After a full day on the train, Ankh and the others finally arrived at the transfer station of Rose Garden.
Natsu practically crawled off the train on all fours…
During the ride, Ankh had not managed to get anything useful out of Éclair.
It seemed Éclair had lost part of her memory and could not remember where she had come from.
Aside from that, the way she spoke carried the weary stillness of an old person, and her responses were far too mature.
With only a few calm words, she effortlessly brushed aside Wendy, Lucy, and the others whenever they tried to get closer to her.
"A magic city, huh? This is awesome!"
Once Natsu recovered after getting off the train, he looked at the lively streets of Rose Garden, packed with people and filled with cheerful noise, as well as the unique magical atmosphere found everywhere, and instantly jumped up in excitement.
Even Magnolia might not be able to compare to this kind of bustling energy.
Erza seriously flipped through the travel brochure and introduced the place.
"Rose Garden was originally a rest stop that existed as a midpoint station. Later, more and more people realized it was a transportation hub connected in all directions, and its flow of travelers kept increasing. Once the authorities began paying attention to it, Rose Garden gradually prospered."
"Because mages often pass through this place during their travels, several magic nations invested in it together, turning it into the small city it is today, filled with magical influences from many different countries, even though it is not officially considered a city."
The moment Natsu heard that, he became even more excited.
He grabbed Happy and shouted, "Come on! Let's go try some food from all those different countries!"
Watching Natsu run off into the distance, Ankh adjusted the backpack on his shoulders and smiled.
"Let's drop our things at the hotel first, then everyone can go have fun on their own. It's rare for us to come here, after all."
"Yay!"
The group happily followed Ankh toward the hotel he had booked the day before.
After putting away their luggage, everyone cheerfully went out to eat, drink, and explore, leaving only Lucy and Éclair at the hotel.
Éclair had no interest in the magic city at all, so she did not want to go out.
Lucy, meanwhile, simply wanted to get closer to this mature, distant girl.
Unfortunately, no matter what topic Lucy brought up, Éclair responded like a slow-moving old woman, giving only the occasional answer and leaving Lucy with absolutely no way in.
On the other side, the members of the strongest team who had split up were having a pretty good time.
Probably.
The two girls were fine.
Erza went shopping at clothing stores and armor shops, while Wendy searched for all kinds of popular sightseeing spots and attractions.
The two men, however, were complete disasters.
Natsu took Happy with him and seemed determined to make up for all the food he had missed while being motion sick on the train.
He ate so much at a famous restaurant that the owner became fired up with fighting spirit, and the kitchen almost could not keep up with the eating speed of one man and one cat.
But after Natsu finally filled his stomach and patted it in satisfaction, he glanced at the bill and nearly screamed.
The price was enough to keep him fed for a whole week!
Unable to pay, Natsu had no choice but to bring Happy along for a miserable late-night dishwashing adventure to repay the debt!
Meanwhile, Gray was spotted by the police patrolling the streets for public decency because he was walking around shirtless.
Since he was clearly in the wrong, Gray was arrested according to the law and taken to the station.
As for Ankh?
He had not really done anything special.
He simply spent the whole night running around bailing people out…
...
"I swear, i'm so done with this! Can those two not act like normal people for one single trip?"
On the street, Ankh had just dragged Gray out of the police station.
Exhausted, he held the travel brochure and prepared to finally begin his own proper sightseeing trip.
Wendy happened to have the same destination as him.
Walking beside him, she gave an awkward laugh. "It's not exactly the first time Natsu-san and Gray-san have been like this…"
Carla spread her paws. "It would be stranger if those two didn't cause trouble for other people."
Ankh threw those two unlucky little brothers out of his mind and stood with Wendy in front of a food stall, eagerly ordering one of the dishes heavily recommended in the travel brochure.
"It's a little scary, but… it tastes so good! Talking takoyaki!"
Wendy accepted her portion, picked up a ball with a toothpick, and put it in her mouth, chewing with a blissful expression.
At the same time, the remaining takoyaki in her box kept crying out, "Eat me! Eat me!" which did look rather terrifying.
According to the stall owner, the sound was created by regularly poking tiny holes on the surface of the takoyaki so that steam could be released as the temperature shifted from hot to cold.
But after hearing that explanation, Ankh still felt it was about as ridiculous as fried rice glowing.
That said, he was still rather excited when he bought a box for himself.
He picked up one piece and was just about to put it in his mouth when—
Boom!
A tremendous explosion suddenly rang out.
Seeing the ground explode without warning, Ankh had no choice but to give up the food in his hand and grab Wendy and the stall owner, flying into the air with both of them.
Bang, bang, bang!
The explosions continued one after another.
It was as if Ankh had stepped onto a whole chain of landmines, with scorching fire and powerful shockwaves bursting endlessly beneath him.
The market had been crowded moments ago, but once the explosions started, the travelers visiting the area immediately panicked and scattered in every direction, screams filling the streets.
The crowd quickly fled, and only then did the explosions finally stop.
Ankh lowered Wendy and the stall owner back to the ground.
The stall owner was so frightened that he ran off at top speed, while Wendy, still shaken, looked around in alarm.
"An enemy? Where?"
"Heeheehee… You really are impressive. You managed to dodge even that…"
Ankh and Wendy turned toward the voice and saw a man in a black cloak slowly stepping out from the shadows in the distance, laughing in a strange voice.
The man's tone was extremely arrogant as he provoked them.
"Looks like the Fairy Reaper isn't all that special after all. How did it feel almost getting blown to pieces?"
Ankh sighed and silently mourned the takoyaki in his heart.
Then the crimson in his eyes erupted all at once.
The man's heart lurched.
He watched helplessly as a fist grew larger and larger in his vision.
He had only just reacted and raised his arm to defend himself when his body folded like a shrimp and flew backward.
Boom!
A cloud of blood sprayed from the man's mouth.
Ankh walked calmly toward him as he lay sprawled on the ground like a corpse.
"I don't know who you are, but… you'd better have good meat on you. You'd better taste good. Better than that takoyaki!"
Hearing Ankh's words, the man shuddered.
Forcing down the pain raging through his body, he struggled back to his feet.
At that moment, the hood he had used to create an eerie atmosphere slipped off.
Ankh's steps paused, and Wendy's pupils shrank.
She cover her mouth.
This man had a pair of wolf ears, sharp wolf fangs, spotted markings across his face, and claws on his hands…
Ankh's memories seemed to drift back many years, to the female demon Seilah, who had once gone after Mira and then somehow ended up being killed by him.
Realization flashed across his face.
"A demon?"
"Are you from Tartaros?"