Fairy Tail Guild—
Inside the bustling guildhall early in the morning, Wendy was wearing a newly made bright orange backless dress and sighed softly as she looked up at the dazzling array of mission notices pinned to the request board.
"Hmm... Finding suitable work really isn't easy," Carla said helplessly, hovering beside her with her paws crossed.
"Wendy, are you already looking for your next job? It seems you're getting more and more accustomed to taking on missions," Mirajane said with a warm smile as she came up behind Wendy to ask her.
Carla raised her paw and pointed out, "Even so, the missions you approve for her are always only from nearby cities and very simple. You don't allow her to take any that are too dangerous."
"Carla," Wendy chided gently, feeling that Carla's protective tone was a bit too harsh.
Mirajane didn't mind Carla's tone at all and replied with a gentle smile, "Well, I believe that safely accumulating experience from a young age is very important. Do you remember the Beast King mission? Even though I was an S-Class Mage at the time, I still almost got Lisanna and Elfman into terrible trouble."
"Moreover, if you want to take on difficult missions, my approval alone isn't enough. You need Raizel and Ur to agree to it first."
Not letting Wendy take on overly difficult missions was both Mirajane's own decision as the guild's receptionist and a strict requirement from Raizel and Ur, who cared deeply for her safety.
Natsu also wandered over to the bulletin board, chiming in, "I think it's about time for Wendy to take on some bigger missions, right? When I was her age, I was already frequently traveling far from home to smash things up!"
Surprisingly, Gray agreed with Natsu for once this time.
"True, she doesn't have to take dangerous ones, but she could definitely accept some commissions from distant places to broaden her horizons."
Encouraged, Wendy clenched her small fists and declared, "I'll work hard! I want to train so I can take on some major missions sooner and do my part for everyone in the guild!"
"Want to do your part for everyone?" Macao grinned.
"Go for it!" Wakaba cheered.
"That's so manly! Wendy!" Elfman bellowed proudly.
"You're so honest and brave Wendy. I always want to praise her whenever I see her," Cana Alberona slurred slightly, giving a supportive thumbs-up from her barrel of booze.
"Aye! I wish Lucy could follow your example," Happy suddenly popped up out of nowhere, teasing.
"I'm honest and brave too, okay?!" Lucy Heartfilia retorted from a nearby table.
"Huh? In what way?" Happy tilted his head innocently.
"Of course in every way! Every single way!" Lucy huffed.
"I'm practically the embodiment of honesty and bravery," she added narcissistically, resting her cheek on her left hand with a proud smirk.
"Honest, brave, kekeke," Happy snickered, covering his mouth with his paws.
"Damn it, what are you laughing at, you stupid cat?!" Lucy yelled, lunging at him.
Happy had already predicted that Lucy would chase him, so he immediately used his Aera Wing Magic to fly up toward the ceiling, easily dodging her grasp.
"Yo, is everyone gathered at the bulletin board looking for work?" Raizel casually asked as he also came into the guild, planning to have some breakfast at the bar first.
"Good morning," everyone greeted him warmly in unison.
Mirajane seemed to remember something and happily snapped her fingers.
"I remember now! There's a job that would be perfect for you, Wendy."
Mirajane had specifically taken this commission down earlier.
She retrieved it from under the counter and brought the flyer over to Wendy.
"This commission is looking for a Mage who can heal hearts. The reward is average, but it's very suitable for you and your magic."
"Let me see... the location is Onibus," Gray said as he glanced at the paper over Wendy's shoulder.
"What kind of commission is it?" Natsu also leaned in closely to get a look.
Wendy began reading the flyer aloud. "'Thank you all very much...' "
Hearing Wendy read out those specific words, Natsu and Gray instantly turned to rigid stone on the spot, their faces draining of color.
"Why what happen?" Lucy, who had been busy chasing Happy, also stopped in her tracks, a sense of dread creeping in.
"I remember now! I think I remember something terrible!"
Cold sweat covered Natsu's forehead as traumatic flashbacks hit him.
Raizel also realized what was happening; he knew it must be that disastrous theater mission from last time, which Natsu, Gray, Lucy, and Erza had undertaken together.
Wendy continued reading innocently, "'Because all the theater troupe's actors have run away, and the stage performances keep going wrong, I'm completely exhausted and mentally drained. Please come cheer me up. Thank you so much, Rabian.'"
"Rabian? Who's that?" Happy asked, landing on a table and blinking his eyes rapidly.
"He's the leader of the Sarahgard Theater Troupe!" Gray yelled as he also fully recalled the painful memories of wearing those embarrassing costumes.
"Don't you remember, Happy? We performed in a play for him before, didn't we?!" Natsu cried out.
"Ahhh!!!" All the fur on Happy's body stood on end as the realization struck.
That eccentric theater leader had left quite a terrifying shadow on Happy too.
"Wendy, don't go! Whatever you do, don't go! That guy is super good at ordering people around and making you do weird things!" Gray warned, waving his hands frantically.
"It was low pay and heavy labor, plus he never let us leave easily," Lucy added quietly from the side, shivering at the thought of the tight maid outfit she'd been forced to wear.
Hearing these horrified complaints from everyone, Carla found the request completely unreliable no matter how she looked at it.
"I also oppose you going," Carla stated firmly. "You shouldn't take such terrible jobs, especially since I have a bad feeling about this."
"Although Carla's premonitions are usually accurate, if I can be of help to someone in need..." Wendy looked down at the desperate words on the request form and really wanted to help the poor man.
"You're just too soft-hearted for your own good," Carla sighed, placing her hands on her hips.
Raizel chimed in thoughtfully from the side, "Onibus isn't exactly close to here, you know. It's a long train ride. You should think this through carefully before accepting."
"I've thought it through. I want to go!" Wendy nodded firmly, her eyes full of resolve.
"Then go ahead, I support you," Raizel smiled, giving her an encouraging thumbs-up.
Encouraged by Raizel's faith in her, Wendy turned back to Mirajane and said determinedly.
"Mira-san, I've decided. I'll take this mission!"
"Are just you and Carla going?" Mirajane asked to confirm.
Although Carla had a bad feeling about the whole ordeal, she decided she had to go with Wendy anyway to protect her.
"Yes! You have to experience everything at least once," Wendy replied with a bright, squinting smile.
Makarov, who had been comfortably drinking his morning sake at the bar, suddenly interrupted.
"Wait, Onibus is still too far for her to go completely unsupervised. Raizel, you go with them."
"Okay," Raizel agreed easily.
"Can I come along too?" Happy enthusiastically raised his paw nearby.
Happy indicated that where Raizel goes, good food naturally follows, making it worth the risk of seeing the theater director again.
"Sure, Happy! We'd love to have you," Wendy nodded with a sweet smile.
"Then we'll be off," Wendy said later that morning.
She held her packed luggage tightly as she stood at the Guild's front entrance, saying goodbye to everyone.
Because this was Wendy's first long-distance mission on her own initiative, many people came to the entrance to see her off.
"Be careful on your journey!" they called out.
"You have to protect Wendy's safety," Ur sternly told Raizel, giving him a pointed look.
"About that, I don't think you need to worry at all," Raizel replied confidently.
"However, don't intervene unless absolutely necessary. Don't forget, this is Wendy's mission to complete. Otherwise, she won't learn anything," Makarov said finally, offering his wisdom.
"Is she really going to be okay? That mission..." Lucy muttered, still somewhat worried.
If it was really the exact same kind of grueling stage production mission they did last time, poor Wendy would be worked to death.
Reedus painted a quick sketch on his pad and said, "With Raizel by her side, it should be completely fine, right?"
Ultear watched their departing figures with a knowing sigh.
"When that guy says he won't intervene, he really means it. He'll let her struggle if it means she grows."
...
Shortly after, Raizel, Wendy, Carla, and Happy arrived at the Magnolia train station, only to receive some unexpected bad news at the ticket booth.
"The train to Onibus has been temporarily suspended due to damaged tracks," the station announcer's voice echoed over the PA system.
"I repeat, the train to Onibus is currently out of service."
"Well, it seems we're facing a test right away," Raizel mused, looking down at the young Dragon Slayer.
"What do you plan to do now, Wendy?"
"Let's just fly there! Both Carla and I can carry you guys," Happy suggested brightly, fluttering into the air with his wings spread wide.
Wendy pressed her lips together thoughtfully, contemplating the easy way out, but ultimately shook her head.
"No... for this mission, I want to complete it relying on myself as much as possible," Wendy declared, determined to prove she could handle the journey.