This was a small town that appeared empty on the surface.
However, with a little careful observation, one could easily find numerous traces of human life.
This was Silent Town.
A town where all residents possessed the Magic of Stealth.
Because they refused to cooperate with a mad scientist's evil experiments, the mad scientist became enraged, causing all residents to be unable to release themselves from the Stealth state, nor could they leave the town.
The name Silent Town originated from this.
The residents had thought about seeking help, but those who promised to help them would mysteriously forget their experiences here after leaving the town.
A group of five handsome men and beautiful women, plus two kittens and one hamster, looked incredibly out of place in this town.
Upon entering Silent Town, Noah felt a massive surge of homogeneous Magic gathered into a powerful spell, enveloping the entire town.
After a brief analysis of this Magic, Noah understood why Natsu had forgotten the residents' request in Silent Town.
A large amount of Stealth Magic converged here, and the accumulation of its quantity caused this Magic to undergo a qualitative change, evolving the Stealth Magic from its original effect of "hiding one's figure and voice" to being able to affect memory, causing people to forget the existence of this town.
However, the residents here were not masters after all, and even if all their Magic converged, the effect of Stealth on memory was merely forgetfulness.
If one had a strong will or a crucial reminder, the affected person would immediately recall the existence of Silent Town.
It was just unknown which of the above two conditions Natsu met.
"Noah, have you found anything?"
Mirajane looked at Noah, holding the snow cat Cheese in her arms, while Cheese held the hamster Snow, giving off a strong impression of carrying a baby.
Noah did not hide anything and shared his findings.
"So that's it. I said that even if that single-celled organism was stupid, he shouldn't forget such an important task as a job."
Gray nodded, agreeing strongly with Noah's explanation.
As for why Gray got involved, part of the reason was to help Natsu solve the problem, but more so, he wanted to mercilessly mock Natsu after the incident, in the capacity of someone who helped him.
After all, as "water and fire" companions, Gray's attitude towards Natsu was always one of worrying that he wasn't doing well, yet also fearing that he was doing too well.
Natsu was well aware of this, but thinking of the promise he'd made to the residents of Silent Town years ago, he decided that as long as the mad scientist could be dealt with and the town returned to normal, he would endure Gray's mockery after this incident.
Compared to his other four calm companions, Lucy seemed a bit out of sorts.
Walking on the empty streets of the town, being watched by unseen eyes made Lucy feel uneasy. Although she already knew that Silent Town was full of living people forced into Stealth, not being able to see them still felt somewhat eerie.
So the blonde girl hugged Happy even tighter, completely oblivious to the fact that the blue cat was already choking with his tongue sticking out.
Natsu didn't notice Happy's small paws waving for help, but instead suddenly shouted towards the sky:
"Everyone in Silent Town! I'm Natsu! I've come back to fulfill my promise!"
Noah slapped his forehead. Revealing his identity before even finding the enemy, that's truly Natsu.
However, what was startled first was not the evil scientist, but the residents who still remembered Natsu. So many people who were willing to help the town had forgotten its existence and never returned after leaving.
They never expected that the pink-haired boy from back then would actually return, and he even brought his companions.
Although several years had passed, Natsu's appearance was undoubtedly a glimmer of hope for the residents of Silent Town.
A note floated out from a house on one side of the road. Due to the deepening effect of Stealth Magic, the residents could no longer communicate with outsiders through sound, only through writing.
Noah caught the note. The content indicated the mad scientist's location, and that a team of cultists had recently escorted a bloody person into the scientist's residence.
Upon seeing the words "cultists," Noah's mood instantly became complicated.
Every time he left Magnolia, he would encounter members of the Black Magic Cult.
The first time, when buying Magic tools with Cana, he'd encountered two Black Priests, who were annihilated by a single shot from the Dragon Cavalry.
The second time, when investigating the Blackbird Konzern for Roland's request, he again ran into a Black Priest, turning him into a puddle of mud with a blasting punch.
The third time, heading to Mount Hakobe, he'd stumbled upon a five-person squad under the Black Magic Cult; they were now ice shards at the foot of the snowy mountain.
That team of cultists was very likely also from the Black Magic Cult, and they should have reached some kind of cooperation with the mad scientist.
As for the bloody fellow described by the town residents, Noah was temporarily unsure if he was from the Black Magic Cult or a poor victim.
Following the residents' note, led by Noah, the group quickly arrived at the unassuming two-story hotel entrance located in a corner of Silent Town.
The hotel looked a bit old, but its footprint was quite large.
Mirajane, however, instantly recognized that the hotel before them was a false facade created by spatial distortion.
Having fought Erza many times, Mirajane vividly remembered the Spatial Magic fluctuations every time Erza changed her armor, so she immediately saw through the hotel's problem.
"Everyone, pay attention. There are about fifteen enemies."
"Each of you gets three. Don't fight over them."
Through his Malice Perception ability, Noah could sense the ill-intentioned emotions within the hotel, even through the door.
Natsu, whose hands were already itching for a fight, didn't care about any of that and directly kicked down the door with a fiery flying kick.
However, the next moment, the burning figure flew back out.
A loudspeaker abruptly appeared on the hotel, and a female voice followed. "Such an impatient guest. The shop isn't open yet, you know."
Hearing that strange catchphrase, Natsu, who'd stood up, shouted loudly, "You despicable scientist! Release the town residents' Magic for me!"
"Heh heh heh~ No, no, no~ You see, they didn't believe me and refused to cooperate with my experiments. This is their punishment, you know."
"That's still no reason for you to oppress the residents!"
Upon hearing this, Natsu's anger flared, and scorching Magic Power gathered in his right arm, making the air around him smell faintly of char.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
A massive, enraged blow slammed into the hotel, and the intense magical impact caused violent, ripple-like fluctuations to splash around it.
With a mere sound from the loudspeaker, the spatial distortion's illusory disguise was forcibly shattered, revealing a team of fourteen cultists. Their leader wore a white robe familiar to Noah.
Also appearing were a giant dragon-shaped biological mecha and a black-haired girl with glasses in a white coat, who was staring intently at Natsu with a fanatical expression.
"Heh heh heh~ Heh heh heh~ Heh heh heh~ Excellent! You are a Dragon Slayer! The most crucial power source for the 'Artificial Lifeform: Dragon Cavalry' has finally been found!"
"Fire Dragon Natsu, become the fuel for the Dragon Cavalry!"
"Let the dragon's majestic presence reappear in the world!"
As the black-haired girl with glasses made her fanatical declaration, the giant dragon-shaped biological mecha behind her let out an earth-shattering roar.