Chapter 92: Salamander
Chapter 92: Salamander
The three of them whispered among themselves, but none of them could do much to help Erza with her troubles.
However, Rod had a plan to cheer her up.
The simplest solution was to give her a strawberry cake to eat.
Then, he could find a way to frame Natsu into knocking over Erza's table.
That way, Erza could punch Natsu and vent her frustrations in a perfectly natural manner.
A perfect plan.
But when Rod shared his idea, Laki looked at him as if he were the devil.
It was no wonder; this was the same guy who had given her the blueprint for a blood-dripping device.
Laki asked, "But why don't you do it yourself?"
"I'm afraid of dying," Rod said matter-of-factly. "Natsu grew up with her, so he probably won't be killed."
Mira smiled sweetly. "Sounds interesting."
Laki pointed at both Rod and Mira. "Two devils!"
Rod waved his hand. "Ah, I was just saying. I wouldn't really do that to Natsu; we're good friends."
Well, the reason he had pranked Natsu while he was car-sick on the carriage was... all Happy's idea!
Mira looked at Rod and felt a bit pleased.
He had been in the guild for two and a half months now.
From his initial awkwardness and unfamiliarity to now, where he cared about his fellow guild members and occasionally came up with mischievous ideas, Mira could feel Rod gradually becoming a part of the guild and getting closer to everyone.
That was good.
"If we don't send Natsu, who else would be suitable?" Mira asked with a smile. "What about Elfman?"
Laki was shocked. "Are you really his sister?!"
Rod thought to himself that he should practice with Elfman sometime.
Elfman also used Receiving Magic, and despite some psychological issues, he was still a formidable fighter.
Besides...
It was necessary in many ways.
Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out, "Hey, Mira, Rod, and Laki, everyone's here!"
"Willem?" Mira smiled. "It's been a while."
Laki thought for a moment. "It feels like you haven't been around for a long time. Don't you ever run out of money?"
Rod added, "You finally decided to show your face."
"Ah, because of what happened last time," Willem said, a bit embarrassed. "Here's the mission report from last time."
Since the last social death incident, Willem had been avoiding the guild.
When he absolutely needed to take a mission, he would use the Telepathy magic to contact Mira from afar, and Rod would have the Shadow Wolf discreetly deliver the mission report.
Laki hadn't noticed this, which is why she asked the question.
Now, Willem seemed to have prepared himself mentally to face the incident, or perhaps he thought everyone had almost forgotten about it, so he decided to show up.
Mira made a note. "Alright, confirmed. Do you want to take another mission?"
Willem shook his head. "No, I plan to take a break. By the way, our guild has been quite active lately."
Rod asked, "What do you mean?"
Willem explained, "Every time I show my guild mark for a mission, people ask about the 'Fairy Queen.'"
Laki said, "Erza has always been famous, right?"
"Not like this. It hasn't been this frequent before. And..." Willem pointed at Rod, "the strongest new member, capable of great things, has even made it to the Sosara."
Rod laughed. "That was just a coincidence, a coincidence."
"Also, on my way back, I heard people talking about the 'Fire Dragon.'"
Willem thought for a moment and repeated, "'Defeated a monster spewing flames on a volcano, like a true fire dragon.' That's probably about Natsu."
Mira smiled. "Fire Dragon, that title suits Natsu well."
"Yeah, it feels like our guild is getting more and more impressive," Willem said, looking at the noisy tavern with a touch of nostalgia. "It's usually so loud here, but now I kind of miss it."
Mira and Laki smiled in understanding. It wasn't just Willem; many people who had been away for a long time felt the same way.
This noisy, chaotic place was their home.
However, William couldn’t help but scratch his ear after just a moment. "It’s still so loud!"
Rod chuckled. He missed this place when he was out on missions, but upon returning, the flaws were all too apparent.
And that’s what made it home.
William casually ordered a drink and carried it over, intending to find Marcus for a chat.
In this guild, when you wanted to talk to someone but didn’t know who, Marcus was the go-to person.
But things rarely went as planned.
"William! You really pulled one on us last time!"
Biggda, wearing tight-fitting clothes, jumped out, striking a pose that looked like a snake fist, ready to confront William.
"That... there was a reason for it..."
William knew his 'distress call' had caused everyone trouble, so he felt a bit guilty.
"This can’t just be left alone!"
"Right, right!"
Several more people stood up to support Biggda. They weren’t necessarily angry, but it felt wrong to let it go.
"Last time was my mistake, and I apologize to everyone. But..."
William glanced at the loudest one, a pink-haired guy. "But Natsu, you weren’t even there last time. Why are you yelling the loudest?"
"Ahahaha..." Natsu laughed, his right fist smacking into his left palm. "Why talk so much? Let’s just fight it out!"
Despite his words, Natsu wasn’t the first to make a move.
"That’s right, a real man!"
"Why am I the one getting hit!"
Elfman, who had just been shouting, swung a punch without even realizing who he hit.
The fight broke out, and a group of people were quickly drawn in, leaving William relatively unnoticed.
Bottles and chairs flew everywhere, and Rod casually deflected a bottle that was heading toward Mirajane.
Laki held up a plate to block a cup flying her way, complaining, "Are you being too selective?"
"What? No, of course not," Rod denied, "I’ve only been learning magic for a short time and am not good at fighting. Blocking one is my limit."
"Sure, I believe that," Laki rolled her eyes, "I’ve never seen you get hit by any of these things!"
Rod explained, "That’s because I keep my distance and stay alert."
Mirajane just happened to be within his protective range, while Laki was too far away.
The fight continued until a bottle hit Erza, who had been spacing out, and Natsu was thrown into her table.
"Er... Erza, you’re here... hehe, hehe..." Natsu’s forehead began to sweat.
"Natsu..."
Erza’s fist landed on Natsu’s head, sending him into a deep sleep.
"And all of you!"
Erza didn’t bother with words this time. She waited until everyone was on the ground, then a sword appeared in her hand. "Come on! If you want to fight, come at me!"
Happy weakly raised his hand. "Love! They’re all out!"
Mirajane covered her mouth, laughing. "Ahaha... looks like she’s in a better mood now."
"Um, I’m heading to the library," Rod decided to make a quick exit.
They had just been joking about who should provoke Erza, but...
In Fairy Tail, such things happened without them even trying.
Natsu’s title, Salamander, referred to a fire lizard or a salamander, not the "Flame Dragon" he often shouted. He didn’t even know about his title until after the Fake Fire Dragon incident.
Erza had also mentioned that her title, Fairy Queen, was unknown to her at first. She probably hadn’t even heard it when it first started.
Rod, on the other hand, had accidentally given himself the title of the Strongest Newcomer, a rare occurrence.
(End of Chapter)
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