"Fucking finally, it shouldn't have taken me this long to find the kitchen." Grumbling in my seat, I repeatedly tapped the table and read the menu while Zalty sat opposite of me, doing the same, though she constantly glanced at me with hidden cautiousness. "What are you planning to eat? I'll pay." Raising my head, I looked at Zalty, who seemed slightly taken aback at my words, before she lowered the menu while pointing. "I-I'll be having number 3." Raising an eyebrow, I read through option three and lightly shook my head. "What? I can't have that?" "No, you can, but do you really think you need to worry about your diet right now? Aren't you still a growing woman? Get some meat into that body of yours."
Although I wasn't expecting it, my words must've offended her as she stood up and slammed her hands onto the table. "I'm 18, a fully grown woman, I don't need you, an enemy, to worry about me." Blushing in anger, Zalty glared at me, though I hardly paid her any heed as I flipped through the menu, searching for a suitable dish to order. "Your age has nothing to do with this; you're just rather petite, and it's no fun beating up such a weak woman… Hmm, number 17 looks pretty good, I think I'll go with that one." Setting the menu down, I looked at Zalty, who clenched her fists at my words before eventually sitting down. "I can't believe someone like you defeated Deliora. Actually, maybe it only makes sense that someone who only thinks about fighting defeated such a powerful demon." Smirking in amusement, Zalty rubbed her face in defeat while our waiter approached us.
"Hello, what shall you be ordering?" "I'll have two number 17s and she'll have a number 3; oh, can she also get a 12-ounce steak? As you can see, she needs some meat on her bones." Handing the menu to the waiter, she wrote our order on a notepad while Zalty seemed a bit unsatisfied.
"I don't want the steak." "I don't care, I'm paying, so you're getting the steak. If you don't eat it, I will, so stop complaining." Folding my arms, I shook my head, dismissing her words and causing her to click her tongue while the waiter chuckled. "Hehe, you should just listen to your boyfriend, Ms." "B-Boyfriend!? That bastard is not my boyfriend, he is my enemy!"
Standing up and slamming her hands onto the table again, Zalty pointed at me while furiously shaking her head. "She's not my girlfriend; I like older women."
With an awkward smile, the waiter apologized and walked away, causing Zalty to sit down while we remained silent, though I ended up breaking the silence with a question. "So, why am I your enemy, again?"
"Tsk, why are you asking such a stupid question?" "I'm asking a 'stupid question' because I don't know. Why else would I ask questions?" 'See, this is why I prefer older women.' Instead of answering my question, she just blankly stared at me, causing me to click my tongue, though she eventually responded with a question of her own.
"Why do you target Dark Guilds?" "Because it's the easiest method to fight against powerful enemies." Once again, we descended into a brief silence as we stared at each other.
"A-Are you being serious?" With a yawn, I nodded at Zalty, who didn't seem to be expecting my response as she quietly stared at me before heaving a deep sigh. "What a fucking dumbass." "I can fucking hear you." Scoffing, I had half a mind to cave her face in, but I held myself back; someone like her wouldn't hesitate to use others to save herself, after all, no sane person would revive a Demon like Deliora.
"Then, what's your take on Dark Guilds?" "The low-level ones are weak and should be eradicated; they're nothing but parasites to society. However, as for the stronger ones, such as the leading figures in the Balam Alliance, from what I know, they're even worse." "How so?" "The weaker ones leech off of society, but if there is no society to leech off of, they're not much of a threat."
"So you're saying the Dark Guilds wish to destroy society? What evidence do you have?" With a smirk full of curiosity, Zalty leaned forward while her bare foot rubbed my thigh under the table, causing me to smirk as I channeled my magic power, dispelling her dark magic that had been clouding my mind.
"The evidence is sitting in front of me; a member of Grimoire Heart had awakened Deliora, a demon that has destroyed numerous cities and taken thousands of lives."
My words caused Zalty to flinch as she nearly attacked me, though she managed to control herself just in time as our waiter returned with our food. "Here you go, sir and ma'am. Also, here is something extra for you."
Grabbing the food, I hungrily licked my lips before glancing at the note underneath my drink, which was a rendezvous point; unfortunately, I was still technically on a mission, so I'd have to refuse. "How did you know?"
"After knocking you unconscious, I checked your body and found your tattoo. You call me a dumbass, but I think you're the actual dumbass; why would members of a dark guild have tattoos on their body? Isn't that just asking to be arrested?" "Maybe for weak Dark Guilds, but members of Grimoire Heart are strong; you'd die if you attacked us." With a confident gaze and a wicked smirk, Zalty calmly took a bite of food while I chuckled.
'Does she think I'm stupid? I'm not going to fall for such an easy provocation. Might've worked on Laxus though.' Although I was confident in my strength, after destroying so many dark guilds, I had a lot of information regarding the top three dark guilds, so I had a good understanding of their strength. It was unfortunate, but even Oración Seis, which I believe to be the weakest, I would die if I were to attack them by myself; not only is their guild master rumored to be on the level of a Wizard Saint, but their members are also powerful, comparable to S-class wizards. 'And for Grimoire Heart, they're even stronger, especially since Gramps himself warned me never to attack them.' However, Tartaros is, without a doubt, the most terrifying.
Beneath their Guild Master, they have something called the nine-demon Gates, and a year ago I happened to have a run-in with one of them called Torafuzar, a demon that used curses, which was utterly different than magic; our fight lasted for a long time, and in the end, despite pushing myself to the brink of death, I barely managed to secure a tie. 'And there are eight more like him, not to mention his Guild Master.' I wasn't a coward, but Tartaros was off-limits. I didn't even dare attack their subdivisions; my life was one thing, but if they attacked, Fairy Tail? "Hello?" Snapping out of my thoughts, I shook my head and glanced at Zalty. "What?" Chewing a piece of steak, I saw her eat a bowl of salad, causing my face to twitch as I wondered how someone could even eat such a thing.
"You just went quiet for a few minutes, that's all… Since you knew I was a member of Grimoire Heart, why didn't you capture me?" "I would've, but I had a bigger threat to deal with at the time; also, I had no way to contain you, without magic sealing cuffs, it would have been too much of a hassle." Stuffing a spoonful of rice into my mouth, I took a gulp of water and burped, earning a look of disgust from Zalty. "Is that so?" And just like that, we spent an hour casually chatting. Well, Zalty continued to probe me for information, though I only gave her basic information; as for Fairy Tail, that was obviously off-limits.
"Despite being my enemy, tonight was surprisingly refreshing." "Hmph, that makes one of us. I felt like I was being integrated… I shouldn't have eaten with you." "You're not going to stop me now, are you?" Seeing Zalty stand up, I patted my chest and shook my head; to be honest, I had magic sealing cuffs in my temporary room in this resort, but I didn't feel like arresting her. "My true name is Ultear, by the way; constantly being addressed as Zalty is annoying." With a smirk, Ultear walked away, leaving me alone in the kitchen while I tapped my chin. "I'm getting a sense of déjà vu." It must've been my imagination, but I could've sworn I'd heard that name somewhere before.
However, before I could dig deeper, Cana and Lucy suddenly arrived. "This is where you've been, big bro." "How could you eat without us?" Smiling, I gently pushed Cana off me while gently flicking Lucy's head. "Maybe you two shouldn't spend hours in the hot springs. C'mon, you two can order, and I can eat again. "Yay! Now, where is the most expensive beer at?"