Chapter 73

Year 781 • Blue Pegasus is the 73rd chapter of Hiro Mashima's Fairy Tail.
Loke reveals his surprising history to Lucy and says that he is the one who killed his master Karen Lilica. Back in time, Karen was a Celestial Spirit Mage who ill-treated her spirits, even punishing Aries by letting her stay in the human world for a week, but Loke, then known as Leo, intervenes and switches place with Aries, saying he will not leave until Karen frees them from her contract. When Karen, unable to summon more than one spirit at a time, tried to go on a mission, she ended up dying, to which Loke blames himself. Meanwhile, as Loke's body starts to vanish, Lucy is determined to help her friend.
==Summary==
Back at the waterfall, Lucy asks Loke if he really did kill Karen. Loke doesn't deny it, but continues to say that a Celestial Spirit that has killed its master is forbidden from returning to the Celestial Spirit World, and begins to recount his past.
Three years ago, in the Blue Pegasus Guild, Karen Lilica is asked out by a group of men. She tells them she can't go and summons Aries, the Ram, telling Aries to entertain the men in her place. Aries comments that she is not meant to entertain men, but Karen orders her to go. Once Aries and the men leave, Karen and Bob start talking, with Karen commenting that Spirits shouldn't talk back to their masters. Bob tells her not to treat her Spirits as badly as she does, but Karen brushes it off, saying that Spirits don’t have feelings, that they’re just tools. Bob’s face thunders, and he tells her that Spirits are living things, and if she makes them suffer, she will be the one suffering next.
Back in her room, Karen beats Aries for making her look bad in front of Bob. She states that as punishment, she will force Aries to stay in the human world for one week. Aries says that she doesn't have that kind of Magic Power, but Karen tells her not to underestimate her. Suddenly, Aries returns to the Spirit world, with Karen angrily commenting that she will bring her back for punishment. However, Leo the Lion appears, saying that he switched places with her, forcibly summoning himself. He tells Karen to release Aries and himself from their contracts, as they don't deserve to be treated in such a poor manner. Karen tries to force him back, but can't, as she doesn't have enough Magic Power. Leo then goes as far as to decide to stay in the human world for as long as it takes her to release them. Since Karen is not strong enough, she isn’t be able to summon more than one Spirit, so she won't be able to go on missions. There’s another detail: since Leo came to the human world by himself, it’s his power that is being used, not Karen’s, so Karen can not force him back by waiting for her Magic to run out. Leo retreats to some ruins outside of town and asks for Karen to look for him when she decides to let him and Aries go.
In the ruins, Leo is slowly getting more tired by the minute. Karen tries to negotiate her way out of the situation, and when Leo doesn't listen, she tries to beat her way out, but Leo doesn't back down. Sometime later, Leo notices that while he can’t stop his life-force from eroding, he isn't suffering like before. He decides to forgive Karen and returns to the village, but hears that Karen has died during a mission because she tried, and could not, summon another Spirit. Back in the present, Loke starts vanishing for good. Lucy is frightened, and Loke tells her that he hasn’t been in the Spirit World in three years, so his Magic is almost gone. He thanks Lucy for being able to meet a Wonderful Celestial Spirit Mage, and asks to her to give his regards to everyone at Fairy Tail. Lucy doesn't let him go, and tells him that she will help him get back no matter what.
==Characters in Order of Appearance==
#Lucy Heartfilia
#Loke
#Karen Lilica (flashback)
#Aries (flashback)
#Bob (flashback)
==Battles & Events==
*Death of Karen Lilica (flashback)
==Magic, Spells, and Abilities used==
===Magic used===
*
**
***Summoned the Ram, Aries
*Phasing Magic
===Spells used===
*None
===Abilities used===
*None
===Items used===
*Celestial Spirit Gate Keys
**Gate of the Ram Key
==Navigation==