Chapter 28 : Lullaby

"The Internet is amazing!"

In the infirmary, Erza was stunned. She had only posted on the forum asking what kind of magic "Lullaby" was, but she didn't expect that Eligore himself would jump out and reveal his plans.

Knight was right—the Internet truly was amazing!

Erza couldn't help but glance at Knight, who stood by the window. "Is this for real?" she asked.

"It seems… real," Knight replied, though his tone was hesitant. Based on Eligore's erratic replies, it certainly seemed like him, but there was still the question of how he had obtained the ring.

Was it stolen? Taken by force?

Either way, it didn't matter. Whoever had the ring would be paying the "Internet fee" soon enough.

But more than that, Knight was impressed by the sheer prowess of the "netizens." Each of them was a sharp-tongued expert, and after Eligore's unintentional confession, the forum exploded into chaotic replies.

"Nate!" Erza suddenly grabbed his hand, her eyes full of concern. "If what Eligore said is true and his target really is the Guild Presidents' Alliance, you're the only one who can stop him!"

Knight attempted to pull his hand back gently, but Erza was holding on too tightly. Not wanting to hurt her, he sighed. "Come on, it's the Guild Presidents. What could Eligore possibly do to them?"

Makarov alone could likely defeat Eligore in an instant, so why would he need to get involved?

"Take Natsu, Gray, and the others with you," Erza urged, her voice filled with determination. "The three of you together will surely be able to handle it!"

Knight blinked. Did you just ignore everything I said? He wanted to suggest that Erza could handle it herself, but seeing her lying there covered in bandages, he decided against it.

I really hit her too hard back then… He felt a twinge of guilt, remembering their battle.

"Well, I guess I'll treat this as a vacation," Knight thought. After all, a little break might be nice. Finally, he agreed. "Alright, just focus on recovering."

"Knight, you're such a good person!" Erza's face softened into a smile as she released his hand and suddenly pulled him into a warm hug.

"Please, come back safely."

Knight found himself pressed against her chest, feeling the warmth of her body through the bandages. A sweet, subtle scent filled his senses—it wasn't perfume, probably just her natural scent. He sighed in relief. Good thing she isn't wearing her armor.

However, as a perfectly normal man, he couldn't help but feel awkward.

"Don't worry, I'll be back soon," he said, his voice muffled as he gently pried himself away from her embrace. He smiled and left the infirmary.

At the guild tavern, Mirajane greeted him with a smile. "I just spoke with the president. He's given his approval."

She was standing in front of the bulletin board, updating all the commissions into the magic network. Knight had recently entrusted her with managing the "Fairy Tail Guild" sub-forum.

"Thanks for all your hard work, Mira," Knight said, walking over to her. He briefly thought about how nice it would be if Mirajane hugged him like Erza had. But that might be asking for too much…

Suddenly, Natsu burst into the tavern, fists blazing. "Let's fight, Knight!"

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

Before Natsu could land his punch, Knight sidestepped and delivered a lightning-quick jab to Natsu's abdomen, knocking him out cold.

"K.O.!" Happy chimed in, banging a small drum he'd pulled out of nowhere.

The whole guild burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, Natsu's at it again!" someone shouted.

"First Erza, now Knight!" another teased.

Mirajane covered her mouth, giggling. "At least Erza gave him time to yell his move."

Knight lifted the unconscious Natsu onto his shoulder. "I'm heading to the Guild Presidents' Alliance meeting. Mira, where's it being held?"

"In Kuroba Town," Mirajane replied, still puzzled. "Why do you ask?"

"Just taking a walk," Knight replied with a casual smile, intentionally omitting any mention of the Iron Forest.

As he walked through the tavern, he spotted Gray and called out to him. "Gray, you're coming too."

Gray, who was sitting at the bar shirtless, looked up in surprise. "Wait, what?"

Knight grinned. "You heard me."

Realizing it wasn't just a casual invite, Gray quickly grabbed his clothes, though not before Mirajane had to remind him to put them on.

At the door, Knight paused, glancing back at Lucy. "Lucy, you're coming too."

"Eh? Me?" Lucy pointed at herself, confused.

Knight flashed her a smile. "I'll take you to a fun place. My treat."

Lucy's eyes sparkled with excitement. "I'm in!"

As the four of them and Happy left the tavern, the remaining guild members watched them leave, whispering among themselves.

"Doesn't Lucy know about the post?"

"Knight's being sneaky."

Back at the bar, Mirajane finally pulled up the forum and found Erza's post. Her eyes widened. "Eligore… Death God Eligore!"

Without wasting a moment, she contacted Makarov to inform him of the situation.

…

On the magic train to Kuroba Town, Knight filled Lucy, Gray, and Natsu in on the situation.

After hearing the full story, Lucy buried her face in her hands. "I got tricked…"

Gray, looking serious, said, "This 'Lullaby' magic must be Eligore's ace card."

"Lullaby?" Lucy frowned, feeling like she'd heard the name somewhere before.

Gray continued, "There's no way Eligore believes he can take down the guild leaders with just the Iron Forest's power."

Knight smirked. "It's hard to say. Anyone who loses their temper that easily might be reckless enough to try." He thought back to Eligore's ridiculous meltdown on the forum and chuckled.

"Well, whatever his plan is, we'll be ready when he shows up," Knight said confidently.

…

In Kuroba Town, inside a luxurious mansion, the Guild Presidents gathered in the grand hall for their meeting.

Makarov stood at the head of the group, reading the message on his magic communication device.

The departing traveler: [Knight, Gray, Natsu, Lucy, and Happy are on their way to your location.]

The Head of Fairy Tail: [Understood. It looks like the dark guild won't be sitting idle.]

After closing the communication window, Makarov looked up to see all the guild presidents gathered around him, staring curiously at the magical device.

"This is quite the fascinating magic," said Bob, the round and flamboyant president of Blue Pegasus, his cheeks flushed with excitement. "Far more efficient than a messenger pigeon."

"So this is the legendary Internet? Created by that new wizard of yours, eh Makarov?" another guild president asked.

Makarov proudly showed off the ring on his finger. "That's right! Knight is the most talented wizard I've ever seen. This ring is the key to accessing the Internet."

The presidents, rather than worrying about the dark guild's threat, were far more interested in the Internet's magic.

"Come on, Makarov! Let me have a turn!"

"Don't hog it all to yourself!"

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