Fairy Tail Space Mage

Crying seems to be contagious, so Happy started crying too.

"..."

Seeing this, Elsa felt a pang of pain in her heart. She remained silent for a moment, then sat back down, storing her sword in her magical space.

"Alright, the president will decide how to punish you when we get back... You're both injured, go and rest." Elsa suddenly softened. To be honest, she hadn't expected to scare Lucy to tears. This made her feel quite guilty.

Even if it was to maintain the guild's dignity and to ensure that the members would remember this lesson, Erza felt that going this far was a bit excessive.

She seemed to realize, almost slightly, that something was wrong with her.

"Sigh...it's all Kong's fault for asking such a strange question."

After Lucy and Happy left, Elsa sighed.

Kong probably didn't expect that his question would cause Elsa such great trouble.

Adolescent girls, regardless of their personality or circumstances, are never unmoved by topics of love and marriage. However, Elsa's wavering seems to be more intense than that of ordinary women.

Elsa appears to have been an orphan. Perhaps, for Elsa, starting a happy family was her earliest dream.

If only I could live a normal life as a girl in Rosemary Village forever.

She should be living with her lover by now. But...

……

While Natsu and Lucy were both victorious, they "fell" before Erza. Gray was also heading towards the village.

Half an hour later, Gray returned to the village.

Then, although he felt it was only natural, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

The village is still standing, which means that Natsu and his friends have defeated that strange trio.

Gray hesitated, unsure how to explain things to Natsu and the others when he saw them later.

Indeed, he lived up to the name of "Fairy Tail," nearly defeating Rio. But at the crucial moment, a short man wearing a mask jumped out and interrupted his attack.

The opponent used a very strange magic, invisible and intangible, yet it made Gray's Ice Demon Sword disappear in an instant.

It didn't actually disappear; it just turned into a puddle of icy water. But that was enough to ruin Gray's fatal attack!

Gray never expected that Leo had such a powerful accomplice hidden away.

At that time, his magic power had been depleted to the limit, so Gray could only rely on the enchanted state of his legs and his speed to temporarily retreat.

When he regained his magic and went back to his original state, both Leo and the short, masked man had vanished.

With no other option, Gray had to return and reunite with Natsu and the others.

Since the ceremony has been interrupted and the moon is slowly tilting, there shouldn't be any problem sealing Deliora in the ice for the time being.

So, while Gray had chosen to temporarily retreat out of caution, Leo's side...

"Why did you interrupt our fight! Did you think that kind of attack was enough to defeat me?!" Although he was saved by the short, masked man, Leo was not happy at all.

"Calm down, Lord Leo. You haven't forgotten why we came here, have you? Our goal is to destroy Deliora forever! Not to settle your personal grudge with your junior brother!"

The short, masked man was not afraid of Leo; on the contrary, he cautiously reminded Leo.

"What did you say! I'm not that kind of person who doesn't understand the bigger picture! Gray is someone who wants to get in our way, so of course I have to take him down completely!" Leo was a little agitated.

It seems that being at a disadvantage in the previous battle was a huge blow to him.

“You’re right. But if you get injured, it will definitely affect tomorrow’s battle! If you fail because of that, wouldn’t all our efforts over the years be wasted?” the short, masked man asked.

"But……"

“Don’t worry. Even if those three fail, the other side must have been injured as a result. I know the people from Fairy Tail. As long as we free Deliora, they will prioritize protecting the villagers and won’t care about this at all. So, as long as we can complete the ritual tomorrow, everything will be fine!” the short, masked man explained.

"So, will they stay put and not disturb our ceremony?" Leo calmed down a bit.

"I don't know, but I'll make my move when the time comes. Although I can't defeat it, I can hold off the 'Fire Dragon.' As for the 'Fire Dragon,' the remaining Celestial Spirit Mages and that little cat are no threat. Lord Leo, all you need to do is find a way to trap Gray. Isn't that exactly what you excel at, Lord Leo?" The short, masked man continued to persuade Leo.

"Of course I can hold him off, no, this time, I'm sure I can defeat Gray! But you... can you really hold off the 'Fire Dragon'?" Leo was somewhat skeptical of the masked man's words. He had almost never seen this man make a move. Although from beginning to end, it was this mysterious man who contacted them and arranged everything that was happening now.

“Of course. If it's a shrewd guy like Gray, he's definitely not easy to deal with. But that one who uses fire is just an impulsive brat.” The short, masked man seemed quite confident.

“That’s not necessarily true… Sigh, never mind… I’m leaving everything to you. It’s come to an end, there’s no turning back now. Even if I can’t defeat Deliora, I will use that magic to seal him away again.” Leo sighed, suddenly no longer wanting to think about the identity and purpose of the mysterious man before him.

As he said, carrying the expectations of many people, he can no longer turn back.

The masked man beside him always gave him a strange feeling. It was this feeling that had been drawing him in, making him believe what the man said, and leading him to this point.

Leo felt that this masked man was definitely not a good person.

But the other party's goal was the same as his. From the way the other party looked at Deliora, Leo could sense a similar hatred.

……

"Lord Grey, welcome back! Your companions are waiting for you in the house you've settled in." A young girl ran over happily to Grey upon seeing him return and reported this to him.

"Lord Grey!"

"Mr. Gray!"

Seeing this, the other girls in the village also gathered around.

……

Yesterday evening, the girls asked Gray if their strange appearances were ugly.

Gray, of course, politely replied that he was "not ugly"... Nevertheless, he won the favor of the young women in the village.

Although for city girls, a man with a "striptease fetish" is someone who makes them hesitant to approach, no matter how outstanding he is.

But in this remote, cursed island village, such considerations didn't apply. So, as soon as Gray returned to the village, he was immediately surrounded by young women.

No wonder Cana once told Gray that Gray's life would be filled with suffering from women and water.

Chapter 171 The Strongest Squad Reassembles

"Looks like you're quite popular here, Gray?"

Just as Gray was getting fed up and was planning to find a way to escape, his savior arrived.

No, a savior is indeed a savior. But after saving him, he will probably immediately lead him to an even deeper hell.

"Elsa."

Gray felt that, in that instant, he had forgotten even the innate ability to breathe.

Seemingly sensing the queen's terrifying aura, the village girls immediately scattered and fled.

"So that's how it is. You came back alive... How pitiful. You might have been happier to have died there. Come with me, you traitor." Elsa turned and walked towards the house where Lucy and the others were staying.

Gray instinctively intended to turn and run. But his strong will held him back, and he slowly, stiffly, shuffled along behind Elsa.

Gray knew very well that if he turned and ran away, he would only die a more horrible death!

Elsa hates two things the most: breaking the rules and betrayal.

Gray then remembered that at Harukion's docks, he had been persuaded by Natsu, and in a moment of impulsiveness, had offended Erza twice. Gray thought that perhaps, as Erza said, it would have been better if he had died at Rio's hands.

Taking a deep breath, clenching his teeth, closing his eyes, Gray followed Elsa into the house with a heavy heart.

"Gray!"

Lucy, who was wearing a dark red nightgown (Elsa's) and looked like she had just taken a shower, blushed slightly when she saw Gray.

"Great, Gray, you're alive!"

Natsu came over excitedly, his belly bulging and rice grains still around his mouth. He looked like he had just had a hearty meal.

"Gray, are you sure you weren't killed by Elsa? Or are you already a ghost?"

Happy flew over and carefully patted Gray's head with his little paws. Only after realizing that Gray was real did Happy breathe a sigh of relief.

"What... is going on?" Only Gray was completely baffled.

Although Gray could see that Lucy and the others were all cautious and fearful of Elsa.

However, contrary to what I had imagined—that the three of them were bound and being abused by Elsa—they all looked clean, had eaten well, and were in good condition, showing no signs of abuse whatsoever.

It was strange that Lucy would take a shower and then change into her pajamas at this time.

Could this be a new form of play... no, a new form of punishment that Elsa has come up with? Gray couldn't help but let his mind wander.

"Am I that terrifying? Would I kill Gray?"

Elsa was very dissatisfied with the attitude shown by the two people and the cat, and spoke up.

The two people and the cat fell silent instantly, not daring to move.

Gray immediately realized that Lucy and the others must have encountered something...

“I did tie Natsu up and knock him out. But that's just because he was disobedient and kept making a scene. As for Lucy and Happy, I never expected to make them cry.”

Elsa's gaze swept over the two people and the cat, and all three couldn't help but avoid looking at her.

Lucy, in particular, blushed completely when Elsa brought up her embarrassing moment earlier.

She truly wanted this to remain a secret between her, Erza, and Happy. But sadly, in just half an hour, Erza had already revealed the secret twice. The first time was to Natsu when he woke up.

Honestly, doesn't Erza understand how delicate a young girl's sense of shame is?

Despite her dissatisfaction, Lucy dared not complain at all.

"Make him cry?"

Upon hearing the last part, Gray's face turned pale, and he even took a step back, distancing himself from Elsa.

Clearly, he was terrified by the scene he had imagined after letting his imagination run wild.

“Originally, I did want to kill Gray. After all, Natsu made a mistake because he was stupid. Lucy made a mistake because she had just joined the guild. Only Gray, who had promised to bring Natsu and Lucy back, ended up colluding with them instead, completely betraying my trust!” Erza clenched his fists and glared at Gray.

Gray took another step back, drenched in sweat.

"I'm sorry... Elsa." In the end, Gray forced himself to apologize.

"Well... the punishment I gave Natsu and the others earlier has pretty much calmed me down. So, I don't plan to do anything to you. But that's only for me personally... How the guild master will deal with you when we get back is beyond my control. You should be prepared." Erza sighed, her face still tense, but her tone slowly returned to the gentle older sister feeling she had when she first met Lucy.

This Elsa is actually very gentle. At least, Sora knows it very well.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have officially accepted the "cursed island" commission. She accepted it on behalf of Natsu and the others.

However, Elsa sometimes has a hard time controlling her temper, and going on a rampage is almost a regular occurrence. That's why everyone finds her so terrifying.