Chapter 98 95: Bet?
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Gajeel stared at the gauntlet, then at me, the pieces clicking into place in his mind. "I understand," he said, a newfound respect in his eyes.
After a moment of silence, I heard Gajeel's gruff voice again. "So, um… do you know where the hell this place is?"
"It's some old, abandoned devil territory in the human world," I explained. "I think I know why the devils attacked you. They probably thought you were intruders trying to take over this land and just… didn't think it through before attacking."
"Gihi… that would explain it," he grumbled.
Just then, a soft groan came from the makeshift bed. We both looked over to see Erza stirring, trying to push herself up. Gajeel was at her side in an instant, gently but firmly pushing her back down.
"How stubborn can you get?" he scolded, though his voice was laced with relief. "You need to rest."
I quickly checked her stats again. All of her resource pools were about half restored. A moment later, her eyes fluttered open. She looked up at Gajeel, her expression still groggy.
"I… can get up," she insisted, her voice hoarse.
"Oh, shit," Gajeel muttered, knowing it was a losing battle.
I watched as she slowly, painfully, pushed herself into a sitting position. Her gaze swept the small cave and landed on me. I gave her a small, friendly smile. "Hi!"
She just stared at me, her brown eyes sharp and analytical even through her exhaustion. I couldn't help but fidget a little under her intense scrutiny.
"Hello," she finally replied, her voice gaining a bit of its strength back.
"This is Shiro," Gajeel explained, gesturing to me. "He's the reason you're even awake right now, not to mention able to move. He gave me a bunch of potions to give you."
Her intense gaze softened, and she offered me a small, grateful smile. I quickly looked away, a faint blush dusting my cheeks.
"Thank you… Shiro, was it?" she asked.
I just nodded, still not looking at her.
"So, what are you doing out here?"
"My friend, Sirzechs, asked me to come here and see what was going on."
The moment the name left my lips, her expression darkened. In a flash of golden light, a silver sword appeared in her hand.
"You know the Devil King," she stated, her voice now cold as ice.
"Erza, it's not what you think," Gajeel said quickly, stepping between us.
She pointed the sword at him, her eyes narrowed. "Explain."
After a quick, and slightly frantic, explanation from Gajeel about our fight and subsequent conversation, Erza's tense posture finally relaxed. She let the sword de-summon in another flash of light.
"Hmm," she mused. "I'm sorry," she said, looking at me. "But we were attacked by devils. There were quite a few of them. That's why I was so wary when you said you were friends with the Devil King."
"It's okay, I get it," I said. "But was it just devils? Or were there angels and fallen angels, too?"
"There were all kinds of races," Gajeel confirmed grimly. "Angels, devils, fallen angels, humans, yokai, and others we didn't recognize."
"Hmm," I said, a dark theory forming in my mind. "Well, I'm not sure, but I have an idea."
"Go on," Erza prompted.
"There's a rumor going around, about a new organization," I explained. "A group made up of members from all the factions, renegades and terrorists who want to cause chaos. If what I'm hearing is correct, then the name of this group would be the Chaos Brigade."
I saw them look at each other, a flash of recognition in their eyes, before they both turned back to me.
"That's what they called themselves," Erza confirmed, her voice grave. "The ones who attacked us were from the Chaos Brigade."
"Was there a guy in white armor there?" I asked, my voice tense.
"No," Gajeel said, shaking his head. "Couldn't see anyone in white armor."
"Neither did I," Erza added.
"Okay," I said, relieved it wasn't Vali's group. "Was there… a loli there?"
"No."
"No."
"Oh, thank god," I sighed. "Okay, then I don't know who it is. Hmm, let's see. Where is your guild? I'll help you get there safely."
"It should be around thirty miles that way," Erza said, pointing to her left.
"Okay," I said, getting to my feet. "Let's get going."
We had been walking for a few hours, putting a good distance behind us. According to Erza, we had about ten miles left to go. It was then that I felt it—a palpable shift in the atmosphere. The air grew thick, heavy with a vibrant energy that hummed against my skin. It was pure magic.
Both Erza and Gajeel noticed my reaction.
"Is this your first time going into a magic-rich area?" Erza asked, a hint of amusement in her voice.
"Yeah," I admitted, my own magic reserves thrumming in response to the ambient energy. "I feel… more powerful."
"Well, when we're in these areas, we can get our health and magic back much quicker than outside of them," Gajeel explained.
"Good to know," I said, a great idea sparking in my mind. I quickly checked Erza's stats and saw that her HP and MP were almost completely full, the rich environment accelerating her recovery.
"Hey," I said, a mischievous grin spreading across my face. "You guys wanna race to the guild?"
Gajeel looked over at Erza, a challenging smirk on his face. "What do you say, Erza?"
She looked at my hopeful, excited eyes and let out a small sigh, though I could see a tiny smile playing on her lips. "I suppose we could indulge you a little."
"Yes!" I cheered. "Okay, let's bet on it. If I win, you have to fight me, Erza. A real, all-out fight."
Erza sighed again, but her eyes held a competitive gleam. "I don't see why not. But if I win, then you must tell us everything you are capable of. No secrets."
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