Lucy was overjoyed at this moment~
After learning that with her current strength she could only rank at the bottom of Fairy Tail, Lucy actually felt much more relaxed...
How should she put it? Lucy had completely given up~
Working hard was impossible. For the rest of her life, she would just stay by Natsu's side, lend him a hand here and there, and muddle through~
Cough, cough...
Thinking this, Lucy immediately shook her head, clearing all those distracting thoughts from her mind.
"No! Absolutely not!"
"I, Lucy, am going to become the woman who makes Celestial Spirit Magic famous throughout the world!"
"How could I give up over something this small? Absolutely impossible!"
"Lucy, you're the best! Lucy, do your best!"
Lucy clenched her fists, cheering herself on.
"Lucy really is a good kid~"
Mirajane nodded lightly as she watched Lucy encouraging herself. She thought very highly of Lucy.
The main reason was that Mirajane liked Lucy's ability to regulate her own emotions, because only those who knew how to relieve their own stress could survive in Fairy Tail...
Bang!
Just as Mirajane sat beside Lucy, smiling at the newcomer Natsu had brought into the Guild, Fairy Tail's front doors were suddenly shoved open.
Bathed in sunlight, a beautiful figure with crimson hair walked straight into the Guild...
The one returning wasn't anyone else but Erza, who had just finished a job.
"Erza, you're back? How unusual. Laxus just returned to the Guild too~"
Mirajane greeted Erza with a smile.
"Mirajane, you're here? Even Laxus is back already?"
"Perfect. I have something I need to discuss with all of you..."
"But before that, I'd like to find Guild Master August and Brother Evan!"
Erza nodded at Mirajane, her expression unusually serious.
"That's unfortunate, Erza~"
"Guild Master August and Brother Evan aren't in the Guild right now~"
"They said they went to the Guild Masters' gathering of the Fiore Kingdom."
Mirajane replied helplessly.
"Is that so?"
Erza frowned slightly, seemingly deep in thought.
"What's wrong, Erza? Is it something urgent that you need to tell Guild Master August and Brother Evan?"
Mirajane asked softly.
"No. It isn't that urgent."
"I just heard that a Dark Guild obtained one of the Black Magic spells created by the Black Wizard Zeref that had previously been sealed away by the Magic Council."
"I suspect they intend to use that Black Magic for something terrible, so I wanted Brother Evan and Guild Master August to contact Zeref personally and ask how we should deal with it..."
Erza shook her head.
In truth, destroying a Dark Guild along with one of the small demons created by Zeref would be effortless for her.
However, since it was a demon created by Zeref, Erza felt she should first ask Zeref himself what he thought about the matter. After all, Zeref himself was also a member of Fairy Tail, and that wasn't exactly a secret within the Guild.
Therefore, Erza hadn't attacked the Dark Guild immediately. Instead, she returned to the Guild first, hoping to find Evan and August, who could contact Zeref directly.
Unfortunately, neither Evan nor August happened to be in the Guild.
"Um... may I ask a question?"
"What kind of person is Guild Master August?"
"And why is this Guild Master August attending the Fiore Kingdom Guild Masters' gathering instead of Guild Master Makarov?"
"And the Zeref you mentioned... is he that Zeref? The Black Wizard who created countless Black Magic spells and was known as the most evil Black Wizard in Ishgar's history?"
After hearing Erza and Mirajane's conversation, Lucy felt as though the questions piling up in her heart had formed a small mountain. She had countless things she wanted to confirm.
"Hmm..."
After hearing Lucy's questions, Erza and Mirajane exchanged glances in perfect sync, silently communicating with one another.
In the end, Mirajane spoke first.
"I'll answer your first question first, Lucy~"
Mirajane smiled warmly.
"O-Okay..."
Lucy immediately sat up straight, waiting attentively.
"First, regarding Guild Master August's identity~"
"Lucy, do you remember the seven people I mentioned earlier who stand at the very peak of Fairy Tail's power?"
"Guild Master August is one of those seven~"
Mirajane first used the combat ranking system she had explained earlier to briefly describe August's identity and strength.
"Oh!"
"In that case, there are only two members among Fairy Tail's seven strongest that I still don't know."
Lucy nodded while silently counting in her head.
"As for why Guild Master August attended the Fiore Kingdom Guild Masters' gathering instead of Guild Master Makarov..."
"The answer is very simple."
"Because Guild Master August is Fairy Tail's current Guild Master~"
"Guild Master Makarov is Fairy Tail's former Guild Master, current Guild Master's Assistant, and future Guild Master~"
"By the way, Fairy Tail has more than one Guild Master's Assistant. Every S-Class Mage has the authority of a Guild Master's Assistant and can independently approve new Guild members."
Mirajane answered efficiently.
"That's exactly right~"
At some point, Makarov had wandered over beside them and nodded cheerfully.
"This is so confusing!"
"Former Guild Master, current Guild Master's Assistant, future Guild Master..."
"Why split one position into so many different positions? Isn't that troublesome?"
Lucy couldn't help complaining.
"Lucy, suppose I told you I wanted to pass Fairy Tail on to you."
"You'd become Fairy Tail's Guild Master, manage the Guild, and clean up all the messes Natsu and the others leave behind."
"Would you accept?"
Makarov smiled dismissively before asking expressionlessly.
"Cleaning up after Natsu and the others?"
"I'd rather you just kill me, Guild Master!"
Lucy immediately twitched.
Compared to cleaning up after Natsu and the others every day, she'd rather die!
"Looks like you finally understand..."
"This is exactly why we split the Guild Master's responsibilities into so many positions."
Makarov smiled bitterly.
If possible, they wouldn't want to complicate things either.
But Fairy Tail's Guild Master simply wasn't a job one person could handle alone.
"I understand..."
Lucy twitched helplessly.
She finally understood Makarov's painstaking efforts.
"I understand Guild Master August's situation now."
"Then, Sister Mirajane, could you answer my question about Zeref?"
Lucy continued.
She already understood who August was.
Now only one question remained.
Was the Zeref Erza mentioned merely someone who happened to share the legendary Black Wizard's name?
Or was he actually the real Black Wizard Zeref?
Normally, when someone heard the name Zeref, they would naturally assume it was simply someone with the same name.
But this was Fairy Tail.
For some reason, Lucy had the feeling Erza really meant that legendary Black Wizard.
"I'll explain this one."
Erza picked up where Mirajane left off.
"Okay!"
Lucy immediately turned toward Erza.
"Just as you suspected."
"It really is the Black Wizard Zeref himself."
Erza answered directly.
"Oh... so the Zeref you're talking about really is the legendary Black Wizard Zeref himself?"
"Haha... I knew it was him—"
"My foot!"
Lucy froze in horror.
"If I remember correctly..."
"The Black Wizard Zeref lived over four hundred years ago, didn't he?"
"If this really is the genuine Zeref... doesn't that mean he's lived for at least four hundred years?"
"Can humans really live that long?"
Lucy asked in disbelief.
"Living for four hundred years is pretty ordinary, isn't it?"
"My mother Irene, Natsu's older brother Ignia, and Senior Selene have all lived for over four hundred years..."
"Oh, right."
"My mother also said Brother Evan and I would live very long lives as well."
"Immortality is hard to say, but living several hundred years should be easy, provided we don't suffer illnesses or accidents."
Erza replied calmly.
"Please don't casually say humans can easily live for several hundred years!"
"And none of the examples you gave were actually human!"
Lucy frantically complained.
"Oh, right!"
"Speaking of which, the Black Wizard Zeref's full name is Zeref Dragneel~"
"Doesn't that surname sound familiar?"
Erza suddenly asked.
"Dragneel?"
"I remember Natsu has the same surname!"
"Could Natsu be the Black Wizard Zeref's descendant?"
Lucy asked in shock.
"Not exactly..."
Erza shook her head.
"Oh... just a coincidence then?"
Lucy sighed in relief.
"Natsu isn't Zeref's descendant."
"Because Natsu is Zeref's younger brother."
Erza explained calmly.
"Oh... I see."
"So Natsu is Zeref's younger brother..."
"Haha, when you said they both had the surname Dragneel, I thought Natsu was Zeref's descendant... Haha... huh?"
Lucy suddenly realized something was terribly wrong.
"Um... Erza?"
"Who exactly did you say was related?"
Lucy stared blankly.
"Natsu and Zeref~"
Erza answered.
"Natsu and... that Zeref... are brothers?"
Lucy felt as though her brain had crashed.
"Of course I mean the Black Wizard Zeref."
"Lucy... are you feeling alright?"
Erza asked with concern.
"Wait... wait..."
"You said Natsu and Zeref are brothers."
"But didn't you also say Ignia is Natsu's older brother?"
"So... are Natsu, Ignia, and Zeref all brothers?"
Lucy felt completely lost.
"No."
"You misunderstood."
"Natsu and Zeref are biological brothers."
"As for Natsu and Ignia, that's because of Natsu's foster father."
"Didn't you notice?"
"Ignia is a dragon, while Natsu is a human who learned Dragon Slayer Magic."
"Natsu's foster father was the Fire Dragon King Igneel."
"He taught Natsu Fire Dragon Slayer Magic."
"And because Ignia is Igneel's biological son, he's considered Natsu's older brother."
"As for Ignia and Zeref, they're unrelated."
"So both Ignia and Zeref are Natsu's older brothers."
"But Ignia and Zeref are not brothers with each other."
"Do you understand now, Lucy?"
Erza carefully sorted out the complicated family relationships.
"So... confusing!"
"Natsu's family relationships are way too confusing!"
Lucy held her head in agony.
"Anyway..."
"I think I more or less understand now."
After pondering for a while, Lucy nodded.
"I'm glad you understand."
Erza and Mirajane exchanged satisfied smiles.
"..."
Lucy looked at the satisfaction in Erza's eyes and remained speechless.
"Oh right!"
"I've been so busy answering your questions that I almost forgot what we're supposed to do next."
"Since Guild Master August and Brother Evan aren't here, we'll handle the Book of Zeref ourselves."
Erza rubbed her temples before speaking resolutely.
"Huh?"
"But isn't Black Magic created by the Black Wizard Zeref extremely dangerous?"
"I remember the Magic Council saying that anything involving the Books of Zeref must be reported directly to the Council."
Although Lucy had never belonged to a Guild before, she had spent over a year in Fiore's magic world and knew the basic regulations.
"Lucy~"
"Do you think there's any place in this world more dangerous than Fairy Tail?"
Makarov asked with a smile.
Among Fairy Tail's members, Makarov was one of the few who actually possessed some self-awareness...
"N-No..."
"No matter how dangerous Zeref's Black Magic is, it definitely can't be more dangerous than Fairy Tail."
"I'm absolutely certain of that!"
Lucy twitched.
After all, even the Black Wizard Zeref himself was merely one of Fairy Tail's members!
Thinking of that, Lucy couldn't help complaining inwardly.
What exactly is wrong with this Guild?
Dragons... the Black Wizard...
It's practically the embodiment of the Book of Apocalypse!
The Guild itself is already comparable to every catastrophe recorded in the Book of Apocalypse!
"Enough wasting time!"
"Everyone whose name I call, come over!"
"Natsu! Gray! Gajeel! Wendy... and Lucy! You all come here!"
Crossing her arms, Erza's violet eyes swept across the Guild before selecting the companions she considered suitable.
Aside from Lucy, everyone she chose was a regular participant in Fairy Tail's S-Class Mage Promotion Trial.
After all, they were facing an entire Dark Guild, so powerful teammates were necessary.
As for why Erza didn't call any other S-Class Mages...
First, while the matter was important, it wasn't important enough to require two or more S-Class Mages acting together.
Second, every S-Class Mage already had their own team, and Erza didn't want to break them apart.
"Huh?"
"I'm going too?"
Lucy hadn't expected Erza to include her.
After all, as Fairy Tail's "combat power sewer," she didn't think she'd be much help.
"Of course~"
"Aren't you in the same team as Natsu?"
Erza smiled.
"T-That's true..."
Lucy remembered her agreement with Evan and immediately lowered her head helplessly.
"Erza."
"You should be able to handle this alone, shouldn't you?"
"Do we really need this many people?"
"That's right!"
"It's only one Dark Guild!"
"I can blast them all away by myself~"
Gray and Natsu both questioned Erza.
"To be honest..."
"This incident also involves the Magic Council."
"So Fairy Tail won't be the only ones participating."
"After all, the living Magic Lullaby connected to Zeref that the Dark Guild stole had originally been sealed away by the Magic Council."
"In other words, besides Fairy Tail..."
"The Magic Council will also dispatch their Anti-Black Mage Special Operations Team to deal with the Lullaby theft."
"And according to intelligence from my contact within the Council..."
"The person leading this operation is Jellal."
"Even I find him somewhat troublesome."
"Now do you all understand?"
Erza asked seriously.
"We understand!"
In an instant, Natsu and Gray both realized exactly what Erza meant.
Even Gajeel, who had originally planned to refuse, put down the iron he was chewing and looked over.
"So our opponents are Jellal's squad?"
"Ghehe... sounds interesting~"
Gajeel grinned viciously.
"Um... I have a question."
"If the Magic Council is already sending a Special Operations Team..."
"Then we don't really need to go, do we?"
"Wouldn't it be better to let the Council handle it?"
"That way we'd save ourselves the trouble, the Council would complete the mission successfully, and even if something went wrong, it wouldn't have anything to do with Fairy Tail..."
As one of the Guild's few normal people, Lucy asked sincerely.
In Lucy's view, any normal Mage would abandon the mission once the Magic Council intervened.
"What nonsense are you talking about, Lucy?!"
"How could we hand over a mission that's already ours to the Magic Council?"
Before Erza could answer, Natsu interrupted.
"Shouldn't we?"
Lucy blinked.
"If we don't let the Council take it, what else are we supposed to do?"
"Don't be ridiculous, Lucy!"
"As members of Fairy Tail, how could we be afraid of the Magic Council?"
"Of course we're going to defeat both the Council's Special Operations Team that came to steal our mission and the members of the Dark Guild!"
Gray clenched his fist.
"Exactly!"
Natsu nodded in agreement.
"Huh?!"
Lucy froze.
After spending over a year in Fiore's magic world, this was the first time she had ever heard someone casually suggest defeating both the Magic Council and a Dark Guild.
Then again...
Since it was Fairy Tail saying it...
Somehow, it felt normal.
Phew...
"By the way..."
"So Fairy Tail even has people inside the Magic Council?"
"That's incredible~"
"When I was wandering around outside, every Mage I met reacted to the Council like they were facing a tiger."
Lucy smiled.
"Of course!"
"The current Chairman of the Magic Council ERA is Senior Warrod Sequen, one of Fairy Tail's founders!"
"Councilors Yajima, Rob, and Rayes are all Fairy Tail seniors."
"Councilor Tochi also has close ties with Fairy Tail."
"As for Councilor Jellal and Acting Councilor Lahar, they're Brother Evan's juniors."
"You could say they're practically his unofficial disciples."
Erza explained Fairy Tail's relationship with the Magic Council ERA.
"Huh?!"
"You're saying the people currently leading the Magic Council are all from Fairy Tail?!"
Lucy stared in disbelief.
"That's right."
"So nowadays some people say the Magic Council ERA has already been occupied by Fairy Tail."
"They claim it's become Fairy Tail's hired muscle and has lost its impartiality."
Erza frowned.
"So... what's the truth?"
Lucy asked curiously.
"It wouldn't be accurate to call the Council Fairy Tail's hired muscle."
"If I had to describe it..."
"The Magic Council is more like Fairy Tail's branch office~"
Erza thought for a moment before giving her answer.
"Isn't that even worse?!"
Lucy widened her eyes.
This wasn't merely influencing the Council anymore.
According to Erza, Fairy Tail had practically turned the Council into its own property!
"If the Magic Council is basically Fairy Tail's branch office..."
"Then why are we competing against it?"
"I really don't understand."
Lucy looked puzzled.
"What's so hard to understand?"
"It's very simple."
Erza shook her head.
"Let me give you an example."
She decided to explain using a practical scenario.
"Gray."
"If Natsu stole a job you wanted, what would you do?"
"Do I even need to answer?"
"I'd beat Natsu up and take the job back!"
Gray replied matter-of-factly.
"See?"
"Even Guild members compete through strength if they want the same job."
Erza nodded with satisfaction.
"No, no, no!"
"If two Guild members want the same job..."
"Shouldn't they discuss it peacefully or decide fairly?"
Lucy shook her head.
Before joining Fairy Tail, she had done plenty of research.
She had even bought a bestseller titled How to Get Along Civilly with Your Guild Members.
The book specifically said that when two Guild members wanted the same job, they should negotiate peacefully or share it fairly...
"Huh?"
"Hahahaha!"
"Lucy, are you joking?"
"If you find a job that suits you, of course you fight for it!"
"Exactly!"
"You really don't understand Guild life at all!"
"Using strength to grab the job you want is common sense!"
Natsu and Gray burst into laughter.
"Uh..."
Lucy fell silent.
"Quiet!"
"Stop laughing at Lucy!"
Erza scolded them sternly.
"Erza..."
Lucy felt touched.
"Lucy has never belonged to a Mage Guild before."
"It's perfectly normal that she doesn't know basic Guild common sense!"
Erza declared confidently.
"..."
In an instant, Lucy felt all the common sense she had learned had gone to waste.
It wasn't that the bestselling guidebook was wrong...
It was simply that none of it applied to Fairy Tail.
"Everyone!"
"To protect Fairy Tail's honor..."
"We must defeat the Magic Council's Special Operations Team sent to suppress the Dark Guild!"
"Then eliminate the Dark Guild and seize Lullaby!"
Erza shouted passionately at Natsu, Gray, Gajeel, Wendy—who was quietly listening while holding Carla—and Lucy, whose worldview had completely collapsed.
"OH!!"
Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel roared in agreement.
At the same time, on a hillside not far from Magnolia Town...
A group dressed in the Magic Council Special Operations Team uniforms stood quietly.
"I heard it."
"The fairies have begun moving."
One man with dark red hair kept his eyes closed while his ears twitched slightly, apparently listening to what was happening far away in Magnolia Town.
"I didn't expect we'd be facing the fairies head-on this time."
"This should be interesting."
"Wouldn't you agree, Jellal?"
A young man with short blond hair cracked his knuckles eagerly.
"Lisa, Richard, Erik, Sorano, Macbeth..."
"There's no time to waste."
"We must deal with the Dark Guild before the fairies arrive."
The blue-haired young man standing at the front spoke coldly.
"Yes!"
The five people behind him answered in unison.