Two days later.
"Dear passengers…"
"We have arrived at the easternmost station of the train. We wish you a pleasant journey."
Under the blessings of the train conductor, Medivh, accompanied by Erza, Gray…
And Natsu, who had spent a full two days on the train and was almost completely broken, finally set foot on the eastern land.
Unlike the warm west, the east was still covered in ice and snow.
"Makarov gave us a total of one week to complete this crusade mission."
"However, after deducting the four days required for our round trip by train, we are left with less than three days."
"Time is not ample, so we must hurry…"
Medivh, dressed in a cotton coat and carrying a backpack, looked at the mountains and forests before him, completely covered in ice and snow, stretching out in a vast expanse of white, and exhaled a white puff of breath.
"Understood."
Erza, wearing the same cotton coat as Medivh, rubbed her reddened hands and continuously breathed into them.
"So, so cold…"
After getting off the train, Natsu gradually sobered up with a blast of the icy cold wind. He shivered constantly, trembling in the icy world, and said.
"Haha! I told you to wear more."
Medivh looked at Natsu, whose face was turning blue from the cold, and helplessly used Re-quip Magic to put a cotton padded jacket on him.
"Phew! I'm alive again…"
After putting on the cotton coat, Natsu's complexion finally returned to normal.
In fact…
Strictly speaking, this was not Medivh's first time in the east.
After all, if you count Medivh's simulator…
The simulated timeline concerning Gray, then this was Medivh's second time setting foot in this world of ice and snow.
Therefore, Medivh had prepared beforehand and packed cotton coats for everyone.
Yes, this was Gray's hometown.
Compared to Medivh's previous visit, when he was anxious and uneasy about saving Gray's family, Medivh, stepping into this place again, appeared incredibly calm and composed.
"Have we returned to the east?"
Unlike Medivh and the others who were wearing cotton coats, Gray was still wearing relatively thin clothes…
Only his expression seemed a bit emotional.
For Gray, a Magician of the ice and snow element, this bit of cold was nothing to him.
Moreover, this was originally his hometown…
He was already accustomed to the frosty temperatures here down to his bones.
Stepping onto his homeland again, Gray not only felt no coldness but instead felt warm all over…
"I just wonder if the villagers in the village are all doing well?"
Gray muttered to himself, his brows slightly furrowed.
"Although time is very tight, as long as we move fast enough."
"I think we might still be able to spare about a day to go back to the village and take a look…"
"To be honest, after all these years, I also miss those villagers."
Medivh seemed to notice a hint of homesickness in Gray's eyes…
So, with great understanding, he suddenly changed the subject and spoke Gray's mind for him.
"Medivh, can we really go back?"
Gray said, lifting his small head, his eyes showing a hint of joy.
Who doesn't miss their hometown?!
To be honest, Gray had wanted to go back and see for a long time…
He just never had the chance!
What Medivh had just said was a huge surprise for Gray.
"Hmm…"
"But the prerequisite is that we must move quickly."
"We must hurry and complete the mission…"
Medivh said, pulling out the map Makarov had given him, which marked the location where Double-footed Dragons were sighted, and assumed a posture of careful examination…
To enter this vast snowy mountain and search for Double-footed Dragons, one must first determine the route. Otherwise, it would be easy to get lost.
"Medivh, leave the guiding work to me. No one is more familiar with the snowy mountains than I am."
"After all, I grew up here!"
Gray was eager to try.
After Medivh said that if there was enough time after completing the mission, they could return to the village, Gray's mind was no longer on the mission. He now only wanted to complete the mission quickly, eliminate those annoying Double-footed Dragons, and then go back to the village to see.
"Alright, then I'll leave it to you…"
After a moment of thought, Medivh decided that Gray was indeed right.
After all, this was Gray's hometown, and no one was more familiar with it than Gray…
So, Medivh handed the map in his hand to Gray.
"The marked location is not far from us."
"If we start heading there now, it will only take about six hours to reach it…"
After scanning the map in his hand, Gray had already roughly figured out the direction.
"Since you've already determined the location, without further ado, let's depart now."
Medivh's lips curled slightly as he confidently handed this opportunity to Gray.
"Let's go! Let's go…"
The revived Natsu, shedding his previous decadent state on the train, shouted with full energy…
Especially, the thought of being able to compete with a top-tier magic beast like the Double-footed Dragon filled him with excitement.
Finally, he could properly display the strength of a Dragon Slayer. All the dragons in this world would be defeated by him, Natsu.
Although Double-footed Dragons and true dragons could be said to be unrelated, they were merely magic beasts with a somewhat dragon-like appearance…
They were simply given the name of 'dragon' in Ishgar, a place where true dragons had gone into hiding.
"Let's go~"
Erza raised her pink little fist and waved it excitedly.
She wasn't excited because she was about to see a Double-footed Dragon.
She was simply happy because she was about to go on a mission to crusade a magic beast with Medivh.
For Erza, who they were crusade was never important.
As long as she could act with Medivh, that was enough~
No sooner said than done…
After making their decision, everyone walked directly towards the snowy mountain.
Although there were kind people who tried to stop Medivh and the others from entering the mountain and informed them of the dangers ahead…
This situation ended as soon as Medivh revealed the 'Fairy Tail' mark on his arm.
It was well known that Magicians were a group of people who courted death!
However, Medivh wondered if it was his imagination, but he saw a hint of fear in the eyes of those who tried to dissuade him, directed at the 'Fairy Tail' mark on his arm.
"Whoosh…"
The wind howled, and the snow was heavy…
But with Medivh present, the wind and snow could not get close to them.
However, the snow on the ground was very thick, and everyone walked with deep, uneven steps, which severely affected their speed.
"Can you ski?"
After Gray led the group for about a kilometer, he finally couldn't stand the feeling of slow progress, taking deep, uneven steps. He turned his head to Medivh and the others and asked.
"Easy!"
Medivh nodded lightly; he had specifically learned how to ski.
"Mother taught me."
Erza stated that Irene had taught her to ski.
In fact, Erza's own learning ability was very strong, even if Irene hadn't taught her, she would have learned just by watching Gray and the others ski a few times.
"Skiing? What is that?"
Only Natsu looked at everyone with a bewildered expression.
However, that didn't matter.
"Since everyone can ski, then it's easy."
Gray ignored Natsu and used Ice Make Magic to create a set of skiing equipment.
"Wait, what is skiing?!"
Natsu continued to ask everyone.
"Boom!!"
Medivh said no more, he looked to his side, and directly used Gravity Magic to effortlessly pull up a large tree, carving it into his exclusive snowboard.
Of course, Medivh also made a set for Natsu.
"Um, so what exactly is skiing?"
Just as everyone was fully equipped and ready to ski…
Natsu was still asking with a bewildered expression.
"Let's go!"
As Medivh's words fell, he immediately activated his Gravity Magic as the propulsion for everyone's progress…
A purple magic circle lit up with a brilliant glow behind Medivh and the others.
Medivh, Erza, and Gray, like swans dancing on an icy lake, eagles soaring between the snowy mountains, moved with graceful postures…
"Ah!!"
Only Natsu, after letting out a miserable scream…
He accidentally fell to the ground and, with the help of Gravity Magic, gradually rolled into a giant snowball, crashing and speeding through the snow.
"Father…"
On the 'waves' of ice and snow, Erza slightly turned her head, looking at Natsu rolling bigger and bigger in the snow behind her, and couldn't help but look at Medivh, asking softly: "Medivh, are we being too cruel to Natsu?!"
"No! Natsu is a First Generation Dragon Slayer."
"No one understands how to train a First Generation Dragon Slayer better than I do…"
"Only through Non-Human training can Natsu's full potential be unleashed."
"You must know that Dragon Slayer Magic was originally invented for fighting dragons. What is this little hardship to Natsu?!"
Medivh's words were well-founded.
Yes, he was doing all this to train Natsu; it was his full care and love for Natsu.
"Exactly what Mother said."
Upon hearing this, Erza's eyes immediately sparkled with little stars.
What Medivh told her, Irene had also said.
At this moment, Erza finally understood Medivh's good intentions and thought to herself: "As expected of Father, he is so thoughtful in everything he does!"
"Good thing I'm not some Dragon Slayer."
Gray, who had been leading the way for everyone, happened to overhear the conversation between Medivh and Erza behind him, and he suddenly felt a bit fortunate that he wasn't some Dragon Slayer.
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