Chapter 30 — The Journey Begins
Elior POV
The next morning, I was at Fairy Tail with Erza, Cana and Luna.
Cana had already settled into the guild surprisingly well. She was sitting beside Erza at one of the tables, showing her a deck of cards while Luna rested comfortably on my shoulder.
I was about to join them when Makarov walked over.
"El."
I looked up.
"Yeah, Gramps?"
"I have a request for you."
I immediately became suspicious.
"What kind?"
Makarov handed me a sealed envelope.
"I need you to deliver this letter to Blue Pegasus."
I looked at the envelope.
"Blue Pegasus?"
"Yes. Their guild is located in Lunaris, a city in northern Fiore."
"How far?"
"Several days by train."
I nodded.
"What's in the letter?"
"Guild business."
"So I'm not supposed to know?"
"No."
"Then I won't ask."
Makarov smiled.
"Good."
I slipped the envelope into my storage ring.
"Anything else?"
"No. Just make sure it reaches their guild master."
"Easy enough."
I looked toward Erza and Cana.
"I'll take them with me."
Erza's head immediately snapped toward us.
"Really?"
"Yep."
Her eyes lit up.
Cana also smiled.
"Can I come too?"
"Of course."
Luna lifted her head.
"Kyuu?"
I looked at her.
"You too."
Her tail wagged.
Makarov chuckled.
"Looks like you've already decided."
"Pretty much."
We said goodbye to Makarov and left the guild.
The walk home was filled with questions.
"How long will we be gone?" Erza asked.
"Probably five to seven days."
"That's a long time."
"It'll be fine."
Cana looked excited.
"Are we going to take the train?"
"Yep."
"I've never been on one."
"Neither has Erza."
Erza nodded.
"Mother usually teleports us."
I sighed.
"Of course she does."
Cana laughed.
When we reached home, we immediately started preparing.
I opened my storage ring and began checking what we already had.
Food.
Water.
Clothes.
Blankets.
Medicine.
Maps.
Camping supplies.
Cooking equipment.
Money.
Pretty much everything necessary for a long trip was already inside.
Cana stared as I continued pulling things out.
"How much stuff is in there?"
"A lot."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only answer you're getting."
Erza looked inside the spatial storage.
"There are so many things."
"Mom likes being prepared."
As if summoned by the mention of her name, Irene entered the room.
"Preparing for your journey?"
"Yeah."
I showed her the letter.
"Gramps wants me to deliver this to Blue Pegasus."
Irene nodded.
"How long will you be gone?"
"Five to seven days, probably."
"Then you'll need to take enough supplies."
"I already am."
She looked into the ring.
"Good."
Then she paused.
"Actually, since you're going that far north…"
I already knew what was coming.
"Yes?"
"I could use a few ingredients."
I smiled.
"There it is."
Irene gave me a look.
"What?"
"Nothing."
She walked over to a cabinet and took out a small notebook.
"I'll give you a list."
She wrote down several ingredients.
Some were herbs.
Some were magical plants.
There were also a few small minerals she needed for her enchantment work.
I looked through the list.
"Can we find these around Lunaris?"
"Some of them. The rest are more common in the surrounding countryside."
"Then I'll collect whatever I can."
"Don't go out of your way."
"I'll already be there."
Irene smiled.
"Fair enough."
I put the list into my ring.
"Anything else?"
"Be careful."
She looked at Erza and Cana.
"And keep them close."
"I will."
Erza nodded seriously.
"I'll be careful too."
Cana raised her hand.
"Me too!"
I laughed.
"Good."
We spent the rest of the morning preparing.
Cana packed her cards.
Erza packed two books she insisted on bringing.
I checked the map and marked our route.
We wouldn't be able to find everything Irene wanted in Magnolia, but there were several ingredients that grew in the surrounding forest.
So before leaving, we decided to collect whatever we could.
The first ingredient was Frostmint.
It grew near cold streams and had a faint magical signature.
I led the girls into the forest outside Magnolia.
"Stay close."
"We will," Erza said.
Cana nodded.
Luna rode on my shoulder, occasionally sniffing the air.
After about twenty minutes, I sensed the plant.
"There."
I crouched beside a small patch of blue-green leaves.
Erza leaned down.
"That one?"
"Yep."
"How did you find it?"
"It has more magic in it than the plants around it."
Cana looked at the surrounding grass.
"They all look the same."
"That's why you need practice."
I carefully collected the Frostmint and stored it.
We continued deeper into the forest.
The second ingredient was Silverleaf.
That one was slightly harder.
I closed my eyes and expanded my magical perception.
The forest slowly became clearer.
I could sense the ethernano flowing through the plants and soil.
"There."
I pointed toward a group of bushes.
Erza and Cana followed me.
Hidden beneath the larger leaves were several thin silver-colored plants.
Cana's eyes widened.
"Those?"
"Yes."
She reached toward them.
"Don't touch them yet."
Her hand immediately stopped.
"Why?"
"They can irritate your skin."
"Oh."
I carefully harvested them.
By noon, we'd collected several ingredients.
We stopped beneath a large tree for lunch.
I pulled food from the ring.
Cana looked at the pile.
"Did you pack enough food for a week?"
"Maybe."
Erza looked inside the ring.
"There are more boxes."
"Yes."
"And more."
"Yes."
"How much food did Mother give you?"
I thought about it.
"I stopped counting."
Cana laughed.
"Your mother really prepares for everything."
"She does."
After lunch, we continued searching.
The last ingredient we could easily find around Magnolia was Sunveil, a tiny mushroom that grew in patches of sunlight beneath older trees.
It took me a little longer to find.
I eventually sensed a faint magical fluctuation beneath a fallen branch.
I moved it aside.
"There."
Cana crouched beside me.
"It's tiny."
"That's why most people miss it."
We carefully collected the mushrooms.
With that, we had gathered everything from Irene's list that could reasonably be found around Magnolia.
The rest would have to wait until we reached the north.
We returned home before evening.
I showed Irene what we'd collected.
She checked everything carefully.
"Good."
"That's all we could find nearby."
"It's enough for now."
She took the ingredients.
"I'll prepare the rest of the list for when you return."
I nodded.
The trip was now fully prepared.
That evening, we had dinner together.
Irene reminded us about the journey several times.
Erza promised to stay close.
Cana promised too.
Luna simply sat on the table eating her food.
After dinner, everyone went to bed early.
The next morning, we left shortly after sunrise.
The streets of Magnolia were still relatively quiet.
Erza held my hand.
Cana walked beside us.
Luna peeked out from my chest pocket.
Our destination was the train station.
When we arrived, Cana immediately stopped.
"Whoa…"
A large train stood at the platform.
Steam drifted from beneath it as workers moved around the carriages.
Erza stared at it.
"So that's a train."
"Yep."
"It's huge."
"Wait until it starts moving."
Cana looked at me.
"Have you ridden one before?"
"No."
She blinked.
"Really?"
"Really."
She smiled.
"Then we're all trying it for the first time."
I laughed.
"Looks like it."
We boarded and found seats beside the window.
Cana immediately claimed one side.
Erza sat beside her.
I sat across from them with Luna on my lap.
A whistle sounded.
The doors closed.
A moment later, the train began moving.
Slowly at first.
Then faster.
Magnolia started disappearing behind us.
Cana pressed her face toward the window.
"It's moving!"
Erza smiled as she watched the buildings become smaller.
Luna's ears flattened for a moment before she relaxed against me.
I gently scratched her head.
"It's alright."
"Kyuu…"
I leaned back in my seat.
For the next several days, we would be far from home.
We had a letter to deliver, ingredients to collect and a new city to explore.
And for the first time, I wasn't traveling alone.
I looked at Erza and Cana, both still fascinated by the passing scenery.
I smiled.
"This should be fun."
The train continued north, carrying us farther away from Magnolia.