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"Alright, spit it out. What were you doing all the way out here?"
After dealing with the giant beast and absorbing its remaining magic, Ur had finally recovered a bit of strength. He shot an annoyed glance at Natsu beside him.
Natsu, who had been baring his teeth while rubbing his lower back, and Happy froze on the spot. The same went for Happy at his side. One man and one cat immediately started averting their gazes guiltily, stammering in broken phrases.
"Uh… well… ahahaha…"
Ur: "..."
"You didn't sneak out here, did you?" Ur asked flatly.
Natsu: [Σ(°△°)︴]
Happy: [Σ(°Д°;]
"We, we just overheard Gramps saying Levy was in danger, so we kinda… snuck out," Natsu muttered, lips puckered as he avoided eye contact.
"Aye~!" Happy chimed in.
"Pfft—!" Seeing their exaggerated guilty expressions, Levy couldn't help covering her mouth and laughing.
Ur, meanwhile, was at a complete loss for words.
He had already more or less figured out what had happened.
It was obvious that Makarov had been worried about them and had deliberately let the news slip to Natsu.
Although Fairy Tail's creed was "The lives of comrades come above all else," Some things couldn't be done too openly.
For example, when it came to missions, if a guild member encountered danger during a job, Makarov, as the guild master, couldn't use the guild's name to intervene directly. After all, a mage's work was inherently dangerous. If the guild had to rescue someone every time trouble arose, it would be detrimental both to the mages themselves and to the guild's growth.
That said, personal action was a completely different story.
If Ur remembered correctly, Makarov had pulled the same trick early in the original story, using Natsu to save Macao without technically breaking any rules.
After all, in the entire guild, simple-minded, absurdly strong, and always eager to charge in headfirst, Natsu was basically the perfect candidate.
Don't be fooled by Makarov's short stature. That geezer was sly as hell.
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"Oh, right!" Natsu suddenly lit up, eyes sparkling. "Ur, when did you get so strong? No way, do you have some secret training manual? Teach me!"
"A secret manual?" Ur glanced at him and replied calmly, "Read more books, read the newspaper, eat fewer snacks, and sleep more."
Natsu: "???"
"What are you even talking about?" Natsu scratched his head, completely lost.
"I mean," Ur sighed, "eat more when you have meals. If you eat a lot, you'll get stronger. Here, eat."
He'd always known Natsu was talkative, but he hadn't realized the guy could be this noisy.
Thankfully, Levy had just finished grilling the demon beast's meat, giving Ur the perfect opportunity to shut Natsu up with food.
He also handed a smaller piece to Happy.
Happy's eyes instantly curved into happy crescents. In a soft, childlike voice, he said, "Thank you, Ur… aaahm!"
"Nom nom nom~!" Both Natsu and Happy dug in enthusiastically. Natsu, in particular, seemed to have taken Ur's words very seriously, eating like a starving man reborn.
A thirty-centimeter slab of grilled meat vanished by a third in just a few bites.
"Mmm, so good!" Natsu sighed blissfully.
"Oh, right! Ur, I just realized how much stronger you've gotten. When we get back to the guild, let's fight, nom nom!"
"We'll talk about it later." Hearing Natsu's challenge, several black lines flashed through Ur's mind.
Unbelievable. Even food can't shut your mouth.
Judging by Natsu's perfectly healthy expression, Ur was now certain the beast meat wasn't poisonous. He joined the feast as well.
Ever since acquiring the passive skill Void Hunger, Ur's appetite had grown at an alarming rate.
Once he truly let himself eat freely, not just Natsu and Happy—even Levy, who had already seen Ur eat before, was utterly stunned.
To put it simply, because the beast's meat was rich in energy, Natsu was full after just two thirty-centimeter pieces.
Ur, on the other hand, ate over twenty pieces and still didn't feel full.
The sheer amount left everyone staring in disbelief.
At the same time, it made Natsu even more convinced that Ur's earlier advice was absolutely correct.
After devouring more than thirty pieces of grilled meat, Ur finally recovered his strength. Once he was back in fighting condition, he immediately led Natsu, the others, and their "spoils of war" back toward the guild. As for the remaining Kingdom soldiers and the Magic Council personnel, someone else would handle things here.
For Ur, there was a more pressing matter.
He needed to report the situation regarding the Beast Apostles to Makarov as soon as possible.
On the surface, a dark guild invading the Kingdom of Fiore didn't seem to have much to do with Fairy Tail. But for some reason, Ur couldn't shake the feeling that this whole affair would eventually come back to involve Fairy Tail one way or another.
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