The next day. At the temporary counter beside the guild request board.
The Strongest Team had gathered.
Because they had damaged quite a few public facilities during the mission they took the previous day and hadn't received any reward, Erza and the others decided to take another job to alleviate their current tight financial situation.
Especially Lucy. Her rent was due this month. She was worried sick.
"Hey, Macus. Why are you handling the work today?" Gray asked.
"Macus! I've seen you in Weekly Sorcerer magazine!" Lucy said, pleasantly surprised.
She had been in the guild for a while now, but she had never spoken face-to-face with Macus like this.
"As a new guild member, Lucy, I've heard a lot about you too."
Macus sat in the seat that should have been Mira's. He rested one arm on the counter, a smile on his lips.
He was the type who really enjoyed chatting with people.
"Even if you don't say it outright, I can already imagine it's all embarrassing stuff..." Lucy covered her face with a wry smile, showing great self-awareness.
"Hey, Macus. You still haven't answered my question. Where's Mira?" Gray, feeling ignored, was a bit annoyed.
"Before that, you should probably put some clothes on."
"Nani? When did I—?!"
After reminding Gray, Macus finally explained. "Mira left early this morning with Chase. Something about dealing with the assassin guild Skeleton Guild — after what happened last night, you know."
"The master originally wanted Loki to fill in, since he has experience. But that guy hasn't been doing well lately, so I'm covering."
Hearing this, Natsu immediately perked up. "Assassin guild? Skeleton Guild? Chase went out to pick a fight?!"
He and Happy lived in a wooden cabin on the outskirts of Magnolia. They didn't know about the Three Crows' attack last night.
"...Is fighting the only thing on your mind? Someone was trying to assassinate Chase."
Lucy was about to briefly explain what had happened when she suddenly realized something and gasped. "Wait! That means Chase and Mira-nee teamed up?!"
This shout instantly drew the attention of all the surrounding guild members.
"Hahaha! In a certain sense, those two monsters teaming up — there's no team in the guild that can compete with them, right?"
"Poor Natsu and Gray. Your 'Strongest Team' title only lasted one day~"
"You can't really say that. Just in terms of combat power, Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe aren't weak either — annoying as they are."
"A real man! What happened last night?! How did my sister get taken away?!"
"They've got a thing going (emphatic rolled R)~!"
Aside from a thorough confused Elfman, most people were stirring up trouble and teasing.
"Damn it! They secretly teamed up! Erza, let's go do an S-Class job right now! We can't let them surpass us!" Natsu shouted unconvinced, immediately forgetting about the assassination.
"Are you an idiot? The master said no S-Class requests while the guild hall is being rebuilt."
Gray first followed his daily routine of mocking Natsu, then looked at Erza. "Let's take three jobs at once — no, five!"
When it came to refusing to lose, he and Natsu were perfectly in sync.
"Aye~! I'm fired up!" Happy also showed strong enthusiasm.
"Right, right! Work, work!" Lucy chimed in.
Unlike Natsu and Gray's competitive spirit, all she saw at this moment was money.
Thank you, Chase and Mira-nee, for getting these guys so motivated, hehe. The girl covered her mouth and secretly rejoiced.
But in the face of their urging, Erza's expression remained very solemn.
It was only natural to seek revenge. But that was still a dark guild with considerable power. Shouldn't they at least report it to the Magic Council and wait for instructions first?
And come to think of it Chase's proposal to interrogate the Three Crows alone last night was also very strange!
Ignoring Natsu and the others, Erza walked up to Macus and asked, "Where's the master?"
"He took the Skeleton Guild people to the Magic Council. Said he wanted to see how the councilors would react."
Recalling the scene he had seen this morning, Macus scratched his head, puzzled. "Strange. He's usually not that proactive, is he?"
Erza's frown deepened.
Too strange. Both the hasty, rash decision and the reverse order of procedures...
She had an inexplicable feeling that the master, Chase, and Mira were hiding something from her!
"Natsu, Gray. We're not taking any jobs for now."
With that, Erza turned to Elfman and said in a tone that brooked no refusal, "Elfman! Come here. You said earlier that Chase went to your house last night?"
Southern part of the Kingdom of Fiore. Kaemuru Continent. Coastal waters.
Powerful deep blue wings parted the clouds as they flew rapidly toward their destination.
Chase in front, Mira in back. The two sat close together on Guardian of the Fortress's back. The oncoming gale made their clothes flutter loudly.
The specific location of the Tower of Heaven had, of course, been obtained from the Three Crows.
According to Owl, Jellal had placed a concealment magic around it (similar to Tenrou Island), making it impossible to detect through normal observation methods.
This magic would only be lifted once the Tower of Heaven was completely finished and needed to actively expose itself to the Magic Council's sight to be charged by Etherion.
Of course, its level was far below Tenrou Island's. So in the waters near the Tower of Heaven, both birds and fish had been affected and died unnatural deaths.
"Hey, Chase. Do you have any infiltration plan?"
Mira's head poked out from behind him. Her beautiful white hair danced in the strong wind.
Whether because of the speed or some other reason, Guardian of the Fortress which should have been flying smoothly occasionally bumped. To avoid being thrown off, she had no choice but to tightly wrap both arms around Chase's waist to keep her balance.
"Don't worry. I made a plan before coming. And that is—"
Even against the strong wind, Chase could still feel the warmth and faint fragrance close to his ear.
"Land at the entrance, then fight our way straight up — and take Jellal's head!"
Given Jellal's cautious nature, by the time he didn't receive a report back from the Three Crows, he had probably already prepared for mission failure and possible exposure. A surprise attack would most likely not work.
Besides, that way there would be no chance of getting cards to drop from him — since he was already here, how could he miss this perfect opportunity to grow stronger?
In a world where heart and will were the sources of magic, too many concerns would only limit oneself.
Fight! Awesome!
Just do it!
"Ara ara. What a... detailed and careful plan."
Mira squinted her eyes. A knowing smile bloomed at the corners of her lips. Her words revealed barely contained excitement. "So... it wouldn't be a problem if I went a little wild, would it?"
With only Chase by her side, she didn't have to worry about accidentally hurting her teammates.
In other words — once the innocent laborers at the Tower of Heaven were evacuated, she could use that move the master had banned without any restraints!
***
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