"No way…"
Staring at the never-before-seen look on Erza's face, Natsu's eyes went wide, as if he'd seen a ghost.
Impossible—the Erza blushing in front of a man?!
Since he was a kid, he'd never once seen Erza wear an expression like that.
"What is it? Why are you all looking at me like that?"
Those openly shocked stares left Erza puzzled.
Did she have something on her face?
"Aye! Because Erza's cheeks are all red!"
Perched on the bar, munching grilled fish, Happy offered the reminder in all innocence.
Cheeks all red?
Not just Erza—Mira-nee, Levy, and Kana all froze at that.
"Am I that red?"
Erza touched her cheek on reflex, unable to stop herself from asking.
"For real… Don't tell me Erza likes Aurel's type?" Mira-nee kept her hands folded behind her back a bit tighter, still smiling as she teased.
"She does look a little red…"
Levy inched closer to Aurel, eyes on Erza, a wary gleam flickering in her amber gaze.
"…"
Kana only took a long, complicated sip of beer and kept quiet.
What could she even say?
She'd finally found a man who made her heart skip—only for pretty, cute girls to flock around him… and now even Erza was drawn in.
Felt like her chances just plummeted.
Draining her mug in a sulk, Kana stretched lazily, then stood and headed for the guild's back yard, calling out at full volume:
"Aurel just challenged Erza! Anyone wanna place bets?!"
At her shout, the guild exploded into a boil.
"As expected of the strongest newcomer—he just dealt with Natsu, and now he's challenging Erza!"
"Aurel versus Erza, huh… I want to pick Erza, but that newcomer dropped Laxus…"
"Huh—hold up, who's Aurel? And what do you mean he dropped Laxus?!"
Quite a few guildmates who'd just gotten back looked blank, completely lost.
"What the hell are you all babbling about?"
Gray was even more confused; he was starting to wonder if his ears had gotten busted on his last job.
Watching the hall grow rowdier, Aurel accepted the katana from a Shadow Ninja and smiled lightly.
"Then, please take care of me, Erza-san."
"Mm. No problem… and just call me Erza. No need to be so formal."
Putting aside the odd flutter in her chest, Erza nodded, serious-faced.
Faced with a newcomer who'd beaten Laxus, even she couldn't help feeling keen interest.
They headed for the back yard—the same spot where Natsu had challenged Aurel last time.
The walls that had been wrecked were already restored by the Shadow Legion, and a crowd ringed the arena, eager to spectate.
"Aye! All-in on Aurel!"
Having been burned once, Happy went all-in on Aurel without hesitation, pulling two thousand J in bills from his bundle.
"I'm sticking with Aurel," Macao coughed into his fist.
"So few picking Erza?"
Gray rubbed his chin in silence. Even after hearing about the newbie's terrifying strength from the others, he still put his money on Erza.
"I'll take Erza too."
Loke, two beauties on his arms, pushed up his glasses.
As the bets stacked up, by the cutoff, support for Erza and Aurel was nearly neck and neck.
"Erza, don't let me down—I put ten thousand J on you!"
"Let's gooo, newbie! The old man's booze money this month depends on you!"
"Go, Aurel!"
"Erza, don't lose to the newcomer…"
"Oh, right—forgot to mention something!"
Sitting cross-legged atop a beer barrel, Kana snapped her fingers as it hit her. At the puzzled looks around, she drawled, "This match is mostly about swordsmanship, by the way. Not that it really changes much."
…
In contrast to the noisy crowd, the two in the center looked perfectly at ease.
Aurel's right hand rested on the hilt at his hip. Though his expression stayed gentle, a blade-sharp pressure rose off him.
"Good aura. I can tell you've dug deep into the sword."
Erza steadied her breathing. A brilliant magic circle spun at her side, and a knight's sword of gleaming silver-white appeared in her grip.
"Just got bored on the road and tried cutting a few swallows. Doesn't really count as study."
"Cutting swallows won't forge an aura like that."
"And yet, here we are. By the way, Erza—aren't you going to change gear?"
"Sounds like you're confident." Erza's lips curved, fighting spirit rising. "As you wish."
"Requip: Heaven's Wheel Armor!"
With a soft cry, dazzling light wrapped Erza's body. When it faded, the plain armor was replaced by an exquisite silver set.
Only her chest and obliques were plated on the upper body; below, a noble-length skirt of metal flowed. Behind her, steel wings spread like a butterfly's.
Her scarlet hair now wore small winged ornaments, and a white throat like carved jade bore a choker set with a violet gem.
Beautiful. Elegant—
That was Aurel's first impression. As she stood now, Erza looked like a finely crafted art piece—something that begged to be treasured.
"Gorgeous armor. Got stronger sets than that?"
Aurel praised her with a sigh of appreciation.
"Plenty. Depends on whether you can bring them out."
Twin blades in hand, Erza's aura flashed—sixteen Heaven's Wheel swords flowered into the air around her.
"In that case…"
Aurel lowered his stance; the click of hilt meeting scabbard rang soft and clear. He lifted his gaze to the elegant warrior before him.
"Time to get fired up!"
Out in the crowd, Natsu blinked dumbly.
Why did that line sound so familiar?
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/euridome]
[Thank You For Your Support!]