Chapter 219: Strange Disease
With Wendy's help, Natsu finally experienced the joy of riding in a vehicle, for the very first time.
Unfortunately, his excitement quickly turned into chaos. He bounced around the carriage like a wild animal, shouting at everything that moved, completely disrupting everyone's attempts to hold a normal conversation.
Eventually, Erza, who had tolerated enough, ended it the only way she knew how, with a well-placed punch.
And just like that, Wendy's anti-motion sickness magic was rendered utterly useless for the day.
Still, the journey was long. Their destination lay all the way on the northern coast of Fiore, practically across the entire kingdom from where they began. So Natsu had plenty of chances to enjoy the ride in the days ahead, whether he wanted to or not.
They stopped to cook whenever they were hungry, stayed at inns in towns they passed, and camped out under the stars when necessary.
Everyone had come prepared for a long journey, especially Erza, who had enough food stored away to feed a small battalion.
To everyone's surprise, Happy was also pretty handy in the kitchen. According to Natsu, they usually either ate at the guild or relied on Happy's cooking skills.
"Are all Dragon Slayers raised by cats?" Rhodes often wondered this aloud, especially whenever he saw both Happy and Carla helping Erza cook dinner.
With so many of them traveling together, the trip never felt lonely. Whether it was chatting, playing cards, or talking about magic theory, there was always something going on in the carriage.
Wendy, especially, seemed to be having a wonderful time. It was only her second long-distance mission, and going on an adventure with friends made her light up with happiness.