The next day, as the first magical train arrived, Hope reached the coastal city of Harujion.
It had been half a month since Natsu and Lucy's forced demolition, but when he set foot in the city, he saw a Harujion that had already been rebuilt.
He learned that the city hall hired three teams of civil engineering mages on rotating shifts, and in about ten days they had rebuilt the half‑destroyed city.
One must admit that in a world of magic, constructing buildings has become quite convenient; as long as the money is there, those civil mages will work overtime relentlessly.
Civil engineers seem destined to work wherever they go... "Karna Island? No way, that place is too spooky!"
"Kid, you don't know that island is cursed?"
"Maybe ask again later."
When he reached the shore, Hope intended to take a boat to Karna Island, but the boatmen all refused as soon as they heard the destination, some even urging him not to go to the cursed island.
Hope frowned; Grandma Borusika never mentioned this. Did she not know, or did she think it was not worth mentioning?
Nevertheless, the boatmen's attitude sparked Hope's curiosity about Karna Island.
When asked, a kind boatman told Hope that Karna Island earned the nickname "Cursed Island" three years ago; supposedly the residents are cursed and turn into terrifying demons every night.
Because the problem remained unsolved for a long time, nearby townspeople dare not approach Karna Island, fearing they might also be cursed and become monsters.
However, a boatman who allegedly escaped from Karna Island is willing to take people there by sea.
But Hope didn't want to wait; flying there is the same—Karna Island isn't far from Harujion, it just costs a bit of mana.
Under the bewildered gazes of the boatmen, the magical circle behind Hope unfolded into a pair of magical wings, and he shot upward.
"So he's a mage after all."
"He must be going to lift the curse, right?"
"Obviously, otherwise why would he go to that island?"
"Hope he succeeds; the people on that island are nice, I even met their village chief once..."
"..."
A few boatmen sat on the shore, chatting idly.
But soon, someone else approached them.
"Hey, gentlemen, we want to go to Karna Island, can we board?" Natsu asked casually, receiving puzzled looks from the boatmen.
One boatman replied, "Hey kid, you and that lady also heading to Karna Island?"
Behind Natsu, Lucy, cradling Happy, immediately picked up the clue, "So someone else went there before us?"
The boatman nodded, "There's a mage; he seems to be going to break the curse, left about half an hour ago."
"Hey!"
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's set off right away!"
Natsu tried to pull Lucy and Happy onto the boat, but a boatman stopped him, "Sorry, kid, we're not going to Karna Island."
"Then how did that mage get there earlier?"
"Oh, he flew there."
Happy instantly felt two scorching gazes land on him; it was obvious they were Natsu's and Lucy's.
The little cat looked embarrassed; flying a person was already its limit, let alone crossing the sea… Natsu and Lucy also knew they couldn't rely on Happy.
Just as they were fretting, a figure silently appeared behind them.
"Got you!"
The suddenly appearing Gray placed his hands on Natsu and Lucy's shoulders and said, "You three actually dared to ignore the guild's rules and steal the S‑rank quest commission. The guild master will be furious; come with me and apologize."
It turned out Natsu and Happy had stolen the S‑rank commission from the guild's second floor, then used the golden star‑spirit key from the reward to convince Lucy to join.
Seeing Gray, Natsu visibly relaxed.
If Erza had come to catch him, Natsu would already be on his knees begging for mercy, but unfortunately, the one sent by Makaro was Gray.
Being polar opposites, Gray could never persuade Natsu.
Seeing the two about to clash over a word, Lucy and Happy were helpless.
At that moment, a small boat drifted over.
"Hey, you're the ones heading to Karna Island?"
"I can take you there."
The boatman's words broke the stalemate; while Gray was distracted, Natsu punched him unconscious.
Gray had originally come to retrieve Natsu's party, but was dragged onto the "pirate ship" by Natsu and Lucy… Hope had no idea what was happening at Harujion's dock after departure.
By then, he had arrived at Karna Island.
Since he flew there, Hope saw the whole island from the sky.
It was a crescent‑shaped island, mostly covered in forest, with a village on the southern side and a temple‑like structure atop the central mountain.
After thinking it over, Hope decided the mission from Borusika was more important and planned to ask the village about "moonlight grass."
He trekked through a sparse patch of woods and soon reached the island's only settlement.
Seeing the fence built from wooden stakes and the guard on the watchtower wielding a crude weapon of sticks and stones, Hope almost thought he'd stumbled into a primitive tribe.
"Halt! Who are you?"
The guard on the watchtower noticed Hope approaching and asked.
Hope showed the guild emblem on his arm and said, "I'm a Fairy Tail mage, I'm here…"
"So it's a Fairy Tail member! You finally made it!"
Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted; seeing the guard suddenly excited, Hope was left bewildered.
Do they know I'm here for the moonlight flower?
Before Hope could think further, the guard swung open the gate and warmly ushered him inside.
Along the way, Hope noticed the villagers' bodies bore demonic transformations in various parts, likely the result of the island's curse.
Strangely, he didn't sense any foreign energy invading the villagers; the demonic mutation seemed more like a natural bodily change.
Outside the chief's house, after hearing the guard's report, the chief hurried out—a short old man clutching a wand topped with a moon shape.
"We've finally been waiting for you, Fairy Tail mage."
The elderly chief smiled warmly, "As you can see, everyone on this island is bound by the curse, but whatever you need, we'll do everything we can to help."
Hope was taken aback by the chief's bluntness, initially thinking Borusika had given him a heads‑up, then he spoke without hesitation, "Where can I find moonlight grass?"
The chief was startled; does breaking the curse require moonlight grass?
He quickly replied, "There are some up north; I'll send people right away, but you'll have to harvest them at night."
"No need to trouble you; I'll go myself." Seeing the chief's thoroughness, Hope turned red, embarrassed.
The chief was pleased, noting that Fairy Tail mages weren't as reckless as the rumors—he'd surely help them.
They both smiled.
Unfortunately, they weren't on the same wavelength… Half an hour after seeing Hope off...
The chief, who had been leisurely sipping tea, watched as the guard brought in Natsu, Gray, Lucy and Happy, holding the commission he himself had issued, and fell silent.
These three and the cat were the Fairy Tail mages who came to lift the curse.
Who was the person before them?
----------------------------------
I've already uploaded over 40 new chapters on Patreon!
If you're enjoying the story and want to read ahead, feel free to check it out.
Your support truly means a lot to me!
patreon.com/Kazenova223
Thank you so much for being here!
And if you're having fun with the story, don't forget to drop a Power Stone for me!