[Sponsored] Chapter 28: Going to Clover Town

[This chapter is proudly sponsored by "Darkaroff." Please join me in expressing your thanks in the comments! If you're interested in sponsoring a chapter, consider joining the Patreon.]

"The internet is truly amazing!" Erza exclaimed in awe, sitting in the infirmary.

She had only posted a question on the forum, asking about Lullaby, and to her surprise, Erigor himself had responded.

Nate was right—the internet was indeed a miraculous magic!

Erza couldn't help but glance at Nate, who was standing beside her bed. "Is it true?"

"It seems to be... true," Nate replied, somewhat unsure. But judging from Erigor's emotional outburst, it did seem like it was really him. Still, the question remained: how did the dark guild get access to a ring? Did they steal it?

That didn't matter now. Whoever used the ring still had to "pay the internet fee."

More than that, the "netizens" proved themselves to be as sharp-tongued as ever. After Erigor's confession, everyone had gone silent, likely in shock.

"Nate!" Erza suddenly grabbed his hand, her voice sincere and urgent. "If what Erigor said is true, and his target is the guild masters, you're the only one who can stop him!"

To Erza, Nate's strength—having bested her—meant he had S-Class level power.

Nate tried to gently pull his hand free, but Erza's grip was too tight. He didn't want to hurt her by using too much force, especially given her injured state.

He sighed, "But those are guild masters—what could Erigor possibly do to them?"

Besides, if Guild Master Makarov so much as raised a hand, he could easily crush Erigor. Why should Nate bother with this?

"Take Natsu and Gray with you too! I'll feel more at ease if you three go together!" Erza's eyes burned with determination.

Nate sighed internally. She was conveniently ignoring any argument against it. He had been about to tell her to go herself, but seeing her wrapped in bandages, he bit his tongue.

Why had he hit her so hard?

While 'It's Breathtaking' had felt good at the time, now, faced with her plea, it made it difficult to refuse.

Fine, he thought, might as well treat this like a vacation. A nice, relaxing trip.

"Alright, I'll take care of it. You rest and recover," Nate relented.

"Nate! You're such a good person!" Erza smiled warmly and, in her gratitude, pulled him into a tight hug.

Nate suddenly found his face pressed against a soft chest. Even through the bandages, he could feel Erza's warmth and smell the faint, natural fragrance of her body.

'At least she wasn't wearing armor,' Nate thought. He also couldn't help but mentally remark how this kind of interaction could easily lead to something more, considering he was a normal, healthy guy.

"Take care, and please come back safely!" Erza, however, seemed completely unaware of the situation's implications. Nate silently marveled at how innocent she could be.

"You can count on me," Nate smiled, pulling himself free and heading out of the infirmary.

…

Returning to the guild tavern, Nate was greeted by Mirajane's smile as she stood at the bulletin board, uploading all the quests into the newly integrated online commission system.

"I just spoke with the master," she said cheerfully. "He's given the go-ahead."

Nate had given Mirajane control over the "Fairy Tail" subforum, so she was now managing the guild's online commissions.

"Thanks, Mira," Nate said. He couldn't help but think to himself, 'Why doesn't the guild's waitress ever give me a hug?'

At that moment, Natsu came charging in.

"Let's fight, Nate!" Natsu yelled, his fists igniting in flames as he roared, "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

Without missing a beat, Nate effortlessly dodged and struck Natsu square in the stomach, sending him crashing to the floor once again.

"K.O.!" Happy suddenly appeared with a set of small drums, banging them as he declared, "Winner: Nate!"

Everyone burst into laughter at the scene.

"Haha, Natsu never learns," one guild member chuckled.

"He used to always challenge Erza, but now he's after Nate," another added.

Mirajane covered her mouth, giggling, "Erza's still faster, though."

'Faster? She knocked out Natsu with just one extra word!' Nate thought to himself as he picked up the unconscious Natsu and slung him over his shoulder.

"I'm heading to the Guild Masters' meeting. Mira, where's the conference taking place?" Nate asked.

"In Clover Town," Mirajane replied, her face curious. "What's going on, Nate?"

"Just taking a walk," Nate answered with a sly smile, not mentioning Eisenwald or Erigor to avoid worrying her. After all, anyone could easily find out by checking the forum.

Spotting Gray sitting nearby, Nate called out, "Gray, come with me."

"Huh? What's going on?" Gray, shirtless as usual, was caught off guard, but when he saw Nate's serious expression, he got up and followed. Mirajane reminded him to grab his shirt before leaving.

As they reached the guild's entrance, Nate suddenly thought of someone else.

"Lucy, you're coming too."

"Me?" Lucy blinked in surprise.

"Yeah," Nate smiled. "Let's go on a fun little trip. I'll treat you."

Lucy's face lit up. "Really? I'm in!"

As the group left the guild, with Natsu in tow, the rest of the guild began murmuring among themselves.

"Looks like she fell for it, huh?"

"Lucy hasn't seen the posts on the internet yet?"

"Such a naive girl... Nate's got a sneaky side."

Hearing this, Mirajane curiously opened the forum and quickly found Erza's post about Erigor.

"Shinigami, Erigor!" She gasped and immediately messaged the Guild Master, Makarov.

…

On the magic train bound for Clover Town, Nate and Lucy sat on one side while Gray and the unconscious Natsu were on the other, with Happy perched on top of Natsu.

Nate filled them in on what was happening.

After hearing the full story, Lucy was mortified, covering her face in embarrassment. "I got tricked!"

Gray, more serious, remarked, "It seems like this Lullaby magic is Erigor's trump card."

"Lullaby?" Lucy muttered, trying to recall where she'd heard that before.

"I doubt Erigor believes Eisenwald alone can take on the guild masters," Gray continued.

"You never know," Nate smirked, thinking back to Erigor's emotional meltdown on the forum. "This guy did explode with anger online."

"Either way, we just need to get to Clover Town and wait for them to come to us."

…

In Clover Town, inside a luxurious villa, the guild masters had gathered in the grand banquet hall.

Standing behind Master Makarov, they watched in awe as he used the magic internet.

The Departing Traveler: "That's the situation, Master. Nate, Gray, Natsu, Lucy, and Happy are already on their way to you."

Fairy Tail Grandpa: "Got it. These dark guilds are always causing trouble."

After this brief exchange, Makarov closed the chat window, only to find the other guild masters crowding around him.

"This is such an interesting magic!" Bob, the flamboyantly dressed guild master of Blue Pegasus, exclaimed as he fanned himself. His face was powdered, and his cheeks were rosy.

"Makarov, I heard a few days ago that your guild had a talented new mage who created this astonishing magic. Is this it?"

"That's right!" Makarov boasted, proudly showing off the ring on his hand.

"Nate, that kid, is the most gifted mage I've ever seen. This ring is the key to activating the magic!"

The other guild masters, seemingly unfazed by the threat of an attack from a dark guild, were far more interested in the magic internet.

"Let me try it, Makarov!"

"Don't hog it, Makarov-chan!"

"Stop showing off and hand the ring over!"