The Pict Magic Of Fairy Tail

Chapter 32: Before the Duel

At 8 a.m., Silver was still sound asleep when his door suddenly burst open.

Natsu, with Happy in tow, stormed into the room and ran to Silver's bedside, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him vigorously.

"What's going on? An earthquake?" Silver jolted awake, his dream spinning away as he opened his eyes to find Natsu and Happy's faces inches from his own. "Natsu? Happy?"

"You're finally awake!" Natsu and Happy cheered, jumping up in excitement when they saw Silver's eyes open.

"What do you want this early?" Silver asked, rubbing his eyes and sitting groggily on the bed.

"Our duel! Did you forget?" Natsu exclaimed, noticing Silver's still-dazed expression.

"Ugh…" Happy raised a paw, yawning wearily. "You promised Natsu a duel today. He was so excited last night he couldn't sleep and only dozed off early this morning. Now I'm tired too."

"Oh, the duel…" Silver stretched and yawned, finally remembering yesterday's agreement. "But it's still early, isn't it?"

"It's not early, Silver," Happy retorted, flying up to Silver's face. "It's already 8 a.m.!"

"Only 8 a.m.," Silver muttered, glancing at the clock and showing no intention of getting up.

"Come on, Silver! Everyone's waiting!" Natsu ignored Silver's reluctance and grabbed him by the neck, attempting to drag him out of bed toward the guild.

"Wait, Natsu!" Silver quickly protested, sensing trouble. "I still need to grab some things. Even if we go to the guild, I can't duel without them."

"Huh?" Natsu paused at the door, reluctantly letting go. "Fine, but hurry up! Everyone's already waiting at the guild."

Silver sighed, realizing there was no escaping it.

After a quick wash and gathering his equipment, he followed Natsu and Happy out the door.

When they arrived at the guild, the lively chatter inside erupted the moment Silver, Natsu, and Happy walked through the doors.

"They're here! Silver and Natsu, ready for their duel?"

"Place your bets! Who's betting on—"

Ignoring the commotion from the excited crowd, Silver walked straight to Mira and handed her all his money. "Place a bet for me. Put it all on me to win."

"Oh? Feeling confident, are you?" Mira teased, taking the money with a playful smile. "But what if you lose?"

"No chance," Silver replied with a confident grin. "And even if I do, it's no big deal. I've got you, right?"

Mira blushed slightly and retorted, "I'm not going to take care of you."

"Come on, Mira. My cooking is terrible. Would you really let me survive on half-cooked food? And what if I get sick and can't take on missions?" Silver teased, playing the sympathy card.

"If you can't go on missions, I'll just go with Elfman or Lisanna," Mira replied, turning her head and closing her eyes as if uninterested.

"Hey, hey, we're on the same team. How can you say that?" Silver protested, unsure if she was serious or just teasing.

"Hmph, I don't care," Mira huffed, walking off toward the counter.

Before Silver could figure out her mood, Mira returned with a plate of breakfast and placed it in front of him. "Eat up. Then go and give Natsu a good beating to put a dent in the Erza faction's arrogance."

"Got it." Silver smiled, giving her a thumbs-up before digging in.

"Alright, eat up," Mira said, gently nudging Silver's shoulder with a faint smile on her face.

Before Silver could take another bite, Natsu bounded over with his usual enthusiasm, slapping Silver's shoulder and grinning widely. "Silver, ready? Let's start the duel!"

Mira's expression immediately darkened, her brow furrowing as she glared at Natsu. "Natsu, can't you see he's eating breakfast?"

"Uh, yeah, I can see that, but…" Natsu scratched his head in confusion. "Can't he eat after the duel?"

"No. He needs to finish his breakfast first," Mira said firmly, cutting him off. Then she turned her sharp gaze to the others in the guild. "Anyone got a problem with that?"

"Nope, no problem at all!" everyone replied in unison, shaking their heads vigorously under Mira's intimidating glare.

Despite their compliance, the guild members couldn't hide their curiosity, their eyes fixed on Silver as he ate.

Feeling the weight of their stares, Silver sighed and quickly stuffed the rest of his breakfast into his mouth.

"Slow down," Mira chided, frowning at his haste. "There's no rush. It's not like this is urgent."

"I'm just eager to win," Silver said, trying to justify himself.

"Do what you want," Mira muttered, though she understood the real reason for his rush.

She turned to glare at the onlookers, who quickly averted their gazes and pretended to be busy, with some even whistling innocently.

"Alright, can we start now?" Natsu asked eagerly, his excitement only growing as he saw Silver finish his meal.

"Let's head outside. We don't want to break anything in the guild," Silver said after a brief stretch, patting Natsu on the back.

"Got it!" Natsu shouted, already dashing toward the guild's entrance.

The other guild members followed, eager to witness the duel.

Meanwhile, Mira seized the opportunity to visit the betting pool.

She placed the money Silver had given her on his victory and added some of her own to the wager.

Out in the open area near the guild, Fairy Tail's wizards had already formed a large circle around the makeshift battlefield.

Silver and Natsu stood at the center, preparing to fight.

As the tension built, a figure approached the guild from the distance.

Reaching the edge of the crowd, the newcomer tapped someone on the shoulder and asked, "What's going on here? Why are you all gathered like this?"

The tapped guild member turned around and immediately froze in shock. "Erza! When did you get back…?"