On a September morning in Magnolia, the sun had just risen, casting a soft glow over the town as it stirred from its nightly slumber. Early risers began their day, and gentle sunlight filtered through the curtains, gradually waking Nate from his sleep.
"Hmm?" Nate blinked his eyes open, slowly becoming aware of his surroundings. This time, he woke up earlier than Erza. Last night, he had fallen asleep, snuggled into her embrace, soothed by her scent. Now, however, he found that Erza had shifted closer to him, and his right hand was wrapped around her waist, tucked into her pajama pants.
"Why does my hand have a mind of its own?" Nate thought, mildly exasperated. He distinctly remembered being well-behaved when they went to sleep. It seemed that whenever he slept with someone, his hands had a habit of holding onto something.
Carefully, he withdrew his hand and noticed that his magic power had grown.
[Magic Power: ★★★★★★]
Unknowingly, his magic power had reached six stars, a level comparable to Jura of the Ten Wizard Saints.
"Not bad," Nate thought with satisfaction. However, this time, it felt like his growth had slowed compared to before. As his magic power deepened, the rate of increase was clearly decelerating. Based on the current number of MagicNet users, it might take a month to reach seven stars.
"I need more users. The development of MagicNet cannot stop." With that thought, Nate glanced at the still-sleeping Erza in his arms. She looked peaceful, quite different from her usual disciplined demeanor, exuding a soft charm.
He felt the urge to kiss her.
Just as Nate leaned in to give her a quick kiss, thinking she wouldn't notice, Erza suddenly woke up.
"Good morning, Nate. What are you doing?" she asked, her voice steady despite the surprise.
"Uh... in my hometown, this is a morning greeting," Nate replied awkwardly, laughing. Since he was caught, he leaned in and gave her a light, quick kiss anyway.
Satisfied!
Erza's face turned crimson instantly, and her heart raced. She didn't believe a word of Nate's excuse about it being a "morning greeting."
"Don't do that again!" she scolded, getting out of bed and heading to the bathroom to freshen up. As she washed her face, her heart was still pounding.
Before, she had wondered, "Does Nate like me?"—with some uncertainty. But now, she was convinced: 'Nate definitely likes me!'
This realization led to another question: 'What should I do now?'
Erza splashed cold water on her face, trying to cool down her flushed cheeks. Having no experience with romance, she felt lost about what to do next.
Meanwhile, Nate, now dressed, received a private message.
Witch of Pain: "Good morning, dear little brother~"
Witch of Pain: "Jellal is awake. The council is about to put him on trial."
Jellal had finally woken up? Nate immediately thought of the Worms of Time he had planted in him. Closing his eyes, he focused and confirmed that there was feedback—the Worms of Time had successfully parasitized Jellal.
Now, with just a thought, Nate could control Jellal. Moreover, this control happened while Jellal was fully conscious. For instance, if Nate made Jellal run around naked, Jellal would believe it was his own desire and not due to external manipulation. He would even come up with reasons for it, thinking that running around naked had been a habit of his since childhood. Even if Jellal searched his memories, he wouldn't find any trace of manipulation.
'As expected, this is the forbidden of forbidden magic. Those afflicted can't even realize they've been parasitized,' Nate thought, marveling at the power of the magic. If the council ever found out, they would immediately classify it as forbidden.
He quickly replied:
Sigma Male: "Don't worry, I control him now. He won't expose you."
This was the purpose behind parasitizing Jellal—to help Ultear maintain her position in the Magic Council.
Witch of Pain: "Oh, please. Jellal could never be a threat to me. But I'm touched by your thoughtfulness~ How about I grant you a small wish?"
Sigma Male: "Next time, wear a bunny outfit!"
Witch of Pain: "Blushing.emoji."
Sigma Male: "What will the council do with him?"
Witch of Pain: "They'll imprison him for life. In a way, it's my fault..."
Sigma Male: "True, you little witch!"
Witch of Pain: "Angry emoji. "Forget the bunny outfit!"
Sigma Male: "I can have him escape later. Consider it paying off your debt."
Witch of Pain: "Are you serious about letting him go?"
Sigma Male: "I have a role I can play under a new alias."
Nate didn't hide his plans from his number-one girlfriend.
Sigma Male: "By the way, my alias is 'Voldemort.' Keep that a secret."
Witch of Pain: "Shocked emoji!!!"
Clearly stunned by this revelation, Ultear didn't reply for a while. After some time, she finally sent another message.
Witch of Pain: "You've been hiding this from me for so long!"
Witch of Pain: "I have to go to the council now. We'll talk later!"
Witch of Pain: "Morning pajamas selfie.jpg."
Before logging off, she sent a selfie, playfully pulling her collar down to give Nate a peek.
Nate admired the photo for a moment before hearing Erza's footsteps approaching. He quickly stowed away the picture and closed the chat.
"I'm done," Erza announced as she walked out of the bathroom, now dressed in her everyday armor.
"Good. The tournament starts at nine. Shall we grab some breakfast?" Nate suggested.
Erza thought for a moment. "I know a nice dessert shop I frequent."
'Desserts in the morning?' Nate felt a slight toothache. "Maybe we could find something else?"
After freshening up, they left the apartment together. In the end, they still ended up at the dessert shop, and Erza bought a hundred pastries.
By nine, they had decided not to head to the guild and returned to the apartment to log into the game instead.
...
In the Virtual Arena, Sky Island was already bustling by the time Nate and Erza arrived. Even guild members who had been eliminated logged in just to watch the matches.
"It's just about to start," Erza said, looking up at the large screen.
[Fairy Tail Guild Tournament]
[Participants: 261]
[Remaining: 32]
[Round Five: Matching in progress...]
[Matching complete!]
Nate saw his name on the screen.
[Volcano Arena: Nate vs. Freed!]
Nate sighed. "Already?" The remaining 32 players were all top-tier, so strong competitors were finally about to clash.
"Don't underestimate him, Nate. Freed's strength is on par with S-Class mages. He's the leader of the Raijinshū," Erza cautioned, but Nate was already being transported to the arena before she could finish.
He appeared beside a fiery volcano, with molten lava flowing from its peak. The scorching red ground radiated intense heat, but his opponent was nowhere to be seen.
A voice seemed to echo from all directions: "Nate, the championship belongs to Laxus. My job is to eliminate you here!"
Nate chuckled. "You're playing hide and seek?"
With one punch, 'boom!', the volcano was triggered, and streams of lava shot hundreds of meters into the air, raining down like meteors across the entire map.