"Our comrades were hurt. How would we have had time to read the newspaper?!"
Natsu had not even fully processed what was going on yet, but his fist was already clenched and his anger was blazing.
Happy raised a paw to explain as well. "These past few days, whenever we could take a ride, we took one. And when we couldn't, I flew Natsu. That's how we managed to rush back from the north of the kingdom so quickly."
"…That really was hard on you two."
Kabe held it in for a long moment before finally forcing out that line. Then he looked around at the others, who were already on the verge of bursting, and spread his hands at the pair with a face full of regret.
"But unfortunately, you still came back too late. Phantom Lord has already been dealt with by us."
Natsu and Happy froze.
"Ah?"
Seeing the blank, wide-eyed looks on their faces, everyone who had been holding it in for so long could not endure it any longer. They bent over laughing, clutching their stomachs.
...
Erza did not laugh.
With warmth in her eyes, she stepped forward and patted Natsu on the shoulder. Then she lowered her head and looked at Happy with quiet encouragement.
"Even though abandoning your mission was the wrong thing to do, I understand how much you care about your comrades and this guild.
You did well, Natsu. Happy too."
"Erzaaaa..."
"Erzaaaa..."
Compared to the others laughing at them, Erza, who praised them and took care of their feelings like an older sister, moved Natsu and Happy deeply. They were almost in tears.
But that moment of warmth between comrades ended almost at once when a staggering figure emerged from the guild hall.
Sho was covered in injuries. One hand clutched his stomach while the other braced against the doorframe, barely keeping himself from collapsing.
The moment he saw everyone had returned, especially Erza and Kabe, he lifted a trembling hand and pointed at Natsu, his expression full of grievance.
"Big Sis, Brother-in-law, you're finally back.
That guy suddenly barged into the basement just now. He did not give us even a moment to explain and beat me and Simon and the others all up!"
"Hah, so it was you, the thief who snuck into our guild."
Natsu turned his head, and the instant he saw Sho, he rolled up his sleeves, ready to charge over and beat him up again without a second thought.
But just as he moved, he felt his shoulder seized by a hand like an iron vise.
He turned back in confusion and looked at Erza, who had lowered her head and said nothing.
Kabe and everyone else saw the slight tremble in Erza's body. Without a word, all of them stepped back in perfect unison.
Happy also sharply noticed the movement. He shrank his neck and silently retreated into the crowd.
Only Natsu remained there, still asking foolishly,
"What's wrong, Erza? You're shaking. Are you sick?"
What answered him was an iron fist wrapped in armor.
In a burst of fury, Erza's uppercut landed perfectly on Natsu's chin.
"You idiot!!!"
"Gahhh!!"
With one sharp scream, Natsu spiraled skyward like a shooting star.
Macao put a hand over his brow and watched Natsu vanish into the distance.
"Not bad. That really was a perfect firework."
The others could only laugh helplessly. None of the people who had gone out to fight Phantom Lord were seriously hurt, yet the guests who had stayed behind in the guild had somehow ended up in this state instead.
...
With one hand in his pocket, Kabe walked over to Happy, who had already been frightened senseless, and picked him up off the ground.
"What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and go bring Natsu back.
And once you do, the two of you are going to apologize properly to Sho and the others. Then you're paying their medical bills."
"Aye!"
Receiving that order, Happy looked as though he had been granted a pardon. He flapped away in a panic to find wherever Natsu was currently falling from the sky.
As expected, a gentle Erza did not exist. Everything from just now had only been their imagination.
After that, everyone helped bring the injured Sho back down to the basement.
And just as he had said, Simon and Wally were both badly hurt, lying against the wall outside the infirmary.
Millianna was in a better state by comparison. Her injuries did not seem as severe, but a huge lump had risen on her head, and with her eyes spinning in circles, she had fallen unconscious.
"Cat... blue kitty..."
Even in that condition, she was still mumbling about Happy. The sight of it left the others even more speechless as they carried all four of them into the infirmary.
Inside, Jellal was still just as he had been before they left, lying silently on the bed in deep sleep.
According to Sho, who was still conscious enough to explain, Granny Porlyusica had fed Jellal a kind of sleeping medicine.
That was the only reason he had stayed obediently in bed for so long instead of waking up and going mad again.
As for Porlyusica herself, the guild had run short on medicine, so she had gone back to the forest where she lived in seclusion to fetch more herbs.
Otherwise, if she had still been here, something as absurd as Natsu accidentally beating up friendly forces never would have happened.
Kabe let out a pained sigh.
"Honestly, this is a sin against nature. Even when we fought Phantom Lord, we did not end up with injuries this bad.
And yet that idiot Natsu managed to pull it off. He's even more dangerous than that old bastard Jose."
At those words, Erza's face darkened, and the atmosphere around her turned even colder.
If nothing unexpected happened, then once Natsu and Happy returned, another beating was clearly waiting for them.
In the end, Erza stayed behind in the infirmary, together with Marcus, who eagerly volunteered to help take care of the injured.