Chapter 494 "Portal"

The woman in question had appeared, her gaze fixed on the rice cooker in Jerry's hands.

It was evident to Jerry that the woman had a specific purpose in mind.

As a result, when he began to soar into the air to cast the Mending Charm, Jerry covertly dropped the rice cooker.

He had referred to it as his "magic wind pot," a precious family magical item, but in reality, he had casually fabricated it.

He had prepared hundreds of these rice cookers in his ring space in advance.

Following conventional wisdom, after the council retrieved this precious magical item capable of sealing demons, they would undoubtedly safeguard it in a secure location to prevent the release of the contained demons.

This way, anyone would be unlikely to discover that he had switched the bags.

If, by any chance, someone attempted to open the rice cooker, Jerry had taken precautions.

Before handing over the rice cooker, he had cast numerous magic spells on it.

To open the rice cooker, one would need to first break through his enchantments.

These enchantments were not of this world nor of this system.

Even if a skilled spell-breaker from this world attempted to unravel them, it would prove to be no easy feat.

Moreover, even if the enchantments were successfully dispelled and the rice cooker was opened, it wouldn't matter.

Jerry had included a little surprise within that rice cooker—a Dark Elf's space compression bomb, a purely technological device.

The moment the rice cooker's lid was opened, the space compression bomb would detonate, collapsing the rice cooker and obliterating the individual who had opened it.

Magic practitioners could detect various magical traps but could not identify purely technological devices.

In truth, Jerry's ploy was designed to guard against villains rather than those with noble intentions.

A responsible council would securely preserve the rice cooker, ensuring that the demons within remained sealed. If, however, someone were to attempt to open it secretly, Jerry would be painted as the villain by default.

"Thank you for your cooperation. We'll handle the follow-up work. You may return. However, before you leave, please request Guild Master Makarov to draft a comprehensive report detailing the events leading up to and following this incident and submit it to the parliament," the woman stated.

Once she received the rice cooker, she ceased detaining Erza and Jerry. Instead, she began instructing the Rune Knights' mages to apprehend the Eisenwald mages.

"I don't know why, but I feel quite uneasy." Natsu grumbled, kicking the ground forcefully and leaving a sizable crack.

The expressions on the faces of the others weren't much better.

Jerry, however, wore a reassuring smile as he waved his hand. "It's alright, it's alright. While it's a precious family magical item, I've already learned how to create it, and I can study it further in the future. I can always make another one."

"Jerry is such a gentle and considerate person." The group was touched to see Jerry comforting them despite the loss of his family's magical item.

"Let's go. We need to find the president in Clover Town to report the situation," Jerry urged.

Seeing Jerry's warm demeanor, the group quickly snapped out of their initial distress.

"By the way, I have a question. How are we going to get there?" Lucy inquired cautiously.

Although Jerry had restored Oshibana City to its original state using the Mending Charm, including the trains at the station, there were no people to operate them.

The city's residents had fled due to the previous battle.

Thus, they would be left without a conductor if they wished to use the train.

If they considered a carriage, there would be no coachman.

The only viable option was to continue using the magical four-wheeled vehicle they had borrowed from Onibus City.

However, Erza and Gray had depleted their mana, and their minimal recovery wouldn't suffice to operate a magical four-wheeled vehicle.

Although Natsu had sufficient mana, his motion sickness made him an unsuitable driver.

On the other hand, Lucy was entirely inexperienced in operating a magical four-wheeled vehicle and would likely encounter trouble on the road.

"Jerry, can you drive this vehicle?" Erza finally turned to Jerry for a solution.

Jerry didn't respond directly to Erza's question. Instead, he scanned his surroundings, ensuring that the council's mages were not nearby. Then, he extended his hand and conjured a portal leading to Clover Town.

"You see, I know a bit of space magic, so I believe it would be faster to use my portal!"

"Portal?" Erza and the others exclaimed, their eyes widening in astonishment at the colossal fiery ring and the forest visible through it.

"It's indeed Clover Town!" The group ventured through the fiery ring, taking cautious steps into the forest behind it.

Before them lay the familiar sight of Clover Town.

While space magic existed in their world, the council had employed a large teleportation magic circle to travel from the council.

However, such a teleportation circle necessitated the space anchors and the engraving of specific warlocks and specially crafted magical tools.

The resources, both in terms of energy and funds, required for such a setup were beyond the means of ordinary individuals.

Even the Magic Council struggled to set up a space teleportation circle in every town.

Conversely, there were some mages with innate talent in space magic.

They possessed abilities to move through space, but their magic could typically transport only one or two individuals over limited distances.

Jerry's ability to teleport atop the cursed demon earlier had been accepted without question.

However, now Jerry had created a space portal to another town—one that could simultaneously accommodate many people.

This feat didn't require the establishment of pre-arranged anchor points or coordination with numerous spells, magical tools, and mages.

It defied their conventional understanding of magic.

"Jerry, I believe you might slightly misunderstand the term 'a bit'?" Lucy teased, recalling Jerry's previous claims.

With just a little knowledge of time magic, Jerry had managed to restore an entire town.

He had brought the Eisenwald guild second-in-command to his knees with a bit of shadow magic.

With a smattering of wind magic, he had shattered an advanced wind barrier and unmasked Erigor, the Lord of Death, from his storm cloak.

Jerry had casually mentioned knowing a little about space magic. Yet, he had conjured an invisible blade to sever the Eisenwald guild third-in-command, teleported, and now created a portal to a different town, allowing for the passage of many.

The discrepancy between Jerry's claims and his actual abilities was staggering.

Erza, Gray, Happy, and even Natsu, who had been most concerned, all nodded in agreement upon hearing Lucy's remark.