Ed began preparing for the night watch. He got some bells and fishing line from the servants and made several simple sound-alert traps. Edward's room in particular was packed with tied fishing lines and concealed bells beside the bed.
After setting up the warning traps and leaving a Flying Thunder God Mark beside Edward, Ed sat down in the room and quietly waited for the latter half of the night.
Soon, it was around two thirty in the morning. Ed was getting sleepy. He checked the time and began waiting for Mira to come relieve him.
Before long, Mira arrived at Edward's room. Just as she was about to speak, a crisp ringing of bells sounded.
"Someone's here!" Ed immediately activated the Flying Thunder God and returned to Edward's side. The bedroom door flew open, and a man in black rushed in. Ed struck first, hurling a kunai at him. Then his entire body turned into a golden flash as he appeared directly before the man and slammed a Rasengan into his face.
Boom! Everyone in the manor was jolted awake and hurried toward Edward's room.
"W-What happened?" Edward, awakened by the tremendous blast, was completely bewildered.
"It's nothing major, just a petty thief." Ed held the attacker in one hand while signaling Edward to stay calm. "Don't worry. We'll handle it."
Ed handed the attacker over to Mira for interrogation while he continued guarding the room.
Before long, Mira returned with the information and shared it with Ed. "You guessed right. They planned to launch an attack on the very first night after we arrived. But to be safe, they only sent small fry. Besides this one, there are two others. I got their locations out of him and already had Elfman and the others keep watch over them. I'll head over shortly."
Ed nodded. "That's what I thought too. They don't know what kind of wizards came here, so the first attack was probably just a probe. Fine, I'll keep guarding this place. Go deal with the remaining two first."
Mira nodded and swiftly left.
Mira soon returned, stating that the petty assassins who had attacked had been dealt with. Then she began discussing the latest intelligence with Ed.
"I got it out of those small fry. They're from the Bloodshadow Guild, a guild made entirely of assassins. The strongest among them is a wizard known as Bloodhand. They say he uses blood magic. According to them, Bloodhand is participating in this mission, so he's probably going to be the main attacker from now on."
"Blood magic... What exactly can it do?" Ed pressed.
"I don't know. The ones who came this time were all low-level small fry. They knew too little. All we know is that Bloodhand seems pretty strong. We'll have to take it one step at a time." Mira sounded helpless, but she truly had been unable to get anything more specific. Those cannon fodder only knew that Bloodhand used blood magic; they knew nothing of his gender, build, height, or age.
"What a pain... Then there's nothing we can do. Let's keep watch." Ed was helpless as well. To preserve their strength, he switched shifts with Mira and went to rest.
By morning, Ed returned to Edward's room. Looking around at the room, which was no different from when he had left the night before, he said to Mira, "Looks like there wasn't a second attack last night. How about you get some rest? We can have Elfman and the others take over for a while." "Sure. I'll get a little more sleep." Mira did not refuse and left immediately.
Time passed peacefully like that. The agreed-upon week reached its final night without incident. "Ah, another day has passed. What's going on? Did they give up?" Ed was puzzled.
"That would be best, but according to the agreement, it won't be over until tonight passes. It's not time to relax yet." Though Mira was somewhat puzzled as well, she remained vigilant.
"Are they coming or not... We've searched everywhere around the town, even the woods, and found nothing." Ed was in the middle of complaining when a scream suddenly rang out from outside the door.
"They're here!" Mira and the others rushed out of the room. In the manor's hall, a man dressed entirely in red sat in the seat of honor, with the guard who had previously led Ed and the others inside pinned beneath his foot.
The man in red greeted them. "Good evening, everyone. May I ask whether Mr. Edward is here? You see, I was sent by my superiors to take his life. Could I trouble you to inform him? This is my calling card. I look forward to your guidance." The man in red appeared perfectly courteous as he tossed over a business card.
"You're Bloodhand?" Ed asked doubtfully.
"That would be me. Bloodhand is merely an alias. My name is Samir. And you are?"
"I'm a wizard of Fairy Tail. Edward's life is under our protection. You'd best leave before you get hurt," Ed declared righteously.
"Come now, don't be like that. Can't you be a little more accommodating?" Samir said hurriedly. "Give it up! We won't abandon the mission!" Elfman shouted.
"In that case, I'll kill all of you, so Mr. Edward won't be lonely on the road. Don't just stand there. If you have any last words, write them down quickly. I'm truly pressed for time today, so I won't torture you all. But rest assured, I'll make sure you go down happy and safe." Bloodhand spoke helplessly.
Ed immediately pulled out a kunai and threw it at Samir. Before it could hit him, however, it was blocked by a wave of blood. Large amounts of blood flowed from the guard's wounds, circling around Samir as though alive and taking up a defensive stance.
"Don't be in such a hurry. We still have plenty of time~" Samir said with a smile, then immediately launched an attack against them.
Blood Demon Barrage! The blood around him shot toward everyone like darts. They hurriedly tried to dodge, but Elfman could not evade in time and was struck head-on by the blood darts.
"Elfman! Ed, take Elfman, Lisanna, and Edward away first!" Mira shouted urgently.
"You want to leave right in front of me? Isn't that a little too wishful? Blood-Control Puppet!" Samir waved both hands. Elfman's entire body suddenly froze, then he abruptly swung a fist at Ed.
"Big Brother Elfman! What are you doing?!" Lisanna could not believe it.
"My body isn't under my control!" Elfman panicked.
"Don't let your guard down. Elfman's being controlled. Damn it, his magic can do something like this too?" Mira gritted her teeth.
"As for exactly what my magic can do, please enjoy experiencing it for yourselves over the coming moments." Samir still wore a smile, but his hands never stopped moving. "Blood Blade!" A flying blade made of fresh blood shot toward Edward. Ed grabbed Edward at once and turned into a flash, vanishing from the spot.
"Hm? Could it be spatial magic? Tsk, that was a miscalculation." Bloodhand seemed somewhat surprised. "With a spatial wizard here, this mission seems difficult to complete. What should I do... Then... I'll drain all your blood dry to make up for my losses! Night Demon Barrage!"
Another wave of blood darts came flying in. With Elfman tangling with her, Mira was forced into a perilous dodge. Furious, she said, "Once this is over, I'll find you a powerful magical beast for you to Take Over! For now, just lie down for a while! Take Over: Satan Soul!"
Black magic power erupted from Mira's body. Her appearance changed completely: her hair floated upward, two demonic wings grew from her sides, her hands became green demon claws, and a tail grew behind her.
"How dare you toy with my little brother? Die, trash!!"
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