A few moments ago—
"So that woman we randomly met was actually royalty… not just any royalty, but the queen of a kingdom."
A girl with a short, golden lace dress murmured as she looked at a beautiful woman in the distance who was being fed by the man beside her.
The girl's hair was hidden beneath a hat, and a thin veil obscured everything below her eyes. In her hand was a card, the word Judgement written clearly on it in a thick font. She kept glancing between the card and the woman there.
"Mmm… Well, doesn't really matter, does it?" a teal, spiky-haired boy standing behind her replied.
"It does. Why would someone like that meet us just to give us a boxed lunch and this card? And she even seemed to know we'd come to this kingdom…"
"Well, she gave two boxed lunches, actually…so I don't think she's our enemy."
"…"
"Anyway, Lumina… this party is so awesome, isn't it? There's so much food and so many drinks."
"It's not a party… it's a gala, so behave properly—"
She turned around only to see the teal-haired boy happily munching on a massive chicken thigh, completely unconcerned about his image. Lumina was just starting to wonder why nobody was coming to this side.
"No… control yourself, Lumina… this isn't the time to get angry…" she muttered under her breath.
"What are you muttering about, Lumina?" Zenith asked cheerfully, holding out another piece of food in front of Lumina's eyes. "Do you want one too?"
Lumina's eye twitched again… but she forced herself to calm down. Yes. Just treat him the way you'd treat a child.
…Wait. How do you treat a child again?
Don't you discipline them when they're making a mess?
"No…" Lumina said, taking a deep breath to steady herself.
"Zenith, do you remember why we're here?" she asked, cautiously looking at the boy.
"Yes. We're here to take back the—mmph!"
Lumina immediately clamped her palm over Zenith's mouth.
"That was a yes or no question, idiot. If someone asks you your name, do you just yell out your personal information, all your weaknesses, and where you stash all your money?"
She stared at him, speechless. She still couldn't believe this guy was the same age as her. Someone like him would definitely get kidnapped one day… and he'd probably….well, knowing this guy, he would probably become best friends with them somehow.
"But I don't have any personal stash…" Zenith said, blinking with tearful eyes. "I used it all to buy food…"
Lumina's eye twitched again. That was not the point of her scolding…
She forgot—this guy was so broke that he bought food on 'credit'. She had hired him with some money when they first met, but somehow, in just twenty-four hours of separation, he had already spent everything he earned.
And yet… Lumina couldn't bring herself to scold him.
First of all, now wasn't the time.
Second, even knowing how dangerous it was to stay with her, he was still here—not because of money, but because he wanted to be.
Lumina wasn't sure she could do the same if she were in his position.
She wiped her palm on Zenith's clothes before grabbing his arm and dragging him away.
"Where are we going?"
"Just follow me."
"But the food—"
"You already finished seven plates."
"But it was only seven plates…"
"…"
As Lumina dragged the pouting Zenith along, her thoughts spiraled back to how all of this even began.
She had sent the map she stole from her father to Prince Nova by mail. She didn't want her father to ever get his hands on the person named Abel, who was secretly experimented on by the Council.
The map depicted where that experiment was happening…. It had come from an insider who was supposed to give it to her father…but she knew what would happen if her father got that information when she saw the note that came with it.
So she did the only logical thing she could do… sent the map to Prince Nova, her childhood friend, and asked him to destroy the devil's lacrima inside Abel at any cost before her father gets it.
She didn't know whether he had received her letters or not. He had stopped responding to her letters entirely after that. And so—
"Oops."
Lumina, lost in thought, suddenly heard a young male voice.
She slowly turned her head to the side and looked up, her bright golden eyes meeting a pair of vivid purple ones.
"Um… please pay attention to where you're going, miss," the young man said with a helpless smile before glancing down at the girl he had just pulled away.
Only then did Lumina realize that, while lost in her thoughts, she had almost collided with a small girl with jade-green hair.
"Oh, I'm sorry… are you okay, young miss—your highness?"
It was only now that Lumina recognized her.
It was none other than the Princess of Fiore.
"I-it's okay. I wasn't paying attention either," Princess Hisui replied with a smile.
"No, it was my fault…I'm really sorry," Lumina bowed even lower.
"It's fine. I'm okay. Please raise your head." Princess Hisui said gently. She was already used to this type of stuff.
"Wait—an actual princess…!"
Zenith's eyes practically started shining the moment he noticed Hisui, but Lumina immediately yanked him back before he could say another word—one hand clamping over his mouth, the other dragging him by his arm.
"Sorry about this guy.. We'll take our leave. Enjoy the event, Your Highness," Lumina said with an embarrassed smile before pulling Zenith away.
"Mmphp!"
As he was dragged off, Zenith glanced back at Astro, who was staring at them with visible confusion. Zenith's dark blue eyes gleamed faintly as a crescent-moon shape formed within his pupils as he looked at Astro's figure.
It was as if he were seeing something ordinary eyes couldn't perceive. But it was only for a second, before his eyes went back to normal as he was being dragged away by Lumina.
"I sincerely apologize for the girl's misconduct, Astro-sama…"
"It's fine. I don't mind."
Astro blinked as he watched their backs disappear before focusing back on Princess Hisui.
"Are you alright, Princess? Sorry, I messed up your hair…"
Astro, still stunned from being accused moments earlier, reacted a second too late. Because of the difference in their heights, he instinctively pulled Princess Hisui by hugging her head. He controlled his strength well, but her hair still got messed up a bit.
"It's okay, Astro-sama. It should be easy to fix," Princess Hisui smiled. "I wanted to touch up my makeup anyway. I will be back in a few minutes…"
"Got it."
With that, she headed toward the washroom.
"Excuse me. This girl has a few screws loose. I'll take her away. Enjoy the party, Astro Blackmist."
Prince Avon awkwardly also took his leave as well, dragging Vera along behind him, followed by their knight, Aubrey.
Astro suddenly found himself standing alone. As he blinked, glancing to both sides—though he had a feeling it wouldn't stay that way for long.
"Haha. You seem to be enjoying the party, Astro."
Astro turned around to see the two presences he had already sensed.
Prince Sylvain, with Lisa standing beside him.
—
"Can you just shut up for one moment and stop messing everything up?"
Lumina dragged Zenith out onto an empty balcony around the corner. It was cold outside, snow quietly falling from the sky. Lumina lifted her hand and traced several runes into the air.
Instantly, a small golden dome formed around them, composed of countless tiny rune-like letters.
Lumina wasn't worried that anybody would see it. One of the benefits of solar script runes is that they can be invisible to others if the user wants to.
But Lumina already knew that, for some reason, Zenith could see her rune magic.
That was why she had hired him out of all the mercenaries at the bar.
"Forget about it… Why am I even lecturing you… when I'm just as much of a mess," Lumina muttered as she leaned against the railing boredly, staring at the snowy night sky.
"What are those runes for?" Zenith looked at her, looking depressed, and decided to change the subject.
"They prevent anyone from listening in… or even sensing us," Lumina replied, crossing her arms as she looked at the dome. "It's better if we stay here… otherwise you'd mess up our secret plan ."
"You know, I have been wondering. Why do we need to meet Prince Nova secretly? Can't we just go and chat with him? He's here, isn't he?" Zenith asked, confused.
Lumina smacked her forehead. Finally realizing that he hadn't listened to her plan at all.
"Obviously, because my father can never know he saw the map too. Anyway… For now, we'll stay here and—"
"Is Prince Nova the first prince of this kingdom?"
Zenith suddenly pointed toward the stage, which was visible through the balcony window.
"That guy?"
Lumina blinked and also followed his gaze and peeked out.
A blond-haired young man was stepping onto the stage.
"Yes… That's him. He doesn't look anything like his younger self anymore."
"Do you think he is trustworthy?" Zenith asked.
His eyes lingered on Lumina for a moment before shifting back to the prince. A faint blue glow flickered within them as he observed Nova. There was a crescent moon inside his pupils again.
"Why wouldn't I trust him? We were childhood friends. Even though we didn't see each other after my mother passed away, we still exchanged letters all the time," Lumina said with a quiet sigh. "I guess you could say he's my only friend."
She glanced at Zenith—only to see him pointing at himself.
"What?"
Zenith still pointed to himself.
"What?" Lumina asked again.
"H-hm… nothing…I guess," Zenith stammered, lowering his hand before looking back at the stage.
Lumina tilted her head, not knowing what was going on with this idiot's head.
"But you know, Lumina… whether he had the map or not, you shouldn't let that guy meet your old man…your father would kill him at first sight," Zenith said suddenly.
"…What do you mean?" Lumina asked in a confused voice… Is there something else about Nova that could attract her father other than the map?
"Isn't your father a Devil Slayer?" Zenith said slowly as he pointed to the Prince on the stage. "And that prince… he's carrying a lot of demon within his shadow. I mean…like a lot lot."
"…"
"Hm? Is something wrong?"
"…"
"Lumina?"
"..."
"Hello?"
"Fu—"
In the present time
A flash of golden light tore across the vast hall as Lumina's punch landed squarely on the face of an unsuspecting Prince Nova in front of everybody's eyes. The impact echoed like a thunderclap.
Prince Nova didn't even have time to react. His body was sent flying backward, limbs losing all coordination as he ragdolled through the air before crashing hard into the wall behind him. Stone shattered on impact, chunks of marble and dust exploding outward as part of the wall collapsed inward.
Lumina did not even hold back.
Zenith, who created the portal for her, froze when he saw the scene. He thought Lumina might have been kind of harsh towards him lately, but right now, he realized Lumina was actually being very generous to him.
"I am… never going to make her mad again…" Zenith murmured with trembling feet.
Things weren't peaceful at the hall either.
For a heartbeat, the hall was frozen.
"What is going on…?"
"Is this an attack…?"
"Who would attack in a place guarded by the council… It must be a skit…"
"You mean Prince Nova just died for a skit?"
"I don't think he is dead."
"After taking a punch like that on his face. He is better off dead."
Shouts erupted from every direction as nobles and officials stared in disbelief, many of them instinctively stepping back as panic spread through the room.
"Everyone, calm down—"
Before full chaos could erupt, a black-haired middle-aged man in a silver robe stepped forward from among the council members. His expression was composed as he raised the wooden staff in his hand and waved it through the air.
"Rune Formation: Absolute Protection!"
Astro, who was protecting Sylvain and Hisui behind him, subconsciously looked down at his feet.
A circular rune glowed around his feet, intricate symbols rotating slowly along its edge. Before he could understand what this would do, a cylindrical barrier made of swirling purple runic letters rose from the floor, enclosing him completely.
Astro did not panic; instead looked around him.
Sure enough, it wasn't just him.
Sylvain stood within an identical barrier as well. Princess Hisui and Lisa were the same, too. Everywhere Astro looked, nobles, royals, and officials were each enclosed within their own ring of purple runes. Even Laxus, who was by King Toma, was the same.
"This entire place is surrounded by rune formations prepared by the Magic Council," the middle-aged man announced, his voice sounded clearly through the hall. "You are free to leave your circle at any time. However, as long as you remain inside it, no magic will be able to harm you."
"In the meantime… let us take care of the situation."
He rotated his staff once more.
"Rune Formation: Isolation Wall"
Runes flared, and a massive wall of glowing symbols surged upward from the ground, completely separating the stage from the guests. Unlike the transparent personal barriers, this rune wall was dense and opaque, cutting off all vision beyond it.
The man and most of the other council members remained on the stage's side of the wall, as the wall rose behind them.
Lumina turned around slowly. She did not care about being sealed… she already knew how many defensive formations were inside this place…but—
"Ow… ow… that hurt… that really hurt…"
Prince Nova groaned as he pushed himself up from the rubble, blood streaking down from his nose and lips.
"Itharan, kill her!" Nova shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice cracked with fury. "I am ordering you, kill her!"
"You don't have to tell us twice, your highness." Itharan, the middle-aged man who was leading the council wizards, replied.
"Energy Bullet!"
A blast of condensed magic shot toward Lumina. She stepped to the left with fluid precision, the attack narrowly missing her head. The other council wizards also didn't hesitate—more shots followed immediately, streaks of magic bullets tearing through the air in rapid succession.
Lumina dodged several, twisting and shifting her footing, but she quickly realized there were too many to evade cleanly. She wrote something in the air very fast while still dodging, before slamming it forward.
"Solar Script: Defense Wall."
A yellow barrier made of ruins flared to life in front of her, glowing brightly as it absorbed the incoming attacks. Magic attacks slammed into it again and again, sparks scattering across its surface, but the barrier still held firm.
Lumina did not bother looking at them anymore; she instead focused her gaze on the center of the stage.
The Devil's Lacrima was still there, resting on a massive tray held by two heavily built men. Like everyone else, they were enclosed within protective rune barriers.
"Rune Formation: Cage."
Lumina suddenly looked down and saw a new circular rune forming around her feet, the symbols tightening and locking into place as they began to rise.
"Young wizards these days are so reckless," Itharan said with a smirk. "Do you think you can just come and go in a place where so many nobles gather? We've been setting up runes in this place for several weeks already. I don't know what your goal is, but give up. There are far too many traps here. If I were you, I wouldn't—"
Lumina's mouth twitched. She didn't even bother to let him finish. Instead, a sharp golden rune formed on top of her right palm.
"You magic council wizards….agh… Just shut up."
Lumina shouted as she slammed the golden rune forward toward the rune barrier.
"Solar Script Magic: Re Rule."
The moment the golden rune touched the rune barrier, it shattered violently. The cage exploded into fragments of light. The rune from the barrier all fell to the ground.
"What was that…?" Itharan muttered with genuine confusion flickering across his face. Did magic council's rune magic just get destroyed like that? That shouldn't have been possible. It was definitely a fluke, yes, it had to be.
Lumina didn't care what he was thinking; she just started rushing forward toward the Devil's Lacrima,
"Rune Formation: Mines!"
Itharan shouted, snapping out of his shock.
Several runes flared to life across the stage between Lumina and the Lacrima, each glowing ominously.
Lumina's eyes glowed brighter. She traced the same magic on the air again, this time larger, the solar script curving outward in a more thick and aggressive pattern.
"As I said…."
"Solar Script Magic: Re Rule."
The solar script expanded rapidly as it traveled, warping the air around it. Every rune in its path sparked violently before vanishing in small flashes of light, as if erased from existence. The wave continued forward until it struck the barrier protecting the two men holding the tray.
Their rune defense disappeared instantly as well, under the shocked eyes of everyone present.
"What the…?"
Itharan froze as shock spread across his face.
If the first time could be dismissed as a fluke, this couldn't. In his entire career as a council wizard, he had never seen rune magic broken so effortlessly. Even a Wizard Saint would struggle against a fully prepared rune formation.
Not to mention, the rune magic is the foundation of the Magic Council. It is what allows the Magic Council to control all the wizards on the continent.
That was why no one had worried about the summit's security. So many nobles and officials could just come into a foreign kingdom without any worry for their safety.
But if word spread that a girl this young could counter their rune magic like this—and worse, teach it to—
Cold sweat ran down his back.
"Don't stop your attack."
He tightened his grip on his staff, holding it under his arms, still aiming it at Lumina steadily despite the fear creeping into his mind.
"Energy Bullets"
Lumina also noticed their intentions. She narrowed her eyes as she waved her hand. The barrier she had created earlier expanded vertically, forming a long wall of light that blocked the council wizards' renewed attacks. She sprinted forward, hugging the trail of the barrier, closing the distance in a heartbeat.
The two men instinctively moved to block her with their free hand, planting themselves firmly between the Devil's Lacrima and her.
"Solar Script Magic: Golden Gauntlet."
A golden gauntlet wrapped around her right hand, gleaming with light.
'She's going to strike with her fist,'
Both men thought, tightening their stance, bracing to absorb the impact.
But Lumina had no intention of following their expectations. With a graceful leap, she twisted her body midair. Her legs arced outward in perfect precision, striking each man squarely across the head. The force sent them staggering backward, crashing into the floor with thuds that echoed across the hall.
She landed smoothly, rolling to absorb the impact, knees bent slightly, her left palm brushing the floor with casual control. The golden gauntlet on her right hand held the Devil's Lacrima firmly before it could fall on the ground.
"Seriously," she muttered, her voice exasperated as she got up and looked back at them. "How rude of you. Did you really think I would attack ordinary people with magic?"
The two men who were still stuck on the wall froze, glancing at each other before shifting their gaze toward Prince Nova, then looked at her. Lumina also followed their gaze subconsciously.
The prince, still bleeding from his nose and lips, staggered slightly as he tried to stand.
"..."
"Fair Point, I guess," Lumina muttered.
"Lumina, I will give you one last chance, give that lacrima back to me…It doesn't belong to you."
"I trusted you, Nova," Lumina said quietly, not caring about his threats at all.
"Then you should keep trusting me, give it back," Nova replied between heavy breaths. "Listen to me—"
"I asked you to do one thing," Lumina interrupted with a sharp voice, "I just wanted you to make sure nobody gets this devil's power." Her eyes hardened as she looked toward his shadow. "Instead, you actually dared to join them?"
"What do you—" Nova froze as his gaze subconsciously drifted toward his own shadow.
"How did you know?"
"It doesn't matter. Just remember that this is the last favor I will do for you as your former friend." Lumina said coldly.
"Then…"
"I am saving you by not giving this thing back to you. After all, if my father finds this on you, a broken face will be the least of your problems."
"Lumina," Nova shouted.
"Goodbye."
She didn't bother talking more to Nova; she instead turned and ran toward the rune wall separating the stage from the guests.
"No—wait!" Nova shouted. He spun toward Itharan and shouted. "Kill her! Don't let her get away with it!"
Forget about the devil's lacrima. He couldn't allow someone to steal from him so brazenly in front of so many nobles. His reputation would be ruined if this were allowed to happen.
Itharan raised his staff, but before he could even do something—
Lumina locked eyes with him. Her golden eyes burned as she wrote another spell with her left hand.
"Solar Script: Shining Bullet."
The text surged overhead before erupting into countless yellow beams that rained down toward the council wizards. None of them dared to form rune barriers. They scattered desperately, barely managing to dodge the relentless barrage.
Lumina didn't look back. She focused on the massive rune wall ahead, leaping several meters into the air as she traced a rune that would keep giving Itharan nightmares for life after this gala.
"A solid wall would've been more useful against me, but—"
"Solar Script Magic: Re Rule."
She slammed the rune forward, tearing a massive circular gap through the wall.
"Useless trash!" Nova also realized that the council was useless against her, so he screamed as loud as he could. "Any wizard here—stop the thief at any cost! I'll reward you and your kingdom whatever you want!"
"Percival."
"As you wish."
"Vera."
"But your safety—"
"Go."
Sylvain also turned toward Astro, who was still standing in front of them.
"You should go too, Astro," he said calmly. "I know you're interested in the Devil's Lacrima."
Sylvain was one of the few outside Fairy Tail who knew Astro was a Devil Slayer. To everyone else, all they knew was that Astro was a very strong wind magic user.
Astro glanced at Sylvain, then at Princess Hisui. She hesitated for a moment before nodding as well, trusting that her uncle knew more than he was letting on. And she had full trust in her uncle.
That was all the signal Astro needed.
Lumina burst through the opening towards the guest's area, still several meters in the air, as she looked towards all the guests covered in protective runes. She was thinking about her escape plan.
The only thing that is on her way is the barrier outside the castle. Zenith can't open a portal to the outside right now because of that barrier…so all she needs to do is… As she was lost in planning, suddenly, a chill ran through her bones.
Her eyes widened as three figures appeared in front of her in the air instantly, each coated in a different color of aura. And not a single one of them was hiding their overwhelming presence anymore. For the first time in the night, a trace of fear flashed across her golden eyes as she realized how screwed she was now.
On the left was a woman slightly older than her, with yellow hair blazing, wrapped in a fierce yellow aura. On the right was a muscular man wielding twin axes, some sort of silver energy rolling off his body.
And in the center—She remembered him.
A young man she had met just moments ago.
Astro Blackmist.
Purple wind swirled around him as his eyes glowed emotionlessly as they locked onto her.
"There's no escape," he whispered coldly.
"Give up that lacrima, miss… unless you want your death to be the highlight of this event."