Lucy was still a bit puzzled. "But won't the Magic Council suppress the reports? And wouldn't the magazines be too scared to spread scandals about the Council?"
Mira chimed in, "Big magazines definitely wouldn't dare. With all the resources they have these days, they don't need to take risks like filming this incident."
"But those little magazines on the brink of bankruptcy? They couldn't care less," Mira said, her narrowed eyes opening just a touch wider. "Especially when five of them are racing to scoop the story—the first one to report gets the biggest payoff. Even if they're a bit late, it could give those failing rags a quick cash infusion."
Her voice was soft but carried a sly edge. "The Council's seal getting broken by a mid-tier dark guild like Eisenwald—is it negligence, or an inside job? And with Fairy Tail getting involved? That kind of juicy topic is a lifeline for those small magazines to make a comeback."
Erza nodded from the side, picking up the thread. "Once the news spreads, the Council won't be able to pin the blame on us—the public won't stand for it. Plus, this time we didn't go on a rampage destroying buildings; we lured Lullaby out of town."
"The Council can only thank us for stopping this disaster."
"At the latest, in three days, they'll send over the commission fees for taking down Eisenwald and Lullaby."
Roger smirked. "So right now, all we need to do is spend a day 'taking down a dark guild.'"
"After all, that was our original mission, not some 'accidental' run-in with Eisenwald."
Lucy's eyes widened a bit. "Because those five magazines are competing for the scoop—the news will spread like wildfire."
"And by delaying a day, we let it ferment just right. Even if not everyone finds out, it's enough to keep the Council from pulling any funny business…"
Mira winked playfully with her left eye. "Lucy, you're sharp! Spot on."
Happy stared at Lucy in shock. "L-Lucy actually got all that?!"
Lucy couldn't help but retort, "Just how dumb do you think I am?!"
Natsu's eyes were spinning like crazy, steam puffing from his head. After a moment, he gave a thumbs-up with a grin. "So all we gotta do next is take down another dark guild, right?"
Lucy deadpanned. "…"
"Should I say you nailed the key point, or that you didn't understand a thing?"
Happy raised a paw. "Aye! That's Natsu for ya."
Watching Erza, Mira, and Roger walk ahead, Lucy took a slow, deep breath.
Guild reputation, magazine rewards, handing over Lullaby, the Council's gratitude fee—they'd turned a sudden crisis into a total win across the board.
Every step calculated to perfection, even forcing the Council to bow their heads in thanks.
She gazed at their backs, muttering to herself, This group… they're really kinda terrifying.
A day later, the crew rode the train back to Magnolia. As soon as they stepped off, Lucy couldn't wait—she dashed to a newsstand nearby and snatched up three weekly magazines. Her slender fingers flipped through the pages rapidly, her eyes growing wider and wider.
"Amazing!" she exclaimed, unable to hold back. "They're all covering the Lullaby incident, but each one's angle is totally different!"
She laid the three magazines side by side, her fingertip darting across the layouts.
"This one goes into detail on our battle with Lullaby, even the backstory on the flute. This one actually caught the moment we handed the flute over to the Council's messenger. And the most shocking? This one's all real interviews from the townsfolk, including how we protected the civilians!"
She snapped the magazines shut and headed toward the guild, her eyes sparkling with curiosity and a hint of regret. "Too bad the other two magazines were too far away; I really wanna know what they wrote…"
"Who cares about that stuff anyway!" Natsu suddenly bolted past her in a flash, his fist blazing with hot flames. He skidded to a stop right in front of Erza, blocking her path.
"Erza! Let's fight!" he shouted, flames flickering with his excitement. "If I beat you, I'll be an S-Class wizard!"
"?!" Lucy sweated bullets. "After seeing all that, you're still challenging Erza? Is it bravery or just a death wish? =_="
Erza casually swatted him aside. "Beat Gray first, then we'll talk."
Natsu tumbled to the roadside but popped back up, shaking his head and yelling defiantly, "That guy's just my punching bag—I've beaten him ages ago!!"
"Oh? Really now?" Gray strolled up with his arms crossed, smirking mockingly. "Then who's the one who took down one less guy than me during the dark guild takedown?"
He waggled two fingers in Natsu's face. "And it happened twice—twice—I took down one more each time."
He shrugged with feigned helplessness. "Ahh~ Some dead-last's gotta delude himself like this, plugging his ears and stealing bells. All I can do as the winner is watch him brag."
"Hah?!" Flames erupted around Natsu. "Who're you calling dead-last? You only beat one more than me, and it was some weakling you could've squashed easy—that proves nothing!!"
"Hmph," Gray tilted his chin up. "Even one more means I'm stronger by that much, you—subor—di—nate—loser!"
"You exhibitionist!!" Natsu roared, lunging at him. The two instantly rolled into a brawl, kicking up dust, with flames and ice shards flying everywhere.
Just then, Erza halted abruptly, her gaze locked on the new seasonal display in the window of a roadside cake shop.
"It's the limited edition! They've got a new one out!" Her eyes lit up, and she rushed inside, joining the line at the back of the group.
Lucy's eyes bulged in disbelief. "Erza's… actually queuing up?!"
Roger couldn't help but chuckle, shaking his head. "What, you think she'd just barrel through everyone, slap money on the counter, and yell, 'One cake for me!' or something?"
Lucy's mouth twitched as she whispered, "Honestly? That sounds exactly like what Erza would do."
Mira smiled sweetly at Natsu scrapping with Gray up ahead, then glanced back at Erza in the cake shop, her face full of anticipation.
She tapped her chin lightly, her smile deepening, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"This might get interesting in a bit."
Soon, they made it back to the guild. Natsu burst through the doors first, hollering at the top of his lungs, "We're back!"
"Oh, welcome home!" Macao set down his beer mug, turning with a grin toward the entrance.
Wakaba propped his face on one hand, a cigarette dangling from his mouth as he chuckled. "You guys really stole the spotlight this time. The Master was grinning at those weeklies all afternoon."Chapter 96: Stealing the Spotlight
Lucy still looked puzzled. "But won't the Magic Council suppress the reports? And wouldn't magazines be too scared to publish anything about their scandals?"
Mirajane smiled. "Big magazines probably wouldn't dare. With their resources, they don't need to take risks to cover this incident."
"But small, struggling magazines?" Her eyes glinted as she opened them slightly. "They don't care about that. Especially when five of them are racing to break the story. The first to publish gets the biggest payoff, and even the latecomers can revive their failing businesses with the buzz."
Her voice was soft but carried a sly edge. "A mid-sized dark guild breaking the Council's seal—negligence or an inside job? Add in Fairy Tail's involvement, and it's the perfect chance for a small magazine to make a comeback."
Erza nodded, picking up the thread. "Once the news spreads, the Council won't be able to pin the blame on us. The public won't stand for it. Plus, this time we didn't wreck any buildings and even lured Lullaby out of town."
"The Council will have no choice but to thank us for preventing a disaster."
"They'll send us a commission for defeating Eisenwald and Lullaby within three days at the latest," she added.
Roger smirked. "So for now, all we need to do is spend one day 'taking down a dark guild.'"
"After all, that was our original mission. Eisenwald was just a 'happy coincidence,' right?" he said with a wink.
Lucy's eyes widened as it clicked. "With five magazines competing to report, the news will spread like wildfire."
"And by delaying a day, we let the story ferment—just enough to keep the Council from daring to mess with us."
Mirajane winked playfully. "Lucy, you're pretty sharp. Nailed it."
Happy gawked at her. "L-Lucy actually got all that?!"
Lucy groaned. "Just how dumb do you think I am?!"
Natsu, meanwhile, was spinning in mental circles, steam practically rising from his head. After a moment, he grinned and gave a thumbs-up. "So, we just need to go beat up another dark guild, right?"
Lucy sighed. "...I don't know whether to say you're good at getting the point or completely clueless."
Happy raised a paw. "Aye! That's Natsu for you!"
---
Watching Erza, Mirajane, and Roger walk ahead, Lucy took a deep breath.
Guild reputation, magazine payouts, handling Lullaby, and even the Council's gratitude fee—they'd turned a sudden crisis into a total victory.
Every step was calculated perfectly, forcing even the Magic Council to bow and thank them.
Staring at their backs, Lucy couldn't help but mutter to herself, These guys… they're kinda terrifying.
A day later, the group returned to Magnolia by train. As soon as they stepped off, Lucy rushed to a nearby newsstand, eagerly grabbing three weekly magazines. Her slender fingers flipped through the pages, her eyes growing wider by the second.
"This is incredible!" she exclaimed. "They're all about the Lullaby incident, but each one's got a totally different angle!"
She laid the magazines side by side, pointing excitedly. "This one goes into detail about our battle with Lullaby and the flute's origins. This one somehow got a shot of us handing the flute to the Council's envoy. And this one's the wildest—it's full of real citizen interviews, even mentioning how we protected people!"
She closed the magazines and headed toward the guild, her eyes sparkling with curiosity and a touch of regret. "Too bad the other two magazines are based too far away. I'd love to know what they wrote…"
"Who cares about that stuff!" Natsu suddenly bolted past her, flames sparking around his fist. He skidded to a stop in front of Erza, blocking her path.
"Erza! Fight me!" he shouted, his flames flaring with his excitement. "If I beat you, I'll become an S-Class wizard!"
"...Huh?" Lucy sweat-dropped. "After everything, you're still challenging Erza? Are you brave or just suicidal? =_="
Erza casually swatted him aside. "Before you challenge me, try beating Gray first."
Knocked to the ground, Natsu shook his head and sprang back up, undeterred. "That guy's just my punching bag! I've already beaten him tons of times!"
"Oh, really?" Gray sauntered over, arms crossed, smirking mockingly. "Then who took down one less guy than me during that dark guild fight?"
He held up two fingers, waving them in Natsu's face. "And not just once—twice. Two times less than me," he said, emphasizing each word.
Shrugging with fake pity, Gray added, "Guess some tail-enders just can't face reality. All I can do as the winner is watch them talk big."
"What?!" Natsu's body erupted in flames. "Who're you calling a tail-ender?! You only beat one more guy than me, and they were total small fry! That doesn't prove anything!"
Gray tilted his chin up. "One more still means I'm stronger than you, you… loser!"
"You stripper!!" Natsu roared, lunging at him. The two collided in a chaotic brawl, dust flying as flames and ice shards scattered everywhere.
Just then, Erza stopped dead in her tracks. Her gaze locked onto a display in a bakery window—a new, limited-edition seasonal cake.
"New release!" Her eyes sparkled as she dashed into the shop, joining the end of the line.
Lucy's jaw dropped. "Erza's actually queuing?!"
Roger chuckled, shaking his head. "What, did you expect her to barrel through everyone, slap some money on the counter, and yell, 'Gimme that cake!'?"
Lucy's mouth twitched as she muttered, "Honestly… that sounds more like her style."
Mirajane watched Natsu and Gray's scuffle with a bright smile, then glanced at Erza, eagerly waiting in the bakery line. Tapping her chin, her grin widened, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"This… could get interesting," she murmured.
Soon, the group reached the guild. Natsu shoved the doors open, bellowing, "We're back!"
"Welcome back!" Macao set down his drink, grinning toward the entrance.
Wakaba, propping his face with one hand and a cigar in his mouth, chuckled. "You guys really stole the show this time. The master's been laughing over those magazines all afternoon."