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"The Cursed Flute? What's that supposed to be?"
Erza frowned at Lucy. She never had time for bedtime stories growing up, so she had no idea what Lucy was talking about.
"Erza, you at least know about the Murder Curse Spell, right?"
Lucy tried to explain.
Erza nodded. "Yeah. A spell that kills someone instantly by placing a curse on them through special means. But that kind of magic was banned ages ago. What does it have to do with that flute?"
She still didn't fully understand—but the moment the word "Murder Curse" was mentioned, her expression grew tense.
"They say that flute has the power to kill by curse. But that's just the basic function."
"Later, after it was modified by the legendary dark mage Zeref, its power was massively upgraded."
"Anyone who hears the sound of the flute is killed by the curse. In other words, it used to be a single-target Curse Magic spell."
"But now? It's a large-scale, Mass Murder Curse Magic."
For the first time, Lucy truly grasped how serious this mission was. If the legends were real, Eisenwald wasn't trying to assassinate just one or two people.
They were planning a mass execution. If they broadcast the sound… it wouldn't just be a handful of deaths. It would be hundreds, maybe thousands. An entire town could be wiped out.
"What the hell are those bastards trying to do?!"
Erza's face twisted in anger. This went beyond anything she expected. She had assumed they were just targeting a few key people.
She didn't imagine they intended this level of horror. Were they really trying to destroy the world out of spite?
"Erza, you can relax a bit. Kazuma already destroyed the flute," Lucy said, then glanced at him and couldn't help sighing a little. "Though seriously, you're not even a little curious? You just tossed it and blew it up without even blinking."
"I mean, sure, that was the right call, but still… kinda feels like a waste."
That thing was insanely dangerous, but it was also an incredibly powerful magic artifact. Trash or not—it was rare.
"What's there to be curious about? It was junk. Not worth a second glance."
Kazuma snorted. Curse magic? It only destroyed souls. He had swords in his Treasury that could do the same.
Area annihilation? He could reduce the place to ash with a full artillery barrage—or, once he got Ea later, do it even faster, stronger, cleaner.
"Yes, yes, we get it—you are a cheating, pay-to-win mage," Lucy muttered, thinking about his ridiculously huge arsenal. She let out a sigh that came straight from her soul.
She was the pampered heiress of one of the richest families in Fiore. So why was she the one scrubbing floors for food money while he was out here dropping superweapons like pocket change?
Just wait. One day, she'd brag even harder than him.
"You two can stop joking around now," Erza cut in sharply. "This is serious. That plan could have endangered countless lives."
"Even though Kazuma acted first and eliminated the threat before it escalated, we have no idea if Eisenwald has other schemes in motion."
"Our mission isn't over. We still need to capture Erigor, interrogate him, and completely dismantle their operation."
Her resolve hardened. Just then, the train pulled into the station, and they prepared to disembark.
"Not this station. Head back. We'll go to the next one."
The moment Kazuma stepped outside, his Haki swept across the entire station. No trace of Eisenwald.
"Huh—seriously?"
Lucy looked between the mountain of luggage she and Erza had just hauled out and Kazuma like she was about to cry. You could have said that BEFORE we carried all this!
"Come on. Before the train departs."
With a snap of Kazuma's fingers, dozens of shadow ninjas surged out of the ground, helping Erza and Lucy carry everything back onto the train.
"To summon that many instantly… amazing! Summon a bit more and that would already count as Ancient-grade magic."
Erza couldn't help but mutter in awe—then paused when she noticed Lucy stiffen beside her.
"Hm? Lucy, what's with that look?"
"Erza… if someone can summon over a hundred of those soldiers in one go—each strong enough to beat five of me—would that count as an Ancient-grade magic?" Lucy asked, remembering the scene she saw back at the duke's estate.
"Of course," Erza answered without hesitation. "Ancient magic refers to spells whose effects go far beyond regular magic. Standard summoning spells can't call that many at once."
"For example—your Celestial Spirit Magic. It's old and specialized, but its effects are limited. But if you could summon a hundred spirits at once? That would be classified as ancient magic too."
Then she realized something.
"Wait. Are you saying Kazuma… has two types of ancient magic?"
"Ancient magic consumes a massive amount of mana, especially something like his Gate of Babylon. And he could use another summoning magic at the same time? How is his magic power not empty already?!"
Ancient magic was devastating—but the mana cost was beyond brutal.
Only those born with unnatural, overwhelming magic reserves could use it casually!
Yet Kazuma was using two. Two high-tier ones at that. That shouldn't even be possible.
"Exactly," Lucy said, feeling a strange sense of relief at Erza's disbelief. So it wasn't that she was weak.
Kazuma was just built different. Ridiculously, unfairly different.
"You done chattering? Are we moving or not? If you're staying, I'll go without you."
Kazuma was already seated inside the train, looking out the window with clear annoyance.
Look at them. Chatting in the middle of a mission. At this rate, the guild was doomed. Makarov should just retire early.
Kazuma already made some plans to reform the guild.
"Coming!"
Lucy and Erza scrambled back onto the train, and the group moved out for the next station.
.
.
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