The Kingdom of Stella lay in the southern reaches of Ishgar, far from the inland Kingdom of Fiore.
After accepting Princess Hisui's request, the reunited members of Team Natsu packed what they needed and set out almost immediately.
Ever since the Three-Continent War, the influence and privileges enjoyed by legal guilds had risen considerably.
Naturally, that increase came with greater responsibilities as well.
Whenever the Magic Council needed powerful mages for dangerous missions, guilds were now expected to provide the bulk of the manpower.
The age of the Wizard Saints was effectively over.
The Council had long since realized that most of Ishgar's truly exceptional combat power now belonged to the major guilds, which was why it had become increasingly dependent on the Guild Alliance.
This mission was a perfect example.
If even an elite guild like Sabertooth had failed to resolve the situation, Fairy Tail was the obvious next choice.
...
"Gotta admit, Warren's new express train is ridiculously comfortable."
On the train heading south toward Stella, Gray leaned back in his seat with a relaxed sigh.
Erza—who had finally recovered from whatever short circuit had possessed her yesterday—looked curiously through the spotless window.
"It really is. The old trains used to shake constantly, but this one is so smooth it barely feels like we're moving."
Ankh smiled helplessly.
"And somehow that still isn't enough to save certain people…"
"Urgh…"
"Don't you dare throw up on me, idiot!"
Natsu was sprawled across Lucy's lap, his face an alarming shade of green.
Lucy was bright red as she scolded him, yet she couldn't quite bring herself to shove him away.
Six months had passed. People their age were dating, getting engaged, even preparing for marriage.
And Lucy Heartfilia remained as oblivious as ever.
There was also a new addition to the motion-sickness club.
Wendy sat miserably against the window, looking every bit as pale and sick as Natsu.
Apparently, her relentless training over the past six months had pushed her Dragon Power past another threshold.
Congratulations.
She had finally earned membership among the proud ranks of Dragon Slayers who couldn't survive public transportation!
Carla helplessly fanned her with one paw.
"This train ride is going to last for hours. Are you two really going to make it?"
"Damn it…"
Natsu clamped a hand over his mouth.
"Why doesn't Warren invent transportation that doesn't make people sick…?"
Gray stared at him.
"This train is so stable you can barely tell it's moving. A few years ago, something like this probably wouldn't have bothered either of you."
"Their Dragon Power may have grown strong enough that their senses have become even more sensitive," Erza mused.
Then, apparently believing she was being reassuring, she added,
"Don't worry. Warren mentioned that the Council has started researching vehicles with built-in stabilization systems that should eliminate motion sickness."
Natsu and Wendy looked hopeful.
"They'll probably have something usable within a few years."
"A few… years…"
Both faces somehow turned even greener.
Gray folded his arms.
"You could always travel in Guiltina. Apparently they developed motion-sickness-free transportation ages ago because there are so many Dragon Slayers over there."
Then he paused.
"Although Fifth-Generation Dragon Slayers don't get motion sickness in the first place, do they?"
Natsu stared at him miserably.
Gray nodded.
"Yeah. You're screwed."
Natsu looked ready to cry at the complete lack of sympathy from his companions.
In the end, Ankh took pity on them and summoned Ophiuchus, who simply removed the negative condition affecting both Dragon Slayers.
Only then did peace finally return to the private carriage Team Natsu had reserved.
With everyone capable of thinking again, they began discussing the mission.
Infiltration.
Theft.
And, if necessary, assassination.
Guild work really had gotten a lot shadier lately.
Not that anyone present was going to lose sleep over killing someone like Zash.
It was simply very different from the kind of missions Fairy Tail used to accept.
"Do we really have to sneak in?"
Natsu stared at the intelligence Princess Hisui had given them with obvious boredom.
"Can't we just beat everyone working with Zash, take Dragon Cry, and leave?"
Lucy rolled her eyes.
"Princess Hisui specifically said we should avoid causing a major incident if possible. We're supposed to handle this as peacefully as we can."
Then her expression turned slightly bitter.
"Although somehow every mission we take ends up becoming a huge disaster anyway…"
Ankh studied the map of Stella.
"That isn't entirely fair. If we confirm that Stella's king is knowingly protecting the Black Magic Cult, then we're allowed to fall back on our usual methods."
In other words—
yes, Ankh secretly agreed with Natsu.
The straightforward, smash-your-way-through-the-front-door version of "infiltration" suited this group much better.
His gaze drifted toward the image of Dragon Cry.
"Oh, right."
Ankh suddenly looked at Natsu.
"Speaking of dragons, what happened to Igneel and the others after I disappeared?"
Natsu scratched his head.
"I only saw Igneel once after the battle."
"When he came to see me, he said he still needed time to recover. He also said he was going to help Ishgar deal with dragons fleeing here from Guiltina."
Unlike Ishgar, where dragons had become little more than legends, Guiltina still had living dragons hidden throughout the continent.
With Alvarez rapidly occupying northern territory and Acnologia having last been seen heading in the same direction, many dragons that had lived in seclusion were now occasionally crossing into Ishgar in search of somewhere safer.
That explained why none of them had caused much trouble so far.
Igneel had apparently been gathering and managing the refugees before they could disrupt Ishgar.
"What about Ignia?"
Ankh remembered the powerful, arrogant Fire Dragon God.
Natsu fell quiet for a moment.
"When the battle ended, a huge sea-blue dragon showed up and rescued Igneel and the others."
He frowned.
"Ignia was badly injured too, and he disappeared with them. No one knows where he went after that."
Ankh sighed softly.
"Nothing but trouble everywhere…"
BOOM!
The entire train suddenly lurched violently.
Everyone nearly went flying from their seats.
"What the hell was that?!"
Gray snapped his head toward the window.
Ankh's gaze, however, seemed to pass straight through the door of their private carriage.
His expression became faintly amused.
"Looks like someone's hijacking the train."
"The route changed!"
Lucy leaned toward the window and quickly noticed that the train had switched onto a completely different track.
"Nobody authorized this route!"
"Lucy! Get back!"
A wave of killing intent suddenly filled the carriage.
Everyone was on their feet instantly.
Natsu grabbed Lucy and yanked her away from the window just as a foul, corrosive slash tore through the carriage door and blasted toward them.
Gray raised one hand without changing expression.
Bitter cold flooded the compartment.
The corrosive Magic Power froze solid in midair before it could reach anyone.
Then the shattered doorway gave them a clear view of the next carriage.
It was packed with black-robed figures.
Several people stood at the front wearing noticeably different clothing from the rest, their appearance making it obvious they were higher-ranking members.
Every one of them radiated murderous intent.
Ankh slowly looked across the crowded carriage.
Then the corner of his mouth lifted.
"Well, this is convenient."
He smiled.
"The Black Magic Cult came looking for us first."
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