章 28: Chapter 28: Natsu: Why Am I Always the One Who Gets Hurt?!
Two days later.
"Dear passengers..."
"We have reached the easternmost station. We wish you a pleasant journey."
With the train attendant's announcement, Ian, along with Erza, Gray... and Natsu—who had practically disintegrated after spending two whole days on the train—finally stepped onto the land of the east.
Unlike the warm, sunny west, the east remained covered in snow and ice.
"The guild master gave us a week to complete this mission," Ian said, looking out at the vast snow-covered mountains and forests, his breath forming white mist in the cold air.
"But with four days spent traveling by train, we only have less than three days left."
"Time's tight, so we'll need to hurry."
Ian, wrapped in a thick winter coat, slung his backpack over his shoulder and glanced around at the snowy landscape, which stretched out endlessly.
"Understood."
Erza, wearing a similar coat, rubbed her small hands together to warm them, puffing out clouds of breath.
"S-So cold..."
Natsu, finally roused by the bitter wind, shivered uncontrollably in the freezing weather.
"Haha, I told you to wear more layers," Ian said, shaking his head as he used Requip magic to outfit Natsu with a warm coat.
"Phew, I'm alive again..."
Natsu's complexion quickly returned to normal once he was bundled up.
In truth, this wasn't Ian's first time in the east.
If he counted the simulation timeline involving Gray, this was actually his second trip to this snowy world.
Because of that, Ian came prepared this time, bringing coats for everyone.
After all, this was Gray's homeland.
Compared to the last time Ian had come here, anxious and worried while trying to save Gray's family, he was now much more composed and confident.
"Back to the east again, huh?"
Unlike Ian and the others, Gray wore only his usual thin clothes despite the freezing weather. His expression carried a hint of nostalgia.
For Gray, who was an ice mage, this cold wasn't even a minor inconvenience.
And, after all, this was his home.
The biting cold felt oddly comforting to him.
" Wonder how the villagers are doing?"
Gray's brow furrowed slightly, his thoughts turning toward his home.
"Even though time is tight, if we move quickly..." Ian said, seemingly noticing Gray's homesickness.
"I think we can spare a day to visit your village."
"To be honest, after all these years, I kind of miss those villagers too."
Gray's eyes lit up at Ian's words, lifting his head eagerly.
Was there anyone who didn't long to see their hometown again?
Truthfully, Gray had wanted to visit his village for a long time, but never had the chance.
Now, hearing Ian's words felt like a blessing.
"But we have to move fast," Ian added.
"We need to finish the mission quickly."
Ian pulled out the map Makarov had given him, the one marked with the location of the Wyverns they were tasked to hunt.
To navigate through the vast snow-covered mountains and find the Wyverns, they first had to figure out the route. Getting lost was a real risk in this terrain.
"Let me handle the guiding. No one knows the snow mountains better than me."
Gray seemed eager to help.
Ever since Ian mentioned the possibility of visiting his village, Gray's focus had completely shifted. He now only wanted to finish the mission as fast as possible so he could return to his hometown.
"Alright, I'll leave it to you," Ian said after a moment's thought.
Gray was right—he knew this area better than anyone.
Handing over the map, Ian smiled.
"The marked spot isn't too far from here. If we start right away, we should reach it in about six hours," Gray said confidently after scanning the map.
"Well then, let's not waste any time. Let's move," Ian said, satisfied, handing leadership to Gray.
"Let's go, let's go!"
Revitalized after his nap, Natsu shouted energetically.
He was especially excited about the chance to fight Wyverns, one of the top magical beasts.
Finally, he could show off his Dragon Slayer skills.
Even though Wyverns weren't true dragons and had little connection to actual dragons, they had enough dragon-like features to be called so on Ishgar, where dragons had vanished from sight.
"Let's go!"
Erza raised her small, pink-gloved fist in excitement.
She wasn't thrilled about fighting Wyverns, per se, but rather at the idea of embarking on a mission with Ian.
For Erza, it didn't matter what they fought, as long as she was by Ian's side.
So, without delay, the group ventured into the snow-covered mountains.
Despite a few well-meaning locals trying to stop them and warn them of the dangers ahead, Ian's display of the Fairy Tail emblem on his arm was enough to silence them.
After all, everyone knew that wizards were a reckless bunch!
Though Ian did notice something odd in their eyes—a hint of fear when they saw his Fairy Tail emblem.
The wind howled through the mountains, and the snowstorm was fierce.
But with Ian there, the wind and snow couldn't touch the group.
The only problem was the thick snow on the ground, which made every step slow and heavy, hampering their progress.
"Do any of you know how to ski?"
After about a kilometer of trudging through deep snow, Gray finally had enough of the slow pace and turned to ask the group.
"Of course!"
Ian nodded; he had learned how to ski in the past.
"My mother taught me,"
Erza replied, mentioning that Irene had instructed her in skiing as well.
As for Erza herself, even if Irene hadn't taught her, she would have quickly picked it up after watching Gray a few times—her learning ability was exceptional.
"Skiing? What's that?"
Only Natsu stood there, utterly clueless.
"Well, if the rest of you can ski, that makes things easier."
Gray ignored Natsu, using his Ice-Make magic to conjure a set of skis for everyone.
"Wait, what's skiing?!"
Natsu persisted, still confused.
"Requip!"
Ignoring him, Erza swiftly changed into professional ski gear using her Requip magic.
"So, what exactly is skiing?"
Natsu continued to ask, completely out of the loop.
Boom!
Ian didn't bother explaining. He simply used Gravity Magic to pull a large tree out of the ground and carve it into a makeshift ski.
Of course, he made a set for Natsu as well.
"What... what is skiing?!"
Even as everyone geared up, Natsu remained utterly baffled.
"Let's go!"
With Ian's command, he activated his Gravity Magic to propel them forward.
A dazzling purple magic circle appeared behind them, providing momentum as Ian, Erza, and Gray glided gracefully through the snow-covered mountains like elegant swans or soaring eagles.
"Ahhhhh!!"
Only Natsu, in his confusion, tripped and fell, rolling down the hill into a giant snowball, careening wildly down the snowy slopes.
"Father..."
Riding the snowy "waves," Erza glanced back at the growing snowball that was Natsu, her voice filled with concern.
"Isn't this a bit too cruel?"
"No, Natsu's is a first generation Dragon Slayer," Ian replied, unbothered.
"No one understands how to train a Dragon Slayer better than I do."
"To unleash his full potential, Natsu needs this kind of harsh training."
"After all, Dragon Slayer magic was invented to battle dragons. What's a little hardship compared to that?"
Ian's reasoning was sound.
Yes, this was all for Natsu's own good, an expression of his care and love for him.
"It's just like mother used to say!"
Erza's eyes sparkled as she heard Ian's explanation, recalling that Irene had told her the same thing.
Now, she fully understood Ian's intentions.
"Father truly is the best!"
"Good thing I'm not a Dragon Slayer,"
Gray muttered to himself at the front of the group, thankful that he wasn't subjected to this "training."
---
Thank you everyone for the stones! Here is the bonus chap for reaching 250 stones!
Next Milestone is 300 Power Stones.
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