Outside the guild, a few mages had gathered out of curiosity. This was because just as Natsu was about to head to Mount Hakobe, Allen stopped him, saying he had a way to get him there faster.
With that, Allen left the guild, followed by Lucy—and a few curious mages, including Gray and Cana.
"So, what are you gonna do?" Natsu asked, curious and excited.
"Brother, will this help my dad?" Romeo asked.
"Patience..." Allen smiled.
'Could it be another spirit?' Lucy thought, her eyes sparkling as she remembered what Kurumi had done, and how she was a spirit Lucy had never even heard of.
In the crowd, many people observed, but one question lingered on everyone's mind. Eventually, it was Gray Fullbuster—a black-haired, black-eyed young man with a habit of stripping off his clothes—who asked what everyone was thinking.
"Hey, what kind of magic do you use?"
Allen was looking toward the horizon but glanced sideways at Gray. "My type of magic... is magic."
"...What does that even mean?" Gray asked, clearly confused.
"Exactly that," Allen replied.
'I've noticed it for a while, but... could it really be?!'
Lately, Lucy had seen Allen flying to install new chandeliers at the hotel—of course, one not open to the general public. She'd seen him make things appear and disappear out of thin air, move objects without touching them, and even light a fireplace with a snap of his fingers.
Lucy knew that high-level mages could use more than one type of magic. For example, Makarov had incinerated the complaints from the Magic Council. But in this world, most people specialize in one type of magic. Or rather, it's better to say they have to because trying to handle more than one can disrupt the magical flow in their bodies—what they call "ethernano" here. Even Master Makarov Dreyar has his limits.
Speaking of Makarov, he specializes in Giant Magic, but can also use Close Combat Magic, Light Magic, and one of Fairy Tail's three great magics: Fairy Law. But that's only because he learned them over his long life.
Everyone stared at Allen with anticipation. While revealing your magic might be considered a vulnerability, in Fairy Tail, no one was afraid to do it, because they all saw each other as comrades.
"Don't look at me like that..." Allen spoke, unsure how to answer.
Allen placed his hand on Natsu's shoulder, who was visibly annoyed—feeling that if he just knew what Allen's magic was, he'd be one step closer to beating him.
"Natsu, do you know which direction Mount Hakobe is in?"
"Hm? Oh, it's to the north," Natsu said, pointing as Allen nodded.
"And how far is it?"
"Mm… about fifty kilometers (31miles)..."
"You sure?" Allen asked seriously.
Levy raised her hand. "I've been there a couple of times—it's 51.2 kilometers (31.81 miles)"
"Thanks."Allen smiled at Levy, who blinked in surprise as his actions left everyone speechless. Allen grabbed Natsu by the head—Natsu wanted to protest, but realized he couldn't move—then lifted him up.
"Hey! Hey! Don't tell me you're—!"
"This is insane!"
"He's really going to do it?!"
Allen sighed as steam escaped from his mouth, and his body grew heavier—so much so that he sank slightly into the ground. One-Man Army wasn't just about increasing strength; it amplified every human characteristic through multipliers. Allen multiplied both his mass and strength by fifteen, essentially becoming a giant in a human body. Allen currently does not have his indestructible body as this power violates the rules of the wager with Lucifer. Of course, his body is still not normal, so x15 is enough to turn him into a monster.
Natsu sensed the danger, but he couldn't move. "Don't do it!"
Allen stomped the ground, creating a mild earthquake across Magnolia—and then hurled Natsu into the sky. He disappeared instantly. The resulting shockwave pushed everyone back—some even got blown away. Lucy was protected by the magical ring that activated a shield. Romeo was also shielded. Gray protected himself with an ice wall that accidentally shielded both Cana and Levy too.
"Ahhhhhhh!"
Natsu's scream faded into the sky...
"What's going on?!" Makarov and Mirajane came rushing out of the guild with the rest of the mages after feeling the tremor. They found Allen standing, gazing at the horizon, while everyone else was either clinging to trees or sprawled on the ground.
Gray, covered by his ice wall, tried to explain. "I'm not totally sure... but I think Natsu just died..."
"What?!"
"If not, he at least made it to the moon..." Cana grumbled, brushing dust off her clothes.
"Allen, what did you do?!" Makarov growled.
"Wait! I'm sure there's an explanation," Lucy quickly stepped in to defend Allen.
"Don't worry. He'll be fine," Allen said sincerely. Makarov would never tolerate a Fairy Tail member killing another. But when he looked into Allen's eyes, he didn't see any malice.
"Then it doesn't matter," Makarov said, turning back toward the guild.
"Eh?! Just like that?!" Lucy shouted in disbelief.
Mirajane chuckled lightly. "Compared to the disasters Gildarts causes, this is nothing."
"Gildarts?" Lucy wanted to ask more about this mysterious person who occasionally came up in conversation, but Happy had begun crying next to Allen.
"Natsu's dead!"
Allen laughed and pulled several fish out of his inventory for Happy. "Don't worry, he's protected by my magic. Though he'll be scared out of his mind..."
"Woah! Thanks!" Happy drooled, completely forgetting about Natsu.
"Where's your loyalty, blue cat?!" Lucy snapped.
"Allen said Natsu would be fine. You're just a loud woman, Luigi," Happy teased.
"It's Lucy!"
"Uwaah, and now you're fighting a cat? What an unrefined woman. Definitely not girlfriend material."
"I'll kill you!"
"Wahh! Allen, save me! The crazy girl who'd make a terrible wife is trying to kill me!"
Lucy burned with rage as she chased after Happy. The scene seemed to erase the tense atmosphere, making many people laugh.
"..." Allen smiled at the sight.
"They're a little dumb, but they're all good people~," Levy said as she crouched down next to Allen.
"That's easy to see," Allen replied with a smile to the girl approaching him.
This was Levy McGarden, a cute girl who was quite short compared to others her age. She had short, light blue hair and large brown eyes. She wore an orange ribbon with a pink flower that held her hair back from her face. Her outfit was a sleeveless short orange dress that revealed the guild's emblem on her left shoulder blade, and she wore red sandal-like shoes.
Allen had only seen her two times, but it was clear she was cheerful and friendly—one of the first people to talk to him without fearing his strength. He'd seen her reading books with magical reading glasses and tying her hair back to keep it out of her face while she did so.
"So don't worry. No one here judges others for their past, not in Fairy Tail."
"That's good. Though don't exaggerate. I just lost one fight... I didn't have my whole family wiped out."
"Mmm... you're a proud guy... hehe~" Levy said with a teasing smile at Allen's reaction.
Lucy stopped her chase, now slightly electrocuted. Her eyes scanned the crowd and spotted Levy laughing with Allen. Immediately, her protective instincts kicked in, and she ran over to interrupt the conversation.
"Ara~ Hello, Levy-chan," Lucy said as she grabbed Allen's arm and shamelessly pressed her breasts against him.
"Hi, Lucy. Looks like you didn't catch Happy. Don't worry, it's not that humiliating to be teased by a cat."
"Huh?!..."
Levy hadn't been hitting on Allen—she just wanted to talk. But Lucy's attitude annoyed her, so she decided to fight back. From the outside, it looked like both girls were fighting over Allen.
Meanwhile, Allen went over to Romeo and told him to wait for Natsu to do the job. Romeo thanked Allen with sparkling eyes.
...
Amanda – Aren't you going to clarify that you're not dating Lucy?
[I.M] "If I did, it'd be humiliating for her."
Ruby – I wonder how real her feelings are. Is it just some teenage crush?
Ivy – The Director could make her fall for him if he wanted. So I don't see the point in asking.
[I.M] "What?! Is that really the kind of image you all have of me?"
Lucy was starting to feel something for Allen, but Allen himself was more focused on the world and Lucifer. If time brought them together, he wouldn't oppose it—but it wasn't like he was actively trying to win her over or anything.
...
(One hour later)
Everyone went back to their activities while Allen and Lucy went into the guild to decide which request they would accept, but Lucy was upset about her fight with Levy.
Lucy sat down grumbling, refusing to talk to Allen. He looked at her silently while smiled slightly, which only made Lucy feel more uncomfortable.
"If you've got something to say, just say it!" Lucy snapped, unable to bear the silence any longer.
"Well, I checked the request board and saw this one."
Lucy glanced sideways, and her eyes lit up. "200,000 J just for getting a book?!"
"Looks like it."
Allen looked over the various missions and noticed their ranking system, but the Guild Master had told him not to worry and to take whichever he wanted. In video games, missions are also sorted by rank—usually, you need certain qualifications to access them. But it seemed Makarov had decided to ignore that rule with Allen.
Despite noticing this, Allen still chose a simple mission since he was going with Lucy. Besides, he wasn't in the mood to deal with trouble or complicated situations.
"Allen, let's go already!"
Lucy, excited, got up, grabbed Allen's hand, and rushed out of the guild. It was her first mission, and all they had to do was pick up a book. Allen wanted to say no one would pay the equivalent of two months' rent for a simple book, but he didn't want to ruin Lucy's enthusiasm.
And so, their team began its first adventure...
...
They took a carriage to the city of Shirotsume. It wasn't far, but it would take a few hours to arrive. Before getting in, Allen inspected the carriage.
Carriages in this world were spacious, like small enclosed train compartments, so they could sit in private away from the driver.
Lucy was excited at first, but then she remembered she was mad at Allen... was she?
She looked over at Allen, who sat silently with his arms crossed and eyes closed as if meditating. Lucy puffed her cheeks and sighed. Did she even have the right to be mad? She wasn't Allen's girlfriend or anything. If he wanted to talk to other girls, she had no say in it. Still, she couldn't help but feel confused and angry seeing him with someone else.
'What am I doing?! If I act like this and I'm not even his girlfriend, he'll think I'm toxic! But it's not all my fault! That Levy girl has no self-awareness?! … I wonder what he thinks of me? Does he just see me as an annoying little sister who needs his protection? Or as a friend?…'
Lucy sighed again…
At that moment, Allen opened one eye and noticed Lucy's shift in mood, from cheerful to angry and then somber.
"Lucy, I haven't asked you yet... which spirits do you have contracts with?"
"Oh, right," Lucy perked up and smiled. "I have seven—three gold and four silver."
She pulled out her keys and showed them to Allen with enthusiasm. Among the twelve zodiac keys, she had The Golden Bull, Taurus; The Water Bearer, Aquarius; and The Giant Crab, Cancer—which was insane given how rare they were. She also had four silver keys: The Clock, Horologium; The Southern Cross, Crux; The Harp, Lyra; and now The Little Dog, Nikola, whom she called Plue. Lucy was happy to talk about this with Allen but then remembered his own keys and grew embarrassed.
Even aside from the zodiac keys, silver ones weren't all that special—especially not to someone like Allen, who had a spirit like Kurumi.
Remembering Kurumi, Lucy glanced at Allen's waist. Were the rest of his keys just as incredible? More than that, Lucy—who had spent her whole life studying spirits—had never heard of Kurumi before.
"Great Spirit of Time?"
"Lucy."
"Y-Yes?!" she jumped, regretting how obvious her thoughts must've looked.
"Lucy, you trusted me enough to talk about your dream of being a novelist, your family, your fears," Allen smiled. "Don't be afraid to ask me anything. Aside from a couple of things, I won't hide anything from you..."
"You're such an unfair man..." Lucy smiled slightly with a faint blush. "Allen... how did you get those keys?"
Allen took Kurumi's key and looked at it for a moment. "I didn't get them. They found me."
"What does that mean?" Lucy tilted her head in confusion.
"Exactly what it sounds like. As you've probably noticed, my main magic is more hand-to-hand combat. But throughout my journey, these girls appeared in my life one by one. At first, it was problematic..." Allen's serious, relaxed expression turned soft as he looked down at his key. "But... it turned out to be one of the best things that ever happened to me."
Lucy's lips parted slightly with a gasp. She could feel just how much affection and value Allen held for his spirits. Her eyes watered. The only person she had ever seen love spirits that much was her mother. Of course, she didn't know Allen's "love" went far beyond master and spirit—but those were details she probably shouldn't know just yet.
"I'm sorry," Lucy lowered her head.
"What for?" Allen didn't understand why she was apologizing.
"Now I get what you meant when you said not even all the money in the world could buy your spirits..." Lucy smiled. "Allen, I think I like you even more now."
"…"
"…"
The carriage fell into silence as they stared at each other. Lucy's face turned bright red at what she had just said.
"I don't mean like like, but like your personality!"
Allen laughed. "Oh, really now?"
"Yes! Don't mock me!"
The mood between them improved a lot, and Allen, to give Lucy a breather, introduced her to Timcampy—a lazy golem who might've been the reincarnation of a pig. It only woke up to eat mountains of food and then slept again for days—sometimes even weeks.
Lucy was speechless at such a bizarre creature…
After that, the trip was peaceful, and they finally arrived at Shirotsume Town. The city had a more rustic feel compared to Magnolia, with fewer buildings, more greenery, and several dirt roads. Allen felt more like he was in a fantasy world here than he ever had in the port city of Magnolia, which was a large city.
Once they got off, they went to a café before meeting the person who had posted the request, just to learn more about the mission.
There, they were greeted and led into a room where a thin man in a suit with a mustache was waiting for them.
"Good morning, I'm the client, Kaly Melon…"
"I'm Allen Walker. This is Lucy, Mr. Melon… quite the name you've got there."
"Hey, Allen!"
"Haha, I get that a lot."
The man didn't seem offended—in fact, he laughed. Allen sank into a couch while Lucy sat down, a bit embarrassed. Allen may have seemed calm, but he never treated anyone with more respect than necessary. Lucy realized that, to him, there was no authority figure worthy of humbling himself.
"Mr. Melon, why are you paying so much for a book?" Allen narrowed his eyes.
Lucy tried to stop him for a moment, but when she heard the question, she fell silent. Come to think of it… it was very strange.
"It's because of who owns it," the man leaned forward from the other couch. "My request is to destroy a book called "Day Break"..It's in the possession of Duke Everloo…"
"He's a noble? Are you sure about this?"
"Yes. In fact, Fairy Tail isn't the only guild I requested this from—but others failed. The Duke is a mage and employs several strong maids, plus I believe he hired a few mercenaries."
"I see. But going up against a duke at the risk of being labeled criminals, a mage with his own personal army—sounds more dangerous than just 200,000 Jewels is worth…"
"You're right. I was actually planning to increase the reward to two million in a few days, but you two arrived early."
"Two million?!" Lucy gasped.
"That's right. That book must be destroyed… no matter what."
Lucy snapped out of her shock and furrowed her brow. 'Kaly Melon? Where have I heard that name before...?'
Allen stood up and walked to the door. "Don't worry, Mr. Melon…"
"Thank you, Mr. Walker."
"Wait for me!"
…
(Half an hour later)
Allen stopped at a park to take a break while waiting for Lucy, who said she had something to do. After a while, Lucy showed up—dressed as a maid with twin tails.
"How do I look, master?~" Lucy struck a seductive pose and winked—or at least, she thought she did. But like before, it came off forced and awkward.
"What are you doing?" Allen asked seriously, and Lucy flinched.
"Well, I…" Lucy had read the request where it mentioned that Duke Everloo was a pervert who liked blonde maids.
Allen stood from the bench and cornered Lucy against a tree.
"Tell me, what were you planning to do?"
Lucy lowered her head, regretting her choice. "I'm sorry… I wasn't thinking clearly."
Allen lifted her chin. "I won't deny you look cute—but you're too careless. What if the Duke really was a pervert?"
"I..." Lucy pouted. "I thought you'd protect me if he tried anything…"
Allen smirked and leaned in. "And what if I was the one who tried something?"
Lucy blushed as her eyes started spinning. "S-sorry!"
"You're way too naive, Lucy." Allen laughed and let her go. Lucy collapsed to the ground.
"Damn it! Don't play with a maiden's heart!!" she shouted, flustered.
[Imagine if she saw your face without the spell. She'd probably die of a heart attack~]