Silent Town

This was a town that appeared completely empty on the surface.

But with just a little careful observation, one could easily find countless traces of human life.

This was Silent Town.

A town where every resident could use the "Concealment" magic.

Because they refused to cooperate with a mad scientist's evil experiments, the scientist flew into a rage, trapping all residents in an irreversible "Concealment" state, unable to leave the town.

That was how Silent Town got its name.

The residents hadn't thought of asking for help, but everyone who promised to aid them would mysteriously forget their experiences here after leaving.

A group of five handsome men and beautiful women, plus two cats and a hamster, stood out starkly in this town.

As he stepped into Silent Town, Noah felt a massive magic formed by the convergence of homogeneous mana enveloping the entire town.

Analyzing this magic briefly, Noah understood why Natsu had forgotten his commission from Silent Town's residents.

A vast amount of "Concealment" magic had gathered here, and the sheer quantity had caused a qualitative change, pushing the magic from its original effect of 'hiding form and voice' to a level that could affect memory, making people forget the town's existence.

But the residents here weren't experts after all. Even with all their mana combined, "Concealment"'s effect on memory was limited to forgetting.

If someone had strong willpower or a crucial reminder, they would immediately recall Silent Town's existence.

He just didn't know which of those two conditions Natsu met.

"Noah, found anything?"

Mira looked at Noah, holding the snow cat Cheese in her arms, who in turn held the hamster Snowy—a sight that gave off a strong vibe of someone carrying a child.

Noah didn't hide anything and shared his findings.

"So that's it. I knew that single-celled organism, no matter how dumb, wouldn't forget something as important as a commission."

Gray nodded, agreeing with Noah's reasoning.

As for why Gray was involved, part of it was to help Natsu solve the problem, but more than that, he wanted to thoroughly mock Natsu afterward as someone who helped.

After all, they were "incompatible" comrades. Gray's attitude toward Natsu had always been worrying he wasn't doing well, yet afraid he was doing too well.

Natsu knew this full well, but thinking back to the promise he'd made to Silent Town's residents years ago, he figured as long as he could deal with that mad scientist and restore the town to normal, he could endure being mocked by Gray this time.

Compared to her four composed companions, Lucy was a bit more pathetic.

Walking down the empty town streets, being watched by invisible gazes made her skin crawl. Even though she knew Silent Town was full of living people forced into invisibility, not being able to see them was still somewhat creepy.

So the blonde girl hugged Happy tighter, completely unaware that the blue cat was already sticking out its tongue from the pressure.

Natsu didn't notice Happy's little paws waving for help. Instead, he suddenly shouted at the sky:

"Everyone in Silent Town! I'm Natsu! I'm back to keep my promise!"

Noah facepalmed. Shouting your identity before even finding the enemy—truly you, Natsu.

But the first to be alarmed weren't the evil scientists, but the residents who still remembered Natsu. So many people willing to help the town had forgotten its existence and never returned.

Who would've thought that cherry-haired kid from back then actually came back, and brought his companions along.

Though years had passed, Natsu's appearance was undoubtedly a beacon of hope for Silent Town's residents.

A slip of paper floated out from a house by the roadside. Due to the deepened "Concealment" magic effect, the residents could no longer communicate with outsiders through sound, only through written words.

Noah caught the paper. Its contents revealed the mad scientist's location, and that a group of missionaries had recently escorted a bloody person into the scientist's residence.

Seeing the word "missionaries," Noah's mood immediately turned complicated.

Every time he left Magnolia, he ran into members of the Dark Magic Cult.

The first time, buying magic tools with Cana, he'd encountered two Dark Priests, who were reduced to ashes by a "Dragon Knight" blast.

The second time, investigating the Black Bird on Rena's commission, he'd run into another Dark Priest, turning him into a pulp with an Explosive Fist.

The third time, heading to Mount Hakobe, he'd stumbled upon a five-man squad under the Dark Magic Cult—now they were ice shards beneath the snow.

That group of missionaries was very likely from the Dark Magic Cult again. They'd probably struck some deal with the mad scientist.

As for the bloody person described by the residents, Noah couldn't tell yet whether he was one of the Dark Magic Cult's people or a poor victim.

Following the directions from the residents' note, Noah led the group straight to an unremarkable two-story inn at the corner of Silent Town.

The inn looked quite old, but its footprint was considerable.

Mira immediately saw through the inn's false appearance—a spatial distortion.

Having fought Erza so many times, Mira had deeply memorized the spatial magic fluctuations whenever Erza changed her armor, so she spotted the inn's problem at once.

"Everyone, be careful. There are about fifteen enemies."

"One person takes three later. No fighting over them."

Through his "Malice Perception" ability, Noah could sense the hostile emotions inside the inn even through the door.

Natsu, already itching for a fight, didn't care about any of that. He kicked the door open with a flaming flying kick.

But the next moment, a figure wreathed in flames flew backward.

A loudspeaker suddenly appeared on the inn, and a female voice rang out: "What an impatient guest. The shop isn't open yet, you know."

Hearing that strange catchphrase, Natsu stood up and shouted, "You damn scientist! Release the townspeople from your magic right now!"

"Hyee~ hyee~ hyee~ No can do~ It's their punishment for not believing my words and refusing to cooperate with my experiment, y'know."

"That's no reason to oppress the townsfolk!"

At these words, rage surged within Natsu. Scorching magical power gathered in his right arm, the very air taking on a burnt tang.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

The massive blow, driven by fury, slammed straight into the inn. The intense magical impact sent rippling shockwaves splashing outward like water.

With a metallic clang, the warped spatial illusion was shattered. A team of fourteen missionaries revealed themselves, their leader clad in a white robe that looked familiar to Noah.

Also appearing were a massive dragon-shaped mecha and a black-haired girl in glasses wearing white clothes, staring at Natsu with a fanatical expression.

"Hyee~ hyee~ hyee~ Perfect! You're a Dragon Slayer mage! We've finally found the key power source for the Artificial Lifeform 'Dragoon'!"

"Fire Dragon Natsu, become the Dragoon's fuel!"

"Let the dragon's form reappear in this world!"

With the black-haired glasses girl's fervent declaration, the colossal dragon-shaped mecha behind her let out an earth-shaking roar.