During the Seven Years

Chapter 17

It doesn't take long for us to arrive at Beanstalk Village. I follow the group closely, a warm smile spreading across my lips. After the relentless trials to find the key and confronting a powerful mage, I'm relieved to be out of those mountains. A lot has happened today, and I'm exhausted.

As we walk through the village, my eyes widen in amazement. People fill the streets, a cheerful buzz echoing all around. I furrow my brows, studying them. Could they be celebrating something?

I glance over at Ultear, Jellal, and Meredy, each wearing curious yet cautious expressions. After all they've been through, I understand their wariness. If the Magic Council discovered they were here, they'd be on us in no time. But with dark cloaks and hoods concealing their faces, I doubt anyone will recognize them. "We need to keep moving," Ultear says, taking the lead through the crowd.

I nod, following her with Jellal and Meredy at my side. After a few minutes, we reach a tavern. Inside, a woman stands behind the counter, taking drink orders, while patrons chat and play games.

"Hello! Welcome in!" the woman behind the counter greets us warmly. "I'm Emilia. What can I do for you four?" She has platinum blonde hair and hazel eyes and wears a black crop top and skirt.

"Hi," I say, stepping forward. "We're looking for a place to stay for the night. Do you have any rooms available?" She flips through a binder.

"Yes. We only have two rooms left."

Ultear places a hand on my shoulder. "We'll take them."

"That'll be 10,000 jewels."

I nod and place a bag of jewels on the counter. Emilia hands me two slips of paper with keys. "Thank you so much."

"Of course! If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

I turn to the others, and Ultear puts a hand on her hip. "Now, let's discuss room assignments," she says sharply. "Meredy won't be sharing a room with a grown man. It's nothing personal, Jellal—we just started working together."

"Understood."

Meredy pipes up, "I want to stay with Ultear!"

The three of us turn to her, and Ultear smiles warmly. "If you two don't mind, Meredy and I could share a room."

"That's fine by me," Jellal says.

"Great." I hand Ultear one of the slips. "Good night, and we'll see you in the morning." Meredy gives me a bright grin as they head down the hallway. I glance at Jellal, feeling a bit nervous. I can't believe I'm sharing a room with him! If Erza were here, she'd probably kill me.

"Ready?" he asks, and I give him a sheepish smile. "Yeah."

With Jellal leading, we walk down the hallway in an awkward silence. The thought of sharing a room with him feels strange. Despite all he and Erza have been through, she still cares for him deeply and maybe even romantically.

"What's our room number?"

"Oh! It's 118..."

He chuckles. "I think we just passed it."

"Oops."

"You're good."

We turn back and reach the room. I pull out the key and unlock the door, and as we step inside, my eyes immediately land on the queen-size bed. My heart races—I thought there'd be two beds! I glance at Jellal, who's setting his cloak on a chair.

"Lucy," he says, surprising me. "Thank you for arranging a place for us to stay tonight. It means a lot." A serious warmth fills his gaze.

"I should be thanking you," I reply, smiling. "The three of you saved my life. I wouldn't be here without you." Tears prick my eyes as I sit on the bed. "Honestly, after pushing myself to find Pluto's key, I didn't expect to be ambushed."

"That must've been terrifying."

"It was! I'm just grateful it's over."

He nods. "Have you tried summoning your new key?"

I pause, realizing I haven't. Why didn't I think of that sooner? It might've helped against her. "No, I haven't," I admit, taking out the key. Summoning a planet spirit can't be that different from a zodiac spirit, right?

"You've got this."

"Alright, here goes nothing." Determined, I rise and focus. "Open! Gate of Pluto!"

Red lightning envelops me, and pain surges through my body as my energy drains rapidly. My hands tremble, and Jellal quickly helps me to the bed.

"What... just happened?"

"I've never seen anything like that," he says, frowning thoughtfully. "Maybe these spirits are stronger than the zodiac ones, with different summoning rules?"

"That would make sense..."

"We'll talk with Ultear and Meredy about this later, but I think we all need to get stronger," Jellal notes. "If we'd been alone against her, any one of us would've lost."

"True." I meet his gaze. "From what I can remember, that woman had a guildmark on her right thigh. It's Cruel Midnight, based in the Pergrande Kingdom. They have some of the continent's most skilled wizards."

"I see. This is more serious than we thought."

I look down. "I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize," he says, looking serious yet thoughtful. "Our goal now is to find these celestial spirits before Cruel Midnight does, and we have to grow stronger."

"I agree."

Afterward, I head to the bathroom to change and get ready for bed. I pull on a black nightgown, brush my teeth, and splash water on my face. But an uneasy feeling lingers as I stare into the mirror. What if we're no match for Cruel Midnight?

I return to find Jellal reading in a chair. "The bathroom's free," I say, crawling into bed. "If I fall asleep before you're back, good night." He nods and heads into the bathroom as I settle into bed, wondering what tomorrow will bring. And with that thought, I drift off to sleep.