— — — — — —
"The starlight is coming down!"
"We're done for! This might be some kind of special attack the kingdom activated!"
"Levy, hurry and start the guild's teleportation spell! We need to get out of here, now!"
Panic spread through the guild in an instant. The Lucy of this world, Lucy Ashley, immediately ordered the teleportation magic to be activated, preparing to evacuate everyone at once.
Meanwhile, Kazuma was getting closer and closer.
"It's coming, it's right on top of us! Levy, faster!"
"Idiot, Lucy, I'm already going as fast as I can! Stop rushing me. If you keep yelling, do it yourself!"
Levy was drenched in sweat, the kind that came from pure anxiety and pressure. With her pushing herself to the limit, the teleportation magic finally activated.
"The teleport spell is live! Everyone, grab onto something!"
"Lisanna, stop staring outside and hide!"
"Mira, I—"
Seeing Lisanna frozen in place, staring blankly at the sky, Mira rushed over and pulled her sister back.
And then the teleportation magic fully triggered. Just as everyone thought they were safe—
"Hey now, where do you think you're going?" a voice said lazily. "I finally tracked this place down, and you turn around and run the moment I arrive. That's a little rude, don't you think?"
"Mira, seriously, even in this world you still haven't kicked the habit of watering down the drinks."
Kazuma sat casually at the bar, picked up a bottle of liquor, took a sip, then shook his head with a smile.
"I did not water them down!" Mira replied on reflex. "I just made some tiny adjustments so everyone wouldn't drink themselves sick!"
The words left her mouth before she realized something was wrong.
"W-wait… who are you?!"
She spun around sharply, staring at a man she had never seen before, and instinctively stepped in front of Lisanna.
"Me?" Kazuma said lightly. "My name's Kazuma. I'm from another world. In my world's Fairy Tail, I'm the guild master."
After speaking, he swept his gaze across everyone present. He smiled, and in the next instant, an overwhelming pressure exploded outward.
The sheer force disrupted the stability of space itself. The teleportation magic that had just been activated collapsed on the spot.
"The teleport spell failed!"
"Th-this pressure… is it magic?!"
"What kind of magic tool is he using?!"
The guild members suddenly felt like they couldn't breathe. Kazuma had only released a tiny bit of his presence, yet it was already far beyond what people like Lucy and the others could endure. In just moments, the feeling of suffocation set in.
"Your physical conditioning is pretty terrible," Kazuma said, shaking his head as he reined in his aura.
These people were far too fragile. At the same time, he sensed the energy around him.
"So magic is gone, but natural energy is still here."
"Natural energy comes from the world itself. As long as the world hasn't been destroyed, it won't disappear. Magic is just one type of world energy."
"But why would magic vanish for no reason?"
That puzzled him. This had always been a world of magic. It shouldn't simply disappear.
If magic were gone, it would usually mean the world was collapsing and magic had vanished first. Yet everything else felt stable. Only magic was missing.
"Huff… huff…"
"That was terrifying…"
"What did this guy even do?!"
Everyone in the guild stared at Kazuma with tense expressions. He hadn't lifted a finger, and they already felt like they were on the verge of death.
If he actually attacked, how horrifying would that be?
While everyone stood on edge, Lisanna stepped out from behind Mira. She gathered her courage and walked toward Kazuma.
"Lisanna!" Mira hurried forward, trying to stop her.
"It's okay, big sis. It should be okay."
Lisanna stared at the Fairy Tail mark on Kazuma's hand and forced herself to speak, "Um… you're from another world, right? From the magical world's Fairy Tail?"
Mira, still holding Lisanna's hand, lowered her head in silence. She felt like she finally understood what was going on.
Everything finally clicked. All her doubts were answered at once.
"Yeah," Kazuma said with a smile. "I came here to find you."
"I made a promise with your sister once. When she was drunk, she commissioned me to bring you back. And as Fairy Tail's guild master, there's no way I'd let one of my members stay lost in another world."
He spoke casually. That commission had come up back when he'd been drinking with Mira and the others. It was something Mira had blurted out while completely wasted.
"As long as someone commissions you, you will do the job, right? " Lisanna asked.
"Yeah. If I accept a job, I don't fail it. But that's if I accept it."
Kazuma couldn't help but remember Mira's words from back then:
"Then… K-Kazuma.."
"If I ask you to bring Lisanna back, to bring my sister home, can you do that too?" Mira had slurred back then.
"I can. I promise," he said. "But what's the payment?"
"Anything. Whatever you want. As long as Lisanna comes back, I'll give you everything I have. Even me~ Hehe~"
She had been drunk out of her mind that night, and just after saying that, she'd leaned against Kazuma and fallen asleep. Later, she probably forgot all about it. Maybe she never took it seriously in the first place.
But Kazuma always remembered.
"Uh..."
"So… um…" Lisanna's voice trembled. "What about Grandpa Makarov? How is he now?"
"Did he… pass away?"
Hearing Kazuma's words, Lisanna couldn't hold it in anymore. Tears welled up in her eyes.
So many years had passed in this world. And yet her sister had never forgotten her. She had even asked someone to search for her.
The emotions Lisanna had kept buried for so long finally overflowed.
.
.
.