The Forest Path

The morning sun was just peeking through the gaps in the grove, and dew still clung to the tips of the grass blades.

The Riyao only stayed at the Gray family's house for one day before setting off for their next destination.

Actually, there was a rather embarrassing little incident that happened in the middle of the night last night.

Inside the spacious carriage, Lisanna stood with her hands on her hips next to the driver's seat, her cheeks puffed out in anger.

"Oh! Brother-in-law, you actually plan to run away secretly, abandoning us, your homeless, pitiful, and penniless sisters."

Lisanna loudly berated Riyao, while Mirajane covered her mouth and chuckled beside her.

Riyao gripped the reins with both hands, his eyelids drooping, refusing to look at Lisanna. When she ran to the left, he turned his head to the right.

Lisanna stomped her foot in anger, twisted her body and went around to the right, Riyao immediately turned her face to the left to look at the clouds in the sky.

He muttered to himself, "I've been found out. I'll have to be more careful next time."

"I heard that! Wow, sister, look, brother-in-law actually wants to do it again."

Lisanna clung to her older sister's arm, swaying back and forth, whimpering like a tattletale kitten.

Lucy, Levy, Cana, Wendy, and Carla, all sitting in the carriage, leaned out and glared at Riyao with displeasure.

Riyao looked at Mirajane with a wronged expression.

Mirajane looked away, pretending to look at the wood grain on the carriage roof.

I was involved in this too. Why would that idiot Lisanna get up in the middle of the night? She wanted to have some alone time with Riyao.

It won't be so easy to run away next time.

"Honey, where are we going next?"

Mirajane pushed away the clingy Lisanna, sat down next to Riyao, reached out and took Riyao's arm, and leaned against him softly.

A gentle breeze rustled the leaves in the forest, and laughter filled the carriage.

The horse's hooves clattered on the soft, muddy ground, and the cart wheels turned slowly.

Riyao closed his eyes, feeling the gentle breeze, his mind wandering to where he wanted to go.

The roads outside the forest are interconnected; to the south lies the coastline, to the north the rolling mountains, and to the east several bustling towns.

"Hmm... where should we go? So many people are homeless, wandering around, it'll be hard to find them."

"Then let's not look for them anymore, let's go have some fun. It's fine if they don't look for us. I wonder how Erza is doing?"

Mirajane raised her hand to shield her eyes from the falling sunlight, but the rays shone through her fingers.

dappled golden sunlight fell on her fair cheeks, and her silvery-white bangs swayed gently in the wind.

Lucy leaned against the car window sill, her chin resting on her arm, her eyes full of curiosity.

"Could Erza be working as a bodyguard in some remote town? Or perhaps as a swordsmanship instructor for some high-ranking nobleman?"

Levy shook her head, flipping through the little notebook in her hand.

"Given Erza's personality, she'd definitely draw her sword if she saw injustice; it seems like she'd cause a huge commotion wherever she goes."

Riyao scratched his head, his memory was very vague, but he vaguely remembered that Erza seemed to have gotten a stable job.

"I don't know either. If it were Erza, and she weren't in Fairy Tail, she'd probably be an enforcer in the Magic Council."

As Riyao cracked his riding crop, he casually uttered this remark.

Everyone nodded in agreement, finding it to be very reasonable.

Erza is clearly a natural fit for being an enforcer. If she had joined the Magic Council from the start, it's unimaginable how difficult things would have been for Fairy Tail.

If the Magic Council sent Erza to arrest guild mages for breaking the rules, Natsu and Gray would probably be beaten into the hospital eight hundred times a day, and wouldn't even dare to think about running away.

Lucy shuddered; she thought of Erza from Edolas —how terrifying!

Erza from that world was a ruthless knight captain known as the "Fairy Hunter," whose Ten Commandments Spear was always ready to skewer people like kebabs—just thinking about it sends chills down your spine.

Riyao pulled a crumpled map of the mainland from a hidden compartment under the car seat, unfolded it with one hand, and laid it out on his lap.

"Should we go look for her? There's a branch of the Magic Council in the Crocus Town ahead. If we go to Lahar, we might find out where Erza is."

Mirajane glanced at the map, smiled, and shook her head.

"Let's forget about it. Erza settles down, she'll definitely come home to visit. Let's go back to playing."

Mirajane nuzzled Riyao's cheek with the top of her head, adjusted her posture, and closed her eyes.

She nestled against Riyao like a docile kitten, her breathing gradually becoming even and long.

The forest sun was warm and the gentle breeze on my face made me want to be lazy.

The carriage gradually quieted down.

Little Wendy hugged the fluffy white kitten, her little head resting against the wooden plank of the carriage, nodding gently, her lips slightly parted as she made soft purring sounds.

Cana, standing next to her, was still holding the half-empty, flat flask in her arms, her head tilted on the cushion, her long, wavy hair cascading over her shoulder.

Lucy and the others yawned, caught up in the sleepiness, and closed their eyes to fall asleep.

Levy's book slipped onto her lap, Lucy lay sprawled on the small table, using her arms as a pillow, her cheeks flushed from sleep.

Aside from the clatter of hooves and the turning of the wheels, the only other sounds in the carriage were the girls' even breathing.

Riyao turned his head and glanced at the car full of people sleeping haphazardly, a row of black lines appearing on his forehead.

"Is this how you treat hardworking drivers? They're all asleep, and you didn't even leave someone to chat with me."

He muttered a few complaints, held the reins with one hand, and reached into his pocket with the other to take out some sunflower seeds and start cracking them open.

The crisp sound of cracking sunflower seeds echoed through the quiet forest path, the shells being casually flicked into the roadside grass.

As Riyao munched on spicy melon seeds, he idly stared at the horse's rump ahead, his thoughts wandering far and wide.

What would happen if I kicked him?

I wonder if Minerva can send us to Edolas. It would be nice to visit there. I wonder how Old Mys is doing?

The old man must be doing well back in the Empire, right?

The carriage followed the forest path, and once out of the forest came a wide plain with a river flowing gently by.

The trees gradually thinned out, and the view suddenly opened up.

In the distance stretches an endless expanse of lush green meadow, and a crystal-clear, winding river shimmers in the sunlight, with a few water birds skimming across the surface, creating ripples in the water.

This beautiful scene makes Riyao want to take out his magic camera and snap a picture.

Unfortunately, the camera was tucked away at the very bottom of the luggage compartment at the bottom of the carriage. Taking it out now would definitely wake up all those sleeping girls.

A strong gust of wind blew in.

A cool breeze swept across the plain and into the carriage, lifting the white curtains.

Mirajane's eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes. She hugged Riyao's arm and rubbed against Riyao shoulder in a daze.

She reached out a hand to rub her sleepy eyes, her long, silvery-white hair draped messily over Riyao's shoulder.

Where is this?

Mirajane's voice was soft and nasal, as if she had just woken up.

"We've just left the forest. Let's go check out the Sabertooth next. I heard they built a swimming pool modeled after our guild's. Let's go see what's going on."

Riyao reached out and tucked the stray strands of hair from her forehead behind her ear, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.

Ever since the Grand Magic Games, Sabertooth and his gang have been constantly copying Fairy Tail in various ways.

Sting dug a huge pool in the center of the guild hall and led people to splash around in it every day. I don't know what a ridiculous mess it's turned into now.

"Good."

She pressed her cheek against the Riyao's warm neck again, a beautiful smile curving her lips, and her eyes closed contentedly.