Chapter 39: Lullaby

Gray and Erza approached Natsu while looking around curiously. All of the Eisenwald guild members were arrested by the council, including the boss, Erigor. They were worried when they found out about Natsu's plan from the train inspector. So, they hurriedly arrived at the town to help Natsu deal with the problem. But, it seemed that despite their worry, their help was unneeded.

"Ummm… Natsu... Did you really finish the mission all by yourself? Did you really defeat all these dark mages, including the S-class mage Erigor, all by yourself?" Gray asked in disbelief. Erza also was quite surprised by this.

"Of course! It was too easy for me. I told you that I was the strongest mage in the guild! This was nothing difficult for me! I can defeat the Eisenwald guild with my eyes closed hahaha!" Natsu pridefully declared with his head held high, laughing proudly. Gray and Erza rolled their eyes after hearing his arrogant laugh.

"Humph! You may be stronger than us, but you're not stronger than Gildarts. He can beat your sorry ass anytime, isn't that right Erza?" Gray quickly spoke while asking Erza.

Erza was still surprised by Natsu's strength. She didn't know about his current strength since she used to avoid him like the plague.

"Ah!! That's right, Natsu. You shouldn't get overconfident in your strength. There is always someone stronger than you." Erza replied seriously. She didn't want Natsu to become conceited due to his strength.

"Maybe, you're right! Thanks for the advice, Erza. I needed that one." Natsu replied with a sheepish laugh. Erza smiled happily seeing Natsu accept her advice,

"I'm happy to hear that, Natsu. Never stop improving yourself. You never know what might happen in the future." Erza seriously insisted, making Natsu nod in agreement. He knows he shouldn't stop training, otherwise, he'd get destroyed by his future enemies.

Gray was becoming tired of listening to their conversation. So he interrupted them.

"Let's leave this town already. I want to go back and have a nice meal. There is nothing to do here now that the Eisenwald guild has been arrested." Gray muttered grumpily. He wants to leave this town as soon as possible. It's pretty nerve-wracking for him to be with both Erza and Natsu at the same time.

"You're right. We have nothing else to do here. Natsu has already accomplished the mission. Let's head back home. We should board the next train to Magnolia." Erza assented, to which Gray nodded in agreement. They were about to leave, but Natsu quickly interrupted them.

"Wait! Actually, there's something important we must do before heading back. Follow me! Let's go somewhere with no people nearby." Natsu said, making them feel slightly confused.

What else was there for them to do?

Natsu didn't give them any answers but just gestured for them to follow him. He headed outside the town and searched for a nice place to bring out the 'Lullaby'.

'I should let them combat this demon. They will gain some much-needed experience in dealing with such a demon in the future.' Thought Natsu.

Gray and Erza looked at each other and decided to follow. They weren't sure what Natsu wanted to show them, but it didn't hurt to just check it out, right?

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Natsu searched around for a good place until he felt satisfied. Erza and Gray also followed him and looked around curiously.

"This should be a good place for the battle. Are you guys ready to fight one of Zeref's demons? This should be a valuable experience for you." Natsu asked while taking out the creepy flute 'Lullaby'. Erza and Gray flinched when they heard the words 'Zeref's demons' from Natsu, and hurriedly checked their surroundings warily.

"What do you mean by that Natsu?! Where is the demon you spoke of!? I don't see it anywhere!" Gray asked suspiciously, but Erza knew that there was something more to it.

"Let Natsu finish his words first, Gray. I'm sure it's something important if he made us come to this place. Let him speak first!" Erza remarked with a glare, making Gray nod begrudgingly.

"Thanks for that, Erza. The demon is this cursed flute that the Eisenwald guild wanted. It can transform into a fearsome demon form as well. I want you two to fight the demon and defeat it. It's pretty dangerous if left alone." Natsu announced, showing them the creepy flute. They were surprised when they heard the flute could transform into a fearsome demon. They quickly nodded their heads in agreement.

"Wait a sec… What do you mean by us two? Aren't you fighting this demon as well?" Gray asked while narrowing his eyes. Erza also realized this and stared at Natsu in confusion.

"Natsu, is there a reason for you not to join the fight? Wouldn't it be easier to defeat it with your help?" Erza asked with her head cocked in confusion. Gray also agreed with her. He didn't understand why Natsu wanted them to fight the demon without participating himself.

"Ummm… It's nothing special. This Lullaby is one of the weaker demons made by Zeref. I can defeat it instantly with my current power, but you two can fight it together to gain some more experience. It's a perfect training dummy for you. You will also learn how to fight a demon for the future." said Natsu while wincing.

"Okay… If you say so." said both Gray and Erza at the same time.

Natsu then poured some of his magic into the flute to activate it. The flute activated and started transforming into its demon/etherious form, followed by a burst of creepy laughter.

When the flute transformed into its Etherious form, it became an extremely tall beast that had three eyes, two legs, two arms, and one head. There were also many cutouts in its body.

"Kakakaka… I'm finally free. Let me consume your pitiful souls, mortals!" The demon cackled with a creepy voice, making Erza and Gray tense up. Natsu was quite nonchalant about it though. He could obliterate this demon with a single attack after all.

"He's all yours! Show this demon the strength of our guild, Erza, Gray!" Natsu shouted in a reassuring manner, allowing Erza and Gray to calm down. They looked at each other and smiled.

"That's right. Let us show this demon the strength of our guild!" Erza and Gray shouted at the same time, getting ready to fight the evil demon. Natsu just watched on with an encouraging smile.

(E/N: Edited by yours truly, Nyanodesu)

(A/N: I'm going to regularly upload this up to chapter 50. After this, I will keep my focus on writing single fanfic. It's either this one or my other fanfiction. It's getting harder for me to keep the tab with two stories while writing. So, don't forget to give your power stones. I'll choose where to focus based on the number of power stones each novel receives. This doesn't mean I am dropping any novel, it just means the update speed will vary. ~Sayonara!)