Levy and Lucy immediately threw themselves into their work.
Rhodes wasn't idle either. He marked one location after another on the map, preparing scouting routes and deployment plans. But the more he considered it, the more uneasy he became.
No matter which site they investigated, there was a real chance they would run straight into Tartaros, and worse, be detected instantly by the former Council Chairman's magic.
That would put the scouts in extreme danger.
Since the mission was inherently high-risk, Rhodes chose not to send people at all.
Instead, he sent monsters.
Void Crabs were dispatched to the two closest locations. Raptors were sent to the mid-range points.
For the farthest, cross-country targets, Cloud Dragon carried Wolves and Krugs, deploying them one by one.
The wild monsters had only a single instruction:
If you see a square-shaped object flying in the sky, return immediately to the canyon.
At that point, Rhodes would be able to tell exactly which creature had returned, and from which location.
Everyone else in the guild was either resting, recovering, or gathered in small groups studying intelligence. The atmosphere resembled a serious strategy meeting rather than the usual lively chaos of Fairy Tail.
The busiest person, aside from Levy and Lucy, was probably Freed.
He was laying down layered magic formulas throughout the guild.
With three former Council Members currently staying there, the likelihood of a direct enemy assault was high. Defensive measures weren't optional, they were mandatory.
After reinforcing the guild itself, Freed planned to extend a wider defensive formation outside the city. It didn't need to be particularly powerful; it only needed to trigger the moment a demon entered its range.
As for how to design a demon-detection formula, the guild conveniently had two living samples.
Freed had already identified the necessary magical signatures after studying them closely.
By then, the two demons had completely fulfilled their purpose.
And the ever-kind Miss Mirajane granted them a painless, thorough release.
Suddenly, a commotion broke out near the guild entrance.
"There's a dragon!"
"It's fine, it's Rhodes's!"
"Is that Gray?!"
The Mountain Dragon gently set Gray down, then vanished without a word.
Rhodes had already warned it that a war could break out at any moment over the next two days.
So the dragon had decided to conserve energy, or, more accurately, to sleep as much as possible and spare Rhodes the magical cost.
The moment Gray entered the guild, he headed straight for Max.
"Well?" he asked. "Have you decided when we move?"
"Not yet," Max replied. "We'll act once Levy and the others pinpoint Tartaros's location."
Max hesitated, sensing something off about Gray, but continued with the essentials first.
"You're grouped with Natsu, Lucy, and Juvia. Go check with them for the detailed battle plan."
Gray paused.
Then felt a faint sense of relief.
If he was in Natsu's group, Rhodes must have assigned them an important assault role.
Otherwise, that fire idiot would definitely mess something up.
That was good.
"Gray-sama~~~!"
Juvia practically spun across the room as she flew to his side.
Her eyes were bright with worry. "Juvia was so worried about you!"
Gray was silent for a moment.
Then, instead of responding to her enthusiasm, he said flatly, "Tell me about our mission. What's Rhodes's plan?"
Juvia froze.
Gray was cold, but not in his usual way.
She remembered what Rhodes had told her earlier:
'Gray's been through something painful. His condition's unstable. I haven't figured out how to help him yet, if you have ideas, let me know.'
If she could help Gray, Juvia would gladly do anything.
But now clearly wasn't the time to act silly.
She took a breath and answered seriously.
"First comes intelligence," she said. "Mr. Rhodes wants us to memorize all known information on each demon."
Then she met Gray's eyes.
"Our team's priority target is Keyes, the necromancer known as the Black Priest."
"Necromancer…"
Gray clenched his fists, and the black markings on his right arm twitched, showing signs of spreading again.
That man had experimented on his father's corpse.
The Deliora incident back then, there was a real chance it hadn't been a coincidence at all.
Gray was grateful that Rhodes had deliberately left that target to him. Right now, he wished he could find that bastard immediately.
But the stronger his emotions became, the more violently the power in his arm responded. A cold, oppressive aura seeped outward, making the air around him feel heavy.
Gray took a slow breath and forcibly suppressed his emotions. Turning away, he started toward Lucy and Levy.
He wanted to see their progress with his own eyes.
He had barely taken two steps when something warm pressed gently against his back.
Two arms wrapped around his waist.
"Let go."
Under normal circumstances, his voice would've been sharper, louder, edged with irritation. Juvia would've taken it as teasing, as complaining.
But today, his voice was quiet. Flat.
Distant.
And Juvia hated that far more.
She didn't release him. Instead, she leaned her cheek against his back and whispered softly.
"Gray-sama… Juvia doesn't know what happened to you. But Juvia will always stay with you."
Her arms tightened slightly.
"Everyone will worry about you too. Even if they can't compare to Juvia, they'll still worry, just a little less than Juvia does."
Her voice trembled.
"So please… rely on Juvia a little more. Even if it's just telling Juvia something… or asking Juvia for help…"
She hesitated, then forced herself to continue.
"If...if Gray-sama doesn't like Juvia… then relying on everyone else more is fine too. Even Lucy."
"As long as Gray-sama can feel better, Juvia...Juvia won't be sad."
The last words broke into a soft sob.
Gray had been about to pry her hands away.
Instead, he stopped.
His hands moved on their own, gently covering Juvia's.
The black markings on his right arm slowly receded, settling back into place.
He swallowed.
He wanted to say thank you.
But when he finally spoke, what came out was...
"I'm a little hungry. Can you find me something to eat?"
"Gray-sama?"
Juvia froze.
Then her hands loosened, and her eyes lit up.
"Yes! Juvia made special Gray-buns this morning! Juvia will get them right away!"
Gray lifted a hand to say it wasn't necessary.
But his voice couldn't keep up with Juvia's sprint.
...
Inside Tartaros, Kyôka returned to the control room once more to monitor Crawford's progress.
Franmalth took the opportunity to speak.
"This is strange. Torafuzar isn't the type to delay. Even if the mission ran into trouble, he should've reported back by now."
Ezel liked to fool around. After completing a mission, he might even indulge in killing for fun.
But Torafuzar was different.
Steady. Disciplined.
Whether he succeeded or failed, he would've contacted the guild.
Kyôka was about to respond when Crawford spoke up as well.
"The operatives assigned to Belno and Michello have both failed."
"Hmm?" Kyôka turned sharply. "On what basis?"
Crawford pointed to the screen in front of him.
Two small red dots glowed faintly.
"Belno and Michello are both alive. And their positions have moved close to Yajima."
He narrowed his eyes.
"Someone saved them. And it was the same group."
Kyôka frowned.
"So something really did happen."
Michello had been Silver's responsibility, and Keyes had already confirmed that Silver's situation was abnormal. That wasn't the concern.
Belno, however, had been Torafuzar's target.
The assassination failed.
Hell's Core showed no sign of a returning soul. And Torafuzar hadn't returned.
Had he been seriously injured?
Or, captured?
At that moment, a soldier appeared at the doorway and reported cautiously,
"Lady Kyôka. The Lord has summoned you."
...
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