"Porlyusica! Help!"
From afar, as soon as Moen spotted the wooden house in the forest, he started shouting loudly.
Creak!
The door of the treehouse swung open. Out stepped an old woman with pink hair, wearing a red cloak decorated with dragon teeth. Her expression was tense as she looked toward the shouting Moen.
"What happened?! Who's injured?!"
Hearing Moen's urgent voice, Porlyusica thought something terrible had happened.
"It's Natsu! He passed out!"
Arriving at the treehouse, Erza spoke anxiously, her face tight with worry.
"Come inside."
Porlyusica glanced at Natsu. Her expression immediately calmed—she could tell right away that the boy wasn't seriously hurt.
She frowned at Moen, who had been shouting moments ago. But that brat just grinned cheekily at her and, before she could scold him, darted straight into the house.
Inside the treehouse, several children surrounded the bed, watching Natsu with deep concern.
"Porlyusica, is Natsu going to be alright?"
Moen asked. As the instigator of this mess, he had to show at least some concern.
"He's fine. This little one has a sturdy body."
Porlyusica replied. She took out some magical medicine and applied her healing techniques. Before everyone's eyes, the bruises on Natsu's body quickly disappeared. In truth, he hadn't been badly hurt—just beaten black and blue.
"That's good."
Moen nodded. Just as he thought, there was no way Natsu would be taken down that easily.
Once the treatment was done, Porlyusica looked back at the children. Her face showed clear impatience as she directly issued an eviction order.
"He's fine now. Take him with you and stop bothering me."
Compared to the anxious healer from a few moments ago, the Porlyusica standing here now was the complete opposite—her face overflowing with disdain.
"Heh, we'll be going then!"
Moen chuckled, scooping Natsu up from the bed and tucking him under his arm before dashing outside. Erza, Gray, Cana, and White, along with the dog, immediately followed. A whole pack of kids charging out noisily.
"Goodbye, Porlyusica!"
As they ran, they still waved and shouted their farewells.
Porlyusica watched the noisy, chattering children leave. The disdain on her face softened into a smile without her realizing it.
Then, just as quickly, she composed herself again, her expression returning to one of annoyance.
"I hate humans the most. Even children only know how to fight all day—so noisy and irritating."
She muttered to herself before closing the door of the treehouse.
Moen had long since gotten used to Porlyusica's attitude.
Her personality was the classic example of tsundere: sharp-tongued and cold on the outside, but warm-hearted deep down. She always said she "hated all humans," but the moment someone was in danger, she would lend a hand. Almost everyone in Fairy Tail had been treated by her at one time or another.
With Natsu tucked under his arm, Moen led the group of children back at full speed toward Magnolia.
Magnolia was a historic city of magical commerce located in the east of the Kingdom of Fiore. With a population of over 60,000, magic had flourished here since ancient times. Within this city, Fairy Tail stood as the only official Mage Guild.
Once inside Magnolia, the group didn't return to the guild immediately. Instead, they split up—Erza and Cana went back to the girls' dormitory, Gray carried Natsu to the boys' dormitory, while Moen returned home.
It was worth noting that Erza, Cana, Gray, and Natsu were all unfortunate children without parents. They lived in the dormitories provided by the guild.
Moen, although also an orphan, was lucky enough to have a home. From childhood, he had grown up in the Fairy Tail guild, adopted by the guild master, Makarov.
As the master of Fairy Tail, Makarov Dreyar's home was quite spacious—a small three-story white villa with a decent front and back yard.
When Moen opened the gate to the yard, he stepped onto a stone-paved path that led to the villa. On either side of the path, Makarov had planted flowers and plants, now in full vibrant bloom.
Hurrying back to the villa, Moen opened the door—only to bump into a figure.
"Hey! Moen! Watch where you're going, you idiot!"
The person clutched his chest, gasping as if the collision had knocked the wind out of him. He pointed at Moen, grimacing with a fierce expression.
"Laxus?! You're home? Did you just finish a job?"
Seeing the person before him, Moen's eyes lit up with pleasant surprise.
The young man was tall, with short blond hair, a lightning-shaped mark around his left eye, and a modern-looking magical music device called "Sound Pod" on his ear—in essence, just an enchanted pair of headphones. In this world, many such magic tools existed.
This was Laxus Dreyar, grandson of Makarov and Moen's older brother. At sixteen years old, he had already been around when Makarov first adopted Moen.
"Yes. I just finished an A-Class job. Honestly, these jobs are getting far too simple for me."
Straightening his back, Laxus answered proudly. He no longer felt challenged by A-Class missions—they couldn't prove his strength anymore.
"Maybe you should try for the S-Class Mage Promotion Trial."
Moen suggested.
If Laxus wasn't satisfied with A-Class requests, then the only step forward was to challenge S-Class. But to take on S-Class jobs, he first had to become an S-Class mage, which required passing the S-Class Mage Promotion Trial.
"Soon. This year, or next year. The old man won't be able to hold me back any longer!"
Laxus clenched his fists. Clearly, he had been thinking about this for quite some time.
"Laxus, you should show Grandpa a little more respect. Don't keep calling him 'old man, old man' all the time. No matter what, he's your grandfather. He's the master of the guild, and a man worthy of respect."
Moen's cheerful expression gradually softened as he spoke with gentle seriousness.
Hearing Moen's words, Laxus's face visibly heated with anger. He was supposed to be the older brother in this household, yet Moen was lecturing him like he was the elder.
"You're the last person who gets to lecture me!"
Sparks of lightning crackled faintly around Laxus's body. He shoved Moen aside and strode angrily out of the house.
"…"
Watching Laxus storm off in a fury, Moen couldn't help but sigh. Laxus hadn't always been like this. The polite, kind, and warm-hearted Laxus of the past had vanished.
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