"It's Lucy! Get it through your thick skull!"
None of them took the train. They all chose to follow Allen. Even Master Makarov came along, which surprised him.
Don't they trust me a bit too much? Allen smiled wryly. If I wanted to trick them, wouldn't it be ridiculously easy? He shook his head and smiled again. Whatever.
"Shut up..." Lucy looked at Allen with tired eyes. "Can you carry me for a bit, please?"
"..." Allen looked silently at the blonde girl, making her shift awkwardly. She had just been joking, but before she could take it back, Allen scooped her up and started walking.
Lucy blushed. "Wait! I was joking!"
"No refunds, Hime," Allen said with a cheeky grin, ignoring her protests and continuing to carry her.
"Ah! Wait, this is embarrassing—I'm sorry!"
For some reason, Erza also blushed and murmured, "Womanizer…"
"It's nice to be young~" Makarov chuckled under his breath.
Thanks to Allen and the mission arrow guiding him, they didn't get lost in Web Valley. Eventually, they reached a village in the middle of nowhere. It was large, full of homes and buildings—but the most shocking part was that not a single person was there.
"What is this...?" Lucy clutched Allen's clothes, feeling uneasy.
"It's strange…" Erza said, frowning.
Natsu, Gray, and Erza started exploring the houses. They found dishes and food on the tables, as if the people had just vanished.
A dead village, hidden in a place known as the graveyard of many travelers...
Allen narrowed his eyes as he looked around—the mission arrow was pointing directly at this location.
"Auris Arcanum..." Allen's pupils glowed faintly, and a moment later, his eyes widened in shock.
"This place—!"