As Kira pocketed the recording lacrima, he overheard the others diving into a discussion about the mission.
"I remember the legend of the Celestial Maidens' Duel being ancient, right?" Cana asked. "Even if something from that story survived, how are we supposed to find it in a place buried under all this snow?"
Erza's mind was already racing. "The legend says this area only became covered in snow after the duel. That means at least one of the maidens—probably the White Maiden—used ice or snow magic. And she's likely the one who won."
"Ice and snow, huh?" Gray muttered, gazing at the familiar snowy landscape. Memories of his childhood training with Ur flickered through his mind.
Man, I miss those days.
"Not bad, Erza!" Loke said, impressed. "That's a solid lead. If the White Maiden used ice magic, what kind of magic did the Black Maiden use?"
Elfman, thinking of Natsu and Gray, piped up. "If ice is one side, the opposite would be fire, right? But… is there such a thing as black fire?"
"Never seen it," Gray said.
"Me neither," Cana added.
"But Macao's got purple fire magic," Loke pointed out. "So black fire wouldn't be that weird, would it?"
"Hold on," Kira interjected. "Don't jump to conclusions. Just because the White Maiden might've used ice doesn't mean the Black Maiden used black fire or anything like it. We can make bold guesses, but we need to verify them carefully. It's a clue, not the whole picture."
"Exactly," Erza agreed. "A good wizard doesn't assume fire is the only opposite of ice. That kind of narrow thinking is a rookie mistake."
"Plus," Kira added, "we can't even be sure they used magic at all. This legend predates the dragon era, maybe even centuries before. The 'White Maiden' and 'Black Maiden' labels could just refer to their clothing, their tribes, or even something later generations tacked on to dramatize their rivalry."
"Point is, legends aren't always accurate. If the duel has nothing to do with this snowy mountain, then all your guesses could be way off."
Everyone nodded, half-convinced by Kira's logic but not quite sure why it made so much sense.
"So," Cana asked, "did you dig up any useful clues from some old book this time?"
Kira gave her a thumbs-up. "Nice one, Cana! Learning from last time, huh? Already thinking about gathering intel before we move. You're getting the hang of this!"
"So… you did find something?" she pressed.
The others leaned in, curious. A legend this ancient, and Kira had found a lead?
"Oh yeah," Kira said, a sly grin spreading across his face. "Brace yourselves. Even I was shocked when I found out."
That got everyone's attention—especially Gray, Cana, and Loke, who'd been on the Galuna Island mission with him. If Kira, who stayed cool as a cucumber even when facing demons, was rattled, this had to be big.
"The legend of the Black and White Maidens," Kira said, pausing for effect, "might be tied to the gods themselves."
"WHAT?!"
---
Pfft!
Horologium, the Clock Constellation, burst through the snow, carrying Lucy, Natsu, and Happy to safety.
The old clock spirit had saved Lucy's hide more times than she could count, even in worse situations than this. With Natsu's flames buying them time, this rescue was practically a breeze.
"Thank you so much, Horologium!" Lucy gasped, catching her breath as she thanked her lifesaver.
"It's my duty, Miss Lucy," Horologium replied politely before vanishing back to the Celestial Spirit World.
"We're saved!" Happy cheered.
"Lucy, your spirits are awesome!" Natsu added, already bouncing back to his usual energy.
Lucy sighed, watching Natsu and Happy practically skip with glee. "You two have zero sense of danger, don't you? So, what now? Should we head back to the guild?"
"No way!" Natsu snorted, steam puffing from his nostrils. "I'm finishing this S-Class mission! If we go back now, Gray'll never let me hear the end of it!"
"Exactly, Natsu!" Happy chimed in. "We can't give up halfway!"
The two optimists were in perfect sync, which only made Lucy's blood boil. "Oh yeah? Then tell me, how are we supposed to find this tavern with just this map?!"
"Hmm…" Natsu scratched his head, then clapped his hands. "Let's just follow my gut!"
Happy nodded enthusiastically. "Aye!"
And with that, ignoring Lucy's sputtered protests, the duo marched off into the snow.
"Wait, you idiots! Slow down!" Lucy yelled, jogging to catch up.
Three minutes later, Lucy stared at the tavern in front of them, dumbfounded. "No way… how?!"
Natsu grinned at her and Happy. "Told ya, my gut's never wrong!"
"Aye! Natsu's the best!" Happy cheered.
"Let's get in there!" Natsu said, already heading for the door.
"Aye!"
The Forgetting Tavern stood before them, its signboard unburied by the few centimeters of snow. The roof was piled high with snow, except for a small chimney puffing out carbon monoxide and dioxide from burning coal. The old, slightly yellowed windows were damp, but a faint, flickering firelight seeped through the cracks, offering a hint of warmth.
The tavern sat alone in the vast snowy wilderness—no village, no shop, no sleigh-pulling reindeer, no noise. It was eerily silent, save for a faint, pained groan carried by the wind, as if the place itself was whispering some untold story.
"A tavern in a place like this? That's so weird," Lucy muttered as she followed Natsu.
"Whatever, we found it!" Natsu said, pushing the door open.
Inside, they found a single figure—a burly, middle-aged man drinking alone. His white beard and hairy, muscular arms gave him a rugged look. He seemed to be the owner.
"Welcome to the Forgetting Tavern!" he called out, his voice deep but surprisingly warm and charismatic. "Come on in, youngsters. Grab a drink—it'll wash all your worries away."
The tavern's interior was old, clearly steeped in years of history. Besides the bar where the man sat, there was a fireplace and a few tables and chairs. The air was thick with the rich scent of beer, oddly strong for a place with no other customers in this weather.
Lucy gave an awkward smile. "Uh, sorry, we're not here to drink."
If Kira were here, he'd probably tease her to death. Not drinking at a tavern? What, you here to wreck the place?
Luckily, the man was easygoing and didn't take offense. He laughed heartily. "No drinks? That's fine. Sit down, warm up. We don't get many visitors out here. You two must be a couple lost in the blizzard, eh?"
Lucy's face turned red. "We're not a couple!"
Happy snickered behind his paw. "Smart guy, this one~"
"You dumb cat!" Lucy snapped.
Natsu, blunt as ever, cut to the chase. "We're here for a mission. Hey, old man, you know anything about Esisnew Village?"
The tavern owner leaned in, studying Natsu and Lucy closely—long enough to make Lucy squirm—before speaking. "Wizards, huh? You look so young…"
"You bet!" Natsu said, proudly showing off the red Fairy Tail mark on his shoulder. "We're super strong, here to take down some magical beast in the blizzard!"
"Is that so?" The man laughed, clearly amused. "Well, you don't look the part, but I'll take your word for it!"
"Don't look the part?!" Natsu grumbled. "This guy's got no manners!"
Lucy muttered under her breath, but Natsu and the owner hit it off, chatting and laughing like old friends within minutes.
"So, you're Fairy Tail wizards here for a mission?" the man said, sitting across from Natsu. "Well, you're in luck. I'm your client, Pur Esisnew."
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