Souvenirs

"Get out of here, I have nothing left."

The Leo Palace was in a mess; the long table was askew, and cups and plates were scattered all over the floor. Everyone was busy packing up.

Leo pushed Riyao, carrying many bags and packages, all of which he had taken from Leo's palace.

Riyao was pushed backward repeatedly, his shoulders, back, and arms full of packages, making a clattering sound as he walked, like a mobile general store.

The pile of packages was taller than him, and the top was swaying precariously, looking like it might collapse at any moment, but he remained remarkably steady.

"Hey, buddy, you're being too polite. We're practically family."

"If I let you stay any longer, you'll carry all the pillars out of my palace! Get out of here, you bandit!"

Leo used both hands, pushing and shoving until his face turned red.

But Riyao seemed rooted to the spot, no matter how much he pushed, it wouldn't budge, and it even stretched its neck forward with a grin, making Leo stomp his feet in anger.

Riyao pointed to Erza, who was examining the pillar in the distance, and she even took out her longsword to measure it.

"I won't carry your pillar, but she might; she's about to start cutting it."

Several black lines appeared on Leo's forehead.

"Erza! Spare my pillar! It's innocent."

He ignored the Riyao and rushed towards Erza, who had already drawn Erza longsword, ready to cut her.

Erza's sword was already pressed against the pillar. She turned to look at him when she heard the shout, but her hand didn't stop moving at all.

The sword blade touched the pillar, leaving a shallow cut. Had it been any later, the pillar would likely have been cut in half.

Riyao carried the package and walked towards Mirajane.

What are you looking at?

"I was thinking of taking this crystal back to decorate my room."

Riyao kicked the crystal in half, leaving a smooth and regular break. Mirajane picked it up and stuffed it into Riyao's bag.

She moved swiftly, patted the package after stuffing it in, and gave Riyao a satisfied thumbs-up.

The two worked together seamlessly, one kicking and the other posing, and in the blink of an eye, they had looted several more pieces of high-quality crystal.

"A bunch of bandits! We're supposed to be guildmates, and they're robbing their own people!" Leo roared.

"Are you even human? Fine, open the door and take us back."

Riyao patted Leo's lion head.

He was too rough with his hands, slapping Leo so hard his hair stood on end, and the little lion's fur stood on end.

Leo immediately opened the gate to the human world, thinking he could get rid of the bandits as soon as possible. The Fairy Tail members, carrying souvenirs from the Celestial Spirit World, stepped into the passage.

"We'll come visit again next time," Lucy waved.

She smiled broadly, showing no remorse for having just snatched something.

"Your Highness, welcome to visit again next time." Virgo gave a slight bow.

She performed a proper bow, bending her waist just right.

Princess Hisui blinked. Was she calling her?

"Don't come in!"

Leo broke free and roared. The palace behind him was empty and looked particularly desolate.

He looked around and saw that half of the pillars were missing, a piece of the crystal was chipped, and even several flowerpots in the corners were gone. The entire palace looked like it had been ransacked.

The once magnificent hall is now just an empty shell, and the wind blows in, making the dust on the ground swirl.

He shoved Natsu into the tunnel, fearing that these people would take the planet with them.

Natsu was still carrying a large bag of meat when Leo kicked him and the bag into the tunnel entrance, sending him flying through the air.

The moment the door closed, he collapsed to the ground, letting out a long breath.

The passageway suddenly spun around, and everyone was caught off guard by the sudden weightlessness, frantically trying to regain their balance.

The group of people were thrown into a giant rolling mill, falling over in all directions, some head down, some feet up, no one in any proper position.

Riyao carried Mirajane to a safe landing and then took a few steps to the side.

Natsu landed gracefully.

He knelt on one knee, striking what he thought was a cool pose, his hair still blowing in the wind, ready to deliver a few impressive opening remarks.

Before he could speak, he was knocked down by Gray, who was falling from behind, and the two of them were then crushed at the bottom by the crowd falling from behind.

The pile of people grew higher and higher, until Natsu, at the very bottom, only had half his face showing, his eyes rolling back in his head from the pressure.

"Ouch, who's on top of me? It's so heavy!"

"Where am I heavier? You idiot Natsu!"

"Lu-chan, your leg is pressing on me."

"I can't move, there are still people up there..."

Pfft~

Riyao led Mirajane away from the crowd, as if his feet were greased, and pulled Mirajane far away in one breath.

The sound was loud and long, with a consonant curve at the end, echoing for quite a while before dissipating.

Upon hearing the "poof," the crowd fell silent for a second, then erupted into chaos, scrambling and tumbling away from the group.

Everyone used their hands and feet to scramble out, pulling and shoving each other along, losing a shoe in the process.

"Who put this out?! Damn it! Yue..."

"Ugh, it smells awful! What did you eat?!"

"..."

Natsu was knocked out by the stench!

The crowd dispersed, revealing Natsu at the bottom, who had lost consciousness and was foaming at the mouth.

His eyes rolled back, his limbs outstretched, like a fish that had been knocked unconscious by the fumes, white foam dripping from the corners of his mouth.

Everyone looked at each other, but no one admitted who had farted.

Everyone's expression was one of utter innocence, yet they all subconsciously took a half-step back.

"You know me, I drank a little bit of alcohol at the banquet." Cana said, taking another swig of wine.

"You all know me, I'm made of iron," Gajeel snorted.

"You know me, I only ate strawberry cake." Erza her arms.

The remaining people couldn't give a coherent explanation, simply denying it and completely ignoring Natsu on the ground.

"We're not playing with you smelly, dirty people anymore."

Riyao pulled Mirajane away from them quickly, and Mirajane almost fell over laughing. Riyao picked Mirajane up.

The person in his arms was laughing so hard they were shaking, their legs kicking wildly in the air, their laughter echoing all the way out.

"Haha..." Mirajane's laughter lingered for a long time.

Everyone held their noses and moved away from the scene. Poor Natsu was left behind with no one to care for him. Happy glanced at him and then ran off to find Carla.

Happy turning his head, Harpy flapped his wings rapidly, muttering to himself, and flew faster than anyone else.

It took Natsu a while to recover; the smell lingered in his nasal cavity for a long time.

He sat on the ground, covered his nose, and took a while to forcefully expel the smell from his mind.

It was quiet all around, not a soul in sight, only the wind swirling fallen leaves past my feet.

He jumped up and looked around.

"Where is everyone?! Why is it already evening? Wow, that's outrageous!"

Natsu dashed off towards the guild.

"They actually left me in the wilderness!"