A deathly silence enveloped everyone in the guild hall.
The lively atmosphere from Natsu and Erza's earlier duel had long vanished, replaced by an extreme sense of suppressed anger and bewilderment.
The gecko Natsu frantically bumped against the inside of the glass, but it was useless.
"Let me out, quickly let me out of here."
"Natsu, you're being noisy."
In such a silent atmosphere, Natsu seemed particularly loud.
Mirajane said, "If I let you out, you'll definitely cause trouble."
Natsu immediately retorted upon hearing this, "I won't cause trouble. By the way, quickly change me back to my original form."
Gray, for once neatly dressed, spoke in a slightly low voice, "The other side is the Magic Council. We can't intervene this time either."
Natsu said, unwilling to show weakness, "Let me out, I'll just say one thing. I don't care about the Council or anything. Anyway, they're the ones who are wrong."
Gray said with some resentment, "Even if it's fine, if the Magic Council says it's not, then it's not. Would they listen to anything we say?"
For a moment, the entire guild fell silent, a deep sense of powerlessness enveloping everyone.
Ryoma silently watched all of this. He, of course, knew what was going on. Although it was just a formality, he still felt annoyed.
After all, it was clear that there were problems within the Magic Council, and they were the ones who acted, preventing a greater crisis. It was bad enough they didn't get recognition for their contributions, but now, they also had to go through all this for a minor issue.
The only surprise was that this time, it seemed to be the real Natsu who had been turned into a gecko.
In the original plot, it seemed Macao had turned into a gecko to impersonate Natsu, allowing Natsu to chase after Erza.
Ryoma frowned slightly.
This wouldn't do.
If Natsu didn't go make a fuss at the Magic Council, he would feel off.
Anyway, Natsu going to cause a scene would only mean being locked up for one more night.
Thinking this, Ryoma acted immediately. He quietly sought out Macao and after discussing with Macao, he had him transform into a gecko to impersonate Natsu.
Ryoma then created some ice crystals, along with a little trick, to confuse their vision.
At this moment, the people in the guild weren't paying much attention to other things. Thus, Ryoma successfully swapped Natsu out.
Natsu was secretly sent out, while Macao, transformed into Natsu, continued to shout in the glass.
No one noticed anything amiss during the entire process.
No, perhaps the old man noticed something but didn't intend to stop it.
And so, the relatively quiet atmosphere in the guild continued.
Time passed minute by minute until Lucy finally couldn't bear it anymore and stood up, saying, "I really can't just ignore this. Let's go give our testimonies."
The always silent Makarov spoke, "Wait a moment. No matter how urgent it is now, we won't make it before the verdict."
The gecko "Natsu" was still shouting vigorously.
"Do you really want me to let you out?"
As Makarov asked this question, the Natsu in the glass instantly fell silent.
Natsu's reaction made the other guild members somewhat confused.
"What's wrong, Natsu? You suddenly lost your spirit?"
Then, with a wave of his hand, a ray of light struck Macao, returning him to his original form.
Seeing this, Ryoma immediately wanted to quietly slip away before everyone could react.
However, Makarov's gaze turned towards him.
Ryoma could only give up his actions, laugh awkwardly, and then shift his gaze, pretending not to know anything.
—
The next day, Fairy Tail returned to its usual boisterousness.
The Magic Council's arrest warrant was ultimately just a formality. Erza was safe and sound, not even a hair out of place.
As for a certain pink-haired idiot who caused a ruckus at the Council and was locked up for a night, he was now energetically running around everywhere.
"Erza, let's continue our previous duel."
Natsu, now free, remembered their unfinished duel from before, and with flames igniting on his fists, he charged towards Erza.
Ryoma leaned against the bar, holding a glass of juice, watching with interest.
His little plan last night had been very successful.
Natsu got to vent at the Council as he wished. Although it was useless, he felt satisfied.
The result?
There was no result.
Erza didn't even turn around, delivering a precise elbow strike to Natsu's abdomen with a backhand.
"Ugh—"
The flames on Natsu's fists extinguished with a "poof," and he collapsed, falling asleep.
One-hit knockout.
The guild hall was instantly filled with laughter.
At this moment, Makarov, sitting on the bar, gently let his eyelids droop.
"What's wrong, Master?" Mirajane noticed his unusual behavior and asked softly.
"Nothing, just very sleepy."
Makarov opened his eyes and looked up.
"It's that guy."
As soon as he spoke, an invisible, intangible, yet irresistible wave of drowsiness, like a tsunami, swept through the entire guild.
Natsu, Erza, Mirajane...
Whether it was S-Class Mages or ordinary members, it didn't matter. One by one, they fell, sinking into slumber.
The entire guild hall, from boisterous to silent enough to hear a pin drop, took less than ten seconds.
A dead silence.
Except for... two people.
Makarov, although drowsy, could maintain consciousness.
And the other person was Ryoma.
Ryoma merely yawned, nothing more. This wasn't because he was particularly strong.
He had gradually discovered something after coming to the Fairy Tail World.
Any negative magic directly affecting his body or mind would be nullified by an incomprehensible rule, becoming ineffective.
Curses, petrification, mind control, and... sleep.
Ryoma put down his juice glass and looked around. People lay scattered everywhere, in various poses, sleeping soundly.
It was at this moment that a figure silently appeared at the guild entrance. He wore a black hat covering the upper half of his face, a dark green mask covering the lower half, a tightly buttoned trench coat, and carried several oddly shaped magic staffs on his back. Only a pair of eyes were visible on his entire body.
Fairy Tail's most mysterious S-Class Mage—Mystogan.
"Yo, Mystogan, long time no see."
Ryoma was one of the very few in the guild who had seen his true face... oh no, who had seen him in this attire.
He naturally raised a hand to greet him.
Mystogan knew that his magic had no effect on Ryoma. He had tried increasing the output before to no avail.
He merely nodded at Ryoma as a response, then walked towards the quest board.
Watching this scene, Ryoma's eyes lit up.
A bold, exciting, and absolutely everyone-would-hunt-him-down idea furiously sprouted in his mind.
(End of Chapter)
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