Shane couldn't help but laugh when he saw the two of them trembling like leaves.
He'd originally thought about telling Erza not to be so harsh all the time—but then he reconsidered. The guild really did need someone who could keep those two overcharged idiots in line.
If nobody reined them in, Gray and Natsu would probably blow a hole in the sky.
"Yeah… this is probably for the best," Shane murmured, nodding to himself.
Right as he was thinking that, Makarov suddenly hopped down from the bar and yanked Shane into a corner.
"Shane!"
The old man looked grave as he lowered his voice. "When you go out this time, keep a close eye on Erza."
"Huh? Why?" Shane asked, confused.
"You seriously don't know?"
Makarov looked like he'd been suffering for ages and launched straight into a bitter rant.
"That girl's been getting wilder and wilder on jobs lately! Catching a thief, she can demolish half a street! Chasing a beast, she can wreck an entire forest—those complaint letters are practically burying my office!"
"Tell me, she used to be such a good kid! I don't even know who taught her to use brute force at the drop of a hat!"
"H-heh… yeah. Who could've taught her that?" Shane's smile froze on his face. He turned his head away, guilty as sin.
He couldn't help thinking: It's not like she learned it from me… right?
Even though Erza's "solve it with fists first" pattern really did resemble his in a few ways.
But he learned from Gildarts. There was no way the old man could trace it back to him!
The more he thought about it, the more dangerous this topic felt. To avoid getting caught in the blast radius—
"Ahem! I'll keep an eye on her. Uh—anyway, it's getting late! We need to get going!"
To cover his embarrassment, Shane stood up stiffly, grabbed Gray with one hand and Natsu with the other, and bolted for the door without caring whether they agreed.
"Move, move, move! Work! Work comes first!"
The two of them looked like they'd been granted amnesty. They immediately jumped up and slung arms around Shane's shoulders like best buddies, desperate to escape Erza's "demon claw."
Erza stood there, watching the three of them walk off with arms hooked, her gaze drifting.
Only when they were almost out the door did she snap back to her senses and chase after them.
"Wait for me!"
As she ran, she still remembered to turn back and nod seriously to Makarov. "Master, we're going to work now."
Makarov clutched his chest and felt another stab of pain.
Such a good kid… how did she suddenly become this?!
Why did it turn out like this?!
To prevent Erza from going home and doing her terrifying "moving-house-level" packing, Shane led the team straight to the train station the moment they left the guild.
Shane, Erza, and Gray were basically regulars on magic trains by now—tickets and boarding were routine.
Natsu, on the other hand, was vibrating with excitement.
Since joining the guild, he'd done jobs constantly, sure—but mostly around Magnolia. He'd never ridden one of these.
"Woah! That huge thing is the train?!"
The moment he stepped into the station, he was like a country bumpkin at a festival—eyes darting everywhere.
"So cool! It runs so fast!"
He poked at this, patted that, gaping like a kid in a toy shop.
Seeing Natsu's wide-eyed wonder, Shane's "teacher mode" instantly flared up.
He'd actually read a lot in the library about magitech and transport history while trying to understand this world. He knew the structure and history of magic trains pretty well.
"Ahem." Shane cleared his throat and started lecturing Natsu.
"Magic trains are one of Fiore's major technological achievements. They don't need fuel—there's a magic engine in the front that converts the magic in lacrima into kinetic energy…"
He went on and on—engine principles, development history, all of it.
"I don't really get it, but it sounds insanely awesome!" Natsu nodded along, completely lost but sparkling-eyed anyway.
Gray couldn't help snorting. "Man, you've really never seen anything, huh?"
Thunk!
A knife-hand chop landed cleanly on Gray's forehead.
"Ow!" Gray crouched down, clutching his head.
"Don't laugh at your comrades for that," Erza scolded seriously.
Gray looked like he was about to cry.
Just like he thought: doing jobs with Erza was exhausting. She was too serious—couldn't even crack a joke without getting disciplined.
And nobody cared about his suffering.
With a long "Woooo—" the train rolled into the platform.
Natsu cheered and sprinted into the carriage first. Shane and Erza followed right behind; Gray had no choice but to trail after them.
They found their seats under the attendant's guidance.
Before the train even moved, Natsu was already too excited to sit still—squirming in his seat, face pressed to the window, chanting, "It's starting, it's starting!"
Clunk—
The carriage shuddered slightly as the train began to move, picking up speed.
But the instant it accelerated, Natsu—who'd been bouncing like a firecracker—went ghost-white.
"Ughhh—"
He covered his mouth, strength draining out of him like someone pulled a plug. He collapsed onto the table like a limp noodle.
"Natsu? What's wrong?" Shane startled, leaning in. The guy had been fine a second ago—how did he suddenly look half-dead?
"So dizzy… so nauseous…" Natsu groaned, eyes unfocused like he was about to ascend to the afterlife.
"Huh?"
Shane, Erza, and Gray stared at each other in disbelief.
That hyperactive Dragon Slayer who could tear buildings apart… got motion sick?
"Pff—" Gray was the first to lose it. He pointed at Natsu and burst out laughing. "No way. You get carsick?! That's pathetic!"
"Save… me…" Natsu couldn't even muster the energy to argue—only a weak cry for help from the tabletop.
Watching his misery, Shane couldn't help wondering:
If I carried Natsu with my wings, would he get airsick too?
The thought vanished as quickly as it came. Flying with passengers was a hassle, and the train was obviously the comfortable option.
Natsu could suffer. Maybe he'd build tolerance.
So, amid Natsu's ongoing anguished groans and Gray's shameless laughter, the train finally reached their destination.
"We're here, Natsu. Get off," Shane said the moment it stopped.
The word "off" hit Natsu like a revival spell.
The moment the train fully halted, he sprang upright like a man resurrected.
"I—I'm alive again!"
He shouted in joy, then immediately bolted out of the carriage like something was chasing him. The attendant at the door flinched.
"I'm never riding a train again!!!"
Outside the station, a sharp, freezing wind slapped them in the face.
They were in the far north of Fiore.
Even though it was only August, snow was already pouring down. Thick drifts coated the streets, turning everything into a white world.
"Huh… it's really cold," Shane said, amused, catching a snowflake in his palm.
Magic world, huh. Fiore wasn't even that big, and yet the temperature swings could be this extreme.
"Yaaahoo—!"
Meanwhile, the guy who'd sworn he'd never ride a train again had instantly revived.
Natsu whooped, scooped up a snowball, and nailed Gray with it.
"Take this!"
"You bastard! You wanna die?!" Gray fired back with a snowball of his own.
The two overgrown toddlers immediately launched into a full-on snowball war, laughing and yelling like maniacs.
Only Erza stayed out of it, request sheet in hand.
Her gaze passed over the streets and fixed on the distant, jagged mountain silhouettes.
That was the deep northern snow range.
"The request says…" Erza murmured.
"The wyverns should be somewhere over there."
~~~
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