such strikes was no small feat. No wonder Gray had described Kyros as formidable.

"Erza, while you didn't harm my body, you did wound my heart," Kyros remarked with a wry smile.

Erza retorted, "Oh? Then let me test how many blows it takes to truly wound your heart."

"Uh... I'd rather not. Swords are quite pricey, after all."

Indeed, while being struck by a sword might not cause physical pain, it certainly stung a bit emotionally. Besides, it was rather embarrassing to be on the receiving end.

"No worries, I have plenty of swords to spare."

"I... It's not necessary to be so harsh..."

"Who told you to vanish for a whole year?"

"That's in the past; it won't happen again."

"Truly?" Erza's eyes sparkled with hope.

Kyros nodded vigorously. "More genuine than gold."

Curious, Lucy leaned in and whispered to "Happy," "What's the relationship between Kyros and Erza?"

"Happy" held up the pinky finger of his left hand.

Lucy gasped. "I thought Kyros was Miss Mira's boyfriend?!"

"Happy" extended the pinky finger of his right hand and connected it with the left.

Lucy couldn't help but cover her mouth in realization. "A love triangle..."

With a flush on her face, Erza delivered a swift punch to "Happy's" head, causing a resonant thud.

"'Happy'? Cut the nonsense! Do you understand?"

"OKAY~!"

"Alright, let's get to the point."

"On my way back from my last mission, I made a stop at a gathering of mages in Onebus. There's a group of guys there that caught my attention..."

Erza began recounting the news she accidentally overheard. In essence, a few mages were discussing plans to unlock an item called the Lullaby Seal, which seemed to be a mission involving unlocking the magic within the seal.

Lucy interjected, "Lullaby? Is it some sort of sleep magic?"

Erza shook her head. "I'm not sure, but given that it's sealed, I suspect it's a very potent magic."

"Happy" piped in, "Isn't unsealing a typical task for mages?"

Erza replied with a serious expression, "Initially, I thought so too. But when I heard the name Erigor, my perspective shifted."

"The ace of the Eisenwald Sorcerer's Guild, 'Death' Erigor."

"'Death'... the god of death?!" Lucy's reaction to the title was one of clear astonishment at its potency.

"His moniker stems from the fact that he exclusively accepts assassination contracts," Erza explained.

"Despite the Magic Council's prohibition on guilds accepting assassination missions, Eisenwald disregards this due to the lucrative pay," she continued.

"Thus, six years ago, Eisenwald was ousted from the mainstream Mage Guild Alliance and branded as a Dark Guild."

"A Dark Guild?!" Lucy was once again taken aback, beads of sweat forming on his brow.

"Lucy, you're so juicy!"

"It's just sweat," Lucy retorted, slightly exasperated.

****

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