Temporary camp in the village.
The sea breeze blew with a salty, fishy scent, making the temporary tents sway slightly. The villagers gathered in small groups; some squatted on the ground in a daze, some held their knees and wept silently, and others looked up at that eerie purple moon with eyes full of despair.
Erza, a genuine S-Class Mage, glanced at the sky. Her brown eyes narrowed slightly as her gaze pierced through the purple light curtain, seeing things invisible to the average person.
She had figured it out.
"I see," Erza whispered, the corners of her mouth curling into a knowing smile.
She Requipped into her Heavens Wheel Armor. Silver armor covered her entire body, and a pair of iron wings unfolded behind her as she soared into the air.
She flew to the very center of the purple barrier and took the Spear of Evil's Bane from her Requip space, its tip glowing with a holy silver light.
She raised the spear high and thrust it down with force.
Crack!
The purple barrier shattered like glass. The fragments turned into countless purple specks of light, drifting down like a flurry of purple snow.
The moment the barrier dissipated, the demonic features on the villagers did not change.
The villagers were stunned. They looked down at their hands, then up at each other, their eyes widening one by one.
"Oh! It turns out we were demons to begin with!" the villagers cheered, hugging each other and weeping with joy.
The village chief, however, held his head and wailed, muddy old tears streaming down his cheeks. His voice was hoarse: "My Bobo! Papa is so sorry!"
At that moment, Bobo flew back from the distance. His massive wings kicked up a gust of wind as he landed steadily in front of the chief: "Papa, I'm fine."
The chief looked up at Bobo through tear-blurred eyes and reached out a trembling hand to stroke Bobo's large head.
Everyone was Happy, and the quest was successfully... completed!
To be honest, seeing these demons flying around in the sky like cockroaches... so densely packed, it made one's skin crawl.
Natsu had been wrapped in bandages by Riyao like a mummy. White bandages were wound around him layer after layer, leaving only his eyes and mouth exposed, making him look like a walking mummy.
Riyao clapped his hands and examined his masterpiece with satisfaction: "Let's go back like this. We might get some sympathy this way."
Natsu squirmed on the ground like a maggot, the bandages rustling against the floor: "Ah! You bastard Riyao! Let me up so we can fight again!"
Riyao stepped on Natsu to keep him from moving: "Behave yourself. A mummy should act like a mummy."
After Lucy learned the truth, she completely broke down. She squatted on the ground with her head in her hands, her blonde hair hanging messily as her shoulders shook.
"When did you even sneak in?! Waaaah... I was tricked so badly..."
Riyao said with a grin, his hands behind his back and a look of innocence on his face: "From the moment you got on the boat, that was me too. By the way, I recorded the whole thing."
He pulled a Crystal Ball from his pocket and waved it in front of Lucy. Scenes flashed across the surface of the ball.
Mirajane asked curiously, "What's that other Crystal Ball on you for? Is there more inside info?"
The two humans and one cat showed expressions of horror. Lucy's face turned pale, Happy's wings froze, and Natsu stopped squirming.
Gray went to say goodbye to Lyon.
Mirajane dragged Riyao over to watch the fun. Her long silver hair fluttered in the morning breeze, and her eyes sparkled with the light of gossip.
Lucy and Happy forgot about the recording and followed along to watch.
The group hid behind a rock, popping their heads out like a bunch of peeping gophers.
Now that Lyon had been redeemed, his habit of going shirtless had returned.
And so, Lyon and Gray stood together shirtless. The morning sun bathed them in light, making their muscle lines exceptionally distinct in the golden glow.
"Lyon, what do you plan to do next? Want to join our guild?" Gray asked with a hint of sincerity in his voice.
"No, I don't want to join a guild for the time being. Maybe I'll think about it later," Lyon shook his head, his long silver hair swaying slightly in the wind.
The two of them standing shoulder to shoulder facing the sunrise was quite an eyesore.
Two shirtless men leaning close together with the golden sunlight spilling from behind them—the scene looked exactly like some kind of poster.
Riyao, Mirajane, and Happy spoke in unison, their voices as perfectly synchronized as if they had rehearsed.
"Whoa They're totally a thing"
"Why are you all so synchronized? Does our guild have some kind of training for this?" Lucy, being a newcomer, couldn't keep up with the rhythm and blinked her eyes in confusion.
Gray turned to look at them, his face flushing red from his neck to the tips of his ears. He pointed at them and roared, "When did you guys get here?! It's not what you think!"
An inexplicable blush appeared on Lyon's face. His silver eyelashes lowered slightly, and the corners of his mouth curled up unconsciously.
Seeing Lyon like this, Gray clutched his chest and took a step back in horror.
"What the hell are you blushing for?!"
From the bushes on the other side, Sherry rushed out. Her pink hair trailed behind her as she blocked the way in front of Lyon, looking at Gray warily with her arms spread like a hen protecting her chicks.
"You are not allowed to seduce Lord Lyon!"
Riyao stood beside Gray and crossed his arms, saying with a serious face, "What do you know? Gray and Lyon are childhood friends; their bond is deep."
Mirajane nodded beside him, her long silver hair swaying gently with the movement: "That's right, that's right!"
The three of them discussed intensely, completely ignoring whether Lyon and Gray lived or died. Riyao counted on his fingers to analyze the timeline of their relationship, Mirajane added details, and Happy chimed in with "Aye aye!"
Lucy was even secretly jotting something down, her pen scribbling furiously in a notebook. She had a knowing grin on her face, and her eyes shimmered with an eerie light.
Happy looked at Lucy in horror, shrinking his neck and quietly moving to the side.
Gray covered his face, really not wanting to admit he was in the same guild as these people. His shoulders were trembling slightly, though it was unclear if it was from anger or embarrassment.
Watching this scene, the corners of Lyon's mouth slowly curled into a smile. This group, though noisy, was very warm.
The trip to Karna Island thus came to an end.
Riyao pulled the firewood stick from his ear and slung it over his shoulder in a fluid motion, like a magic trick. Mirajane hung Natsu on the stick like a salted fish. Natsu's bandages trailed a long tail on the ground, rustling as they walked.
The group returned to the guild.
Makarov grabbed them and gave them a thorough scolding. His small body stood on a chair, his beard twitching with rage as spit flew everywhere:
"Do you have any idea how dangerous an S-Class Quest is?! Do you know how worried I was?! Do you know..."
Riyao pulled out a Crystal Ball, placed it on the table, and started playing the full recording of Karna Island.
Makarov's scolding came to a dead stop as he stared wide-eyed at the Crystal Ball.
Natsu, Happy, Gray, and Lucy were forced to watch their dark history. The four of them sat in a row on the floor like elementary schoolers being punished.
The entire guild roared with laughter as they watched their blunders on Karna Island.
"Hahaha! Natsu's focus is so weird! He actually paid attention to that village chief's sideburns!"
In the footage, Natsu stared at the chief's sideburns for a long time before asking with a serious face: "Chief, your sideburns are really long."
"Gray and Lyon's relationship is so good~"
In the footage, Gray and Lyon were shoulder to shoulder facing the sunrise, the scene as beautiful as an idol drama.
"The trap Lucy dug actually caught Natsu, Hahahaha..."
In the footage, Natsu stepped on some hay and fell into a pit with a crack. Gray was still on his back, and both of them ate dirt together.
"Happy actually floated away from being praised by Riyao!"
In the footage, Happy was floating in mid-air without even using his wings, his short legs kicking about proudly and his little head held high.
Gray and Lucy covered their faces, trying to preserve their last shred of dignity. Gray's ears were as red as cooked shrimp, and Lucy's blonde hair fell to cover half her face, the skin visible through the gaps in her fingers burning red.
Natsu and Happy, being thick-skinned, were completely unaffected. Natsu pointed at his image on the screen and laughed loudly: "That's me! I was so cool back then!" Happy laughed along: "Aye! I was cool too!"
In the end, they still had to write a ten-thousand-word Reflection Letter. Natsu slumped over the table, biting his pen for a long time. The paper only had the words "Reflection Letter" written on it, followed by nothing but scribbled flame patterns.
Riyao pulled out that broken wooden board again and wrote "Betting Station" in crooked chalk letters. He squatted on the ground to open a betting pool on whether Natsu could finish the letter.
"Come one, come all! Place your bets! Can Natsu finish a ten-thousand-word reflection? One hour? Three hours? Or will he never finish?"
Mirajane squatted beside him to help collect the money, counting the bills with a smile.
Makarov also snuck over and lowered his voice: "I bet... he'll never finish."
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150 POWER STONE = BONUS CHAPTER
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