The Quagmire

Eleven had an epiphany, but Loke remained oblivious, his enthusiasm undiminished.

Erza may not have the guts to flirt with him, but that doesn't stop him from getting to know other girls.

What Loke found most disheartening was that the most eye-catching girls in the guild were all too individualistic, and he could hardly get a word in edgewise.

Mira Loki dared not touch her, not because of Elivin, but because after Elivin threw her away, she angrily went to fight Erza. Both female Tyrannosaurus Rex looked very ferocious, so Loki avoided them as much as possible.

Cana, dressed in revealing clothing, was a good target; the way she drank heavily exuded a wild, feminine beauty. However, Cana was clearly more interested in the barrel of liquor in her arms than in Loke.

After drinking with him for several rounds, Loke felt he couldn't take it anymore and had to flee in a sorry state.

Levy, the intellectual and literary beauty, also looks quite nice, but she's always accompanied by two giants, so Loke can't get a word in edgewise.

As for Lisanna, she goes without saying. This was the first time Loke had ever been so thoroughly outwitted by a little blue cat that he was questioning his existence. He really didn't know where a cat learned so many witty remarks.

In the end, only Wendy is left. Let's forget about her; the constitution of the Kingdom of Fiore is quite sound.

Despair jpg

Loke lay listlessly on the table, watching the guild erupt in celebration because of his joining. For the first time, Luki began to doubt his own skills.

There were so many beautiful women around, yet I couldn't seduce a single one. How could I possibly succeed?

However, Loke's slump didn't last long; a purple-haired girl helping out at the bar reignited his sexual interest.

This girl has short purple hair, a bit of baby fat, and always has a silly smile on her face. Isn't this Kinana, who occasionally makes a guest appearance as the guild's mascot?

Loke licked his lips and, while Kinana was serving him beer, grabbed her small hand.

"This lovely young lady, can we get to know each other?" Loke had a Sea King smile on his face, his expression perfectly on point.

Kinana was startled by Loke's sudden antics. She hurriedly pulled her hand away from Luki's and secretly glanced at a corner of the guild, her face turning bright red.

"Um, I'm sorry," Kinana said shyly, covering her face, then whispered with a hint of smugness, "Hehehe, I'm taken."

After saying that, under Loke's gaze, which looked like she'd just eaten half a pound of dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing a public display of affection), she ran over to Erik in the corner, grabbed Erik's arm with a happy expression, and started to wag it affectionately.

Loke:

Erik had actually been secretly watching what was happening, but when Kinana actually ran back to his side, he didn't seem particularly happy.

Feeling Kinana's soft touch on his arm, Erik slowly closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then pushed Kinana away.

"We don't have any real relationship, so don't bother me."

Kinana stumbled after being pushed by Erik, but she wasn't angry. Instead, she grinned and went over to him again.

"Hehe, what's wrong, Keke? You're so cute when you're shy."

Kinana grinned, but was met with Erik's cold, snake-like eyes, causing her to instinctively pull back Erik outstretched hand.

"I told you, get lost and don't bother me," Erik said coldly, standing up and looking down at Kinana as if he had no feelings at all.

Kinana's public display of affection was already quite a spectacle, attracting many onlookers to witness their lovey-dovey antics. But Erik's sudden outburst silenced the entire guild, who all turned their gazes towards the scumbag Erik.

Kinana's eyes instantly reddened, and large tears rolled down her cheeks. She didn't understand what she had done wrong. Lately, Erik seemed like a different person, cold and withdrawn, and she had no idea what he was doing.

Erik glanced at the angry stares of the onlookers, snorted coldly, and stormed off.

As the guild gate slammed shut with a bang, silence fell over the guild. Most of the girls were comforting the heartbroken Kinana, while the men were rubbing their hands together, planning whether to team up and beat up Erik.

As for Nazgray and his group, who are usually quite impulsive, they were just participating in a competitive eating contest and were completely bewildered, unaware of what had happened.

Eleven frowned, looking in the direction Erik had left. Even he felt that Erik had gone a bit too far, and Erik didn't seem like the type to take his anger out on others without thinking.

"That's outrageous! How could they treat Kinana like that?" Loke, who had somehow gotten close to Eleven, glared indignantly at Erik's retreating figure. "Hmph, I hate scumbags the most! Pah!"

Eleven:

That night, under a large tree in the northern forest of Magnolia, Eleven looked up into the dense canopy.

"Eleven, what are you doing here?" a deep voice came from the treetops.

"Mira and the others sent me to teach you a lesson, Erik." Eleven's body slowly floated up, entering the tree canopy to face Erik.

"Go away, don't bother me," Erik rolled his eyes.

"Do you want Mira and Erza to come and settle scores with you personally?" Eleven chuckled.

Erik:

He didn't dare to answer.

"So, you bullied Kinana just to come here and sleep under this tree? What kind of weird quirk is that?" Eleven looked around with a strange expression, stepping on a branch under his feet. Surprisingly, it was quite bouncy.

Erik closed his eyes speechlessly, too lazy to continue paying attention to Eleven. He had no idea what this guy was thinking and felt mentally exhausted.

Erik, who was resting with his eyes closed, suddenly felt a heavy blow to the head, almost turning him into a coward. A large bump grew at a visible speed, and he was completely stunned.

"This is your punishment for bullying Kinana today. No matter the reason, making your friend cry is an unforgivable sin."

Eleven brandished his smoking fist and glared at Erik with a serious expression. Erik clutched his head, offering no rebuttal and silently accepting Eleven's punishment.

"Alright, the punishment is over. Erik, now tell me what happened."

But the next moment, Eleven found a comfortable position and sat facing Erik on the tree branch, grinning as he prepared to give Erik some psychological counseling, as if he hadn't just been the one beating him up.

"Nothing happened. What happened during the day was indeed my fault." Erik turned his head away, not wanting to look Eleven in the eye.

"Stop lying. You should know I can sense other people's emotional fluctuations. You're clearly troubled but you're still putting on a brave face. Everyone's worried about you."

Erik fell silent, head down, before finally looking up at Eleven with a forlorn Eleven.

"Eleven, what would you do if you ever found yourself trapped in a quagmire from which you couldn't escape?"

Eleven looked at Erik strangely, not understanding why he suddenly asked such a question, but still blurted out the answer.

"I'm sure my friends will come to rescue me then."

Erik shook his head and continued, "No, they can't be saved. The mud will swallow them all up."

Eleven scratched his chin, then suddenly grinned, "Then why don't we all just attack together and blow up the whole swamp? It's such a simple problem."

Erik:

"Blow it all up? Is it really possible?" Erik looked up through the treetops at the starry sky and muttered to himself.

After a long silence, Erik suddenly jumped down from the tree branch, leaving Eleven with his back turned, and said coldly.

"Eleven, stop interfering with me. I don't want you or any of you to do anything foolish because of me."

Eleven stood up as well, sensing Erik's conflicted emotions, and slowly said, "Impossible. Erik, we're Fairy Tail mages. Doing stupid things is what we're best at, isn't it?"

Erik paused in his steps, but didn't turn back; his cool voice faded into the distance.

"Elizabeth, I'll get rid of you one day. Don't give me the chance."

Eleven jumped down from the tree, ignoring Erik's last words, and looked in the direction Erik had left, a bad feeling creeping into his heart.

However, Eleven firmly believed that Erik was a partner, family, and that he would never do anything to harm the guild.

Whatever his secrets might be, Eleven wouldn't ask if Erik wasn't going to tell her.

Absolute trust doesn't mean interfering with your partner's choices, but rather becoming their strong support after they make a decision. No matter the consequences, they will stand behind Erik, and the entire guild will stand behind Erik.

What inescapable quagmire?

Erik, you bastard, don't underestimate the power of Fairy Tail!