After a good night's rest, Noel felt significantly better. But when he arrived at the guild, he was surprised to find a massive crowd gathered outside.
Why is it so lively today?
Is everyone always this energetic so early in the morning?
Then it hit him—he had almost forgotten about the duel between Erza and Natsu. That explained the huge turnout.
"Yo, Noel! Feeling better?"
Loke called out, surrounded by a bunch of women as usual.
"Yeah, I'm fine now," Noel replied.
"Good to hear. I'm betting on you in your match against Gray today. Don't let me down."
With a wink, Loke disappeared, still clinging to the girls.
Noel was speechless. That was just like Loke.
Wait… how does everyone know about my match with Gray?
It seemed like the whole guild knew. Was he about to get publicly watched?
"I heard Gray challenged you," Elfman said bluntly.
Noel nodded—too late to deny it now. Great. Now I'm going to be surrounded by spectators.
"You've earned my respect as a real man—don't you dare lose!"
Elfman threw his arm around Noel in support.
On the other side of the guild, people were cheering for Natsu with loud voices.
Fueled by the crowd's support, Natsu's fighting spirit surged.
Erza stood calmly and looked at Natsu, a glint of nostalgia in her eyes.
"It's been years since we last fought like this, magic against magic."
"Back then, I was just a kid—but now I'm different. Today, I'll beat you!"
Natsu clenched his fists, a confident grin lighting up his face, fire practically radiating off his body.
"I won't hold back. Let's do this for real."
As soon as she spoke, a magic circle formed beneath Erza, glowing with white light. In a flash, she changed into a set of blazing red armor.
"That's the Flame Empress Armor! It resists fire!"
"That means Natsu's flame magic will be half as effective!"
"Natsu's in trouble…"
Seeing Erza equip her Flame Empress Armor, everyone began whispering in concern.
The armor was known for its powerful fire resistance—it could cut fire damage in half. Since Natsu's magic was entirely fire-based, he was completely countered.
But Natsu wasn't fazed.
"Flame Empress Armor, huh? That's perfect. Now I can go all out without holding back!"
He clenched his fists, fire bursting to life around them.
"Begin!"
Makarov suddenly appeared and declared the match start.
Natsu charged forward, fire-cloaked fists blazing, heat distorting the air as he moved faster than before.
But Erza wasn't one to be outdone. She nimbly dodged his strike and swung her Flame Empress Sword, a streak of fire trailing behind.
Natsu quickly ignited his legs and kicked forward—an even match.
He leapt into the sky, spitting flames toward her. But Erza evaded them with ease.
"Amazing…"
Lucy watched in awe.
"Yeah, it's an excellent battle," Noel said with a nod of approval.
"Tch… what's so great about it?" Gray muttered, clearly annoyed—but even he was getting fired up from watching.
Their attacks only grew more intense, fire clashing in bursts of heat and light.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
A red magic circle formed in the air, and a massive wave of scorching flame burst from Natsu's mouth, forming a roaring pillar of fire.
Erza responded instantly, slashing her sword to release a wave of fire magic.
The two flames collided in midair, pushing the surrounding temperature even higher.
Erza slashed again with another powerful strike, her Fire Slash tearing through Natsu's flames like a blade through paper.
The fire breath was scattered, but Natsu recovered quickly, adjusting midair and dodging the follow-up.
With his fists still blazing, Natsu charged Erza from above like a comet.
Erza wasn't backing down either—her sword burning brightly, ready for a full-frontal clash.
The crowd watching held their breath. They had a feeling this next exchange would determine the outcome.
Clang! Clang!
Suddenly, the sound of clashing plates rang out.
Both Natsu and Erza stiffened mid-air, startled by the unexpected interruption.
A strange figure had entered their sight—a frog-faced being, cloaked in black robes and wearing a matching black hat.
The frog-man strolled over calmly toward Noel, speaking loudly:
"That's enough. Everyone, stay where you are. I am a messenger from the Magic Council!"
"The Council?! Why are they here?" Gray scowled in annoyance.
"A messenger? In a place like this?"
Natsu was confused. The battle had just reached its peak, and now it felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on them.
"Wait, the Council's messenger is… a frog?"
Lucy couldn't help but comment.
Ignoring the remarks, the frog-man looked sternly at Noel.
"On charges related to the Iron Forest incident—including harboring a dangerous magical item, aiding in the escape of a criminal, and thirteen other crimes—Noel Manchester is hereby placed under arrest."
"W-What!?"
Noel was stunned.
What did I do?
If anything, I helped the situation. Without me, the Council's reputation might've taken a bigger hit!
"What did you say?!" Natsu shouted, stepping forward.
But the messenger ignored him and waved his hand, signaling to the guards behind him.
In an instant, the soldiers moved in and restrained Noel.
He didn't resist—instead, he chose to cooperate.
"No! You can't take Noel!"
Natsu was about to charge forward, but Erza shot him a sharp glare, silencing him instantly. He backed down, muttering quietly.
Noel was escorted away, while the frog-like messenger cast a smug glance around the guild before leaving triumphantly.
After Noel was taken, the guild fell into an eerie silence.
Everyone wore expressions of fury and disbelief.
Watching a guildmate—no, a family member—get taken away in front of them was beyond humiliating.
"What do we do now…?"
Lucy looked helplessly at Makarov, then to the rest of the guild.
Gray's face was serious.
"It's the Council… who knows what kind of punishment Noel might face."
"Maybe we should go get him!" Natsu shouted.
"Absolutely not."
Erza glared at him again.
"I believe Noel can handle this himself. If you go barging into the Council, you'll probably burn the whole building down."
Faced with Erza's warning glare, Natsu backed down again, unsure of what to do.