Fairy Tail: My Magic is a Yu-Gi-Oh! Deck — Chapter 36

Chapter 36: Lucy’s Relentless Commentary

The brilliant glow of a magic circle illuminated the cobblestone street right outside the Fairy Tail guildhall. Chase, Mirajane, and Dark Magician Girl touched down gracefully, stepping off the massive, rocky shoulders of the Giant Soldier of Stone. With a low, rumbling groan, the towering earth-attribute monster dissolved into a shower of glittering golden light motes, fading back into the ether.

“The residents of Magnolia are as enthusiastic as ever. I really do not know what to do with these guys.” Chase sighed, though a faint, helpless smile tugged at his lips. He turned to Mirajane, who looked absolutely stunning in her wine-red dress. “Mira, you feel it, right? This is the obvious benefit of taking on missions with me.”

Mirajane glanced back at the bustling, noisy street they had just walked down. A characteristic, gentle smile graced her features. “It is a bit too enthusiastic for my tastes, honestly.”

As the undisputed face of Fairy Tail and a beloved cover girl for Sorcerer Weekly, she was used to attention. However, this was her very first time experiencing the sheer, overwhelming magnitude of a reception exclusive to Chase. The roaring cheers and flying confetti were a little embarrassing, and she was not entirely used to being swept up in that kind of chaotic adoration.

“It is so unfair! My popularity in Magnolia, even when combined with Mira’s, is somehow less than Master’s!” Dark Magician Girl puffed out her cheeks, crossing her arms in a display of utter annoyance.

Even with her and the beautiful Mirajane walking right by his side, all she had heard along the entire route were deafening shouts of welcome directed solely at Chase. This greatly disheartened the magical girl, who usually possessed absolute confidence in her own obvious cuteness.

Under normal circumstances, having just survived a major, grueling battle where her physical manifestation had been pushed to its absolute limit, she would have needed to retreat into the card deck to rest and recover her strength. Even though her life points had not hit zero on the battlefield, the exhaustion was real. However, Chase simply could not resist her eager curiosity to hear the aftermath of the Yakuma Fighting Gods incident. He had willingly expended a massive surge of his own magic power to forcibly sustain her physical form, allowing her to slip out and return to Magnolia with him. It was also his way of fulfilling her earnest wish to complete the promised photo shoot request alongside Mirajane.

“Perhaps it is just because the Giant Soldier of Stone was far too tall. The residents likely did not notice us standing up on its shoulders and subconsciously assumed Chase was riding it alone,” Mirajane said, resting her chin on one hand thoughtfully.

This was not merely a subtle attempt at comfort, but her genuine deduction. After all, her own popularity in Magnolia was nothing to scoff at.

The two beautiful girls exchanged a long, meaningful glance before nodding firmly in unison. Yes, that absolutely had to be the reason.

Before Chase could formulate a response to their shared delusion, the newly repaired heavy oak doors of the guildhall were suddenly violently shoved open. Hearing the commotion outside, the guild members who had caught wind of Chase’s return swarmed out, their faces flushed with wild excitement.

“Oh! Chase is back, alright!”

“Man! We saw the whole spread in the newspaper! It looked so incredibly cool!”

“Chasing away a bunch of troublesome tourists and then brawling with a legendary monster one-on-one! That is exactly the kind of crazy stuff we expect from you, Chase!”

The one shouting such an odd, battle-hungry sentiment at the very front of the pack was, naturally, Natsu.

Standing just behind the pink-haired Dragon Slayer, Lucy’s internal commentary remained as sharp and consistent as ever. ‘No, no, no. I am pretty sure Mr. Chase is the actual legendary monster in this scenario…’Recalling the bright red, sensationalized headline and the incredibly cool illustration printed in the morning newspaper, Lucy could not help but let her imagination run wild. She pictured herself standing atop a hill, spreading her arms wide to shield a war-torn town from a towering beast, her cape fluttering in the wind as she shouted valiantly,’This world shall be protected by me, Queen Lucy!’

Instantly, the rookie celestial mage became completely smitten by the mental image of her heroic, cape-wearing self.

“Hey Lucy, normally in a situation like that, you would be the very first person to get punched flying into the sky.” Happy’s cold, deadpan voice cut through the air like a rusty blade, stabbing deeply into Lucy’s fragile fantasies.

“How heartless. You will not even give me a single chance to dream.” Lucy slumped forward, petrified in place and greatly disheartened by the blue cat’s brutal honesty.

Looking at the chaotic crowd of partners who had instantly gathered around him, listening to their overlapping shouts of excitement and admiration, Chase rubbed the back of his neck. “Ah, did everyone find out about the island so quickly?”

“I see. Sorcerer Weekly really does have fast printing presses.” Mirajane noticed the crumpled, heavily read copy of the magazine clutched tightly in Macao’s fist.

“Damn it! I knew I should not have taken that stupid book destruction request! I should have just snatched Chase’s request off the board instead!” Natsu yelled indignantly, flames practically sparking from his teeth.

‘You just want to fight the Yakuma Eighteen War Gods, do you not?’Lucy retorted internally, her eye twitching.’And Mr. Chase’s request was an S-rank! You cannot just snatch an S-rank!'”To let my precious sister fall into such terrifying danger! I am a complete failure of a man!” Elfman wailed, thick, manly tears streaming profusely down his muscular face as he punched the ground.’You massive sister complex!’ Lucy screamed in her mind.

“It is truly regrettable. Protecting helpless tourists should be a job reserved for a handsome, dashing guy like me.” Loki stepped smoothly out of the crowd, raising one hand to push up his lightly tinted, reflective glasses with a practiced smirk.

‘You just want an excuse to go on a romantic date with the beautiful Mira and the cute Dark Magician Girl!’ Lucy’s internal complaints were firing on all cylinders.

Feeling a sudden, intensely disdainful gaze boring into the side of his head, Loki flinched. He turned his head and locked eyes with the blonde girl. “What? Lucy, you are here?!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the playboy who had looked so impossibly cool just a second ago instantly scrambled backward, hiding himself far away behind a barrel. Having committed a grave sin and been exiled from the Celestial Spirit World, he harbored a deep, instinctual fear of spending any prolonged time near a Celestial Spirit Mage.

Lucy blinked, looking utterly bewildered by his sudden retreat.

“Please try to think with that melted candle head of yours, Natsu. Chase took an S-rank request.” Gray stepped forward out of the crowd. The sunlight shimmered off his bare chest and black leggings. At some point during the excitement, his shirt and pants had completely run away from home yet again.

“Huh? You got a problem with me, you bastard ice cube?!” Natsu retorted unhappily. He immediately clenched his right fist, igniting a scorching, roaring flame around his knuckles as his provocative gaze swept across the entire gathering. “A bunch of weak guys who get scared out of their minds at the mere mention of an S-rank request are not even worthy of being my opponents! Hahaha!”

One stone stirred up a thousand waves.

The notoriously short tempers of the Fairy Tail guild members immediately flared into a raging inferno. Men and women alike rolled up their sleeves, yelling insults as they lunged at each other. Within seconds, a massive, dust-kicking brawl erupted right there at the guild entrance.

Chase, who had long since figured out the exact strength and chaotic nature of this group, simply smiled. He slowly walked forward, smoothly bypassing the flying fists and crashing bodies, making his way into the guildhall. He still had important matters to attend to. He needed to report the detailed, unedited events of the Yakuma Ruins Island to the Master.

Accompanying him were Mirajane and Dark Magician Girl, with a highly cautious Lucy tiptoeing at the very back of the group to avoid catching a stray punch.

Since the vast majority of the guild was currently busy beating each other senseless outside, the interior of the hall was unusually quiet, occupied by only a few scattered individuals.

“Yo, Chase. You guys made it back?” Cana’s voice drifted over from a nearby table.

Unlike her usual routine of drinking herself into a stupor while hugging a massive barrel of cheap wine, she was currently sitting up straight. After borrowing the Book of Secret Arts from Chase, she had been diligently studying. Holding a feathered quill pen, she actually looked exceptionally demure and focused sitting there in the quiet light. The magical aura she exuded was noticeably much more stable and solid than it had been just a few weeks prior.

“Cana. How are you feeling?” Chase greeted her, pulling out a chair.

“Quite good. I actually feel like there is a real hope for me this time. Thanks.” Cana put down her quill pen. She then immediately leaned back, propped her crossed legs up onto the wine-stained table, and let out a long breath. “I heard the news about the island. You are really amazing, you know that?”

The demure, studious aura was instantly crushed into dust by her wild, relaxed posture.

“It was not just Master! Mira and I also played a very crucial role in the fight!” Dark Magician Girl chimed in, playfully holding up a cute peace sign over her eye.

This was entirely true. After all, without the precious time the two girls had bought by holding the line, the Sky Drum—which had already absorbed a massive number of dark sacrifices—would have likely entered its perfect, unstoppable peak state long before Chase ever arrived on the scene.

“Hahaha, I believe it.” Cana agreed wholeheartedly, offering the magical girl a wide grin.

Although Dark Magician Girl was technically a card monster summoned into reality through Chase’s magic power, Cana had spent hours discussing highly complex magical theories with her. The sheer breadth of this genius Mage girl’s knowledge had truly astonished the card-wielding drinker, providing Cana with numerous fresh inspirations that completely defied conventional magical common sense.

‘I feel like Dark Magician Girl is super amazing too…’Rookie Lucy muttered quietly to herself, her shoulders slumping slightly.’She looks like a girl even younger than me. Honestly, Lucy, you still need to work so much harder to become stronger!’

“By the way, Lucy.”

Chase caught the tail end of Lucy’s quiet, self-encouraging mumble. He turned his attention to the blonde girl, resting his arms on the table. “Natsu and Happy took a request off the board earlier this week. If I am not mistaken, they must have dragged you along to team up with them, right? How did that go?”