"So, I plan to walk to Onibus on my own two feet!"
Wendy's next words left Happy utterly shocked.
"Eh!!! Nani! That's going to take a really long time!" Happy cried out.
"Raizel, hurry up and stop her," Carla ordered.
She had already guessed this would happen—Wendy would absolutely refuse any help from Raizel and Happy.
She had mentally prepared herself for a long journey.
"Well, she's not wrong about that," Raizel replied smoothly, crossing his arms.
"See, even Raizel says so," Wendy smiled.
"I'll walk with you too," Raizel added.
"Nani!"
Happy was so stunned he nearly froze in place, tumbling to the ground.
He was already starting to regret why he had come along in the first place!
"For this job, I'll respect your decision. Do whatever you think is best," Raizel told Wendy gently.
"Since Gramps said not to help unless absolutely necessary, it's up to you."
"Mhm!" Wendy nodded firmly.
'Raizel... he really isn't going to step in after all...' Happy looked up at the sky, trying his hardest not to let his tears of exhaustion fall.
The two humans and two cats decided to take the mountain path.
This was Wendy's conclusion after carefully studying the map—taking the valley trail would be much faster, though supplies and safety would be harder to guarantee.
"It's so far... Are we really going to walk?" Happy whined, staring at the rugged uneven dirt path stretching into the distance.
"It doesn't seem like you're actually walking, though," Carla pointed out dryly.
Ever since leaving Magnolia Station, Happy had been flying the whole time.
"Alright, let's hurry up. If we don't move faster, it'll be dark soon," Wendy encouraged, adjusting her backpack.
...
Meanwhile, back at the Guild...
"What! That theater troupe sent another request?!"
Erza, who had just returned to the Guild after buying sweets, received the news from Lucy.
Erza still hadn't had her fill from their last disastrous performance, and now the opportunity had come again.
'This might be my one and only chance in this lifetime!'
'To restore the glory of theater—it is our duty!' Erza thought passionately, her eyes burning with a fire.
"Exactly! We wanted to go along, but the Master stopped us," Lucy explained.
But when she turn her head, she was completely stunned.
In the blink of an eye, Erza had already packed a massive cart full of luggage, ready to set off.
"That was... really fast... And this time, it seems like there's a lot more luggage than usual," Lucy sweatdropped.
"Hmph, of course. There are still many props for the performance. Sometimes I even wear those performance props to relive the moments on stage," Erza declared proudly.
'So she really loves that play that much... I feel like she's becoming more and more dangerous, somehow,' Lucy thought nervously.
Just then, Mirajane came running back from outside, anxiously saying, "It's bad! I heard the train to Onibus has stopped running!"
"Eh?" Lucy gasped.
Erza immediately seized the opportunity. "Although I completely understand the Master's reasoning, I'm still really worried about Wendy. I think I'll catch up to them after all."
"It looks like it'd be safer if we followed them after all, Lucy," Erza added, though her true motives were clear.
"It seems so," Lucy agreed, genuinely worried for Wendy's safety on the broken train route.
Erza turned to the others in the hall. "Ultear, Kagura, are you two coming?"
"I'll pass. You guys go ahead." Ultear wasn't interested in the play or the long walk.
"I'll go." Kagura figured she had nothing else to do today, so it wouldn't hurt to tag along.
"Alright, be careful on the road," Ultear nodded.
As they traveled, Erza kept doing loud vocal exercises along the path to warm up her acting voice, while Kagura silently polished her sword, Archenemy.
'Why do I always feel that the three of us are even more unsettling than the forest monsters...' Lucy sighed internally, dragging her feet.
...
Meanwhile, deep in the forest—
"Aye! let's rest for a while."
Though he was flying, it still consumed physical strength and magical power, and Happy's ears were drooping with fatigue.
"Honestly, you male cat, you're so lacking in perseverance," Carla quipped, walking gracefully alongside Wendy.
"It seems like it's going to rain. We should hurry. I can sense the flow of the air," Wendy warned, feeling the sudden shift in atmospheric pressure.
"No way, the weather is so clear," Happy argued.
Just as Happy spoke, a massive dark cloud suddenly drifted over, covering Raizel and Wendy.
A heavy downpour immediately followed, soaking the forest canopy.
"What kind of weird weather is this?!" Happy cried out as the cold rain hit him.
"We need to find shelter quickly," Carla urged.
Raizel effortlessly broke off two large, leafy branches—handing one to Wendy and Carla to use as an umbrella, while Happy took cover by sitting on Raizel's shoulder.
If Raizel used his Magical Power, protecting himself and Wendy wouldn't be a problem, but it wasn't necessary to waste energy just yet.
"There's a cave over there. Let's go there!" Wendy pointed, having spotted a dark opening in the rock face.
...
On the other side of the forest, Erza's group was fortunate that Erza's luggage cart had a large parasol attached to it.
Though they couldn't sit under it comfortably, at least they wouldn't get completely drenched by the sudden storm.
...
As the sun set in the west, the heavy rain finally stopped, leaving the forest damp and echoing with crickets.
Wendy looked at the nearly set sun and said, "But it's almost dark. Looks like we'll have to camp outdoors tonight."
"We can sleep in that cave we found earlier," Raizel suggested.
"What about food? I'm so hungry..." Happy groaned, clutching his stomach.
"I brought some food too. It should be enough for tonight." Raizel patted his heavy backpack.
He always carried food when going out on missions—no matter what, they shouldn't go hungry.
Back in the dry cave, Raizel had Wendy use her magic to start a small campfire.
Meanwhile, he laid out a picnic blanket and took out the provisions from his backpack. Raizel had bought several hearty sandwiches, nutritional meal replacement shakes, some beef jerky, and for snacks, some chocolate and cookies.
However, the chocolate and cookies were backup snacks—not for the main meal, of course.
"Learned something new! We should always bring some food in our backpacks when going on missions," both Happy and Wendy agreed happily, their eyes shining at the feast.
"Let's eat!"
Everyone started their meal with the sandwiches and meal replacement shakes.
Raizel had brought enough for three full meals, so there would be food for tomorrow morning and noon as well.
...
On the other side of the forest, Erza's group had a much bleaker evening.
They had to make do with catching weird flying fish from a nearby stream.
It had happened so suddenly—Kagura had only brought her sword, Erza's cart was strictly full of theatrical props, and Lucy had brought nothing but herself.
"Is there really nothing else to eat...?" Lucy cried, holding a poorly roasted, strange-looking fish on a stick.
"If there were, we would've taken it out already..." Erza muttered, chewing grimly.
The three of them ate their bland fish with tears in their eyes... it was just too awful compared to a proper meal!
...
"You know, the first time we met was late at night in the forest, but you were sound asleep then."
Lying comfortably in his sleeping bag with his hands behind his head, Raizel said this, gazing at the dancing flames of the campfire.
"Yeah, I can't believe it's been seven years already. Time really flies," Wendy nodded, a soft, nostalgic smile gracing her face.
Though a long time had passed, Wendy often remembered that time. She had felt so utterly helpless when she couldn't find her dragon, Grandeeney.
But Raizel had stepped in, helped her search, and eventually brought her to Fairy Tail.
There, she met so many wonderful friends and lived a relatively carefree life.
During her time at Fairy Tail, Wendy was truly happy.
Whether it was the daily, chaotic interactions with the guild members, the fierce competitions during the Harvest Festival, viewing the glowing Cherry Blossoms, or going out on exciting missions like this one—everything brought Wendy genuine joy.
She often felt incredibly grateful.
Even though Grandeeney had suddenly disappeared, it led her to meet Raizel, encounter Carla, and find her true home!