Chapter 104: The Cat Takes the Wheel
In the magic circle, a phantom image of Mirajane, created through her projection magic, rose:
"Master, thank you for your hard work attending the meeting!"
"Look, look, this is the face of our guild, isn't she beautiful?"
Makarov pointed at Mirajane's phantom in the magic circle, proudly showing off to the other guild masters, who nodded and praised her.
Clearly, the gentle and beautiful Mirajane had left a strong impression on them.
However, what Mirajane said next nearly made Makarov fall to the ground in shock.
"During your absence, something incredible happened at the guild.
Would you believe it? Erza, Natsu, and Gray have formed a team. I think this might be the strongest team combination in Fairy Tail right now!"
Just moments ago, the master of the Four Hounds guild had reminded him that the Magic Council was always worried that Fairy Tail's mages might one day destroy an entire city, urging him to warn his mages to be more careful.
Now, he might be facing that very crisis.
Erza, Natsu, and Gray—these three forming a team could indeed make destroying a city not too difficult.
Fortunately, Mirajane's next words eased his worries a little.
"George has made significant progress in his repair magic and can now instantly repair the entire guild hall, so I sent him along with them.
I thought you should know about this, so I wrote this letter."
After Mirajane finished speaking, the magic circle disappeared, and Makarov silently prayed:
"George, it's all up to you now!"
"Master Makarov, Fairy Tail has a mage who knows repair magic? I've never heard of such magic before."
One of the guild masters asked curiously.
Makarov immediately puffed out his chest:
"Fairy Tail is full of talented individuals. We have mages who can do all kinds of magic. George also joined us because of our reputation. With George around, I won't have to listen to the Magic Council's nagging anymore!"
"That might not be repair magic. It could be the lost magic, Arc of Time."
An old, bearded guild master speculated.
Arc of Time, a lost time magic, could restore or age objects, buildings, or even past events by turning back or forward time.
However, it had no effect on living beings other than plants.
Three hours later, the train arrived at Onibus Station.
"Finite Incantatem!"
George canceled the Levitation Charm and set Natsu down, then disembarked with the others.
"Erza, do you know the exact location of the Black Steel Forest guild?"
"No. Ever since they were expelled from the guild alliance six years ago and labeled a dark guild, they moved their headquarters from its original location. I'm not even sure if they're still in Onibus."
Erza shook her head.
Lucy and Happy simultaneously complained:
"Finding them would be like looking for a needle in a haystack."
"It's fine. As long as we capture a Black Steel Forest mage and beat him half to death, we can force him to reveal their guild's location."
Erza's approach remained straightforward and brutal.
Gray couldn't help but facepalm:
"Finding a few mages in a city doesn't seem that easy either."
"Erza, do you know the names of those Black Steel Forest mages?"
At this point, George suddenly spoke up:
"I know tracking magic. If you give me a name, I can use it to locate their position."
He didn't want to waste time on something as trivial as searching, so he decided to help.
"That's great, George!"
Erza pulled George into a tight hug.
"So hard!!!"
George felt his head being crushed again.
He decided to keep his distance from Erza in the future. Her armor was too hard, and he much preferred the feeling of being hugged by Mirajane.
"I don't know the names of those Black Steel Forest mages, but I do know that one of their most famous mages is called Erigor."
Erza explained:
"Erigor, the master of the Black Steel Forest guild, is also their strongest ace mage. He has never failed an assassination mission and is known as Erigor the Reaper."
"Having a name is enough."
George pulled out his wand from his backpack and began casting a spell:
"Erigor, show me the direction."
A golden arrow appeared in front of George, pointing not toward the city but in the direction of the outskirts.
"George, you really know a lot of magic!"
Seeing the golden arrow, Lucy couldn't help but feel envious.
George smiled:
"I don't have your kind of strength to defeat a Vulcan gorilla with one finger, so I can only help in small ways."
"I told you, that's a rumor, a rumor!"
Lucy's face immediately turned red.
"According to the arrow, they're outside the city, possibly even beyond Onibus. So I suggest renting a magic car to be safe."
Gray proposed.
If the Black Steel Forest was somewhere in the forest outside the city, they might find it after walking for an hour or two. But if they had moved to another city, it could take days to locate them.
The key issue was that the tracking spell pointed to Erigor, who might not even be at the guild.
"I agree."
George nodded. Compared to the simple-minded Natsu and the somewhat erratic Erza, Gray, despite his habit of stripping, at least had his wits about him.
"I disagree! I don't want to ride in a car!"
Natsu immediately raised his hand in protest but was promptly knocked to the ground by Erza.
"Objection overruled. I'll rent the car. Wait for me outside the station."
Soon, Erza drove a small green car to the station's entrance.
George looked at the green car with curiosity:
"Is this a magic car?"
This was a world of magic, where most items were related to magic. Even guns and cannons were powered by magic.
Thus, the cars in this world were also magic-driven, not powered by electricity or gasoline.
The magic car's structure wasn't complicated. The back had seats like a normal car, while the front resembled a carriage's driver's seat.
Apart from the steering wheel, accelerator, and brake, there was only a bracelet for channeling magic.
"Get in! We don't know what Erigor plans to do with the Cursed Flute, but it's definitely nothing good. We need to find him quickly."
Erza waved at everyone.
At this moment, George shook his head after some thought:
"Erza, I think it would be better if I drove the magic car."
"You? No, you can't. This magic car consumes a lot of magic. Only I have enough magic to drive it for long periods."
Erza was taken aback and immediately waved her hand dismissively.
(End of Chapter)