Chapter 16: Ch 16 : Duel
The morning sunlight streamed into the room, bringing a hint of warmth.
As Noel opened the window, a gentle breeze carrying the fresh scent of earth drifted in, instantly sweeping away the frustration he had felt over the past two days.
Two days ago, upon returning to the guild, Noel had been scolded by Mirajane and was forcibly confined to bed for rest.
If that were all, he wouldn't have minded too much.
However, when Mirajane placed a bowl of what looked like a bizarre mixture of dyes, emanating a pungent and indescribable odor, in front of him and ordered him to drink it, his thoughts momentarily came to a halt.
(That taste and feeling... honestly, it was more like poison than medicine, wasn't it?) Noel shuddered at the memory of forcing himself to drink it, only to immediately fall into a state of near-death.
With a creak, the door swung open, and Mirajane entered, carrying another bowl.
"Oh? You're already up, Noel? Don't you want to rest a little longer?" she asked with a gentle smile.
"Uh, no need. I'm already completely recovered."
"Is that so? What a shame. I just finished making your medicine," Mirajane said regretfully, glancing at the bowl in her hands.
Seeing the ominous liquid, Noel instinctively took a step back before forcing a bitter smile. "I think I'll pass… By the way, where did you even get this recipe?"
Mirajane nodded and said matter-of-factly, "Of course, it's from Miss Porlyusica. She told me this medicine was perfect for you."
Snap.
Noel could almost hear something in his mind—something called rationality—shattering into pieces. (Damn it, so it was her! I should have known. That old lady did this on purpose, absolutely on purpose! She must still be holding a grudge about me ruining her potion back then.)
"Hm? What's wrong?" Mirajane tilted her head in confusion as she noticed the dark aura suddenly emanating from Noel.
"...Nothing." Noel let out a deep sigh before quickly changing the subject. "Speaking of which, isn't today the day Natsu challenges Erza?"
Hearing this, Mirajane nodded. "Do you want to go watch together, Noel?"
"Yeah, let's go together."
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When Noel and Mirajane arrived, a large crowd had already gathered to watch.
In the center of the field, Erza and Natsu stood facing each other in a tense standoff.
"W-Wait a second… Are those two seriously going all out?" Lucy, who had just arrived, asked in shock.
"Oh my, Lucy," Mirajane greeted her with a smile.
Behind her, Elfman added, "Of course they're serious! If they weren't, they wouldn't be real men."
"Erza is a girl, Elfman," Noel corrected him helplessly.
From the side, Macao interjected, "She's a female monster."
Lucy looked at the scene with concern and said, "But if the two strongest members of the team fight…"
"The strongest team?" Gray frowned. "What's that?"
"Huh?" Lucy looked at him in confusion. "You, Noel, Natsu, and Erza! Aren't you the top four in Fairy Tail?"
Gray was momentarily stunned before scoffing. "Hah, what nonsense. Who even came up with that?"
Mirajane's smile froze instantly, and she covered her face before throwing herself into Noel's arms. "I just thought that Natsu, Noel, Erza, and Gray had the best teamwork…"
Caught off guard by Mirajane's sudden 'attack,' Noel awkwardly and helplessly patted her head. "Well, don't mind him. Gray's just talking nonsense."
Elfman spoke up, "I do acknowledge Natsu and Gray's manly spirit, but if we're talking about the strongest, I can't stay silent. Fairy Tail has plenty of strong members—like me!"
Loke also chimed in, "Still, if we're talking about the strongest woman, it's definitely Erza."
"But if we're talking about the strongest members in Fairy Tail, it should be Noel, Laxus, and Mystogan as the top three candidates."
"Don't forget Gildarts. Even if the old man belongs to the previous generation."
"No matter what, this looks like it's going to be an interesting battle."
"Is that so? To me, it looks like an overwhelming victory for Erza."
At that moment, the battle in the arena was about to begin.
Erza looked at Natsu and smiled slightly.
"It's been years since we last fought using magic like this."
"I was just a kid back then. But now, things are different! This time, I'm definitely going to win!"
"In that case, I'll take this battle seriously as well. It's been a long time—I'd like to test my strength too. Requip!"
As Erza spoke, her armor instantly changed into the Flame Empress Armor.
"Flame Empress Armor!"
"That's the armor with fire resistance."
"This cuts Natsu's firepower in half."
"Erza, isn't that a bit too much?"
Off to the side, after what seemed like deep contemplation, Happy handed a bill to Cana. "As expected, I'll bet on Erza to win."
"What an utterly heartless cat," Lucy complained before rubbing her head, looking troubled. "This is impossible—I don't want either of them to lose in any way."
"You're surprisingly innocent," Gray remarked, glancing at Lucy in slight surprise.
"Flame Empress Armor, huh? That's more like it." In the arena, Natsu grinned excitedly. "Now I can go all out without holding back!"
With a wave of his hand, Makarov, acting as the referee, declared, "Begin!"
The moment Makarov spoke, Natsu lunged toward Erza, throwing a punch.
Erza swiftly sidestepped with a graceful movement, dodging his attack before swinging her sword to engage Natsu head-on.
After exchanging several blows, the two seemed evenly matched.
However, from the ease with which Erza moved, it was clear she wasn't using her full strength.
"That's enough," a voice suddenly called out, causing both Erza and Natsu to halt their fight.
A man who looked exactly like a toad walked into the arena.
"Everyone, stay where you are. I am an envoy from the Magic Council."
"The Magic Council?"
"An envoy?"
"Why are they here?"
"They're all ignoring his appearance..." Lucy muttered helplessly.
"For the recent Eisenwald incident, under suspicion of property damage and eleven other charges, we hereby place Erza Scarlet under arrest."
"W-What?"
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