Lu Chongwei's First Mission Fails?

Two days later.

Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.

The bustling streets were filled with people coming and going, the cries of vendors rising and falling in succession. The signs of magic item shops flickered with neon light, and small boats drifted leisurely through the canals.

"Wow! That's amazing!"

Lisanna lay on Lu Chongwei's back, her eyes wide as she took in everything around her.

"Is that a flying broom? And that crystal ball is so bright!"

Elfman followed behind, nervously clutching the hem of his shirt. Although he was eager to look, he didn't dare glance around too much, terrified of bumping into someone.

Mirajane, meanwhile, kept herself wrapped in a large cloak, head bowed, trying her best to minimize her presence. Even though Lu Chongwei had told her it was fine, long-standing psychological trauma made her subconsciously want to hide that demonic arm.

"We're here."

Lu Chongwei stopped in his tracks.

Before him stood a magnificent three-story building. A massive guild emblem hung above the main entrance, and even through the thick doors, the clamor from within could be heard.

It was the sound of clinking glasses, boisterous laughter, and the splintering of tables and chairs.

"This is... Fairy Tail?"

Mirajane looked up, feeling the wave of intense, warm energy rushing toward her, and felt a strange sense of nervousness in her heart.

"Are you ready?"

Lu Chongwei glanced back at the three of them, a mischievous smirk on his face.

"We're going in."

Before the three of them could react.

"BANG!"

Lu Chongwei kicked the guild doors open without the slightest hesitation.

The heavy wooden doors let out a groan, swinging wide and slamming hard against the walls, shaking a layer of dust down to the floor.

The noisy guild hall fell silent for a single second.

Everyone turned their heads to look at the entrance.

When they realized it was Lu Chongwei, the guild instantly erupted.

"Yo! Lu Chongwei is back!"

"That mission was fast this time!"

"Did you bring back any souvenirs, you bastard!"

Wakaba shouted while raising his glass, and Macao cheered him on from the side.

Just then.

A figure wreathed in flames charged out from the crowd, accompanied by an excited howl.

"Lu Chongwei!!! Fight me!!!"

It was Natsu.

The kid was covered in flames, hurtling toward Lu Chongwei like a cannonball, his fist wreathed in scorching fire.

"Fire Dragon's... Iron Fist!"

Mirajane and the others were startled, and Elfman instinctively moved to shield his sister.

However.

Lu Chongwei didn't even look, simply extending a hand to precisely pin Natsu's head in place.

"Don't block the way, brat."

With a flick of his wrist, Lu Chongwei exerted a bit of force and tossed him upward.

Whoosh—

Natsu transformed into a red streak of light, flying straight toward the ceiling.

Thud!

With a muffled sound, Natsu's upper body was embedded directly into the second-floor floorboards, leaving only his legs dangling helplessly in the air.

"Mmph, mmph..." (Let me down!)

"Hahahaha! Natsu's hanging from the ceiling again!"

"What time is this? The hundredth?"

Gray, shirtless as usual, pointed at Natsu on the ceiling and laughed until he doubled over.

Watching this scene, Mirajane felt her initial tension suddenly begin to fade.

The people here... really did seem quite interesting.

No one paid any mind to the arrival of the three strangers; everyone's attention was fixed on the poor soul hanging from the ceiling.

This relaxed, unconstrained atmosphere gave her a sense of peace she hadn't felt in a long time.

Lu Chongwei led the three of them through the hall and straight to the bar.

Makarov was sitting on the counter drinking, and seeing Lu Chongwei return, he asked with a smile:

"Oh? You're back? Was the demon at the church taken care of?"

Hearing the word "demon," Mirajane's body stiffened, and she instinctively gripped the edge of her cloak.

Lu Chongwei picked up the glass of water handed to him, downed it in one gulp, and shrugged.

"The mission failed, old man."

"Hm?"

Makarov paused, his glass stopping at his lips.

The entire guild fell silent in an instant.

Lu Chongwei failed a mission?

That was big news! Ever since the kid was promoted to S-Class, no one had ever heard of him slipping up.

"What happened?" Makarov frowned. "Was that demon strong? Even you couldn't handle it?"

"No."

Lu Chongwei shook his head and stepped aside, revealing the three siblings behind him.

"When I arrived, I didn't find any evil demon."

"I only found three children who had been driven out by ignorant villagers."

Lu Chongwei briefly recounted the sequence of events.

He spoke of the villagers' persecution, the so-called "curse," and the fact that Mirajane had taken in the demon's power to protect the others.

As Lu Chongwei spoke, the atmosphere in the guild grew heavy.

The members who had been laughing and joking moments ago now wore grim expressions, their eyes flashing with anger.

"That's too much!"

Erza slammed her fist onto a table, smashing it to pieces.

"To do such a thing to children so young!"

"Are those villagers blind?" Gray added, gritting his teeth.

Makarov listened in silence for a moment.

He hopped off the counter and walked over to Mirajane.

The little old man, who usually seemed somewhat unserious, now looked at her with eyes full of kindness and compassion.

"Child, you've suffered."

Makarov reached out, intending to pat Mirajane on the head.

Mirajane shrank back, her voice trembling:

"Bu, but... my hand..."

She still didn't dare.

Here, in front of so many mages, if she revealed that hand, would she be treated like a freak?

"It's okay."

Lu Chongwei patted her shoulder, giving her an encouraging look.

"No one here will laugh at you."

Mirajane took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and suddenly threw back her cloak.

That hideous, pitch-black demon arm, radiating an ominous aura, was exposed to everyone's sight.

The hall was silent for a heartbeat.

Mirajane's heart jumped into her throat, bracing for screams and accusations.

However.

"Whoa! That's cool!"

An exclamation broke the silence.

Mirajane opened her eyes in surprise.

She saw that Natsu had come down from the ceiling at some point and was leaning in close to her arm, his eyes shining.

"What is this? Is it a dragon's claw? It looks so tough!"

"Idiot, that's a demon's arm."

Gray also leaned in, his face showing not fear, but a hint of envy.

"So this is Take Over Magic? It looks like it packs quite a punch."

"It's certainly stylish."

Wakaba exhaled a ring of smoke and gave a thumbs-up.

"This is the romance of a man! Even if it's on a little girl, this arm is really something else!"

"Oh my, the luster on these scales is truly impressive."

Even Cana walked over with her drink in hand, eyeing it with curiosity.

There were no screams.

There was no fear.

There was no disgust.

Everyone looked at her arm as if they were observing a rare weapon or an interesting new hairstyle.

The look in their eyes was one of pure curiosity and admiration.

"See?"

Lu Chongwei said with a smile, his arms crossed over his chest.

"I told you, these guys are all a bit thick-skinned."

Makarov looked at the stunned Mirajane and said gently:

"This is power, child."

"In Fairy Tail, we don't look at the source of the power, only the person who wields it."

"Since this hand was born to protect your family, it is a badge of honor."

Mirajane looked at the sincere, smiling faces around her and listened to their words of praise.

The iceberg of "inferiority" in her heart collapsed completely at that moment.

"Wuu..."

She could no longer hold it back, covering her mouth as she began to cry.

But this time, they were tears of happiness.