Chapter 7 : Lucy

The enraged Natsu had already started fighting with Bora.

Knight didn't intervene. He lightly jumped down from the breakwater and landed next to Lucy.

"Hello, I'm Knight."

"My name is Lucy. Thank you for saving me."

Seeing the handsome man approach, Lucy hurriedly thanked him, looking at him with curiosity.

"Aren't you going to help? There are a lot of them."

Knight glanced over and saw Natsu easily handling Bora and his crew.

Happy flew to Knight's shoulder and said confidently, "Natsu is really strong, he won't lose to those fakes. Just watch carefully, Knight!"

Knight reached out and patted the blue cat's head, "He's a Fire Dragon Slayer, someone who transforms his body into that of a dragon to fight with Dragon Slayer Magic, a type of lost magic."

"Dragon Slayer Magic?" Lucy was amazed. As expected of Fairy Tail wizards, each one of them was so powerful.

Magic to fight dragons, and enough power to create a tsunami—it was far beyond that fake.

"Lucy, are you a Celestial Spirit Wizard?" Nate had just noticed the bundle of keys in Lucy's hand: three golden and three silver.

Celestial Spirit Magic is an ancient form of magic that contracts celestial spirits and uses keys as a medium to summon them from the Celestial Spirit World in another dimension. Celestial Spirit Wizards are rare, and this type of magic is part of the "possession" system. However, without the key, the magic can't be used.

"Huh? Yes," Lucy replied.

"Actually, I'm currently fulfilling a commission, and one of the rewards is a Zodiac Key," Nate said, smiling like a businessman, speaking in a friendly tone. "It's not very useful to me. If you want it, I could sell it to you."

"The key to the Zodiac?" Lucy's eyes widened, excitement filling her face. "Really? Would you give it to me?"

Nate: "…"

Did this rich young lady somehow confuse "sell" with "give"?

"Sell," he had to emphasize.

"Ah, sorry… I got a little too excited." Lucy apologized, a little embarrassed. "I'm willing to buy it. How much do you want?"

Unlike the common silver keys, there are only twelve golden keys, corresponding to the Zodiac signs. So each one is incredibly rare. If missed, it might never be available again.

Knight shook his head, "I know you're excited, but let's not rush. Even if you want to buy it, you'll have to wait until I complete the commission and obtain the key."

Just then, a cry interrupted their conversation. Knight turned to see Natsu shouting, "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist," and landing a heavy punch on Bora, sending him flying.

With a loud crash, a few nearby buildings began to collapse. Realizing the trouble he caused, Natsu panicked and shouted toward Knight, "Oh no! The army is coming! Happy, Knight, let's run or we'll have to pay for the damage!"

"Love~" Happy quickly flew over.

Knight turned to Lucy, "Do you want to join Fairy Tail? Come with me."

Without waiting for her answer, he turned and ran off.

Lucy stood there, momentarily stunned, before breaking into a happy smile. "Yes! Wait for me!"

They all dashed away and disappeared into the night.

A little while later, Makarov appeared on the breakwater, clenching his fist in frustration. "Natsu… I'm the one who's going to get yelled at!"

…

By the time they found a place to stay, it was already past 9 PM. The magic train had stopped running, so it was impossible to head back to Magnolia.

Lucy lay in a bathtub, reminiscing about the day's events, and couldn't help but smile. "Tomorrow I can join Fairy Tail, and I can also buy a Zodiac key from Knight!"

"Today really was my lucky day~"

Despite being tricked by the impostor, everything turned out well in the end.

She met two—or rather, three—Fairy Tail wizards!

Humming happily, she finished her bath, changed into her pajamas, and realized it was still early for bed. Taking out her diary, she began to record the joyful day.

Meanwhile, in the next room, Natsu and Happy were already fast asleep. Knight sat by the window, reading a magic book under the soft glow of moonlight.

…

The next morning at Hargeon train station.

"Nate, aren't you coming back to the guild with us?" Natsu asked curiously.

"I've got another commission to finish first. I'll head back once I'm done," Knight waved goodbye to Natsu, Happy, and Lucy.

"Really? Well, see you at the guild!" Natsu grinned, boarded the train, and promptly collapsed from motion sickness.

Lucy waved at Knight. "Goodbye, Knight! Don't forget about the key!"

Knight just smiled.

As the train disappeared into the distance, Knight turned and left the station.

"Now, it's time to finish that commission."

He made his way to the port, looking for a boatman willing to take him to Karna Island.

There were many small boats at the port, but all the boatmen shook their heads when they heard the destination. No one wanted to go to Karna Island.

It wasn't until Knight revealed that he was a wizard that one boatman finally agreed to take him.

On the boat ride to Karna Island, Knight started thinking about the events that had taken place there.

About three years ago, a group of wizards transported a frozen demon to the island. It had been sealed using forbidden magic called "Absolute Ice" by a great wizard named Ulu, who sacrificed her body to complete the spell.

For the past three years, these wizards had been using a magic called "Moon Drip" to gradually melt the ice. This magic ritual had caused a barrier of malevolent energy to form over the island, distorting the memories of its inhabitants. The people, who were actually demons, mistakenly believed they were cursed humans.

Their confused memories led them to send a request to Fairy Tail.

Solving the request was simple: destroy the barrier.

Knight wasn't particularly interested in the wizards' plans. He didn't want to get involved in their affairs.

His goal was clear: arrive, deliver one powerful blow, and claim the reward.

A straightforward S-class mission! Unfortunately, it was the only S-class commission he knew about.

"You're a wizard going to the island to break the curse, right?" asked the boatman at the bow of the boat.

"My name is Bobo. I escaped from the cursed island."

"My name's Knight. Don't worry, I'll handle it soon," Knight responded, remembering that Bobo was likely the only villager on the island who hadn't fallen under the memory distortion.

"Can you really break the curse?"

Bobo seemed hesitant, unsure whether to believe Knight's confidence. "When you set foot on that island, disaster will come for you too. It's not too late to turn back."

Knight chuckled and explained that the source of the curse was just an evil energy barrier.

Bobo was stunned, realizing the curse was much simpler than he thought. "But how did you know all this without even setting foot on the island?"

"Never mind that," Knight said casually. "Focus on rowing. The sooner we arrive, the sooner I can finish the job."

Knight took out his magic book and resumed reading, leaving Bobo no choice but to increase his rowing speed.

Several hours later, they finally arrived at Karna Island.

Knight stepped off the boat and turned to Bobo. "Stay here. I'm going to… buy an orange."

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