Chapter 90: Jellal's Threat

"H-How could it be?" Erza muttered in disbelief. She didn't think her childhood crush would stoop so low to make her return to that hellhouse, but the recording didn't let her continue.

"And let me tell you something cool. If you try to remove the lacrima inside, they'll explode immediately. So, be a good girl and come back, okay? I'll be waiting for you, my dear Erza, hehe…" Jellal ended the recording with a creepy chuckle, causing the lacrima to lose its power and disintegrate in the air.

Natsu looked around and found that everyone seemed to be sporting a grave expression. Kagura was clutching Simon's shoulders tightly. Erza was feeling guilty, seeing the unconscious figure of Sho, Wally, Simon, and Millianna. She felt like all of this was her fault.

Lucy and Gray didn't know what to say. Neither of them knew who this Jellal guy was, but listening to the previous recordings made it clear that he was terrible trouble.

"Erza-san, is what that guy said true? I don't want my brother to die on me." Kagura asked Erza with a miserable expression on her face. She'd just gotten reunited with her long lost brother, only for him to encounter another problem.

Everyone looked at Erza, expecting some answers. Natsu could only sigh and shake his head, seeing the pained expression on her face.

"Sigh, I think it's probably right, but don't worry, I won't let your brother or any of my friends die. I will carry them to that wretched island myself and deal with Jellal once and for all." Erza changed into her usual armor and announced with determined eyes. She felt that Jellal had gone too far this time. 

"Who's this Jellal guy, Erza?" Lucy asked, narrowing her eyes. She didn't like being kept in the dark.

"Yeah, and what's your relationship with these guys? Please don't try to keep us in the dark. We need some answers." Gray joined the questioning as well. He stared at her sternly, making her flinch.

"Please tell us, Erza-san. I want to know what happened to my brother after he was kidnapped. You never told me about it properly." Kagura also asked with a serious countenance. Her expression making it difficult for Erza to ignore.

"Sigh, I'll tell you about it later. We don't have time for this now, and I need to bring them to Jellal's place. You guys can stay here. I'll solve this on my own. This is my problem, after all." Erza said, trying to leave alone. She didn't want to involve the guild in her own problem.

"It's too late for that, Erza. Whether you like it or not, we're coming with you. At first, I wanted to deal with this on my own, but I guess not everything can go according to plan." Natsu said, shrugging his shoulders. Now that all of them knew about it, he didn't have any other choice than to let them join him.

Erza was surprised after hearing him. She had a suspicion that Natsu knew about Jellal's plans, and his words indeed proved her correct, making her feel conflicted. On the one hand, she was happy that Natsu cared about her enough to deal with Jellal alone. While on the other, she was angry at him for keeping secrets from her.

"That's right, Erza. This isn't just your problem anymore. There are four lives at stakes here. I'm coming with you whether you like it or not." Gray said with a stern tone in his voice.

"I'm also coming, Erza. I don't know whether I'll be helpful or not, but I can't stand by when someone is threatening my friends." Lucy added with a determined glint in her eyes. She didn't want to see Erza getting hurt by that evil guy.

Erza felt slightly overwhelmed after hearing them and suddenly felt a warm current melting her icy heart. She wanted to reject their help, but she knew it would be a futile endeavor.

Kagura stood up and looked at Erza seriously. "I'll go there as well, Erza-san. I don't want to stand by and do nothing when my brother's life is at risk."

Erza could only sigh tiredly, looking at their determined expressions before smiling softly.

"Sigh, okay then… You guys can come with me as well, but be careful. The place where we're heading can only be described as hell on earth." Erza gave up and let them join her, making everyone finally relax.

"Sorry to interrupt, but how do you think we'd go there? I can travel by air and can only carry at most two girls." Natsu interrupted and posed the critical question.

"Why only girls?" Gray asked with raised eyebrows.

"Duh… Why would I carry some guy? I'm not gay like you." Natsu replied with a teasing smirk at the end, making Gray fume with righteous rage.

"Who are you calling gay? I'm not gay!" Gray loudly retorted. He didn't want to hear anyone calling him gay, especially not Natsu.

"Really? I honestly thought you were, seeing your complete lack of interest in the opposite gender." Natsu cheekily replied, making Gray even further enraged.

"Bastard, that doesn't mean…" Gray didn't finish his words when Erza interrupted him with a loud shout.

"Can you guys bicker later?! We have a serious issue on our hands! Let's search for some boats and sail through the sea. We don't have any time to waste!" Erza shouted, making the duo shut up. The others also regained their composure and started looking around for anything that could be used to travel on the sea.

Suddenly, they heard a voice behind them, making them turn back and see a beautiful blue-haired girl looking at them uncomfortably. This girl was obviously Juvia Lockser, who had accidentally eavesdropped on their previous conversation. Yeah, she definitely wasn't trying to stalk her crush or anything of the sort.

"Ano, if you're looking for a boat, then I think I saw one near the beach. Although it's only a fishing boat." Juvia informed them of a fishing boat she'd found nearby. She was so glad to have seen it since it allowed her to conveniently join in on their conversation.