Chương 71: Chapter 71: Arriving at the Council Headquarters, ERA
The Council's Custody Enforcement Unit entered the construction site, accompanied by a group of Rune Knights.
The members of Fairy Tail, busy with their work, were taken aback.
"Oh no, the military's here, run!" Natsu, like a mouse spotting a cat, immediately dropped the materials in his hands.
Happy quickly grabbed him. "They're here for Nate and Erza, Natsu."
Natsu stopped in his tracks, furrowing his brow.
Erza, wearing a foreman's outfit and a safety helmet, heard her name being called and approached the knights.
"I'm Erza. What's the matter?"
Though it was phrased as a question, she already had a sense of what was coming.
The squad leader nodded, confirming her identity, and announced loudly, "By order of the Magic Council, Erza Scarlet of Fairy Tail, you are under arrest."
As expected, Erza wasn't surprised. Instead, she wore an expression of understanding.
Hearing this, the rest of the guild members quickly gathered around.
"Arresting Erza?! Are you joking? What's the reason?"
"I don't accept this! What law did she break?"
"Is this about yesterday? Why aren't you arresting Phantom Lord?"
Natsu and the others were outraged.
"Calm down, interfering with official duties could get you involved," the squad leader said nervously, wiping sweat from his forehead.
Just then, Nate walked over.
"Long time no see."
"Nate," the squad leader greeted before continuing, "You're also a target for arrest. Please cooperate."
Nate didn't remember the man's name, but he recognized him from the Eisenwald incident when this same officer had escorted Erigor and his crew, only to be attacked by Oración Seis.
Nate thought, 'He's still working? Did he even get time to recover? The Council should have at least given him a long vacation.'
Natsu clenched his fists, shouting angrily, "Is this about Phantom Lord? Why are Nate and Erza the only ones being arrested?!"
'Why are you asking me? I just follow orders!' the squad leader thought to himself, feeling exasperated.
"Stop it!" Erza shouted, silencing her comrades, and held out her hands. "I'll go with you."
"Thank you for your cooperation." The squad leader sighed in relief and ordered the soldiers to place cuffs on Erza.
Nate also cooperated. It was just a formality, after all, and he could take the opportunity to see Ultear.
"Nate..." Mirajane looked at him with concern.
Nate gave her an apologetic smile. It seemed that dinner would have to wait.
Soon, the two were escorted away by the Council's forces and loaded into a carriage.
---
Inside the carriage, Nate and Erza sat facing each other.
Since it was a prison cart, there were no windows, and the interior was pitch-black, with only enough light to barely make out each other's faces.
Nate easily removed his cuffs.
Erza was startled and quickly whispered, "What are you doing?"
"They're uncomfortable," Nate replied matter-of-factly. Then, kindly, he offered, "Want me to help with yours?"
"...It'll just make things more complicated. It's better to leave them on." Erza didn't want to cause more trouble.
But Nate took her hand and removed her cuffs as well.
The restraints for mages were magic devices that required a specific magic to unlock, but that was no issue for Nate. His Six Eyes easily broke the simple magic.
Erza: "..."
"We're still missing something. Hold on a second."
Nate touched the floor of the carriage, inscribing a magic circle.
In the next moment, he vanished from the prison cart.
When he reappeared, he was back at home. Casually, he went out to buy some snacks from a nearby shop and then returned to the cart.
"Here," Nate handed Erza a small cheesecake and a soufflé, along with two cups of coffee.
Erza stared in disbelief. 'Is this a field trip?'
Seeing her stunned expression, Nate asked, "You don't like it?"
"Th-thank you," Erza finally responded, accepting the treats.
She blinked, then asked, "Nate, how did you know this was my favorite?"
"You put it in your profile on the internet," Nate replied, handing her a cup of coffee while keeping one for himself. "It's a long way to the Council headquarters, so we might as well fill our stomachs."
Erza chuckled, "You're surprisingly relaxed, considering this is your first trip to the Council."
She remembered how nervous she had been the first time she was taken in.
Nate, however, was confident, thinking, 'Having a girlfriend in the Council gives you peace of mind.'
As they chatted and enjoyed their snacks, evening approached, and they finally arrived at the Council's Fiore branch.
Once there, Nate and Erza were led to a large magic teleportation circle.
With the help of several Council mages, the teleportation circle was activated.
It was Nate's first time experiencing the native teleportation magic of the Fairy Tail world. Unlike the instantaneous movement of the Flying Thunder God, this method gave a slight sense of dizziness, as space itself seemed to wrap around their bodies.
After what felt like a few seconds, a bright light flashed, and they found themselves at the Magic Council headquarters.
"Welcome to the Magic Council, ERA!"
Ultear stood outside the teleportation circle, accompanied by several guards, smiling as she greeted them.
"You two, follow me."
Ultear, a Council member herself!
Erza was somewhat surprised. Was their "crime" really that severe that it required a Council member to personally oversee it?
The two followed Ultear into the Council's prison. It wasn't a magic prison, just a regular cell.
The warden opened the cell door.
Ultear pointed to the cell and said matter-of-factly, "It's getting late. Your trial will be held tomorrow. For now, rest here."
She then turned to Nate and added, "Regarding Phantom Lord, I have some questions for you. Come with me."
Hearing this, Erza immediately stepped forward. "You can ask me instead. I'm the one who—"
"Don't worry, Erza. I'll be back soon," Nate reassured her, then followed Ultear out.
As they exited the Council building, Nate glanced back at the headquarters, thinking how it wasn't much different from a large villa.
"Where are you taking me?" he asked.
"Home," Ultear said with a smile, linking her arm with his.
Nate hesitated. "Won't this look bad?"
After all, he was technically here as a prisoner.
Ultear rolled her eyes at him. "You already took off your cuffs. Let's go."
Before long, Nate arrived at Ultear's home. Compared to his small place, Ultear was clearly well-off. She had a large villa with a small garden out front, full of flowers and plants.
Once inside, things quickly became intimate as the two embraced and kissed. Passion flared between them, leading to clothes scattered across the floor as Nate carried Ultear to the bed.
—(Omitted content)—
As the sun set and the moon peeked out from behind the clouds, two hours had passed.
Lying beside each other, covered in sweat, Ultear rested her head on Nate's arm, her eyes soft and filled with affection.
"Have you heard of the R-System? It's a forbidden magic… a magic for resurrection."
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