Too Cruel

Clank-clank~

Listening to the rhythmic sound of the rolling wheels, Noah studied this vehicle called a "magic train."

Using magic crystals that stored magical power as the train's energy source, its operational efficiency was low, its speed wasn't particularly fast, and even its comfort left something to be desired—the wooden seats grew uncomfortable after sitting for too long.

Yet this "magic train" was widely favored, for two reasons: its low ticket prices and the railway network connecting major cities. These two points alone were enough to offset all its shortcomings.

Similar vehicles existed in Edolas, but due to the depletion of magic power, they had ceased operation decades ago. Noah had only read about them in books.

What puzzled Noah, however, was that Earth-land was not Edolas. This world clearly had abundant magic, yet it hadn't advanced much beyond Edolas in terms of magical transportation.

Such stagnation didn't make sense.

Turning to look at Mira, who sat by the window beside him, Noah voiced his doubts.

Mira rested her chin on one hand, gazing at the shifting scenery outside. "Why didn't they keep developing it? Simple—it wasn't profitable enough."

"I heard the Heartfilia Konzern, which controls the railway operations, ran into funding trouble and was forced to sell off track ownership in several areas to pay off its debts."

Noah understood. A perfectly reasonable explanation. Research and development always required massive amounts of money and resources; without them, progress was impossible.

Across from them, Lisanna, sitting next to Elfman, asked innocently, "Noah, you're not familiar with a lot of things out here. How do you plan to find your older brother?"

"Take it one step at a time," Noah said with a smile.

To hide his identity, Noah had fabricated a persona for himself: someone who had lived deep in the mountains with his family and had come out into the world to search for his brother.

He certainly couldn't say he was from a parallel world, here to steal your guild's Lumen Histoire.

Earlier, back in the valley, Noah had noticed that Mira and Lisanna each had a white pattern resembling a "dancing fairy" on their left thighs, while Elfman had a black pattern of the same shape on the left side of his neck.

Noah had seen this pattern before in Edolas.

Though a homebody, as the second prince, Noah read all kinds of newspapers from the kingdom every day. The mage guild "Fairy Tail" always appeared on the front page of border news reports.

At that moment, Noah confirmed that Mira and the other two belonged to the Fairy Tail Ivan had mentioned in Earth-land.

So Noah subtly hinted that he had nowhere to go.

And just as Noah had expected, Mira warmly invited him to join her guild. Noah agreed without hesitation.

As for the only truth—"searching for my brother Jellal"—all Noah could do was what he'd told Lisanna.

In a vast sea of people, take it one step at a time.

A long whistle sounded as the magic train pulled into its final stop: Magnolia, the city where Fairy Tail was located.

Same time, different place.

At the valley where the Beast King had fallen, a mysterious figure cloaked in black robes, their face hidden and five magic staves strapped to their back, arrived.

"Too late, huh..."

Seeing no one around, the figure lowered their hood, revealing a handsome face with a seventy percent resemblance to Noah. His hair was deep blue, and a brown tattoo ran above and below his right eye.

"The first Anima in over a decade, and it activated in reverse form... What did Edolas send over?"

Gazing at the massive beast carcass being devoured by weaker monsters in the valley, the pensive man slowly drew a magic staff from behind his back.

Magnolia, a port city belonging to the Kingdom of Fiore, had a permanent population of over sixty thousand, barely qualifying as a large city on this continent.

Stepping out of the station, Noah could see two towering structures standing on opposite sides of the city from afar.

One was a cathedral.

The other, due to its angle, Noah couldn't see its front, but it looked somewhat like a tavern.

Mira enthusiastically introduced them to Noah.

"That's Kardia Cathedral. For most of Magnolia's residents, this church is extremely important."

Noah raised an eyebrow. "With that many believers, what god does that cathedral enshrine?"

"Nothing at all~"

Mira smiled mysteriously at Noah's stunned expression. "For us, Kardia Cathedral is more like a large announcement tool. When its urgent bells ring through the entire city, it means someone has returned."

As for who, Mira only smiled and told Noah he'd find out later.

Under Mira's guidance, Noah arrived at another three-story building that looked like a tavern.

Looking up at the red-and-white flag fluttering atop the building, Noah didn't need Mira to tell him where he was. The pattern of a "dancing fairy" on the flag said it all.

The mage guild, Fairy Tail!

Even through the thick wooden doors, Noah could hear all kinds of ruckus inside.

But after distinguishing the sounds, Noah's expression turned a bit odd. It sounded like fighting and cheering?

"Our guild... is a bit lively."

Seeing Noah's face, Mira struggled to keep her smile. Couldn't those idiots calm down for once?! What if they left a bad impression on Noah!

Forcing a smile, Mira pushed open the guild's heavy doors. "Everyone, we're back—"

Whoosh!

Before the words were finished, a flame shot past Mira's side.

In an instant, the angelic smile vanished, and a demon's ferocity surfaced on Mira's face.

The first floor of the guild was arranged like a tavern. A group of guild members crowded together, cheering on the two who were "dueling" in the center of the hall, completely unaware of the danger closing in behind them.

By the time they reacted, the white-haired girl's fists were already before their eyes.

A rapid, brief series of crackling sounds.

In the blink of an eye, the crowd lay scattered on the floor, knocked out.

And in the hall, besides Mira, only the core of the commotion remained—two boys who had been fighting.

One boy had cherry-blossom-colored hair and wore a scarf, flames flickering around his body.

The other, a black-haired boy with a bare upper body, had cold air swirling around him.

The two youths, named "Natsu" and "Gray," had already stopped their struggle upon seeing Mira arrive.

Natsu, carefree and still unaware of the situation, grinned and greeted Mira, "Welcome back, Mira. Looks like your mission went smoothly."

Unlike the thick-headed Natsu, the sight of their fallen comrades scattered around made Gray sense something was off. Mira was usually combative, but she wouldn't go so far as to take down this many people at once.

"Mira, which blind idiot pissed you off?"

In response to Gray's question, Mira's gloomy expression suddenly shifted. She smiled warmly at Natsu and Gray, reaching out both hands toward them.

"As expected of Gray, your brain works better than Natsu's."

"As for the blind idiots... it's you two bastards!!"

Left and right, Mira slammed Natsu's and Gray's heads together with force. The two immediately rolled their eyes and lost consciousness.

Watching this scene, Noah couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

If he wasn't mistaken, Mira had knocked out all these people, and she had put extra force into the last two.

Too brutal.

Was this kind of heavy-handed behavior toward comrades even allowed?!

For some reason, Noah suddenly recalled Ivan's description of "Fairy Tail"—a light guild with a dark side.

This guild...

Wasn't it a den of thieves?