Surprise? Accident?
This is downright terrifying, okay!
Kana looked up at Hope's face, only a breath away, then glanced down at the sky dozens of meters above her feet and the wreckage of the carriage reduced to fragments, before returning her gaze to the pair of pure‑magic wings behind Hope, glowing with a soft white light.
The bartender she thought was an ordinary amnesiac coworker had turned into a mage who could fly, and his martial arts were impressive too.
"Hope, you…"
Kana opened her mouth but couldn't form a complete sentence; Hope's sudden change of identity overloaded her CPU.
Seeing the clueless Kana's stunned expression, Hope found it amusing, chuckled, and his pristine wings fluttered gently, keeping the two of them steadily suspended in the air.
Below, Kageyama's once‑raging grin had frozen, replaced by a heavy sense of failure.
Flight magic isn't some common trick; to lift a person so lightly into the sky requires masterful control of magical power and the spell itself.
When did Fairy Tail get a mage like this?
Standing on a remote plain far from any town, facing a flying mage and a card mage, Kageyama felt like a moving target.
Moreover, the spell that destroyed the carriage had exhausted his remaining mana; it didn't defeat the opponent and instead left him completely exposed to an enemy that could strike from the air. How could he possibly fight now?
Despairing, Kageyama flopped onto the tracks, exhausted, "Let it be destroyed."
If he were sent to the Council for trial, the worst would be a ten‑year sentence, but failing and returning to see Lord Erigold meant certain death.
Seeing the enemy give up resistance so decisively, Hope descended with Kana, looking down at him, "Speak up—why did you force Nazz to jump off the train? Which dark guild are you with?"
Though his tone was teasing, his eyes sharpened.
Hope's overwhelming aura crushed Kageyama's already broken will, and within moments Hope extracted enough information from his mouth.
Kageyama came from a mage guild called Iron Forest. The guild had been stripped of official status by the Magic Council for taking on assassination contracts in violation of the rules.
After losing its legitimate name, the guild master fled, but the guild's strongest mage, known as "Death God" Erigold, led the members down a darker path, aligning the guild with one of the dark‑guild giants, the Six Demon General.
This time Kageyama's mission was to deliver an item to Erigold.
As for Nazz, Kageyama merely ran into him on the magic train; displeased with the official guild, he fought Nazz, and the battle ended when Nazz voluntarily leapt off the train.
Kana used a chain‑card to forge a sturdy magical rope that bound Kageyama tightly, while Hope examined the item Kageyama had retrieved to hand over to Erigold.
It was a withered wooden flute carved with a three‑eyed skull, exuding an unmistakably evil aura.
"What does your boss intend to do with this?"
Kageyama hesitated at Hope's question, but after saying so much already, he decided there was no harm in spilling a little more.
"This flute is called 'Lalabai', a 'Cursed Song Demon' created by a black mage."
"Although it's still sealed, it can be used as a magical tool to cast a massive killing spell—anyone who hears its sound will die."
"Lord Erigold plans to use Lalabai's power to wipe out all the official‑guild leaders attending this routine council."
As Kageyama laid out the conspiracy, Kana let out a long sigh of relief.
According to Kageyama, Erigold and the Iron Forest mages would rendezvous at the station before the council's venue, Clover City, at Oseebana Station.
Fortunately Kageyama happened to crash into her and Hope's line of fire; otherwise that Lalabai might already be in Erigold's hands.
"Hope, what do we do now?" Kana looked at Hope, her eyes complicated; after what had just happened, this new colleague suddenly seemed mysterious to her.
Hope weighed the Lalabai, then looked toward the tracks ahead, "The original plan stays the same: we head to Clover City to find the guild master, but we need to hurry. Who knows if Iron Forest has other assassination plots."
Kana nodded, then frowned at the empty rails, "The problem is… the train we destroyed is gone. Do we have to walk?"
The carriage Kageyama shattered lay in pieces; in this desolate wilderness there was no other means of transport.
They couldn't catch up with the train ahead; the next one wouldn't arrive for another five or six hours, Kana guessed.
"What are you thinking? Of course we'll fly." Hope snapped his fingers; a blue magical circle appeared behind him, instantly transforming into a pair of pristine white wings.
Kana shook her head, "I'm not underestimating you, but flying from here to Clover City is beyond Hope's magical capacity."
After speaking, Kana noticed Hope staring at her with a clueless expression, recalling how he had scooped her up like a princess and flung her into the sky, her cheeks flushing, "Why are you staring at me? Did I say something wrong?"
"Of course you did."
Hope spread his arms, "Who said I have to fly straight to Clover City? I'll take you to the next station, then we can catch a train or something else."
Kana covered her face, embarrassed by her own stupidity, yet still trying to save face, "It's all that Kageyama's fault! His magic must have dulled my brain!"
Kageyama: Shadow magic doesn't work that way… After the discussion, Hope and Kana spent ten minutes clearing the scattered carriage fragments from the tracks to prevent future accidents.
After that, Hope lifted Kana and they shot upward.
Watching the pair soar away, Kageyama, still strapped to a pole beside the tracks, fed mosquitoes—he felt like crying but couldn't.
Half an hour later, swarmed with mosquito bites, Kageyama saw a magic‑four‑wheeled carriage speeding along the tracks—he tried to shout for help, but his mouth was blocked.
He could only watch helplessly as the magical four‑wheeler sped away.
Just when Kageyama thought he'd have to keep feeding mosquitoes for hours, the magical four‑wheeler actually turned around and came back.
Four people and a cat got off the vehicle, one of whom was Nazz, the guy he had previously clashed with.
Nazz, seeing Kageyama's pitiful state, excitedly told Erusha, "It's him! When I fought him I noticed that dangerous wooden flute on his person!"
"Well done, Nazz."
Erusha nodded lightly, looked at Kageyama hanging from the pole, and said, "Gray, bring him down."
Gray obeyed; an ice blade sliced through, and Kageyama fell with a splash, then Gray rushed forward to search him, finding nothing.
Seeing this, Erusha didn't hesitate to draw her longsword and press the tip to Kageyama's forehead, "Tell me, where is Lalabai?"
"Hmph, not telling… Nazz, Gray, you two go!"
Lucy, clutching Habi, gave a strained look at the ice‑fire duo beating Kageyama, and said, "Um… could it be that he isn't refusing to talk, he just can't because his mouth's blocked…"
Lucy's voice was low, but the three of them heard her clearly.
The atmosphere instantly grew awkward.
Gray awkwardly pulled a ragged strip from Kageyama's mouth; the itching and pain made Kageyama feel like crying.
"What kind of people are you Fairy Tail members!"
"First a card‑mage bartender pretending to be a pig, then you three weirdos—why is my life so miserable…"
Hearing Kageyama's complaints, they realized he had already met Kana and Hope.
No interrogation was needed; the broken‑spirited Kageyama voluntarily repeated the information he'd given Hope.
When he mentioned that his companions had taken the dangerous flute, Erusha relaxed a bit; she had come specifically to destroy Lalabai, and dealing with a mere Iron Forest guild didn't require a team.
After a brief thought, Erusha told Nazz and Gray, "Hang this guy back up, then we head to Oseebana Station to eliminate Iron Forest."
Hanging again from the pole, Kageyama watched the group board the carriage without looking back, and shouted, "Hey, you big brothers and sisters, at least take me with you…