At ten in the morning, sunlight streamed through the windows onto the floor of the Fairy Tail Guild hall.
Today was Saturday, and the internal training of the Guild had ceased for these two days.
Most people chose to enjoy the leisurely time of sleeping in at home, so the hall was quite deserted at this time, with only a few people.
Mira was chatting with Cana, and their casual glances caught sight of a blond young man slowly strolling in through the open doorway.
"Hi, Ezreal," both of them greeted in unison.
Ezreal smiled and nodded in response, "Good morning, ladies."
Mira covered her mouth and chuckled softly, her eyes full of tenderness, "Ten o'clock is not early, you know."
Cana, on the other hand, looked Ezreal up and down and teased, "What a rare guest, haven't seen you in over a month, have we?"
Ezreal shrugged, a hint of helplessness on his face, and then walked to the counter.
Indeed, Ezreal had not shown his face at the Guild for the past month; he had been busy evolving Evil Wolf.
After the evolution was complete, he rested for two days to adjust his mental state. Today, feeling truly bored, he thought of coming to the Guild to look around.
Mira thoughtfully handed him a cup of heated orange juice and said with concern, "Why don't you rest more after just finishing a mission?"
Ezreal pulled a stool from a nearby table, sat by the counter, took the juice with a smile, and took a sip. "Since returning from the Galuna Island mission last time, I've been resting at home for a month. If I didn't come now, I was afraid you'd completely forget about me."
Cana rolled her eyes, her tone somewhat teasing, "I'll try my best to forget that there's a blondy in the Guild soon."
Mira smiled, about to speak, when a loud, old scolding voice suddenly came from the second floor.
"If you don't handle this mission well, you and Happy will be spending New Year's on the railway!"
"Get out!"
Makarov's unique and aged voice was highly recognizable, and his volume was terrifyingly loud, as if it would overturn the roof.
Ezreal paused slightly, subconsciously looking at Mira and Cana, and asked with an uncertain expression, "Is the old man… angry?"
Cana spread her hands, saying helplessly, "Apparently."
Mira, however, reined in her smile, a worried expression appearing on her face as she looked towards the second floor.
The hurried sound of footsteps echoed on the stairs, and Natsu, wearing a red down jacket and holding Happy in his arms, walked down the stairs with a dejected look. Both the man and the cat looked extremely dispirited, as if they had suffered a major blow.
Seeing this, Ezreal chuckled and teased, "Did you two make the old man angry again?"
Cana added, gloating, "You didn't break anything again while on a mission, did you?" As she spoke, Cana took Happy from Natsu's arms, placed him on the counter table, and thoughtfully gave him a piece of grilled fish.
Happy held the grilled fish with his small blue paws, eating it in small bites with a blank stare.
Natsu pulled a stool for himself and sat next to Ezreal by the counter.
Mira, somewhat worried, poured a cup of hot orange juice and handed it to Natsu, her eyes full of concern, and asked softly, "Natsu, what happened?"
Natsu took the juice, thanked her, pulled out the straw, and took a big gulp before slowly saying, "The request I completed a while ago received a complaint."
Ezreal was a little surprised, his eyebrows slightly raised, "A complaint?"
Cana showed an "I knew it" expression, pouting, "Reasonable."
Mira thought for a moment and asked, "Was it that mission to clear out the Magic Beasts from the Jinkadi City railway?"
Happy, while eating his grilled fish in small bites, chimed in, "Yes, the client said that the Magic Beasts weren't completely cleared, and now there are still Magic Beasts lurking near the railway, which has severely affected train operations, and citizens' travel is greatly threatened."
Natsu's eyes widened, his face full of anger, and he said loudly, "We clearly cleared them all last time! Happy and I confirmed it then, 39 Magic Beasts, no omissions. These Magic Beasts absolutely appeared later."
At the mention of Magic Beasts, Ezreal immediately became interested, his eyes full of curiosity, and he asked, "What kind of Magic Beasts? Are they very strong?"
Natsu shook his head and explained, "Some big rats and some lizard monsters. Their strength is very average, at the level of a C-class Mage, but they move in groups and are very aggressive, attacking all living things, so they pose a great threat to ordinary people."
Big rats, lizardmen, group living? It's already winter; why would Magic Beasts still be so active, actively intruding into human living areas? That doesn't seem right… Ezreal frowned slightly and fell into thought.
Cana interjected, "Rats, lizards, these types of Magic Beasts sound like they're good at hiding. Did you two not completely clear them out?"
Happy said, "When we arrived at the mission location, we found these Magic Beasts destroying surrounding villages and harming villagers. Natsu and I cleared them along the railway. We walked the entire railway section twice and confirmed everything was clear before returning to the Guild to settle the mission."
Ezreal looked at Natsu, his brows slightly furrowed, and asked with a serious expression, "Are you sure there were only 39?"
Natsu and Happy exchanged glances, then nodded firmly.
Mira also exchanged a glance with Ezreal at this moment, and both their expressions changed slightly.
Mira said softly, "The number isn't right. I don't know much about lizard-type Magic Beasts, but rat-type Magic Beasts generally act alone and have extremely strong reproductive capabilities. They can breed 4 litters a year, with at least 6 pups per litter, and the pups can reproduce in just six months."
Mira's words also made Natsu and Happy's expressions change slightly.
Ezreal continued, following Mira's explanation, "Food shortages in winter make group movement for Magic Beasts very normal, but with the reproductive speed of rat-type Magic Beasts, the number shouldn't be so small. Lizard-type Magic Beasts have two litters a year, laying about 8-12 eggs per litter, with a three-month incubation period, and only need one year to go from juvenile to adult."
Cana also sobered up from her joking state, her tone becoming somewhat serious, "The number of Magic Beasts you dealt with must be wrong."
Ezreal looked at Natsu and analyzed seriously, "There are burrows and caves near the railway, making it easy for rat-type Magic Beasts to hide, and cold-blooded lizard-type Magic Beasts are also not very easy to detect."
"You and Happy might have missed a lot."
Happy looked a bit dazed, instinctively looking at Natsu, "Natsu~, we really didn't go into the caves…"
Natsu also looked grim.
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