June X784, Hargeon Port—
Hargeon, being a port city, was a town with a thriving fishing industry.
However, the entire town had only one magic shop, and the items sold there were mostly for general household use.
And Lucy was currently inside this very shop.
"What? Is this the only magic shop in Hargeon???" Lucy leaned on the counter with both hands, her eyes wide as she stared at the shopkeeper in disbelief.
"That's right. This has always been a city where fishing is more popular than magic. Less than ten percent of the residents here can use magic. Usually, only traveling Mages visit my shop."
"What a waste of effort. I was really looking forward to it." Lucy lowered her head, her tone dejected.
"Don't say that. How about this Color-Changing Magic? It's very popular with girls!" The shopkeeper enthusiastically promoted a magical item, even demonstrating to Lucy how to coordinate it with outfit changes.
"I don't need these. What I want are powerful keys—Gate Keys for a Celestial Spirit Mage."
Although Lucy already had several Zodiac Gold Keys, a mage could never have too many.
After all, Celestial Spirits needed rest too—it would be quite awkward if she summoned one only to be told they were on date or were taking a dump.
"Keys? Wait a moment, I'll bring out all the stock i have."
After saying this, the shopkeeper took out a small box and placed it on the counter.
"You actually have this! The Key of the Canis Minor! How much is it?" Lucy's eyes lit up as she spotted the silver key.
"20,000 Jewels." The shopkeeper calmly extended two fingers.
"May I ask... how much that is?"
Lucy batted her eyelashes at the shopkeeper, leaning in closer.
Having been away from home for nearly half a year, she had almost spent all her money and always adhered to the principle of saving wherever possible.
...
Moments later, Lucy stormed down the street while fuming.
"Damn it! Is my sex appeal only worth 1,000 Jewels? And I batted my eyelashes so many times!"
"Salamander-sama!"
"So handsome!!"
"Look at me! Salamander-sama!"
Suddenly, shouts erupted from a nearby crowd, consisting entirely of screaming girls.
"Salamander? The Salamander from Fairy Tail?"
Over the past six months, Lucy hadn't encountered anyone from Fairy Tail, but Salamander's reputation had certainly reached her ears—mainly because of his destructive tendencies.
Even Sorcerer Weekly frequently reported on how Natsu had destroyed this street or that port.
"Ahhh! Salamander-sama! I love you!"
Lucy was nearly frightened off by the scene—the crowd had almost completely blocked the street.
"Make way, make way." Lucy finally managed to squeeze through the throng using her strength.
At the center of the dense crowd stood a man wearing a purple cloak, currently striking dramatic poses for his audience.
'Is this... is this the feeling of falling in love?'
Lucy pressed her hands against her flushed cheeks.
The pupils of her eyes turned into heart shapes as her heartbeat rapidly accelerated.
She showed a lovestruck smile, feeling somewhat incredulous—was she really the type to fall in love at first sight?
"IGNEEL!!!"
At that moment, accompanied by an excited shout, a boy with spiky pink hair and a white checkered scarf burst into view before Lucy.
He was followed closely by a blue cat walking upright on two legs.
CRACK.
The heart-shaped illusion in Lucy's eyes instantly shattered.
"Who are you? Where's Igneel?"
After squeezing through the crowd, Natsu saw only a man surrounded by women.
He stared disappointedly at the stranger before him.
The man raised his right hand, showing off two rings toward Natsu, and struck a pose. "Haven't you heard of me? I am the famous Salamander."
What he didn't expect was that before he could even finish introducing himself, and before Natsu could react with appropriate shock, Natsu had already turned to leave.
"Not him."
The female fans, enchanted by the fake Salamander's magic, angrily surrounded Natsu and gave him a thorough beating for disrespecting their idol.
The fake Salamander pretended to be magnanimous and stopped them. "Now, now."
He forgave Natsu, offering his autograph and inviting everyone present to attend a party on his ship that evening.
After speaking, he raised his right hand and snapped his fingers.
A magic circle appeared beneath his feet, followed by a spiral of purple flames lifting him up and carrying him away.
At this moment, the spell over the crowd broke.
Lucy noticed the rings on the "Salamander's" hand and frowned deeply.
"Charm Magic? Isn't that forbidden?"
Charm Magic is a spell that subtly attracts the target, making them deeply infatuated with the caster. However, the moment the target becomes aware of it, the magic instantly dissipates.
Because of Natsu and Happy's intrusion, they had unintentionally broken the enchantment on Lucy.
"Are you okay?" Lucy asked with her hands behind her back, looking at Natsu, who was still sitting on the ground scratching his head.
Although it seemed Natsu and Happy had only accidentally helped break the spell, Lucy still wanted to express her gratitude.
...
At a restaurant in Hargeon Town—
"I'm Lucy, pleased to meet you."
"Natsu Dragneel."
"And I'm Happy! Aye!"
Wanting to show her appreciation, Lucy had decided to treat Natsu and Happy to a meal.
Little did she expect their table manners to be so terrifying since food scraps were flying everywhere.
The surrounding customers and waitstaff stared at the trio in alarm, making Lucy feel quite embarrassed.
She couldn't help but sigh inwardly—the 1,000 Jewels she'd just saved hadn't even warmed her pocket before being spent on this gluttonous duo.
Lucy glanced apologetically around before looking back at Natsu and Happy. "Could you eat a bit slower? There's no need to rush."
Natsu and Happy seemed not to hear her, devouring food incessantly like starving hobo's.
"I'm a Mage—a Celestial Spirit Mage, actually. I want to join the strongest Guild in the Fiore Kingdom: Fairy Tail. It's not far from here now."
While slurping noodles, Natsu heard "Fairy Tail" and paused, exchanging a quick look with Happy.
'Our Guild?'
But neither voiced it aloud, deciding to observe Lucy further.
Their Guild had become quite crowded lately, and without a proper introduction, even Makarov wasn't accepting many new members now.
Natsu then mentioned his purpose for coming to Hargeon—to find the Fire Dragon, Igneel.
"Huh? How could a dragon appear in a city? If one did, the Council and other Guilds would have mobilized immediately, right?" Lucy's jaw dropped in disbelief.
What kind of thought process did these two have?
"Oh, right..." Natsu and Happy looked at each other, finally showing expressions of realization.
After finishing the meal and paying the bill, Lucy bid farewell to Natsu and prepared to leave.
"Thank you so much for the meal!"
When Lucy turned back, she was shocked—Natsu and Happy were performing a full dogeza toward her.
"No... no need to thank me that much! I'm just returning the favor for your help earlier." Lucy waved her hands frantically, then covered her face and hurriedly left the restaurant.
'This is so embarrassing...'
"Eh... sniff... sniff..."
Still lying on the ground, Natsu kept sniffing the air. He began crawling on all fours toward the source of a familiar scent.
"This smell... it smells like Raizel..."
"Raizel!" Natsu looked up sharply.
"Well, you don't need to bow so deeply to me, Natsu. Though you certainly do bring Happy to mooch off my food and drinks every day."
Raizel, who had been sitting at a nearby table the whole time, looked down helplessly at Natsu crawling on the floor.
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