"Natsu, I heard there's a fire dragon in Hargeon!" A man shouted to Natsu while gulping down his drink.
"Really?" Natsu's eyes lit up immediately. Why would someone be so excited about a fire dragon? Well, he was raised by a dragon, but one day, the dragon suddenly disappeared.
"This is getting me fired up..." The moment he heard news of a fire dragon, he stopped fighting, grabbed Happy—who was still eating fish—and left in a rush.
Noel had just stepped out of his laboratory. The guild was unusually quiet today. Normally, it was filled with noisy chaos, so this strange calm felt off.
But then again, Erza, Gray, and Elfman were all out on jobs, and there weren't many idiots left who would dare to use advanced magic to fight inside the guild.
However, as soon as Noel arrived, he was stunned. The floor was littered with broken tables, there was a gaping hole in the ceiling, and several support pillars had collapsed.
So that's why it was quiet. It wasn't that no fights happened; it was that the fight had just ended.
"Noel, you're here. Are you posting a job request today, taking a job, or would you like some food and a drink?" Mira asked politely from behind the counter.
"I'm here to post a request. I need to find a medicinal herb, pitcher plant. It grows in the western swamp regions, so please post it for me." Noel made a small bow, asking for her help.
"Of course," Mira replied warmly.
Then Noel remembered something. There was one person who hadn't gone on a job today and wasn't in the guild either. He wondered where that person could have gone.
"By the way, where's Natsu today? I haven't seen him around." Noel asked, curious. After all, Natsu was someone he had to keep an eye on. Last time, in Crocus, Natsu had destroyed one of his alchemy branch stores.
"Natsu? I think he went to Hargeon," Cana answered from where she was drinking, the strong smell of alcohol wafting over even from afar.
Hargeon? Why would Natsu go to Hargeon? Noel's expression darkened slightly. He had been in a good mood after a successful experiment this morning, but hearing this news ruined it instantly.
Hargeon didn't have many wizards, but it was a port city with extremely convenient transportation.
This made Hargeon a prime place to find rare alchemical materials, and Noel had planned to go there today himself.
He had heard that the owner of a wizard shop there had acquired some excellent alchemy materials, and Noel intended to buy a batch for himself.
"What's wrong? Did something happen?" Mira asked, noticing Noel's darkened expression.
"It's nothing. Everything's fine."
Noel quickly changed out of his lab coat and into his usual gear, grabbing his backpack before heading out.
The backpack had become something of a trademark for Noel. He rarely took on jobs alone, preferring to team up with others from the guild. In a way, he was a new type of mage in the guild—a Support Mage.
Support Mages assisted combat mages by providing potions, enhancement magic, or post-battle healing.
Other guilds might not need post-battle healing, but in this guild, with how chaotic everyone was, Noel's role was crucial.
Even with all of Noel's efforts, the complaint letters still kept coming in, one after another.
Mira wanted to call out to Noel, since the guild was in such a state and she would now have to spend guild funds to hire someone for repairs while he was away.
As soon as Noel stepped outside, he broke into a sprint. Natsu and Happy were probably taking the train, which wouldn't leave for another two hours.
If he hurried to the station now, he should be able to catch them in time.
"Gale Step."
Noel's figure blurred, his speed increasing sharply as air currents flickered around him while he raced down the street.
But the streets were dangerous—there were carriages, magical vehicles, and pedestrians, making it hard to move too quickly.
So Noel used the wind's power to leap onto the rooftops, running from one building to another. While it might seem dangerous to an ordinary person, for a Wind Mage, it was nothing.
In fact, for a Wind Mage, this was the most efficient way to travel.
If a Wind Mage couldn't run across rooftops with ease, could they really call themselves a Wind Mage? That would be laughable.
While dashing across the rooftops, Noel kept his eyes on the streets below, scanning for Natsu and Happy.
It would be best to catch up with them now. Otherwise, once they boarded the train, he wouldn't know which car they were in, making it a hassle if they got separated.
Plus, someone in particular tended to get motion sick on any transport, making his combat power drop to zero.
And he would throw up all over the train, with only Happy being able to tolerate it.
Poor little cat, having to put up with such an owner, Noel thought, unable to help but grumble inwardly. Maybe I should use him as a backup test subject. Safe and reliable. (Happy: "Are you a demon?!")
Happy suddenly bristled, shaking as if something bad was about to happen.
"What's wrong, Happy?" Natsu noticed his partner's strange reaction.
"It's nothing. I just have a bad feeling, like someone's watching us." Happy waved it off.
"But are you sure there's really a fire dragon?" Happy asked.
"Of course there is!" Natsu didn't doubt it for a second. He was certain the fire dragon was in Hargeon.
"Why don't we just run there? Who needs a train? We'd be faster on foot!" Natsu suddenly suggested, eager to avoid taking any form of transportation. Motion sickness was the worst.
"Um, Natsu, it's Hargeon. It's really far. If we run, it'll take us days," Happy pointed out.
"Ugh, fine. We'll take the train." Natsu sighed, defeated.
Noel, observing from above, scanned for the two of them, alert to every sound and movement below.
He spotted a pink-haired, hot-blooded teen and a cat chatting idly, making him sigh internally.
Those two really could move quickly, forcing him to fly for a long time using wind magic just to catch up.
"So, Natsu, where are you headed?" Noel suddenly appeared behind Natsu, giving him a light tap on the shoulder.
"To Hargeon, of course! I heard there's a fire dragon there!" Natsu was already imagining his grand reunion with a dragon.
"A fire dragon in the middle of a city? Even if one did appear, the news would have spread everywhere already. How could some random rumor be true?" Noel sighed. How could Natsu fall for such an obvious lie?
"Even so, I have to go check it out! It's the first lead I've had in so long..." Natsu's voice turned quiet, his eyes shadowed. "That day, it just suddenly disappeared... and never came back..."
Noel understood that feeling well. Having someone suddenly disappear, leaving you behind, was unbearably cruel.
"But don't cause any trouble. I was personally assigned by the Master to keep an eye on you. Otherwise, the Magic Council will send another stack of complaint letters."
Just mentioning complaint letters made Noel feel sick. He hadn't handled those for several days, and he would probably have to visit many places to clear their bad reputation.
"Oh, so we're travel buddies now?" Happy was genuinely happy about this. Noel was one of the most reliable mages in the guild, and with him along, their trip would be much smoother.
And strong, too. Most importantly, he would keep Natsu from causing chaos, making this trip feel far safer.
"You could say we're travel buddies. I need to go to Hargeon too. I have some alchemy materials reserved there." Noel explained.
"Then you're paying for food on this trip! Natsu is broke!" Happy immediately wailed, tears in his eyes.
Uh...
How did it suddenly become his treat? Was he being played? But, well, treating them wouldn't be too bad.
"Fine." Noel agreed in the end.
"You're the best!" Happy cried, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"You're the best!" Natsu echoed, also in tears.
Both of them wiped their tears and snot all over Noel.
PS: Access the complete chapters/series at