Chapter 456: All Good People, No Good People
Chapter 456: All Good People, No Good People
The route between Neko-Mebo-Hoshi and Fairy Tail was one that Lude had traveled several times, and it no longer held much novelty for him.
In contrast, Natsu was as lively as ever, running back and forth on the deck like an energetic dog.
With Wendy's magic 'Troia' in effect, Natsu was free from seasickness and could enjoy the sea breeze for once.
Lude joined Gray and Happy in fishing with their rods, while Mira, Erza, Lucy, and Wendy played cards behind them.
Shaluna sat in Wendy's lap, acting as her advisor.
Happy was so distracted that he kept turning around to look at Shaluna, even wanting to pass her information.
Lude felt that Happy might develop a neck problem if he continued like this: "With your divided attention, you might miss out on a big catch."
"No way, my instincts are sharp," Happy replied.
"But Gray has already caught two fish, and you haven't caught any. And you said you wanted to prove how good you are at fishing..." Lude thought for a moment and said, "Let me tell you a story about a little cat fishing."
Happy glanced at Lude's empty bucket next to him, "But you haven't caught any either."
"That's because my position isn't good. I'll try changing spots," Lude explained.
"My position isn't good either. Gray, let's switch spots?" Happy asked.
Gray's line suddenly tightened, and as he lifted the rod to feel the fish's strength, he complained, "You two—so annoying!"
Happy jumped up and pointed at Gray, "It's definitely because of the position!"
Gray pulled a palm-sized fish out of the water and slapped it onto Natsu's forehead.
Gray had expected a fight in this situation, but he didn't expect Natsu to just lie down and not get up.
Gray dropped his rod and ran over, "Hey, it's just a fish hitting you, you're not that weak, are you?"
The small fish flopped around on the deck, and Natsu covered his mouth, his face turning pale. "I feel terrible... Wendy..."
Wendy glanced at Natsu, "Oh, the effect of Troia is about to wear off."
Happy quietly caught the fish, removed the hook, and tossed it into his bucket. Noticing someone watching him, he even tried to discreetly raise a finger to his lips.
"You heartless cat," Lucy whispered to Happy, then turned to Natsu with a smile, "Look, someone got knocked down by a fish. It must have been a huge one, a whale or a shark, to knock down Natsu like that?"
"Darn... Waa..." Natsu looked pitifully at Wendy.
Wendy had no choice but to cast Troia again, but she also told Natsu, "Using Troia too often will build up resistance, so the effect will be shorter this time."
However, Gray said to Wendy, "Don't waste your magic on this useless guy next time."
"Ice Block idiot, who are you talking about?" Natsu retorted.
"Whoever gets seasick is the one I'm talking about, Fire Dragon idiot!" Gray responded.
As they argued, a fight broke out, which was a standard part of their routine.
Lude didn't bother with them and quietly took Gray's previous spot. Gray's quick catch must have been due to this golden fishing spot.
Bang! Lude didn't care, but someone else did. Erza slammed the cards onto the table and kicked the two troublemakers into the sea.
Shaluna was puzzled, "Was that necessary? Do all your guild members resolve conflicts like this?"
Mira mysteriously leaned towards Shaluna's ear and whispered, "I just peeked, and Erza's hand was terrible."
"..." Shaluna glanced at Erza's cards that were mixed in with the others, realizing that she had done this on purpose to avoid losing.
The seemingly reliable person seemed to have an unexpected childish side. However...
Shaluna looked at Mira speechlessly, "Isn't it wrong to peek at someone's cards?"
Mira covered her face, "Oh no, I've been found out."
Shaluna sighed, "You said it yourself."
Mira acted as if nothing had happened, "Speaking of which, Wendy's hand isn't bad either."
"You..."
The journey was long, but with such an interesting group, it wasn't boring. They landed in Hargeon and headed back to Magnolia by carriage, dragging a half-dead Natsu.
Wendy and Shalulu had more luggage due to their move, but surprisingly, even the two of them combined couldn't match Erza's amount. It wasn't a big deal, as everyone could help share the load.
As they neared the guild, Rod asked a practical question: "Where does Wendy plan to stay? The girls' dormitory costs 100,000 J per month, and you can move in anytime. If you look for a place outside, you might find cheaper rent, but it'll take some time."
Wendy hesitated, "I haven't thought about it before. What do others usually do?"
Rod promptly replied, "I, Gray, and Lucy all rent places outside. Erza stays in the dormitory, and Mira has her own house. Natsu and Happy do too."
Shalulu, nestled in Wendy's arms, spoke up, "You seem to know a lot about this."
Rod boasted, "Of course, I'm a senior member of the guild."
Lucy teased, "A senior member of just over a year."
"Mind your tone, rookie," Rod retorted, his usual attitude reserved only for Lucy.
A mistake in the first volume of the book!
"You're putting on airs now," Lucy said dismissively. "Yes, Senior Rod..."
Seeing their playful banter, Shalulu felt at ease, realizing that the guild didn't have a culture of suppressing newcomers.
Mira bent down and whispered in Shalulu's ear, "Actually, Rod has always wanted to take care of newcomers, but Tono was assigned to Levy, Lucy to Natsu, and Juvia to Gray... He's probably set his sights on Wendy now."
Gajeel was given a special task by the guild master, and since joining, he had always worked alone, making it inconvenient for others to follow him.
Shalulu didn't mind, and with Wendy teaming up with Rod, at least safety wouldn't be a concern.
Mira smiled at Wendy, "Whether it's about housing or anything else, there's no need to rush into a decision. Before you find a place, you can stay at my house."
Happy eagerly raised his hand, "Yes! We'd love to have Shalulu and Wendy stay with us too!"
Natsu added weakly, "You can also stay at Lucy's place."
"Well, my place isn't big, but we can make it work..." Lucy smiled and nodded, then turned to Natsu and yelled, "Why are you making decisions for me?!"
Wendy laughed, feeling grateful to have met everyone.
As they spoke, the guild came into view, and in the small courtyard in front of the main entrance, several people sat drinking coffee, an unusual sight for Fairy Tail.
Indeed, upon closer inspection, they were city residents who came to relax and chat.
The stories of the mages' adventures were often fascinating, so people enjoyed listening to them while sipping coffee. It was a pleasant way to unwind.
Those unfamiliar with Fairy Tail only glanced at the group without much reaction, while those who knew them slightly waved hello, planning to ask about the Six Demon Generals later.
After a few days, news of the Six Demon Generals had spread nationwide, but the reports lacked detail. Those who had just returned with inside information naturally wanted to gossip about it.
—They knew the mages would head straight to the guild master first, so they waited for them to come out before asking.
"Wow," Wendy exclaimed, looking up in awe, "It's completely different from the last time I was here!"
"Yeah, because it was rebuilt," Erza smiled, "Isn't it beautiful?"
"Yes!" The new guild building filled Wendy with anticipation for what lay inside.
"Let's go in first," Natsu took the lead, kicking the door open with a bang, "I'm back... Woah!"
Before he could finish saying 'I'm back,' a large hand smacked him to the ground.
"Be quiet, you brats! And I've told you countless times, no kicking the door!"
"Huh? It's you guys? My apologies, I was just disciplining them. When I heard the door kick, I took the opportunity to teach you all a lesson too."
After the scolding and beating, Makarov seemed to realize something, returning to his normal size and chuckling, "Welcome back, you've worked hard."
(End of Chapter)
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