Erza was momentarily stunned by the invitation, then quickly agreed.
The two stepped onto the descending floating stage, which slowly began to rise into the air.
Their stage was positioned right in the center, with all the other stages slightly lower—commonly known as the spotlight.
Erza had already violently spun the top with the unfamiliar men earlier.
This time, she decided to keep it normal, gracefully beginning to dance in sync with Aceto.
"Why did she choose to dance with Erza?" Lucy tilted her head in confusion.
"How should I know?" Natsu replied casually between mouthfuls of buffet food.
Raizel yawned by the wall and said, "The Mage Dance is almost over. Isn't he going to show up?"
Raizel had thought the ice-make girl who fought with Gray might be the thief, but Aceto's entrance had interrupted the fight, and nothing came of it.
Bong— Bong— Bong—
The clock in the ballroom rang out.
"What's happening?" Lucy asked.
"It's about to begin," Earl Balsamico said from the balcony, clasping his hands behind his back.
"What's about to begin? Could you be more specific?" Gray yelled up.
"The time to display the ring! That large clock has a mechanism—after it chimes three times, it will reveal the Balsamico family heirloom ring to everyone. Only the man who obtains that ring is worthy enough to propose to my daughter!"
"This is the fierce tradition of the Balsamico family," Earl Balsamico explained unhurriedly.
Raizel nodded. "In that case, we just need to keep a close eye on the ring."
Ultear, observing the magical images from her crystal ball outside the hall, frowned and spoke through the telepathy link.
[Hmm? Something's not right.]
Happy volunteered and ran inside. [I'll go check it out.]
[I'll go in too and take a look,] Ultear said, worried about Happy going alone, and followed behind him into the castle corridors.
"Come on! Any man who wishes to propose to my daughter, hurry and claim that ring!"
As soon as Earl Balsamico finished speaking, the men in the venue began howling and charging toward the clock, each showcasing their magical abilities to gain an edge.
In the midst of the stampeding men... there was a woman mixed in.
The scene was chaotic, but Raizel still noticed the anomaly.
At the same time, Ultear and Happy had found a tied-up girl stuffed in a broom closet—the exact same brunette who had danced and fought with Gray earlier.
After Ultear removed the cloth gagging her mouth, the girl quickly gasped, "Before the dance began, I was ambushed and captured by an ugly man with a giant afro!"
"Afro..." Ultear muttered.
"That must be Velveno!" Happy nodded emphatically.
Raizel: [The person who danced with Gray earlier is most likely Velveno. He's now mixed in with the crowd rushing toward the ring in his female disguise.]
"Heh heh... Transformation Release—Ice-Make: Geyser!" Velveno, dropping his disguise, pressed one hand to the ground.
A massive ice geyser erupted beneath him, launching his restored, ugly form straight into the air toward the ring.
Just as Velveno was about to grab the glowing heirloom, the Three Sword Spirits—Ato, Rene, and Poll—formed a triangular barrier in the air, protecting the ring.
They simultaneously launched three fireballs, violently knocking Velveno out of the air.
"Dammit!" Velveno, who had crashed heavily to the floor, punched the marble hard.
"Well done, Fairy Tail! Arrest him quickly!" Earl Balsamico pointed at Velveno.
"Hehe, things are finally getting interesting. After eating so much of the Earl's food, it's time to move a little." Natsu, with bright flames coiling around his right hand, walked confidently toward Velveno.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Velveno roared back.
"Nani?!" Natsu froze mid-air.
Two identical, flame-wreathed fists collided with a massive shockwave.
"Don't even think about stopping me from getting that ring!" Velveno yelled.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
Natsu's second attempt failed again, their flames canceling each other out, and both landed on the ground.
"While dancing with your ice friend, I also copied your magic from afar!" Velveno sneered.
"In that case, let me play with you," Erza stepped forward, summoning her sword.
"Kagura, Lucy, please take care of Miss Aceto." Erza looked at Kagura and Lucy as she spoke.
With the Three Sword Spirits still aggressively guarding the ring, Erza had nothing to worry about up there.
"Don't worry," Kagura nodded, drawing her blade.
"Requip: Purgatory Armor!" Erza shouted.
"Requip: Purgatory Armor!" Velveno echoed perfectly.
Velveno swung a massive, identical spiked mace, forcing Erza back.
"It's useless! I've copied the magic of every Fairy Tail member here, including you!" Velveno laughed, pointing a finger at Kagura.
Although Kagura hadn't accepted his invitation to dance, the distance in the ballroom was close enough for Velveno's Copy Magic to scan her.
"Is that so? It seems you haven't copied mine, right?" Ultear, holding her glowing Magic Crystal ball, sat casually on the second-floor balcony railing.
Of course, this was a rather dangerous bluff.
While Ultear could use Time Magic, it was incredibly taxing and almost impossible for those without her specific magical lineage to imitate properly.
"Myriad Gods Shine." Ultear snapped her fingers, and dozens of glowing Magic Crystal balls instantly materialized in the air around Velveno, humming and ready to strike.
"There's no way to escape..." Velveno gritted his teeth, trying to break free from the encirclement of the lethal orbs, but the heavy magical pressure emanating from the light made him hesitate.
"I surrender..." Velveno slumped to the ground helplessly, raising his hands.
"Wait..." Aceto spoke up, rushing forward.
"Are you still going to defend him?!" Earl Balsamico raised his voice at his daughter, which was rare for him.
Ultear, Lucy, Natsu, and Gray all perked up their ears, looking like they were ready to enjoy some high-society drama.
"But..." Aceto didn't know what to say.
She just felt that, having grown up with Velveno as children, it wasn't right to let him end up rotting in the Council's prison like this.
"You're just the son of a lowly servant! I allowed you to play together out of special grace, and you've forgotten your place and that kindness!" Earl Balsamico stood in front of his daughter, angrily scolding the thief.
Velveno knelt on the ground, pounding his chest in frustration and rage.
"Ever since you drove me out of this mansion, I've wanted to come back and see Aceto! But you always blocked me at the iron gates, using the excuse of our statuses being mismatched, never letting me in!"
"Father, why didn't you tell me about this?" Aceto frowned at Earl Balsamico, feeling betrayed.
"This is none of your concern!"
Just as Aceto was about to argue further, Raizel appeared on the second-floor railing next to Ultear, looking down at Velveno with cold eyes.
"It sounds romantic that you seem so devoted to Aceto, Velveno. But you've already committed heinous crimes, and not just once. Do I need to spell them out in front of her? The violent crimes you've committed alone are enough to land you in the Council's deepest prison for twenty years."
Raizel had just checked the guild's database via Archive—Velveno was already high on the Magic Council's wanted list.
In short, he was a dangerous fugitive, and the crimes he committed were severe assaults... three recorded cases alone, not to mention other major offenses like grand theft and armed robbery.
He had only managed to evade capture for so long by relying on Transformation Magic and Copy Magic to hide in plain sight.