The next morning, when Lin Yuan arrived at the guild as agreed, Mira was already waiting at the door.
She didn't take the commission or explain where she was going. She only confirmed that " Nameless " was behind him, and then walked west along the path outside the city.
"Aren't we going to the training ground?" Lin Yuan asked.
" Natsu will definitely follow after he sees this, and then Gray, Elfman, and Cana will all find out."
"We can't let them know?"
We can't let them disturb us.
Mira answered too quickly, adding, "I don't want Natsu to burst in from the side halfway through a fight."
That's something he's capable of doing.
The two left Magnolia and finally stopped at a clearing upstream of the river. It was far from the road, surrounded by forests on three sides, and a shallow beach covered with pebbles on the other. Several oversized rocks had been moved to the edge, indicating that someone had been there beforehand.
Under the tree were two jugs of water, a clean towel, and a small wooden box containing recovery potions. Mira had prepared everything she would need after the duel, but she hadn't brought anyone else with her.
Lin Yuan looked at Mira: "What you mentioned yesterday, was it a duel?"
"No?"
"Can."
Mira's prepared explanations were useless. She stared at Lin Yuan for a while. "Aren't you going to ask why?"
She had considered all the possible scenarios for today's duel many times last night, but she never expected Lin Yuan to agree so readily.
You want to decide the winner.
Mira suddenly felt that her carefully crafted explanation, which she had spent the entire night thinking about, was somewhat superfluous. She turned around, hung the coat she had brought on a tree branch, and stretched her shoulders.
Do you remember our bet?
"Whoever becomes S-Class first, the loser must grant the winner one request."
"You were the one who became S-Class first," Mira said. "But you took me on missions right after you were promoted, and you never asked for anything more afterward."
I haven't decided yet.
"You won that bet. But you said before you left that you'd settle the score when you came back."
The final scene in the clock chamber of the moving castle briefly flashed between the two. At that moment, Mira's hand hadn't yet grasped his when the crack took the promise and the person away. Two years later, that promise finally had a chance to continue.
Mira looked at him again.
"So let's bet again. The loser agrees to one thing from the winner, on the same terms as before."
"Anything is fine?"
"I can't hurt anyone in the guild, I can't cross my own bottom line, and I can't deliberately make demands I can't keep." Mira had clearly thought this through beforehand. "Apart from that, anything is fine."
Have you thought about your demands?
Mira touched the pocket on the side of her skirt with her fingers, then casually moved them away.
"Of course," she said, lifting her chin, "Otherwise why would I challenge you to a duel?"
"You're saying no now?"
I'll talk about it after I win.
Lin Yuan did not press the matter further. He untied the " Nameless " from his back and placed it beside him along with its scabbard, then walked to the other side of the open space.
Mira frowned when she saw his movement. "You're not using a sword?"
You didn't like weapons before.
"That was before." Mira pointed to the Nameless Swordsmanship. " Natsu and Erza have both seen your swordsmanship now. I have no intention of settling for a fight with you from two years ago."
"No restrictions on True Magic?"
"Of course there are no restrictions. Spatial True Magic, swordsmanship, and everything else you learn later—you can use them all."
"Where's the venue?"
"Whoever loses the ability to continue fighting first, or voluntarily surrenders, loses. Leaving this open space doesn't mean they're out."
After she finished speaking, she added as if she remembered something, "But you're not allowed to throw me hundreds of miles away."
Lin Yuan picked up " Nameless " again. "Okay."
Mira walked to the center of the clearing, stopping ten meters away. The morning breeze rustled through the trees, ruffling her white hair that hung down her shoulders. She took a deep breath, focusing all her attention on the duel before her.
Lin Yuan inserted the scabbard into the gravelly ground and pulled out the longsword.
"Do we need to find someone to act as a referee?"
"Unnecessary."
What if the result is disputed?
"There will be no controversy," Mira said. "There has to be a winner this time."
She raised her right hand, and dark magic spread upwards from her fingertips. Curved claws took shape first, her arms were covered in demonic scales, and a pair of black wings suddenly unfurled from her back.
A massive magical force swept across the riverbank, sending pebbles rolling outwards along the ground.
The Satan Soul has been fully Take Over.
Lin Yuan swung the " Nameless " horizontally, and black and silver spatial magic spread along the sword's edge. The fallen leaves blown by the wind seemed to collide with an invisible boundary, and simultaneously stopped in mid-air.
Mira lowered her body, her gaze fixed on him.
Lin Yuan.
"Um?"
Is the bet still valid?
Lin Yuan gripped the hilt of his sword tightly.
"Count."