Chapter 391: The Price of Healing

"Wendy, are you okay?!"

"How are you feeling?!"

"WENDYYYY!"

"Ah, um..." Wendy stammered, overwhelmed by the sudden barrage of faces hovering over her. She felt terribly guilty for causing everyone so much worry.

"SHUT THE HELL UP! WENDY NEEDS SPACE! DON’T STARTLE HER!"

Carla, who had been anxiously racking her brain for a way to save Wendy just moments prior, aggressively shooed the crowded guild members away. Despite her harsh tone toward the guild, the Exceed cast a deeply grateful look toward Erza. Carla knew perfectly well that if Titania hadn’t swallowed her pride and begged, Finn never would have lifted a finger to heal the Sky Dragon Slayer.

"I’m heading back," Finn announced, rolling his shoulders. The late hour was finally catching up to him. "I’ll add the medical fee to your debt."

"...how much is this going to cost?" Makarov asked, sweating nervously.

Finn simply offered a pleasant, terrifying smile.

"....." Makarov gulped.

"Eh? You aren’t going to stay?" Lisanna pouted, stepping closer to him.

"I had some business to attend to earlier tonight. I’m exhausted, so I’m going back to my hotel."

"Okay, be careful. Should I walk you back—"

"I will escort him."

Before Lisanna could even finish her sentence, Erza stepped forward, cutting her off with absolute, unquestionable authority.

"....."

Lisanna blinked, startled by Erza’s sudden interference, and shot Finn a deeply suspicious look.

Do you think I seduced her? Finn’s voice suddenly echoed directly inside Lisanna’s mind via Telepathy Magic.

If it were that easy, you would have done it already, right? Lisanna shot back mentally, crossing her arms.

True. But shouldn’t you know that she has fallen for that masked guy brooding in the corner? Finn subtly glanced towards ’Mystogan’—Jellal in disguise—who was desperately trying to mask his presence from the rest of the guild.

You’re asking me? Shouldn’t you already know their deal? You seem to know everything else, Lisanna retorted.

I don’t know everything. I just happen to know a lot, Finn sighed inwardly. Anyway, don’t focus on other people’s relationships. Focus on a way to escape your older sister’s line of sight.Mirajane looks like she’s about to eat me alive just for standing this close to you.

"...."

Lisanna subtly glanced over her shoulder. Mirajane was indeed staring at Finn with a dangerously sweet, dangerous smile. To Lisanna, it didn’t look like Mirajane wanted to kill him; it looked like she wanted to devour him in an entirely different, highly competitive way. Lisanna shuddered playfully. She already had enough rivals trying to monopolize her man.

Just don’t try anything funny with Erza on the way back, okay? Lisanna warned, since no matter what, she didn’t want Erza to enter this competition to be with Finn.

I know, I know, Finn replied, cutting the telepathic link. Frankly, he couldn’t imagine a straitlaced knight like Erza ever initiating anything inappropriate anyway.

"Wait. Why did you help us?" Natsu demanded, his gaze still laced with lingering suspicion.

"Because as an official, it is my duty to protect the citizens," Finn replied with a perfect, practiced answer as a member of the Magic Council, and with a sincere smile, too.

"...."

For a brief, naive second, the guild actually felt a pang of respect for the Chief. Maybe his reputation was worse than the reality. Maybe he really was a righteous—

"More importantly," Finn added smoothly, shattering the illusion, "if your team gets wiped out before the Grand Magic Games even begin, how are you going to pay off your 30 million Jewel debt?"

"....." The entire guild deflated instantly.

"L-Let’s go! I will escort you out!" Erza quickly grabbed Finn’s arm, desperate to get him out of the room before the crushing reality of their financial ruin destroyed the guild’s morale entirely.

As the door clicked shut behind Finn and Erza, the guild let out a collective sigh of relief and turned their attention back to Wendy, hoping she had some clue about her attacker. They weren’t worried about Finn attacking them anymore; as the ultimate creditor, he was ironically the one person on the continent most invested in their survival.

Nor did anyone worry about Erza being alone with him. Erza’s ironclad morals made the idea of anything scandalous happening between them laughable.

Well, almost no one worried.

Bisca stared at the door, her heart pounding with a sickening sense of dread, knowing exactly why Erza had volunteered.

And hidden in the corner, Jellal gripped his staff tightly. Watching the woman he loved walk out into the dangerous Crocus night alongside the most manipulative man in Fiore was too much to bear.

He took a step toward the door.

"And where exactly do you think you’re going?"

"Eh?"

Jellal froze. Floating directly in his path, arms crossed and blocking the exit, was the ghostly, unimpressed figure of Fairy Tail’s First Master, Mavis Vermillion.

Out on the quiet, moonlit streets of Crocus, the cool night air offered a brief respite from the stifling tension of the guild quarters.

"Thank you for saving Wendy," Erza said softly, breaking the silence. "And I sincerely apologize for Natsu, Gray, and the others. They were just out of their minds with worry."

"You don’t need to apologize for them," Finn replied, his hands tucked into his pockets. "They’re adults, not children. I understand you feel a deep sense of responsibility as their family, but are you planning to babysit them until they’re old and gray?"

"I know I can’t," Erza admitted, looking down at the cobblestones. "Yet, I still feel compelled to apologize on their behalf."

Hearing Finn’s logic, Erza realized she needed to start properly educating her guildmates on basic diplomacy and etiquette. They couldn’t just rely on their fists and blind accusations every time a crisis arose, especially when dealing with political giants.

If Finn knew what she was thinking, he would have rolled his eyes. Erza wasn’t much different from the rest of her guild when it came to being headstrong. But, undeniable as it was, Erza possessed a striking, dignified beauty and a genuine sense of honor that made it incredibly difficult for Finn to maintain his usual ruthless edge around her.

"So... are you dating Lisanna?"

"...."

Finn stopped.

Erza wasn’t entirely sure where she found the courage to ask, but the moment the words left her mouth, a wave of internal panic washed over her. "I—I just noticed that the two of you seemed incredibly close back there, so I..."

"Well, you aren’t wrong. We are together," Finn admitted, deciding it was more respectful to Lisanna to claim her properly rather than skirt around the truth.

"Have you told Mirajane?"

"She would absolutely murder me if I did."

"She wouldn’t," Erza said softly, a small, genuine smile touching her lips. "She would want nothing more than for Lisanna to be happy. So much has changed since Lisanna returned."

Erza knew the painful reality of Lisanna’s situation. Returning from Edolas, Lisanna had found her childhood place beside Natsu occupied by Lucy. No one was to blame, but it had left Lisanna adrift. To see her finally anchor herself to someone, finding her own happiness and confidence again, was something Erza wholeheartedly supported.

"But, because I care about her happiness..." Erza’s smile faded, her expression hardening into absolute, unwavering steel as she stopped and turned to face him directly. "...I need you to break up with Bisca."

"Hmm?"

Finn’s eyes narrowed, staring down Erza as the pleasant moonlit stroll instantly transformed into a deadly serious confrontation.