Chapter 252
"That was so much fun today! Marshall, Marshall, how are we fighting tomorrow? Hehe, my luck was pretty good, right? We didn’t even draw an S-Class team~"
With the preliminary round over, Lucy was probably the happiest person in the entire guild.
She had gotten plenty of attention during the match, and with Sagittarius backing her up, she had taken out a considerable number of opponents herself.
Better yet, tomorrow’s match wouldn’t put her team against another S-Class Mage, which meant she had a very good chance of adding another victory to her record!
After enduring an entire month as Marshall’s "pet" to earn her place on his team, Lucy finally felt as though all that suffering had paid off.
Who knew how many people in the guild were envying her right now?
"Tomorrow is still a team battle. This entire tournament is based around team competition," Marshall explained.
"But I’m only going to support you guys tomorrow. If I fight seriously myself, it would be bullying."
Lucy’s cheerful expression immediately collapsed. "What?! You’re not fighting? How is that supposed to work? Gajeel is still really strong! What if we can’t beat them?"
"Gajeel? He’s already lost to Levy before. What are you panicking about?" Marshall waved dismissively.
"You guys can handle it. This is your chance to show everyone what you can do, so make the most of it."
Then he crooked a finger at Lucy and smiled. "Come here, Lucy-nee. Want to really steal the spotlight tomorrow? I could teach you an extremely powerful spell~"
The moment Lucy saw that smile, alarm bells started ringing in her head.
She instinctively shrank backward and narrowed her eyes at him.
"Y-You... what are you planning? Don’t even think about tricking me into becoming your pet again! I’m absolutely not falling for that twice!"
"Hey, you’ve completely misunderstood me. When have I ever tricked you?" Marshall replied with wounded innocence.
"If Lucy doesn’t want to learn it, that’s fine. I’m not going to force you."
He deliberately turned away before casually adding, "I just happened to discover an incredibly powerful form of Celestial Magic. It can draw upon the power of the stars themselves and release everything in one massive energy attack. With enough Magic Power behind it, the destructive force could even approach Fairy Glitter..."
Lucy’s eyes lit up instantly.
"Really?!"
She had been training seriously lately.
She had already mastered Star Dress, and her Magic Power was gradually approaching the threshold expected of an S-Class Mage.
The biggest weakness in her arsenal now was the lack of a truly overwhelming finishing spell.
If Marshall really had something capable of solving that problem...
Lucy’s entire demeanor changed.
She walked around behind Marshall with an unusually sweet smile and began massaging his shoulders.
"Oh my~ Marshall, now that I think about it, that spell sounds absolutely perfect for me~"
Marshall said nothing, quietly enjoying the treatment while smiling to himself.
"Mm-hm. I think it suits you too. The requirements for learning it are extremely high, though." He glanced back at her.
"But if it’s Lucy, I think you should be able to manage~"
Lucy knew perfectly well that the brat was dangling bait in front of her.
Unfortunately, she wanted the bait.
Besides, after being tricked by Marshall once or twice already, she had long since stopped caring about preserving her dignity around him.
"Marshall~" Lucy drew out his name shamelessly. "Teach me that spell, okay? I promise I’ll study really hard!"
"You wouldn’t even need much training. With Lucy-nee’s natural ability, I’d guess you could use it after seeing it once." Marshall casually delivered the finishing blow. "After all, you carry the Heartfilia family bloodline. Your talent for star-related Magic is exceptionally strong."
Lucy became even more tempted.
If he was telling the truth, she could learn it tonight and unleash it in front of an entire stadium tomorrow.
She had to get that spell.
Lucy leaned over Marshall’s shoulders and clung to him, shamelessly switching to an exaggeratedly sweet voice.
"Maaaarshall~ Please teach me. Pretty please~?"
Marshall actually shivered.
"Lucy, that act really doesn’t suit you. It’s kind of creepy, so please go back to normal."
Lucy immediately stopped and stared at him flatly. "Hey! At a time like this, aren’t you supposed to just enjoy the attention like the little pervert you are? Why are you so difficult?"
She released him with a huff. "Fine. Tell me what you want. What do I have to do before you’ll teach me the spell?"
Marshall gave her a mischievous smile.
Lucy had already been his maid once and spent an entire month as his pet. Naturally, the next logical step was—
"Be my mom for a month."
Lucy blinked.
"...What?"
"I said, be my mom~" Marshall replied as though this were the most reasonable request imaginable.
"Lucy, you know.... I’ve never had a mother in my life. I’ve always wondered what it would feel like to have a kind mom looking after me. Wouldn’t you help fulfill this poor child’s little wish?"
Lucy’s heart immediately softened.
For a moment, she felt genuinely guilty for assuming the worst of him.
’What was I thinking? Marshall’s still just a kid who grew up without a mother. Maybe all the annoying things he does are really because he’s lonely...’
He suddenly seemed almost pitiful.
"...Fine. I agree."
Marshall’s smile brightened instantly.
"Then it’s settled! Since you’re my mom, you’ll have to look after me every day, make my meals, help with the laundry and chores, make sure I get to bed properly at night, and indulge any unreasonable little requests your precious son happens to make!"
"???"
Lucy froze.
Then understanding crashed into her.
She had been tricked again!
"WAIT! HOW IS THAT ANY DIFFERENT FROM BEING YOUR MAID?!"
"How can you say that?" Marshall asked innocently. "Besides, Lucy already agreed, didn’t she? You’re not planning to go back on your word, are you?"
"Guh..."
Lucy’s face twisted.
"One month! That’s it! Fine, I accept!!!"
"Hehehe. Love you, Mama Lucy~"
"AAAAAAAH! I HATE YOU! YOU AWFUL BRAT!"
Marshall laughed until Lucy looked ready to strangle him, then finally decided he had teased her enough.
"All right, Mama Lucy. Come here. I’ll teach you an incredibly powerful spell—Urano Metria."
...
The following day, the World’s Number One Magic Tournament moved into its quarterfinal stage.
Today’s matches would be fought team against team.
Since there were far fewer competitors than during the enormous preliminary battle royale, the tournament still used the miniature sandbox format, but the battlefield had been redesigned into something much simpler and more suitable for direct confrontations.
"Welcome back, everyone, to the World’s Number One Magic Tournament! I’m your host, Hajime!"
The crowd answered with a roar.
"Today’s competition will use a Capture the Flag format! The rules are very simple. Each team has a base at one end of the battlefield, and a flag will be placed inside each camp. Steal your opponent’s flag and successfully plant it inside your own base, and your team wins!"
Hajime paused before adding, "Of course, if every member of one team is rendered unable to continue fighting, that team will automatically lose as well!"
The spectators immediately began cheering.
Compared with yesterday’s chaotic battle royale, today’s rules were straightforward: two teams, two flags, and no reason to hold anything back.
"And now, let’s welcome the competitors for our first match! Put your hands together for the Thunder God Team and the Old Ladies Team!"
Thunderous applause swept through the stadium as both groups entered the miniature battlefield.
"The captain of the Thunder God Team is the S-Class Mage known as the Thunder God, Laxus Dreyar! Joining him are Dark Écriture Freed, the Petrifying Fairy Evergreen, and the Deadly Puppeteer Bickslow! Every one of them demonstrated extraordinary strength during yesterday’s event!"
Evergreen’s face immediately darkened.
"What kind of ridiculous nickname is that?!"
Hajime ignored the complaint and enthusiastically continued.
"And facing them today is the Old Ladies Team! Their captain is [Old Lady] Macao, joined by [Old Smoker] Wakaba, [Old Painter] Reedus, and [Old Maid] Warren! All four are veteran Mages with years of experience behind them!"
Four faces went rigid at once.
"What the hell are those nicknames?! Is something wrong with this guy?!"
Hajime continued as though he hadn’t heard them.
"Here’s hoping these two teams give us a calm, dignified, and evenly matched contest! Let’s look forward to a wonderful battle!"
A few moments later, the battlefield had apparently demonstrated just how optimistic that statement had been.
Hajime returned to the microphone.
"Very well! Now, please welcome the competitors for the second quarterfinal match—"