A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

"Darkness is also civilization."

"The transformation from hunter to prey happens in an instant."

"Don't look up at the moon."

Discarded items will return to their original location.

Snapped!

Laxus tossed the spellbook back to Natsu and Happy: "It's written all mysteriously, maybe it's just Kira's prank! Only you two would fall for it! Hahahaha..."

……

"Natsu, have we really been tricked?"

On the street, Happy and Natsu were dejected, because despite asking so many people, they still had no clue about the book.

"No! Although I can't understand it, I can clearly sense a dark magic within it. This book is definitely not as simple as it seems!"

"Oh?!" Happy was shocked that Natsu could think. "Then why don't we go back and ask Kira?"

When Natsu and Happy arrived at Hope's Cottage, it was already dusk, but Kira was nowhere to be seen, and even the bookshelves they had knocked over earlier were not put away.

"Kira! Kira!..."

"Nobody's home. Did they go out?"

"Happy, watch out!" Natsu suddenly became very serious. "Something seems off!"

The entire Hope Hut exuded an eeriness. Not only that, but the air was also filled with a strange magical energy. After Natsu carefully sensed it, he discovered that it was exactly the same as the dark magical energy on the spellbook in their hands.

call out--!

As they were wondering, the spellbook in Natsu's hand seemed to be affected by this dark magic, and it burst out with terrifying energy, blowing the man and the cat several meters away.

"It's so hot!!"

"What's going on?!"

pat!

The spellbook that had fallen to the ground suddenly unfolded, and intense dark magic rapidly gathered around it, igniting a dark green ghost fire above it. The ghost fire emitted a dazzling light, filling the entire Hope Hut.

Natsu and Happy, who witnessed all these changes, immediately sensed something was wrong: "This... could this be the curse of the spellbook?"

Will ghosts or demons escape from inside?

Before the two could even prepare for battle, the will-o'-the-wisp split in two, transforming into two dark green laser beams that shot towards Natsu and Happy, instantly illuminating the hut!

"Oh no! Happy! Get out of the way!"

Natsu shouted and immediately got up and ran towards Happy, but he was too late. At that distance and speed, the speeding beam of light was something he couldn't possibly dodge.

call out!call out!

"hateful……"

The beam of light struck Natsu and Happy precisely, quickly seizing their consciousness.

……

As I gradually regained consciousness, the sky had already darkened.

"Oops!"

Natsu sat up abruptly and found himself still in Hope Hut, with Happy fast asleep beside him.

By the moonlight, he saw the strange magic book lying quietly not far from him, its magic completely gone, just like an ordinary book.

"Harpy! Get up!"

"Um... Natsu..." Happy rubbed his sleepy eyes and got up, asking indistinctly, "What's wrong? Is it morning already?"

Do you remember what happened?

"Ah! Let me think... We came to find Kira, and then the spellbook suddenly emitted a green light, and then... that's right! We were hit by the cursed light!!"

"Curse...hit...Aaaaaah!!!"

As the memories became clearer, the two ran around frantically, shouting, "We're doomed...we're cursed!! We have to think of something quick!"

The moment their eyes met, they were suddenly stunned by each other's appearance.

"Harby, your head..."

"Natsu, your head..."

The partner's reaction indicated that something was wrong. The two quickly went to the mirror in the store, and under the bright moonlight, a familiar yet peculiar magical emblem was clearly engraved on their foreheads.

"Hey Natsu. Don't you think this emblem looks like the cover of that book?"

"Could it be a curse mark?"

After staring blankly for three seconds, the two of them started running and jumping around in a panic again: "Aaaaaah!!! Curse!! Curse!! We're cursed!! We have to think of something right now!!!"

Magnolia is a coastal city with little temperature difference between day and night, but Natsu and Happy, walking on the street, felt a chill in their hearts.

"What should I do... what should I do..."

The day's journey, coupled with the strange sentences they heard from others that no one could understand but could be translated, filled Natsu and Happy with an indescribable fear.

Happy said pitifully, "Natsu, I'm hungry..."

Natsu, also hunched over with a dejected look, said, "Me too, but at this hour, all the shops are closed, and we don't have any food stored at home..."

"Yosh! Let's go to Lucy's house and see if they have anything to eat!!"

"Hey!!"

The two, now full of energy again, ran towards Lucy's rented room.

Click!

With a crisp metallic sound, the door lock was easily opened, and two figures, one big and one small, slipped into Lucy's house. They went to the kitchen with practiced ease, opened the refrigerator, and took out the stored food to feast on.

After eating and drinking their fill, Natsu and Happy collapsed onto the sofa, rubbing their bulging bellies: "So full!"

"Speaking of which, Lucy's vigilance is really low; she's still not awake!"

"Of course! Kira said some people sleep like pigs and you can't wake them up no matter what! Lucy eats so much, she must sleep very soundly too!"

During their conversation, the person and the cat naturally walked towards Lucy's bedroom again.

The dimly lit bedroom door was quietly opened...

"Let's paint on Lucy's face while she's sleeping!!"

"The pen is ready!!"

Natsu darted inside with a "whoosh" and hid by the bed.

Happy also darted in with a "whoosh" and bumped into Natsu's leg.

Two heads slowly moved upwards, staring...

"Huh? Lucy's not here?!"

Lucy, who was sleeping soundly as expected, was not on the large, soft bed in front of them; the entire bedroom was empty.

Where would she go at this time?

"Natsu, come and take a look at this!"

Happy's voice interrupted Natsu's confusion. He went to the desk and saw the strange magic book that had been bothering them all day lying quietly on it!

"Harpy, did you bring this book with you?"

"How could that be! You must have brought it, Natsu, right?"

"No! It should be in the Hope Hut!"

The two exchanged a glance and realized that something was wrong.

Natsu picked up the book and flipped through it again, but still couldn't understand a single sentence. Just then, he noticed a piece of paper under the book, on which was written what they had learned from others that day, plus an extra sentence.

"A non-human monster broke down the door at midnight."

"Oh no!!! Lucy must be cursed too!!!"

Chapter 284 The Cursed Spellbook (3)

stomping on...

In the dead of night in Magnolia, a cherry-haired boy wearing a white scarf runs wildly through the streets, his flip-flops making a noisy slapping sound on the ground. Beside him follows a blue cat that can fly.

"There's nothing here...there's nothing here either...there's nothing at all...there's no Lucy scent anywhere!!!"

After an unknown amount of time, Natsu, having searched in vain, sat on a long stone bench by the roadside, head bowed in thought, the dim incandescent light shining on him, flickering on and off.

An inexplicable unease welled up inside him, constantly taunting his nerves, but Natsu suppressed it with his strong will and managed to analyze the situation with Happy's limited intelligence.

"Happy, where do you think Lucy will go?"

“I have no clue either!” Happy scratched his head with his little paw and asked, “Compared to that, Natsu, have you noticed that the streets are much quieter than usual? There are no stray cats or dogs, and no drunk old men or girls.”

“Indeed, even if it was late before, there would always be some noise. Now it’s like there are only the two of us left in Magnolia.”

At this point, Natsu and Happy looked around, and just then, they suddenly noticed that the strange magic book was quietly placed beside them!

"This is?!"

"That magic book?! It's reappeared?!"

"It wasn't there just now!"

Happy frantically shouted and ran around Σ(っ°Д°;)っ: "We're doomed! Natsu, we must be haunted by the vengeful spirit residing in the book! [Souls that cannot die completely will reside here], it must refer to this book... No! Maybe it refers to this cursed mark on our foreheads!"

This conjecture was reasonable and well-founded, and Natsu felt cold sweat pouring down his forehead: "Happy... no... no... don't panic! There must be another way!"

Out of fear, Happy threw herself into Natsu's arms and hugged him tightly, looking up and asking, "What's the solution?"

"This...right! Let's burn it!"

Natsu couldn't come up with a solution, but he acted on his instincts, deciding to use fire when in doubt.