The Divine Empress

Chapter 27

"Time to wake up!" Lucy called from the kitchen.

Lucy and Nagi were the first ones to wake up and after taking a bath, they went to the self-designed kitchen. Nagi sat at the wooden table on a stool, swinging his legs back and forth as the smell of fresh hotcakes, sunny-side up egg, and bacon wafted in the air. Lucy took ten plates out from the cabinet and settled them down on the table.

"Mama, is it ready?" Nagi asked with anticipation.

"It's all ready," Lucy smiled.

"Yay!" Nagi yelled, throwing his hands in the air. "Hotcake, hotcake~"

As Lucy finished serving the plates, Wendy walked in, leaning against the wall as she did so.

"That smells really nice, Lucy-san," Wendy said with a smile.

"It really does," Carla added, sniffing the air. "The taste is probably on par with it's smell and looks, too."

"Come sit," Lucy said motioning towards the empty chairs. "Don't overdo yourself if your body is still aching from yesterday. Okay, Wendy?"

"I'm fine, Lucy-san. Just a little pain here and there," Wendy said, relieving Lucy of her worry. "Besides, after waking up, I feel like I know so much more now. And my body kind of feels airy and light."

Lucy smiled. "It's good to know that it's working then," Lucy said as she cut up Nagi's hotcakes into bite-sized pieces. "The feeling of airiness that you're feeling shows that your magic has increased its limit. You're capable of using magic that requires more spiritual energy on your own free will."

"Is that so?" Wendy said excitedly.

Lucy nodded with a smile as she began eating her plate.

"Ah~ I'm so hungry," a voice said as the grumbling of a stomach could be heard. "Is that hotcake?"

"Sting," Lucy said, turning to him, while Wendy covered her eyes and looked the other way. "Before coming down here half-naked, I suggest you go put on some clothes."

"Too lazy to do that," Sting said as he took a seat and dug into his breakfast.

"Sting-san, are you fine?" Wendy asked after gaining her composure.

"Totally! My joints just hurt a bit now and then," Sting replied with a grin. "How about you?"

"Same," Wendy replied.

"But still," Carla said, finishing her breakfast. "It's surprising to see that the others are still asleep. It's almost afternoon."

"Well, you can't really blame them. Lost magic and ancient spells are a heavy burden. Being able to wake up and come down is enough to show that you're competent enough to acquire this knowledge," Lucy said.

Sting and Wendy looked at Lucy and then at one another, breaking out into a delighted smile.

"Mama, one more plate!" Nagi said, holding up his plate showing that he was done.

"Coming right up, Nagi," Lucy said, patting her son's head.

Just as she settled the plate, Rogue, Orga, and Rufus came walking in...no...more like staggering in. Happy and Lily flew behind them, yawning.

"Morning, Lucy~" Happy said as he took a seat next to Lucy.

"Good morning, Happy," Lucy smiled. "How are you guys holding up?"

"Not so well," Orga replied gruffly. "My body is sore all over."

"My head hurts," Rufus said, holding a hand to his forehead.