The return of some wizards to Magnolia Town didn't go unnoticed—especially the chaos stirred up by the famous Erza Scarlet, particularly when she made such an imposing entrance carrying her trophy through all of Magnolia.
Her reputation preceded her. She was the fearsome and terrifying Titania who had returned. Of course, "terrifying" only applied outside this city. In Magnolia, Erza had an impeccable reputation, being responsible for keeping the rowdy bunch at Fairy Tail in check. However, no one ever argued about her being the strongest woman in the guild.
Near Fairy Tail, people went on with their lives after being impressed by Erza, but no one is prepared to see Titania so soon and break the previous imposing image.
A lady arguing with a fruit vendor.
"50J for an apple? That's way too expensive!"
"Ma'am, I only adjust my prices to what I pay. If you want to complain, go talk to the monsters that destroyed the nearby harvest!"
"You know what, never mi—huh?"
The woman was about to buy when the apple slipped from her hand. The vendor looked like he was about to scold her, but upon seeing the reason, he, too, froze in astonishment.
A man dropped his axe. A grandma's jaw dropped so much that her dentures fell out. A kid got distracted and bumped into a pole. A girl putting on makeup at a café smeared her lipstick across her cheek.
"Hey! Let me down!"
Erza protested as she was carried like a princess. The reactions from the people on the street were at least hilarious. Lucy, who had just caught up to them, initially thought about stepping in, but one look at Allen's face told her he was just teasing Erza. Once Allen had satisfied his petty revenge, he gently set her down. Erza gave him a look of mixed rage and embarrassment, but she didn't strike him. Instead, she took a deep breath to calm the strange sensation left by being carried by Allen.
"Anyway, I need you to come with me…"
"For what?"
Allen tried to recall—it had only been about five hours since they said goodbye in Onibas. What could have happened so quickly for Erza to need his help?
"I still have my suspicions, but I think it's something very dangerous involving a dark guild. Also, the regular guild masters' council is taking place right now, and that makes me feel like something fishy is going on… But first, I'd like to investigate more…"
Allen listened carefully and could tell it would be troublesome, but when he looked at Erza's face and saw that confident smile—like she knew there was no way he could say no—
Allen sighed and smiled, "I see… Doesn't sound like there's any reward or benefit, but since you're the one asking, I'll make an exception."
Erza's smile widened. "Your help is reassuring. In that case, let's go!"
Without any shame, Erza grabbed Allen's hand and started dragging him away, but he didn't budge, making her turn back with a puzzled expression.
"Wait. Let's meet in an hour. I still have something important to do," Allen said with a look that made it clear he wasn't going to give in.
If it had been anyone else, Erza would've dragged them by force. But instead, she stayed silent, her eyes fixed on him before conceding. "Fine. I'll see you at the train station…"
Erza let go of Allen's hand. Lucy, who had been observing everything, narrowed her eyes. She wanted to step in but hadn't found the right moment.
"Wait—I thought you couldn't get to Onibas Town by train?" Allen asked, confused. He had checked the train schedules before and didn't see Onibas listed.
"You can't. But we can transfer to another station to get there."
Upon hearing this, Allen slapped his forehead. He could've saved himself a lot of time if he had just done that.
Erza laughed before saying goodbye to both him and Lucy. Lucy simply exchanged a glance with her. She realized Erza hadn't ignored her—she had been waiting for her to speak up, just like last time.
'Silly Lucy, you can't give ground to any girl!' Lucy scolded herself.
...
A little while later, Allen walked alongside a silent Lucy. She felt a little down for not having mustered up the courage to confront Erza, unlike how she did with Mira and Cana.
"Lucy, we're here," Allen said, snapping her out of her thoughts. Her eyes lit up instantly.
"Wait, what are we doing here?!"
It was the café Lucy had wanted to visit when they got back. The stunned girl felt a hand on her shoulder, and when she turned, she saw Allen looking confused.
"What's wrong? Didn't you say there was a dessert you wanted to try?"
"Wait... That important thing you had to do…" Lucy's jaw dropped in disbelief.
"I promised you, didn't I?" Allen smiled subtly, squinting playfully before walking in, leaving Lucy silently stunned behind him.
Slowly, Lucy's heartbeat picked up. Her face felt hot. She brought a hand to her chest, breathing unevenly. Looking at Allen's back, she gave a pained smile and muttered, "That was close… This guy is seriously dangerous…"
...
Gwen – I know this very well -_- Sometimes I wonder how the hell I agreed to let that bastard have a harem.
MJ – He says he's not well, but his wolf instincts are still there…
Natasha – At this point, I'm not even surprised…
Ruby – I bet Lucy won't last a week…
Rangiku – A week? In three days, she'll be imagining the names of their kids, hahaha!
McDragon – I really hope someone stabs him. :(
...
Lucy tried the dessert, and it was everything she'd imagined. Lucy regained her good mood after seeing Allen prioritize her wish over Erza's request. After about half an hour, the two returned to the hotel to pack their things, since it was a mission that began with an investigation, So it was possible that they would need luggage for a couple of days.
Upon arrival, they were greeted not by Virgo but by a beautiful Maid with short white hair.
"Welcome master..."
"I'm back 2B" Allen patted the girl's head.
"A-Allen?"
Lucy's smile froze as she saw 2B greet them, Allen explained that 2B was another one of his spirits. However, Lucy almost faints at the thought of the terrifying possibility that maybe all of Allen's spirits are beautiful women, but that's not possible, is it?
Once on the train, Erza sat across from them to explain what had happened. It all started with her wanting to sell the horn. To do that, she went into a bar where wizards gathered, looking for information on who might buy it. That's when she overheard a heated discussion that caught her attention.
Three members of a guild were arguing at the bar, frustrated because they were searching for something called "Lullaby." And when they finally found its location—whatever it was—it had a seal on it. Erza, being used to fights in Fairy Tail, wasn't surprised by the argument and figured this "Lullaby" was just a magic item. That would've been the end of it—if not for someone mentioning a man named Erigor. This man was named in the conversation by one Kage-chan. At the time, Erza couldn't remember why the name sounded familiar.
Erza slapped her thigh in frustration, "Damn if I had remembered who Erigor was, I would've beaten the info out of them!"
Lucy jumped in surprise. "Wait, who's this Erigor? Is he famous?"
Erza frowned. "Lucy… you are a mage, right?"
"Yes…" Lucy replied nervously while holding her spirit, Plue—a strange mix between a dog and a snowman.
"There are dark guilds in this world. One of them, Eisenwald, is known for taking assassination requests. All because of its S-Class mage, Erigor. He used to be part of a legal guild, but he was known for taking assassination jobs. His punishment was being expelled from the Guild Masters' League. That didn't stop him, though—he kept taking kill jobs and eventually earned the nickname Erigor the Shinigami. He's extremely dangerous. It was my mistake—and Allen's—that he got away!"
"Hey, why me?!" Allen denied the accusation.
Erza blinked, confused at Allen's response. "Because after our fight, I was so caught up in it, I couldn't think of anything else but you."
"What?! That makes no sense!" Lucy shouted, shocked by Erza's statement—but Erza didn't seem to realize what she had just said… or maybe she hadn't meant it that way.
"What are you talking about, Lucy? That fight had my whole heart," Erza added with a fierce and challenging look.
"But…" Lucy couldn't believe Erza didn't realize how embarrassing her own words were.
"Erza… never mind," Allen said, accepting Erza's personality. If she didn't label something as embarrassing, she wouldn't feel embarrassed. So Allen just moved on. "So, should we look for this 'Kage-chan' or go straight after Erigor?"
"Let's go back to Onibas first and ask around. Someone must've seen where they went… sound good?" Erza asked with confidence.
"Sure… Lucy?" Allen looked at her.
"No problem," Lucy replied. She was still a novice, so she just went with the flow.
"Umu," Erza nodded, satisfied.
Allen lifted his eyes with disdain. "Still, I don't know what was dumber—this 'Kage-chan' guy saying his evil plan out loud in a public bar, dropping Erigor's name like it was nothing, or failing to recognize Erza Scarlet, the girl who walks around with a giant horn."
"Hey! I don't always carry that thing! I actually left it at the guild!" Erza finally looked embarrassed—oddly, this embarrassed her more than her earlier comments.
'I'm starting to understand this person,' Lucy thought.
'She has a strange common sense.… it's kind of cute,' Allen thought.
...
Asia – Try your best, Lucy! Don't lose!
Orihime – I'm rooting for you too!
Yoruichi – Girls, it's not necessary. At least for now, Erza-chan doesn't seem to feel anything romantic for our Allen~
Makima – Who knows, maybe she's just pretending to be innocent... the human heart is deep.
PercyJ – You're overthinking it. This girl seems to have a brain made of muscle, which makes her a really hard target to win over...
...
Allen, Lucy, and Erza spent some time talking on the train. The latter was interested in hearing how their encounter went. When she heard that Allen had saved Natsu from almost dying, her expression darkened.
"It was my fault. I should've been stricter with him!" Erza said, sending chills down Lucy's spine. She knew things wouldn't go well for Natsu when they returned. Erza also opened up a bit and talked about life in the guild.
"Many of them are clumsy and misbehave, but overall they're good people. Nobody fights at the guild and everyone gets along..." Erza smiled kindly.
Lucy and Allen exchanged glances, both remembering that there had been practically a fight every single day in the guild. Allen had been attacked by Natsu, Gray, and even Loki in less than a week. In fact, when they first arrived in Magnolia, Gray and Elfman had been fighting with magic right in the middle of the city.
Lucy nodded toward Allen. The only explanation was that they were so terrified of Erza that they behaved in her presence. But the most amazing thing was that this girl hadn't realized it at all.
"I guess they're good kids..." said Allen lying blatantly. Lucy almost burst out laughing at Allen's words.
"Right?" Erza nodded with sparkling eyes.
After about half an hour on the train, Allen got up, curious to explore the interior. Lucy was about to get up too, but Erza stopped her with a meaningful look. After that, Lucy told Allen she'd stay and talk with Erza.
"Alright then, see you," Allen replied, hoping Lucy wouldn't end up fighting Erza.
Allen started walking through the train, but there was nothing special; after a while, he was disappointed.
"I wasn't expecting a magic core powering it or anything, but I thought it'd be a bit more special..."
Wednesday – Well, just because it's a world of magic doesn't mean everything has to be magical.
"That's true..."
"Shit!"
"Hm?" Allen heard someone panic, but when he looked around, he saw no one. Allen could have found the person with "Auris Arcanum" but saw no reason to do so, everyone has their own problems.
...
Hidden inside the bathroom was a young man of average height and weight, with black eyes and black hair tied into a short, spiky ponytail. He wore a white high-collared shirt with an intricate symbol on the back, over a simple dark red undershirt. He also wore aquamarine-colored pants. Right now, he was hiding with a pale look on his face.
'What bad luck!' thought the man.
His name was Kageyama, an elite mage from the dark guild Eisenwald. He had confidently left the Magic Pub to search for the Lullaby artifact. Thanks to his magic, which allowed him to move at high speed, he'd decided to go retrieve the cursed item by himself. However, after leaving, he heard strange rumors that Erza Scarlet had appeared in Onibas and had fought against the mysterious, powerful mage who had been slowly gaining popularity. The battle ended in a draw, but it only served to boost the fame of Fairy Tail's new wizard.
Kageyama had felt the commotion in the city but hadn't understood the cause. As a mage, he assumed it was just another fight between wizards. He didn't realize the magnitude of the event.
"Shit, don't tell me that red-haired woman was Erza Scarlet?!" Kageyama turned pale. He hadn't paid attention to the red-haired girl at the time, but thinking about it now—red hair wasn't exactly common. Realizing he had made a big mistake, he rushed at full speed to retrieve Lullaby, even burning through most of his shadow magic. That's why he ended up taking the train to recover.
What he didn't expect was that Erza was also on the train. Kageyama usually acted condescending toward others and mockingly referred to legal wizards as flies, but deep down, he was a coward. So, he decided not to fight Erza and simply wait for them to get off the train. What he didn't expect was for Allen to get up and start wandering the train.
'Wait... now that this guy's alone... isn't this my chance to eliminate him?' Kageyama thought. While defeating Erza seemed impossible, he figured he could at least take out one of her companions and let Erigor handle Erza.
With that in mind, Kageyama merged into the wall using his shadow magic and quietly approached Allen, who looked lazy and carefree as he strolled through the train cars.
Kageyama grinned. 'You're not fit to be a mage...'
Once he was sure Allen was completely distracted—Allen even yawned—Kageyama took that as the green light to attack. He jumped out of the wall. But just as Kageyama thought everything was going according to plan, Allen suddenly reached out and grabbed him by the neck like a chicken—without even looking—and slammed him into the wall. Somehow, this caused Kageyama's pants to fall, revealing heart-patterned underwear, and this provoked laughter from the audience. Allen, however, didn't laugh. His expression darkened.
"Another degenerate..."
Allen was trying to get used to this world full of degenerates, but it was difficult. He didn't give Kageyama another glance of disdain before turning and walking away.
Allen was about to use his forbidden spell "Testicular Torsion" on this pervert but thought that even a pervert didn't deserve something so cruel, so with a look of contempt, he turned to walk away, leaving Kageyama with his pants down and half his body buried in the wall.
"Ugh!" Kageyama used his magic to pull himself out of the wall. His head was bleeding, but he didn't care. The humiliation was far worse than the pain.
*Cough*
"...!" Kageyama looked up to see the conductor who had appeared out of nowhere, pointing at the hole in the wall. Kageyama wanted to argue that it wasn't his fault but felt that if he made a scene, that monster might come back. So, he took out his wallet and paid with everything he had.
'We don't just need to worry about Titania... I should report this to Erigor-san...'
Allen returned to his seat, which was peaceful. Neither Erza nor Lucy seemed to have argued. On the contrary, they seemed to be getting along a little better.
"Allen, how did it go~?" Lucy returned to her usual self and clung to Allen's arm as he sat beside her.
"Not great. Some guy in his underwear attacked me... again. What's wrong with this world?" Allen complained. That had only happened to him twice in his life, and both times were in this world—and in the same week.
"In his underwear?!" Erza exclaimed. "Was it Gray?!"
"No, it was someone else... Is stripping down and attacking people a trend or something?" Allen asked.
"If that were a trend, I'd never leave my house," Lucy replied with a weird look.
"What did this pervert look like?" Erza asked. Although Gray did the same thing, it was out of habit, and he couldn't control it. But if the person who attacked Allen was a real pervert, he needed to be handed over to the authorities.
"Well, he—"
Allen gave Erza a description, and she immediately grabbed Allen by the neck.
"That was Kage-chan!"
"How was I supposed to know?" Allen replied, completely unfazed. Just as they were about to go after Kageyama, there was an explosion, and the train stopped.
Allen narrowed his eyes. "I guess the pervert has more than one trick up his sleeve..."
===
A/N: 🫠
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