Chapter 18: Ch 18 : In Prison
"I'm so speechless that I don't even know what to say," Erza rolled her eyes at Natsu in the prison of the Magic Council's Fiore branch. "This was just a formality."
"Formality?" Natsu, whose intelligence in political matters was in the negatives, had several question marks popping up above his head.
"It means that arresting Erza is just for show. In order to maintain order in the magical world, even the Council has to demonstrate its authority to the public," Noel explained to Natsu.
"What kind of nonsense is that? I don't get it at all!" The straightforward Natsu clearly couldn't grasp this concept.
"In other words, although she was found guilty, there was no real punishment. If you hadn't caused trouble, we would have been able to leave today," Erza stated plainly, opting for the simplest explanation upon realizing Natsu wouldn't understand the details.
"W-What?" Upon hearing Erza's words, Natsu immediately turned to stone, realizing that his well-intended actions had backfired.
"Forget it, Erza," Noel interjected with a small smile. "Natsu meant well, and besides, this has been an interesting experience, hasn't it? This place... gives me a familiar feeling. It reminds me of my past..." His voice softened.
"Your past?" Both Erza and Natsu looked at Noel in confusion.
Noel hugged his knees, falling silent for a moment before speaking again.
"Yeah... a long time ago, probably after I turned four. I lived in a place like this... No, compared to that place, this is heaven. At least... here, no one would be so afraid of you escaping that they'd nail your hands to the wall—making every slight movement feel like your hands were being torn apart. And... no one would look at you with the same kind of fear... like you were a monster."
Erza and Natsu both fell silent.