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When everyone had arrived, Erza's luggage, along with George's backpack, meant they didn't need to ask the staff for extra storage, so the four humans and two cats boarded the train together. Gray and Natsu sat on one side with Happy in the middle, while Lucy and Erza took the seats opposite them with George between them.
However, as soon as the train started moving, Natsu's condition immediately changed. The energetic, lively demeanor he had displayed earlier vanished, replaced with a pained expression, as if he were experiencing severe motion sickness.
"What's wrong with him?" George asked in surprise.
He could understand people getting car sick or seasick, but train sickness was new to him. Especially considering Natsu's extreme physical resilience, it seemed nearly impossible for him to suffer like this.
Typically, even ordinary people don't get train sick.
"Natsu gets sick on every type of transportation. If it moves, he'll react this way—you'll get used to it!" Happy explained, pulling a small dried fish from his pouch and munching on it as he spoke. As Natsu's companion, he had grown accustomed to the oddity.
"Oh, by the way, George, would you like one?" Happy offered, holding out a dried fish to George, who politely declined.
George had the body of a cat but the soul of a human, so he didn't share Happy's enthusiasm for fish snacks.
"Sick on all forms of transportation... that's hard to believe."
While still puzzled, George drew his wand and cast a Levitation Charm on Natsu.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
Under the effect of the charm, Natsu slowly floated up from his seat, suspended between the floor and the ceiling, without touching either.
In this weightless state, Natsu's energy returned instantly, and he even exhaled a small burst of fire. "Haha! I feel great again. Thanks, George!"
"As long as it helps," George nodded. His magic was boundless, and with the amplification of his supreme wand, he could sustain the Levitation Charm for half an hour at a time. A few extra casts would keep Natsu floating comfortably until they reached their destination.
Natsu was one of the main combatants for this mission, so George had to ensure he stayed in top form. They couldn't risk him being incapacitated when facing an enemy attack, especially if they'd need him to take point in a fight.
"Erza, we've already set out, but you still haven't told us what this is all about," Gray said, turning to her.
Until now, they still had no idea what trouble Erza was referring to or who their enemies might be.
Erza nodded and began explaining the situation.
A few days earlier, as she finished a mission and was returning to the guild, she happened to pass by a bar in Onibas frequented by mages. There, she overheard some members of the Dark Iron Forest Guild talking. They were discussing how they had found the legendary "Flute of Curses" and intended to unseal it, planning to harness its deadly curse magic for some major plot.
"A cursed flute!"
George's eyes lit up as Erza finished her story. He had read about the "Flute of Curses" in a book on magical artifacts in the library.
According to legend, the Cursed Flute was originally a magical artifact used to cast deadly curse magic. However, after passing through the hands of the most infamous dark mage, Zeref, it evolved into an enchanted flute with even more terrifying power.
Anyone who hears the sound of this flute will instantly fall victim to its death curse, with a large range of effect.
Yet, George wasn't particularly interested in the flute's curse-killing power. Though formidable, possessing it was unlikely given his current strength, and using it would bring an immediate manhunt from all the kingdom's wizards.
What truly intrigued him was the flute's appearance. The book not only described the flute but also included an illustration. It was a thick, wooden flute with a skull-shaped head.
In other words, if he could retrieve it and shave it down a bit, it would make an exceptional wand shaft.
He'd always felt that the body of his supreme wand didn't match the power of its core. If he could use a piece of the Cursed Flute as the wand shaft, he was certain the wand's effectiveness would increase several times over, especially for dark magic like the Severing Charm, a curse-based spell.
"George, you know about the Cursed Flute?" Erza asked, noticing the change in his expression.
George nodded, not bothering to conceal it.
"I came across it in a book on magical artifacts in the library. The Cursed Flute, also known as the Lullaby, was featured there."
"Such a dangerous item… we definitely can't let it remain unchecked," Erza said, her expression growing serious.
The Dark Iron Forest is a dark mage guild, notorious for taking on illegal assassination missions. Few members have a shred of kindness in them. Whatever they intend to do with the Cursed Flute, it can't be good—they could end up killing countless people.
"If I'd realized earlier, I would have sacrificed those Dark Iron Forest mages on the spot to force out exactly what they were planning to use the Cursed Flute for!"
"What should we do now?" Lucy asked, a bit frightened.
She was beginning to regret coming along, sensing this mission was far more dangerous than she'd anticipated.
"We'll head straight to the Dark Iron Forest Guild headquarters, storm the place, and take down all their mages to seize the Cursed Flute," Erza declared bluntly.
Her plan was simple and direct. Originally, she'd intended to confront Dark Iron Forest alone but had felt it was too risky to tackle an entire guild by herself. She'd also worried they might hide the Cursed Flute mid-battle, so she'd returned to get Natsu and Gray's help.
"Sounds exciting!" Gray's face showed no trace of fear, while Natsu's excitement was so intense that flames seemed to shoot from every part of him.
"Taking down every one of them—that's awesome!" he exclaimed.
"I'd rather go home," Lucy muttered, sweat trickling down her face.
The idea of barging into an entire dark guild known for assassinations was terrifying.
George, however, was unperturbed. He trusted that Erza, being an S-Class mage, wouldn't make rash decisions. If she was willing to launch this attack, she must be fairly confident.
And with Natsu, Gray, Lucy, and himself in addition to Erza, their chances of success seemed strong. He held no opinion about Lucy's abilities for now, but he knew that in a critical moment, his own magic and special abilities were far from trivial.
As their train sped toward Onibas, where the Dark Iron Forest Guild was based, elsewhere, in Clover City, Makarov was attending the regular Guild Masters' Alliance meeting when he received a magic message from Mirajane.
"Master Makarov, Master Makarov! Miss Mirajane has written to you!"
A blue magical messenger bird delivered the letter to Makarov, who was in the midst of bragging to the other guild masters about his guild's mages.
Makarov held out his hand and channeled his magic into the envelope. A small magic circle began to appear, glowing softly on its surface.
(End of Chapter)