Chapter 393: A Secret Goodbye
"...It’s morning already."
Erza stared at the ceiling, her body feeling completely wrecked, yet paradoxically, she had never felt so impossibly comfortable. It made her wonder what was wrong with her.
This was, without a doubt, an immoral crossing of lines. Yet she never imagined that being held by him would feel this amazing. Lying in his arms, entirely stripped of her rigid armor, she felt entirely helpless. Sometime during the night, the metal plating had become too cumbersome, too annoying, and she had tossed it aside. Without it, she had let go of everything—her heavy past, her duties to Fairy Tail, her knightly pride—and simply allowed herself to be a woman. She had fallen into him completely, leaving her in a daze this morning, wondering if she was actually just a remarkably easy woman.
"You aren’t an easy woman."
"...You’re awake?" Erza gasped, her cheeks flushing crimson as she realized Finn had opened his eyes and was watching her.
"I am," Finn nodded, his voice thick with morning gravel. "You slept with me. You gave yourself to me, Finn Hoen, and no one else. That doesn’t make you easy; it means I earned you. And do you honestly think I’m an easy man? I don’t just sleep with anyone who crosses my path."
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Erza rolled her eyes. She tried to sit up, but immediately flinched, a sharp soreness radiating through her lower body from the sheer intensity of last night.
"Isn’t it? You were crying quite happily a few hours ago."
Finn rested his chin on her bare shoulder, sliding his palm down to rest flat against her stomach. A warm, soothing pulse of healing magic began to radiate from his hand, instantly washing away the fatigue.
"This...?"
Erza was startled by the intense, sudden comfort. The healing magic was so potent it made the wild, passionate memories of that night feel like a fever dream. Yet, the lingering evidence—the profound bliss of losing her virginity and the warm weight of him finishing deep inside her—was undeniably real.
She quickly placed her hand over his, stopping the spell. "Don’t heal me completely."
"Why not?"
"I... I want to keep a little bit of the pain," Erza admitted softly, unable to meet his eyes. "As a reminder."
Finn fell silent, retracting his magic.
"I actually thought you would insist on healing me," Erza murmured.
"Why would I do that?"
"Because you’re a businessman. I thought you might claim that if I wasn’t fully healed, Fairy Tail wouldn’t be able to win the tournament and pay back our debt."
Finn chuckled softly. "I’m not that petty, Erza. Thirty million Jewels is pocket change to me."
"No. You have to collect the thirty million Jewels," Erza insisted, her tone shifting back to absolute seriousness.
"Why?" Finn looked genuinely confused.
"Because it’s the proper thing to do, and more importantly, it will be a vital lesson for my guild."
Erza knew that Finn could—and likely would—erase the debt with a wave of his hand, especially after what they had just shared. But if he did, Fairy Tail would never learn. They would grow complacent, lazy, and accustomed to being bailed out.
To truly understand the weight of their actions and the value of hard work, they needed to feel the crushing discomfort of that debt. If they didn’t, Erza feared they might all end up like Alzack—comfortable, stagnant, and heavily reliant on his wife’s hard work. In a strange way, lying in Finn’s bed, Erza finally understood Bisca. Seven years was a long time. Watching a man who had built an empire from the ground up, compared to a husband who lacked ambition... Erza could no longer find it in her heart to fully blame her friend.
"Alright then," Finn nodded, respecting her unwavering resolve. "I’ll collect."
"Are you staying in Crocus for the Games?" Erza asked, pulling the sheets up slightly.
"No, I’m heading back. I only came to check on some business logistics, and I ended up finding your little guildmate. I have other pressing matters to attend to."
"Oh..."
Erza couldn’t hide her surprise—or her sudden disappointment. She had assumed Finn would stay, especially given how fiercely possessive he had been throughout the night, holding her relentlessly as if permanently marking her as his own.
Then again, it’s probably for the best, she rationalized. Now I can focus entirely on the Grand Magic Games.
Yet, the hollow emptiness in her chest was hard to ignore.
"Huh?"
Erza jumped slightly as Finn pressed a gentle, lingering kiss to her scarlet hair, affectionately rubbing her head. "If you miss me, just come find me."
"...Who says I’m going to miss you?" Erza huffed, turning her head away to hide her burning face.
"I’m going to miss you, though," Finn said smoothly. "When you’re finished playing in the tournament, come see me. I’m going to hold you again. So try to wear me out next time, that way I won’t have the energy to even look at anyone else."
Erza was momentarily speechless at his sheer audacity. Yet, she didn’t push him away. She rolled her eyes, lightly smacking his arm. "Then I’ll just have to educate you properly."
"I can’t wait. See you later, Erza. Do your best in the Games."
Finn didn’t linger. He knew her guild was waiting for her, and he had his own shadow team to return to.
"Finn," Erza called out just as he reached the door. "If your Council forces somehow cross paths with us... don’t hold back."
Finn stopped, looking at her with a mix of amusement and speechlessness. She still had no idea he was entering the arena himself. He simply shook his head. "Just do your best, Titania."
Erza huffed, vowing to show him exactly why her guild was the strongest. Even if they lost, she wouldn’t fall into despair like before. They would just work off the debt the old-fashioned way. Stretching her arms high above her head, she felt a strange, intoxicating mix of boundless energy and a deep, lingering soreness.
"Let’s win this," she whispered to herself.
When the two finally returned to their respective lodgings, they were immediately met with synchronized, interrogating stares.
Finn was fine. Flare, Ultear, Meredy, and Sorano merely sat in the penthouse suite, leveling him with deeply knowing, exasperated looks that required no explanation.
Erza’s return, however, was much louder.
"Where the hell have you been?!" Natsu, Gray, Lucy, and Elfman demanded the moment she walked into the Fairy Tail tavern.
Erza didn’t miss a beat. Her imposing, terrifying aura instantly flared to life, suffocating their questions.
"I was handling critical guild logistics. But put that aside! Today is the dawn of the Grand Magic Games!" Erza drew her sword, pointing it toward the ceiling with absolute, unshakeable conviction. "Now, let us march to the arena and reclaim our glory!"
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!"
As expected of the future Seventh Guild Master, Erza effortlessly redirected their focus. But as the cheers echoed through the hall, a sobering reality hung over them. To pay off the man pulling the strings from the shadows, Fairy Tail had to realize that, for the first time in history, they were marching into an arena where they were no longer considered the absolute best.