Somehow, Natsu’s body, which had just been thrown out by Makarov, landed right next to Romeo.
Seeing Natsu fall from the sky with such style, Romeo’s face filled with awe.
“Awesome!
No wonder he’s called a wizard!” Natsu spun in the air, landed firmly on both feet, and then looked at the young boy in front of him.
Without a word, Natsu raised his middle finger toward the guild building.
So this was his reward!
After three months of mooching and eating for free at the guild, that stingy old man Makarov had forcibly thrown him out instead.
And landing right in front of Romeo, no less.
There were no coincidences this naive in the world.
Makarov must have deliberately thrown him here so he would go and save Romeo’s father!
Exactly!
There really was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
To secure his position so he could continue living his life as a true couch potato, Natsu felt he had to take a little action to settle this matter.
Natsu placed his hand on Romeo’s head and gave it a gentle rub.
“You don’t need to go to the guild, I’ll bring Macao home!” Romeo gasped.
Macao had been missing for days, and every passing day felt like sheer mental torture for the boy.
As long as his father hadn’t returned, Romeo couldn’t sleep soundly.
Not to mention, the hurtful taunts from his peers were breaking his heart even more.
Tears instantly welled up in the corners of Romeo’s eyes.
He leaped forward and hugged the young man tightly.
“Natsu!” Feeling Romeo’s sobs and gratitude, Natsu gently patted the boy’s back.
Romeo’s feelings for his father truly touched his heart.
In his previous life as a wealthy heir, his parents were absolute workaholics.
Seeing them even once a year was a miracle.
Romeo’s current fragile state reminded Natsu of his own lonely days in the past.
After breaking the hug, Natsu’s gaze turned sharp and full of resolve.
There was a time to relax and enjoy life as a true slacker, but when he was called to action, he also had to rise to the occasion swiftly!
Watching the touching scene from afar, tears of joy streamed down Lucy’s cheeks.
“Thank goodness!
The old Natsu is back!” “NATSU!!!” Suddenly, a blue cat shot through the air, flying past Lucy and crashing right into Natsu’s chest.
He gripped the young man’s collar tightly.
“You agreed not to leave me alone!” “We promised we’d never be apart!” “Natsu, you liar!” In his original world, Natsu loved spending time with pets, and cats were his absolute favorite.
The reason was simple: they were the most affectionate pets.
That was why he had always liked Happy, this winged blue cat.
Stroking Happy’s head, Natsu smiled warmly.
“As if I could ever leave you behind, buddy.” Happy, still in his arms, looked up.
With teary eyes, he stared at Natsu.
“You promised to give me lots of fish!
You can’t take back your words!” Natsu was instantly rendered speechless.
So, the whole time, Happy was only crying over fish!
While carrying his little best friend, Natsu made a silent promise to never let Happy go hungry again, now or in the future.
Icy winds howled fiercely.
A blizzard mercilessly swept over anyone who dared to set foot on Mount Hakobe.
However, trekking through a snowy mountain like this was no big deal for Natsu.
A Fire Wizard never feared the cold.
Especially the current Natsu; his body was essentially a living furnace.
The heat radiating from him easily melted the surrounding snow and ice.
Happy curled up comfortably in Natsu’s arms, not feeling cold in the slightest.
He was even sweating from how warm it was.
However, Lucy suffered a completely different fate.
The poor girl was shivering violently in the middle of the blizzard.
“Wh—why…
did I…
even tag along…
to a place this cold?!” her teeth chattered from the freezing temperatures.
“Lucy is so dumb!” Happy whispered, glancing at the girl’s back.
“Hahahaha, you’re right!” Natsu nodded in agreement.
Lucy, who was already suffering from the cold, now had to swallow the insults from one human and one cat.
Her mental state instantly plummeted.
With a flick of her wrist, a golden Celestial Spirit Key appeared.
A magic circle pattern shone from the key as Lucy cried out, trembling, “Open, Gate of the Clock Constellation!
Horologium!” A giant, antique wooden clock emerged from within the magic circle.
Lucy quickly stepped inside the glass case in the clock’s belly.
Only after curling up tightly inside did she finally feel safe from the bone-chilling air.
Natsu and Happy whispered to each other while staring at Lucy.
“Even though there’s a walking furnace right next to her, she distances herself instead.
Lucy really is dumb!” Unfortunately for them, Lucy, who was hiding inside the giant clock, could hear their conversation crystal clear thanks to the clock’s magical sound transmission.
The girl’s aura turned gloomy once again.
She complained weakly while hugging her knees.
“Why…
does it feel like what Happy just said makes total sense?” “Aaaaargh!!!
I refuse to admit that I’m dumb!” Lucy thrashed around in frustration behind the glass.
Natsu leaned in close to Happy’s ear and whispered back to the cat.
“Yeah, considering if I just released a tiny bit of my magic power, the one-meter radius around me would become super warm.” “How could a woman that dumb ever get married in the future?” Natsu added in bewilderment.
Suddenly, Horologium’s deep, mechanical voice echoed out, “‘Don’t make fun of me from such a close distance.’ Miss Lucy says.” “‘Do you think I can’t hear you talking that loudly?’ Miss Lucy says.” As if they had just discovered a brand new toy, Natsu and Happy’s eyes instantly sparkled.
They ran up to Horologium and pressed their faces against the clock’s glass with awestruck expressions.
“Whoa!
This thing can talk!” Natsu exclaimed in excitement.
“So cool!” Happy chimed in, no less enthusiastic.
“‘Of course!
Horologium is the Celestial Spirit of the Clock Constellation, and also my good friend!’ Miss Lucy says,” Horologium replied, conveying its master’s words in its signature deadpan tone.
BAM!
Suddenly, a loud thud echoed from the blizzard ahead of them, sending chunks of ice and snow flying high into the air.
Natsu hadn’t even turned his head.
He didn’t care in the slightest about the gorilla monster that had just appeared and was still busy playing around, admiring Lucy’s clock.
In contrast, the fur on the back of Happy’s neck stood straight up.
The blue cat turned toward the source of the sound, and the sight of a giant white-furred orangutan monster—a Vulcan—successfully made him shriek in terror.
“NATSU!!!
It’s a giant orangutan!!”