Lucy had a good impression of Fairy Tail, but that was pieced together from various news reports and was merely a maiden's wishful, beautiful imagination.
In fact, after being invited into the guild by Mirajane, in less than ten minutes, Fairy Tail's lofty image in the young girl's heart was shattered into pieces by shock.
A pervert who stripped in the blink of an eye.
A cat that could not only fly but also talk.
A young girl chugging wine from a barrel half her height.
A frivolous handsome guy with an arm around two women, clearly a philanderer.
A muscular man with spiky hair yelling "Man!"
A rude, pink-haired creature with no sense of boundaries, who immediately asked if she was strong...
Lucy could accept all these eccentricities. After all, it was a Magic Guild, and it was normal to have some weird people, and they were very friendly to her.
It's just... why did they suddenly start fighting?!
A chair slammed heavily against the wall and broke apart, demonstrating the immense force, which made the blonde girl Lucy, hiding under the table, tremble with fear.
In just a few minutes, the guild hall was in a mess, full of broken tables and chairs and fallen Mages, as if it had been through a terrible storm.
But why would people start fighting just because of "What are you looking at?" and "What if I am?" and have it instantly spread throughout the entire guild hall?
Are you naturally battle-crazed...
Lucy's filter shattered, and her fantasy was destroyed.
This was vastly different from the "Fairy Tail" she'd imagined. It was like night and day.
Mirajane looked at the blonde girl cowering in the corner of the table and kindly reassured her, "Don't be afraid, Lucy, they're just like this. It'll be over soon."
Lucy gave two dry laughs, not knowing how to respond.
However, it was then that Lucy realized that the only table intact in the entire guild hall was the one above her, and the three people sitting around it, including Mirajane, were among the few in the hall who hadn't joined the brawl.
After Mirajane repeatedly assured her that everything would be fine, the blonde girl cautiously crawled out from under the table.
Sitting next to Mirajane, Lucy clearly saw the other two.
One was a spirited young girl in knight's armor with crimson hair, who seemed lost in thought, not noticing the changes around her.
The other was a handsome white-haired young man, who was sprawled on the table, yawning repeatedly, completely unconcerned about his brawling comrades.
"Reality is different from what you imagined, isn't it, Miss Lucy Heartfilia?"
Her identity exposed, Lucy looked at the white-haired young man with surprise, then remembered something and reached for her key pouch at her waist, exclaiming in delight, "Could it be that you are Mr. Noah! My father asked me to thank you again on his behalf."
"Just call me Noah."
Waving his hand, Noah propped up his face. "No need for thanks. I just mentioned it casually—what Mr. Jude does has nothing to do with me."
Lucy wanted to say something more, but then saw a figure suddenly crash onto the table.
Although dazed from Elfman's punch, Natsu was still full of vigor and even had the presence of mind to invite the blonde girl he'd just met. "Lucy, do you want to join? Fighting is a tradition of our guild."
What kind of strange tradition is that?!
Lucy clearly wanted to refuse, but a sudden chill made her choose to shut up.
Feeling the fluctuations in the red-haired girl's aura, Noah and Mirajane both showed schadenfreude.
Poor Natsu, you have awakened the Fairy Queen!
Erza, who'd appeared out of nowhere, finally came to her senses, and hearing the sounds of fighting around her, a hint of anger appeared on her face.
"You all... that's enough!"
Her voice wasn't loud, but strangely, everyone in the guild heard it, and everyone, without prior agreement, showed expressions of fear.
For the guild members, Erza's authority was no less than that of Guild Master Makarov!
Natsu, who was closest to Erza, was already covered in nervous sweat. If his legs weren't trembling uncontrollably, he probably would've slid to his knees on the spot.
"Er... Erza, let me explain..."
"Explain what?!"
Erza frowned, scanning the hall, and no one dared to meet her gaze, her strong demeanor fully evident.
Noticing Lucy, Erza still managed to restrain herself from going on a rampage and told everyone, "Thirty seconds—if the guild isn't restored to its original state... your fate will be the same as Natsu's!"
At these words, Natsu felt a great sense of foreboding, but it was too late. Erza's sheathed sword had already struck him on the head.
Watching Natsu roll off the table like a pile of mud, everyone in the hall became energized, clearing debris, cleaning the floor, bringing new tables, chairs, and benches from the warehouse, and a certain exhibitionist even packed Natsu up with the trash and threw him out...
The whole process was smooth and well-coordinated, even a little pleasing to the eye, focusing on efficiency.
Half a minute passed, and the entire first floor of the guild was completely renovated, leaving Lucy dumbfounded.
How many times must they have fought for these people to be so skilled...?
Noah yawned again. "Lucy, do you still have any thoughts of joining our guild now?"
Given her recent experience, Noah thought this young lady probably wouldn't be interested anymore. Even though Mr. Jude hadn't treated her well previously, he'd always provided her with good food and drink, and she hadn't experienced violent scenes.
Who would have thought that Lucy, without even thinking, would give a decisive answer. "I've decided—I want to join!"
Starting a fight at the drop of a hat, such a scene is indeed unacceptable to most people, but Lucy happened to be one of the few who could accept it.
Having been confined at home by her father since childhood, Lucy had always longed to experience the outside world, but at that time, her relationship with her father was strained, and she could only satisfy her fantasies about the outside world by reading newspaper articles.
Gradually, a Mage guild called "Fairy Tail" entered Lucy's view.
Although news about them in the newspapers was always associated with the word "destruction," it never stinted on praising their strength and adventurous spirit.
Lucy also longed to adventure like Fairy Tail. She didn't want to be a caged canary—she wanted to fly freely.
For this, Lucy had even prepared to run away from home. She wanted to join that Fairy Tail and start her own adventurous life.
But who would have thought that her father, who'd always been only for money, suddenly reverted to his appearance before her mother's death, and accompanied by Roland, apologized to Lucy for his actions toward her over the years.
Overnight, the father-daughter relationship eased.
Jude, who once hated Magic, not only didn't object to Lucy using Magic, but when she said she wanted to join Fairy Tail, he and Roland even expressed their approval.
Looking at the pink Fairy Tail mark on the back of her right hand, Lucy suddenly felt a little dazed. The experiences of this period made her wonder if she was dreaming.
If it was a dream, then she would just keep dreaming it.
Somehow, drowsiness overwhelmed her, and Lucy fell asleep on the table.
Throughout the guild hall, many people, including Erza and Mirajane, were strangely falling into a deep sleep.
Except for Noah.
Such powerful Sleep Magic—is it an enemy?
Looking at the mysterious black-robed figure with five Magic staves on his back, who pushed open the guild doors and with whom he'd had a brief encounter.
Noah slowly stood up and put on his blasting gloves.