Little White closed its eyes, its brows furrowing tightly as a faint but pure light began to glow from its fluffy body.
The light slowly gathered at its back, and with a soft pop, a pair of small, adorable chibi-style white wings sprouted!
Flapping its tiny wings rapidly, Little White's four paws lifted off the ground, wobbling unsteadily as it floated toward the guild emblem high in the air.
Lucy's jaw dropped, her mouth forming a perfect "O."
"It… it's actually flying?! How is that even possible?!"
Erza, unfazed, gave her a look like it was no big deal. "Little White's a spirit, isn't it? Growing wings is pretty normal, right?"
"Besides, Happy has wings too. If a cat can have them, why not a dog?"
"I-Is that how it works?" Lucy muttered, a giant question mark practically hovering over her head.
Suddenly, she felt like she was the odd one out in this bizarre story—the only "normal" person trying to make sense of things, which ironically made her seem the most out of place.
Little White, clutching the guild emblem—nearly as big as its own body—in its mouth, wobbled back down to the ground.
As soon as it landed, it trotted over to Erza, tail wagging proudly like it was expecting praise.
Erza took the emblem, which shrank rapidly the moment it touched her palm, stopping when it was only half the size of her hand.
She knelt down, smiling as she ruffled Little White's head with her free hand. "Good job, Little White. I'll treat you to a big chicken leg later."
"Woof!" Little White's tongue lolled out, its tail spinning like a windmill in delight.
"Let's go. Just one last step," Erza said, gripping the emblem tightly and leading the way out of the stone house.
Lucy and Little White hurried after her, heading toward the faintly visible castle in the clouds.
They climbed over soft, earthy hills, waded through crystal-clear dragonfly streams, and wove through strange, towering flowers.
After a bit of a trek, they finally reached the grand gates of the dreamy castle.
Erza raised the emblem, and rainbow-colored light streamed from it like living ribbons, flowing toward the still-hazy castle.
The light acted like a delicate brush, painting the castle's outlines with vivid colors and solid textures.
The castle grew clearer, more real, with every passing moment.
When the final wisp of light merged with the castle walls, a soft chime rang out, and the entire structure solidified, firmly anchored in the sea of clouds.
Lucy let out a long breath, a smile spreading across her face. "Alright, the barrier's down! Now we just need the Guardian's approval to claim the first weapon!"
"Guardian's approval?" Erza asked, pushing open the massive gate carved with intricate patterns. "Does that mean another fight?"
With a heavy creak, the gate swung open, revealing a vast, ornate hall.
The sight at the center of the hall instantly captured their attention: a fierce, dark red suit of armor floated in midair, radiating intense heat.
The armor looked as if it were forged from cooled lava, its surface covered in thick, overlapping plates resembling dragon scales.
At the heart of the chestpiece was a single, massive dragon scale, darker and oriented differently from the rest.
As if sensing intruders, the armor let out a low, rumbling growl, like a dragon's roar.
A faint red energy film flickered into existence, enveloping the armor completely.
"W-Wow, what an incredible suit of armor!" Lucy gasped, her eyes reflecting the crimson glow.
"Is this one of the weapons we're after? It feels insanely powerful!"
"It is pretty powerful~," a cheerful, slightly playful voice called from above.
They looked up to see Lisanna appearing out of thin air, gently descending.
Four translucent, dragonfly-like wings shimmered behind her, and she wore a flowing dress adorned with petals and sparkling starlight. In her hand was a wand topped with the guild emblem.
"I'm the Guardian here," Lisanna said, landing lightly and curtsying gracefully. "You can call me the Fairy Godmother."
"My test isn't about fighting," she added, holding up a finger with a mischievous wiggle. "It's about wisdom."
"A true princess needs a kind heart, great strength, and—a sharp mind."
"You've already proven the first two in the previous challenges. Now, pass my wisdom test to show you've got the brains to earn my final approval and take this powerful weapon."
"Interesting." Erza's lips curved into a confident smirk as she crossed her arms. "A battle of wits? Bring it on. I won't lose."
"Ahem," Lisanna coughed, her eyes glinting slyly as she glanced between Erza and Lucy, emphasizing, "Please note, this question requires everyone who entered the Sky Castle to answer. As long as one of you gets it right, you pass!"
Lucy blinked. "???"
Wasn't the script just about the princess answering? Why am I included now?!
Little White tilted its head, letting out a confused "Woof?"
Lisanna waved at the pup with a smile. "Don't worry, cute little doggo, you don't have to answer~."
Relieved, Little White plopped down, curiously sniffing around.
Lisanna raised her wand dramatically, announcing, "Here's the first question!"
"Listen up: If you're in a long-distance race and, after pushing hard, you overtake the runner in second place, what place are you in now?"
Lucy blurted out without thinking, "If I passed the second-place runner, I'm obviously in first!"
(That was so easy!)
Erza gave Lucy a long look before saying slowly, "If you overtake the second-place runner, you'd take their spot. You'd be in second place."
"You can't just jump to first. In a race, passing the person ahead of you only means you take their position."
"Huh?!" Lucy froze, blinking rapidly as it sank in.
A flush of embarrassment crept from her neck to her face. Knowing countless guild members might be watching her dumb answer on a screen somewhere, she wanted to crawl into a hole.
Why didn't I think before I answered?!
Seeing Lucy's mortified expression, Lisanna grinned mischievously. "That's right~ Her Highness the Princess is correct!"
"And our sweet little friend here should remember to think before answering next time~."
Before Lucy could recover, Lisanna raised her wand again. "Time for the second question!"
"As we all know, Fairy Tail is a famous mages' guild."
"Here's the question: If Natsu, the Fire Dragon, drives a magic four-wheeler and steals cakes from Fairy Queen Erza…"
"Assume he can steal 3 cakes every 5 minutes, but each time he succeeds, he panics and drops 1 cake."
"How many cakes can he steal in exactly 10 hours?"
Lucy focused hard, calculating quickly in her head. A minute later, she raised her head confidently and shouted, "240! He can steal 240 cakes!"
(I triple-checked. No way I'm wrong this time!)
Lisanna's lips twitched into a playful smirk as she turned to Erza, dragging out her words. "And~ what's the answer from our noble Princess?"
"Zero," Erza said calmly, dropping a number that made Lucy freeze in shock.
Lisanna clapped delightedly, her smile radiant. "Congratulations, Snow White! Correct again!"
"What?!" Lucy's voice cracked in disbelief. "How is it zero?! No matter how you calculate it, it's 240!"
Erza raised an eyebrow, explaining clearly, "First, with Natsu's skills and my awareness, there's no way he'd keep stealing cakes from me. By the second attempt, I'd catch him and make him 'reflect' on his actions."
"Second, and most importantly," she said, looking at Lucy pointedly, "Natsu gets motion sickness. There's no way he'd drive a magic four-wheeler. The whole premise falls apart, so nothing else can happen."
Lisanna clapped again, beaming. "Perfectly analyzed~ Clear logic, sharp insight—ten points!"
Lucy felt her vision blur, unable to believe her ears. "This is supposed to be a wisdom test! How did it turn into common sense and logic?!"
"Exactly~," Lisanna said with an innocent nod, her expression pure as could be. "Isn't this question perfect for testing 'wisdom'?"
Lucy's mouth twitched as she muttered weakly, "Are you saying my intelligence isn't up to par?"
"Not at all~," Lisanna replied, her smile only growing brighter.
"Fine," Lucy sighed, trying to calm herself. "I think I get the pattern here. Next question! I'll definitely get it right!"
"Next question?" Lisanna gasped dramatically, covering her mouth, her eyes curving into crescents. "But there were only two questions~ You've already passed, so no more needed~."
She tilted her head, flashing a sweet smile. "Congratulations, you've cleared all the Guardian's tests!"
"What?!" Lucy shouted again, her voice dripping with despair. "Only two questions?! Isn't it supposed to be three? Three questions to settle it!"
Lisanna pouted innocently, spreading her hands. "What can I say? I'm a Guardian who likes to stand out~."
"Being different is what makes me special, right?"
With that, she gracefully lifted the sides of her skirt and curtsied. "I wish you, Princess, great fortune in defeating the evil dragon."
As her words faded, she spun lightly and began to dissolve into the air. "Wait!" Lucy cried, reaching out desperately. "You're leaving like this? It makes me look like an idiot! At least let me get one right!"
As if hearing her plea, a blue light flashed, and Lisanna reappeared in midair.
Lucy's eyes lit up with hope. "Did you change your mind? Are you giving me another question?"
"Sorry, sorry~," Lisanna said, tapping her head lightly with a fist and sticking out her tongue in a playful, apologetic grin. "I almost forgot—as the Guardian, I still need to lift the final restriction on the armor. Got too excited and spaced out, my bad~."
Lucy deadpanned. "=_= So you were doing it on purpose, weren't you? Definitely on purpose!"
"Ehe~," Lisanna winked playfully, neither confirming nor denying.
She raised her wand, spinning it as she chanted, "Sky above, earth below, Fairy Tail, make it glow!"
The guild emblem on her wand glowed softly, sending out tiny specks of light like snowflakes. They danced in the air before drifting upward, clinging to the faint red energy film around the armor.
The moment the specks touched the film, it melted away like snow in the sun.
As the last trace of the barrier vanished, the armor blazed with red light, letting out a joyful hum before transforming into a streak of fiery red energy. With a whoosh, it shot toward Erza.
Erza instinctively activated her Requip magic, a scarlet magic circle flaring in front of her. The armor flowed into it like a bird returning to its nest, seamlessly joining her Requip space.
Lisanna nodded, satisfied. "There we go. The 'Unyielding Bastion' is fully unlocked."
"It has two powerful abilities."
"First, it's highly resistant to heat and magic—perfect against common dragon attacks like fire or acid breath. It also greatly weakens any offensive magic aimed at the wearer."
"Second, Bastion Counter: After taking a massive physical hit—like a dragon's tail swipe or claw strike—the armor stores the impact's energy. The next time the wearer attacks, it releases that energy with a dragon's roar, repelling enemies and shaking their resolve."
She pointed north. "Next, head to the Springwater Village in the north. That's where the second legendary weapon is kept."
With her instructions given, Lisanna spun again, dissolving into starlight and vanishing for good.
Erza was about to try switching into her new armor when Little White's urgent "Woof woof!" echoed nearby.
"Little White?" Erza and Lucy exchanged a glance before hurrying toward the sound.
Soon, they reached an unfamiliar room.
It was filled with rows of cold weapons—longswords, shortswords, and massive two-handed blades neatly arranged on racks, glinting coldly like a small armory museum.
"Is this a weapon storage?" Lucy frowned, deep in thought.
The script didn't mention this room. I thought the Sky Castle was just the home and workshop of the legendary craftsman who made the Unyielding Bastion. Did the system auto-generate this armory to flesh out the world?
Clang!
The sharp sound of a sword being unsheathed snapped Lucy out of her thoughts.
She looked up, stunned, as Erza swiftly began collecting the gleaming blades from the display, stashing them into her Requip space one after another.
"W-Wait! What are you doing?!" Lucy yelped.
"Collecting loot, obviously," Erza replied without looking up, her tone matter-of-fact as she kept grabbing weapons.
"After defeating a powerful enemy, it's standard adventurer practice to… ahem, reasonably acquire valuable spoils from their territory, right?"
"But you're a princess now!" Lucy wailed, on the verge of a breakdown. "What kind of princess does this?!"
Erza finally paused, turning to face Lucy with a deadly serious expression. "It's because I'm a princess tasked with slaying a dragon that I have to do this."
"If I don't arm myself and grow stronger, how am I supposed to defeat a mighty dragon?"
She clenched her fist, her gaze resolute. "Only by building my strength can I afford to care about fleeting things like fame or reputation. Otherwise, it's all just a fragile house of cards!"
"With these weapons, I can fight better and boost my chances of beating the dragon."
"I'm sure the original owner of these treasures would thank me for putting them to use in a just cause like slaying a dragon."
Lucy was left dazed by Erza's passionate, oddly logical (?) speech, half-convinced it actually made sense.
And so, in a daze, she followed Erza as they "explored" (looted) a few more rooms.
It wasn't until they stepped back into the fresh air of the cloud sea that Lucy snapped out of it, screaming internally.
Wait, no! This is just a scripted story! The dragon's destined to be defeated by the princess. There's no need to clean out the entire castle's armory!