POV: Elior
The next morning, we woke up to the sounds of Lunaris coming alive.
I opened my eyes to find Luna curled up near my feet.
"Morning, Luna."
"Kyuu…"
She stretched before climbing onto my lap.
Across the room, Cana was already dressed and looking out the window.
"Brother El, we're going to Blue Pegasus today, right?"
"That's the plan."
Erza was sitting on her bed, fixing her hair.
She looked toward me.
"How far is it?"
"Not very far. About twenty minutes from here."
She nodded.
"Then let's go after breakfast."
Cana turned around.
"And afterward, we explore!"
"Yes."
"What about the candy shop?"
"You haven't even had breakfast."
"That doesn't answer my question."
I laughed.
After breakfast, we left the inn and headed toward the western side of Lunaris.
The city was already much busier than it had been yesterday.
Merchants were opening their stalls, travelers were moving through the streets, and the smell of freshly baked bread drifted through the morning air.
Cana stopped at one stall almost immediately.
"Brother El."
"No."
"But I haven't asked anything."
"You were about to ask for food."
She smiled.
"You're getting good at this."
Erza giggled.
We continued walking.
Lunaris was a fascinating city.
There were shops for almost everything—magical items, clothing, weapons, herbs, books, food, jewelry, and plenty of things I had never seen before.
Erza occasionally stopped to look at something interesting, especially whenever we passed a shop displaying swords or armor.
She didn't ask for anything.
She simply liked looking.
Eventually, we reached Blue Pegasus.
The guild building stood out from the surrounding shops.
It was elegant, clean, and much more refined than Fairy Tail.
I stared at it for a moment.
"This doesn't look like a guild."
Cana looked at the building.
"Definitely not like ours."
Erza tilted her head.
"Maybe they're just quieter."
"That's possible."
I pushed open the door.
The atmosphere inside was completely different from Fairy Tail.
No shouting.
No fighting.
No furniture flying through the air.
I immediately became suspicious.
Several people glanced toward us as we entered.
Three children and a small white fox probably weren't the usual visitors.
I stepped forward.
"Excuse me."
A man with small white wings approached us.
He had a flamboyant appearance, a confident smile, and a presence that somehow made the entire room feel more colorful.
"Welcome to Blue Pegasus."
"Hello. I'm Elior, from Fairy Tail."
I reached into my bag and pulled out the sealed letter.
"Our guild master, Makarov, asked me to deliver this to your guild master."
The man's eyes moved toward the letter.
"I'm Bob. Guild Master of Blue Pegasus."
He accepted the envelope.
"Let's see."
He broke the seal and unfolded the letter.
I waited quietly while he read it.
Cana leaned slightly toward Erza.
Erza whispered something back.
I pretended not to notice.
Bob eventually finished reading.
He folded the letter and smiled.
"All right."
He looked at me.
"I'll prepare a reply for Makarov."
"Okay."
He glanced toward the clock.
"If you're planning to explore Lunaris today, there's no reason for you to wait here."
He picked up a fresh sheet of paper.
"Come back this evening before you return to your inn. I'll have the answer letter ready for you."
"Sure."
I nodded.
"We'll come back this evening."
"Good."
Bob smiled.
"Enjoy the city."
"Thank you."
I turned around.
That had been surprisingly easy.
We had delivered the letter, and now we were free to enjoy the rest of the day.
At least, that's what I thought.
"WAIT!"
A loud voice suddenly came from deeper inside the guild.
I stopped.
Cana looked over.
Erza turned around.
Luna moved closer to my leg.
A boy around fifteen years old came walking toward us.
He had dark hair and an expression that was far too dramatic for someone who had just noticed three children.
His eyes landed on me.
He stopped.
His eyes widened.
Then he pointed at me.
"WHAT IS THIS MAGNIFICENT PRESENCE?!"
I blinked.
"…What?"
He rushed over.
"Such a magnificent young man!"
Before I could react, he placed both hands on my shoulders.
I looked at Bob.
Bob sighed.
"Ichiya…"
So this was Ichiya.
I had heard the name before.
I had not heard the warnings.
Ichiya stared at me.
"Such magnificent hair!"
"Thanks?"
"Such beautiful eyes!"
"Okay…"
"Such incredible potential!"
He leaned closer.
Then he sniffed.
I frowned.
He sniffed again.
"What are you doing?"
His expression suddenly became horrified.
"YOU HAVE NO PARFUM!"
I stared at him.
"…What?"
"PARFUM!"
He said the word with enough passion to make it sound like a sacred art.
"I don't use perfume."
Ichiya looked genuinely devastated.
"How can such a magnificent young man live without parfum?"
"I seem to be doing fine."
"Fine?!"
He clutched his chest.
"Fine is not enough!"
Cana started laughing.
Erza covered her mouth.
Ichiya suddenly reached inside his clothes and produced a small bottle.
I immediately raised a hand.
"No."
He stopped.
"You haven't even smelled it."
"I don't need to."
"This is my newest parfum!"
"No."
"It contains the essence of northern flowers!"
"No."
"A delicate hint of magical cedar!"
"No."
"And the refined scent of—"
"No."
He stared at me.
I stared back.
Cana was now laughing so hard she had to hold onto Erza.
Ichiya finally lowered the bottle.
"You are resistant."
"I prefer to call it common sense."
He placed a hand against his chest.
"Perhaps one day, you will understand the beauty of parfum."
"I hope not."
Cana laughed even harder.
Ichiya turned toward her.
"And what is your name?"
"Cana."
"Ah! A beautiful name!"
He looked toward Erza.
"And yours?"
"Erza."
"Another beautiful name!"
He nodded dramatically.
Then he looked back at me.
"You must take care of these beautiful young ladies."
I glanced at Cana and Erza.
"That's the plan."
Ichiya smiled.
"A responsible young man!"
He sniffed the air again.
"But still without parfum."
I sighed.
"I can't win, can I?"
"No!"
Ichiya answered immediately.
Bob laughed from behind his desk.
"Ichiya, let them leave."
"Very well."
Ichiya stepped aside.
"Farewell, Elior!"
"Goodbye."
"And remember!"
I paused at the door.
"Parfum!"
I closed my eyes.
"Of course."
We walked outside.
The moment the door shut behind us, I took a deep breath.
Fresh air.
Wonderful, beautiful, ordinary air.
Cana immediately started laughing.
"Brother El!"
"What?"
"Your face!"
"What about it?"
"You looked like you wanted to run away!"
"I did not."
Erza looked up at me.
"You did, Brother."
I looked at Luna.
She gave a tiny "Kyuu."
"You're supposed to be on my side."
Luna wagged her tail.
Traitor.
We spent the rest of the morning exploring Lunaris.
Cana found the candy shop she'd been talking about since yesterday.
The moment she saw it, she grabbed my hand.
"Brother El!"
"I know."
"Can we go in?"
"Yes."
She smiled and dragged Erza inside.
I followed them.
Cana emerged a few minutes later carrying a bag of sweets.
"That's a lot."
"It's not."
"That's definitely a lot."
"It's enough for today."
"Today?"
She smiled.
I decided not to ask.
We continued through the market afterward.
I kept an eye out for the ingredients Irene had asked me to collect.
Several were available in the northern market, while others came from small herb shops around the outskirts of the city.
By the afternoon, we had managed to find most of them.
Erza stayed close to me as we walked.
She seemed to be enjoying herself.
Every so often, she'd point something out.
"Brother, look."
I followed her gaze.
A street performer was demonstrating a small magic trick.
"That's interesting."
"Can you do that?"
"Probably."
She smiled.
"Can you do everything?"
I thought about it.
"Not everything."
She looked surprised.
"Really?"
"Not yet."
Cana laughed.
"Brother El thinks he'll eventually be able to do everything."
"I said probably."
"That's basically the same thing."
We continued walking until we passed a bakery.
Erza stopped.
I followed her gaze.
A beautiful strawberry cake sat in the display window.
She looked at me.
"Brother…"
I smiled.
"Strawberry cake?"
She nodded.
"Please."
"Of course."
Cana smiled knowingly.
"You always give in when she asks like that."
"Because she's my little sister. Aren't I same with you?"
Cana smiled.
"Tee~Hee~"
We bought several slices and sat outside.
Erza took her first bite and immediately looked happy.
"This is really good."
"I knew you'd like it."
She continued eating quietly.
Cana looked at her.
"Strawberry cake again."
"I like strawberry cake."
"I know."
Erza took another bite.
"Then there's nothing wrong with it."
"Fair enough."
We spent the afternoon wandering through more of Lunaris.
We visited a few shops, watched street performers, tried some local food, and bought a couple of small souvenirs.
Eventually, the sun began to sink.
I looked toward the western side of the city.
"We should head back to Blue Pegasus."
"Already?" Cana asked.
"We need the letter."
"Oh, right."
We made our way back through the evening streets.
When we entered Blue Pegasus again, Bob was still at his desk.
He looked up.
"Ah, you're back."
I nodded.
"We came for the reply."
"Of course."
Bob picked up a sealed envelope and handed it to me.
"Here you go."
I accepted it carefully.
"Thank you."
"Make sure Makarov gets it."
"I will."
I put it safely into my bag.
We turned toward the door.
Then I heard it.
"ELIOR!"
I stopped.
I didn't turn around.
Cana started giggling.
Erza looked at me.
"Brother…"
"I know."
Ichiya approached.
"Before you leave…"
I slowly turned around.
"What?"
He smiled.
"Have you reconsidered parfum?"
"No."
He looked disappointed.
"Not even a little?"
"No."
"Such stubbornness!"
"I prefer the word disciplined."
Cana burst out laughing.
Ichiya placed a hand against his chest.
"Very well. I shall respect your decision."
I relaxed.
Then he pointed dramatically at me.
"But the world of parfum will always welcome you!"
"That's nice."
I turned around.
"Goodbye."
"Farewell, magnificent young man!"
We left Blue Pegasus for the second time.
This time, I didn't breathe a sigh of relief until we were halfway down the street.
Cana was laughing beside me.
"Brother El, you really don't like him."
"I have nothing against him."
"You absolutely do."
"He tried to spray me with something."
"He didn't spray you."
"Because I stopped him."
Erza giggled.
"I think Ichiya is funny."
"You weren't the one he was trying to perfume."
"That's true."
Luna gave a little "Kyuu."
"Thank you, Luna."
We continued toward the inn beneath the evening lights of Lunaris.
I looked at the envelope inside my bag.
The mission was basically complete.
We had delivered Makarov's letter.
We had the reply.
We had collected almost all of Irene's ingredients.
Cana had found her candy.
Erza had eaten strawberry cake.
And we'd explored a good part of the city.
It had been a pretty good day.
I just had one problem.
Ichiya.
I shuddered.
Maybe I would never fully recover from that encounter.
Cana noticed.
"You're thinking about parfum again."
"I'm not."
"You are."
"I'm thinking about how lucky I am that Magnolia is several hours away."
Erza laughed.
Luna gave a happy "Kyuu."
I smiled.
Tomorrow we'd begin our journey home.
And honestly, I was looking forward to it.
Mostly because Fairy Tail didn't have Ichiya.
At least, not yet.