"Alright, Natsu! It's your turn to bathe. The water is still hot."
The bathroom door creaked open, and a cloud of warm, white steam drifted out into the living room.
Lucy stepped out, drying her hair with a fluffy towel. She had changed into a pair of loose, comfortable pajamas.
Her skin was pink from the heat, and she felt completely relaxed, as if all the stress of the day had been washed down the drain.
"Natsu?" she called out again.
There was no answer.
Natsu was lying face down on the wooden table.
He was limp and motionless, pretending to be dead.
He didn't make a single sound, hoping that if he stayed still enough, Lucy would forget about hygiene.
"Where's Gray?" Lucy asked, looking around the crowded room.
She spotted the Ice Mage sitting at her small writing desk.
He had been chased off the bed by Erza earlier. Now, he was holding a stack of papers in his hands, reading them with intense focus.
He didn't respond to Lucy either; he was completely engrossed in whatever he was reading.
On the bed, Ankh was blissfully asleep.
He was wrapped up in the blanket like a burrito, snoring loudly and rhythmically.
Zzzzz... Zzzzz...
Erza was sitting on the edge of the bed, wrapped in a thick white bathrobe.
Her wet hair clung to her shoulders while she held a cup of tea and sighed contentedly.
"Nothing beats a good bath after a long day," Erza said, her eyes closed in satisfaction. "It truly washes away the fatigue."
Lucy looked at the chaotic scene—the sleeping Ankh, the fake-dead Natsu, the distracted Gray, and the relaxing Erza.
She sighed helplessly.
"Is it really okay for everyone to be so relaxed?" she asked. "We are supposed to be hiding from a dangerous enemy guild, remember?"
Erza opened one eye.
She nodded in realization. "You're right, Lucy. This is somewhat improper. As a guest, I should present myself better."
She stood up.
Suddenly, a bright golden light enveloped her body.
Flash!
Her magic circle appeared.
The white bathrobe glowed and instantly dissolved, transforming into a different outfit. In the blink of an eye, she was wearing a set of soft, cute pink pajamas.
"There," Erza said, sitting back down with a satisfied nod. "This is much more appropriate for a sleepover."
Lucy blinked, staring at her with some surprise.
'Wow. Even Erza changes her pajamas with her Re-quip Magic? You really use magic for everything, don't you?'
Lucy walked over to a chair and sat down, stretching her legs.
She looked out the window at the dark sky and chatted idly.
"Hey, Erza," Lucy asked, looking puzzled. "Why would this Phantom Lord guild everyone is talking about suddenly attack us? I mean, I know guilds have rivalries, but attacking our guild hall? That seems crazy."
Erza crossed her arms.
Her tone became serious and tinged with disgust. "Who knows what goes on in their heads? Although we've had minor conflicts with them before, this is the first time they've attacked so directly. They have no honor."
Lucy nodded slowly. "It's scary. But... it's a good thing Mira happened to be at the guild that night. If she wasn't there to stop that Gajeel guy, who knows what might have happened to the building..."
"Happened?"
Gray, who had been listening to their conversation while reading, finally spoke up.
He didn't look up from the papers in his hand. He spoke nonchalantly, as if talking about the weather.
"It wasn't a coincidence, Lucy. Mirajane was stationed there on purpose. It was probably arranged by Ankh."
Under the blankets, the snoring stopped.
Ankh rolled over, his voice muffled by the thick comforter.
"Yeah..." Ankh mumbled sleepily. "After you all came to my place for dinner that day, I noticed someone following Lucy home."
Lucy froze. "Huh?"
Ankh continued, his voice yawning. "I casually caught the guy. Turns out, he was a spy sent by Phantom Lord to track you. Since I knew they were watching us, I figured they might attack the guild too. So, I asked Mira to keep watch."
Lucy shuddered.
A cold chill ran down her spine. She jumped up from her chair, exclaiming in astonishment.
"Following me?! How come I didn't know?!"
The thought of a dark wizard stalking her through the streets while she walked home alone was terrifying.
Erza's gaze sharpened.
Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "That is Phantom Lord's style. They always prefer using these despicable, sneaky methods instead of fighting face-to-face."
Lucy patted her chest, trying to calm her racing heart. She looked at the lump under the blankets with lingering fear and gratitude.
"Thank goodness for Ankh," she whispered. "If he hadn't noticed, I wouldn't even know how I died..."
Natsu chose this moment to stop pretending to be dead. He lifted his head off the table, looking gloomy and bored.
"But Ankh," Natsu complained, looking at Ankh. "Why don't we just go over there and beat them up? Why do we have to wait around like this? Let's go teach them a lesson!"
Gray propped his chin on his hand, finally looking away from the manuscript.
His voice was steady and calm.
"Cut the Master some slack, Natsu. It's not a street fight. A war involving the Wizard Saints can't be started easily. It affects the whole country."
Lucy paused. Her brain finally processed what Gray was holding.
Wait.
Those papers. The handwriting. The specific ink stains.
"AHHH!"
Lucy's face flushed bright red, resembling a ripe tomato. She rushed over to the desk, waving her arms frantically.
"Gray! Why are you reading that so comfortably?!" she screamed.
It was her novel!
The story she had been secretly writing!
Lucy snatched the manuscript away from his hands, clutching it to her chest protectively.
Gray looked at her discontentedly. "Hey! What's the big deal? I was just reading it. The plot was just getting interesting..."
He reached out his hand, trying to take it back. "Give it back. I want to know what happens to the main character."
"No!" Lucy shouted, pouting firmly.
She hugged the papers tighter. "It's embarrassing! And I've already decided to let Levy be the first reader of my novel! You guys will just make fun of it!"
Upon hearing this, Erza silently extended her hand into the air.
From under the blankets, Ankh also stuck his hand out.
Both hands hung limply in the air, silently demanding the book.
"What are your hands doing?!" Lucy yelled, suppressing the urge to throw the papers at them. "Do you all want to read it that badly?!"
She took a deep breath to calm down. Then, she remembered what Gray had said earlier.
"By the way," Lucy asked curiously, tilting her head. "You mentioned it before... what exactly are the Ten Wizard Saints?"
Erza looked somewhat surprised. "Lucy, you've been a wizard for a while now. You don't even know this?"
"I usually only read Sorcerer Weekly for the pin-up models..." Lucy admitted sheepishly.
"It is a title," Erza explained with respect. "It is awarded by the Chairman of the Magic Council to the ten most outstanding and powerful Mages on the entire continent of Ishgar. They are the strongest of the strong."
Lucy's mouth formed an 'O' shape.
She nodded in sudden understanding. "That's really impressive..."
Gray pointed a thumb at the ceiling. "Like Phantom Lord's Guild Master, Jose Porla. He is one of the Ten Wizard Saints. That's why his guild is so strong."
"Correspondingly," Gray continued, "there is also our Guild Master, Makarov Dreyar."
Erza smiled and gestured with her chin toward the sleeping lump on the bed.
"And my brother," she said casually. "He is also one of the Ten Wizard Saints. In fact, he is the youngest one in history."
"EEEEHHH?!"
Lucy was startled again.
She stared at the lazy boy sleeping in her bed. "Ankh is one too?! I knew he was strong, but... one of the top ten in the continent?!"
She did the math in her head.
"In that case," Lucy said excitedly, "our guild has two Ten Wizard Saints! Phantom Lord only has one! So we definitely don't need to fear them, right?"
Natsu laughed proudly as fire escaping his mouth.
"Of course! Although Phantom Lord has more members, there's no way Jose could defeat both Ankh and Gramps! We're unbeatable!"
Hearing this made Lucy puzzled again. "If that's the case... why would Phantom Lord dare to provoke us? Aren't they scared?"
Erza sighed. "It's complicated. The Council and the guilds have a strict agreement. No one can initiate a large-scale war. Whoever strikes first breaks the law and can be expelled from the guild alliance. Jose is trying to trick us into attacking first so the law will be on his side."
"Moreover," Erza added, her face darkening, "Phantom Lord isn't weak. Besides Jose, they have the 'Element 4,' who are all S-Class mages. And they have Gajeel—the Iron Dragon Slayer."
"Dragon Slayer?" Lucy stared at Natsu in astonishment. "So there are others besides Natsu? That means... if Natsu eats fire, that guy can eat iron?"
Natsu let out a dissatisfied "Tch."
He looked away, clearly annoyed.
Erza pinched her smooth chin thoughtfully. "Phantom Lord's combat personnel remain intact. We must remain vigilant and not let our guard down for a second."
Gray waved his hand dismissively, leaning back in his chair. "You're overthinking it, Erza. We're fine. Even if we really go to war, we..."
"They're here."
The voice cut through the room like a knife.
Before Gray could finish his sentence, Ankh suddenly threw off the blankets.
He sat up straight, his eyes wide open and alert. The sleepy laziness was completely gone.
Gray looked at him in confusion. "What's wrong, Ankh?"
Ankh jumped down from the bed.
He didn't waste a second putting on his shoes.
"Levy's team was attacked. I just got the signal."
Outside Lucy's window, hidden in the darkness, a small orb of magic light had flashed briefly—a signal from Ultear indicating that she had intervened and the situation was secure, but an attack had occurred.
"Levy was attacked?!" Lucy screamed.
Panic and anger flashed across her face. But before she could even ask if Levy was okay, the room exploded into motion.
The previously relaxed atmosphere vanished instantly.
"Let's go!" Natsu roared.
Happy grabbed Natsu by the back of his vest.
The cat's wings popped out, and they flew out of the open window at top speed.
Zoom!
Erza glowed, instantly changing from her pink pajamas into her Heart Kreuz armor.
She leaped onto the window sill and dashed away into the night air.
Gray didn't even bother with the door.
He placed his hands on the window frame.
"Ice Make: Slide!" A ramp of ice appeared, and he slid down it to the street below.
Ankh was already gone, taking the lead as the four of them poured out the window like students rushing to the cafeteria for free lunch.
Passersby on the street looked up in horror, seeing people flying out of the apartment building.
They probably thought a zombie outbreak had occurred in Lucy's house.
"Wait! Wait for me!"
Only poor Lucy was left behind.
She didn't have wings.
She didn't have a magic slide.
And she definitely couldn't jump from the second floor!
"Why do you guys always use the window?!" she cried.
She grabbed her keys and sprinted for the door.
She had to run down the stairs, her pale legs carrying her forward as fast as they could, stumbling along in her messy pajamas.
"And why do you have to run so fast?!"
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