Chapter 247
"I really have Magic Power now...!"
Older Wendy stared in amazement as she felt the energy filling her body, still struggling to believe what had happened.
Marshall was just as interested.
He reached out and carefully sensed the flow of Magic Power inside her.
She was the first human he had ever encountered who had successfully opened a Second Origin without possessing an active First Origin.
Magic Power was steadily gathering inside her body. Once the newly opened Origin filled completely, Marshall estimated her reserves would settle somewhere around 6,000 to 7,000.
That alone proved something important.
Humans from Edolas weren’t inherently lacking in magical potential.
Now that her Origin had been opened, Wendy effectively carried a massive Magic Crystal (Lacrima) inside her own body.
Mages in Edolas had never possessed internal Magic Power, but as long as they carried Magic Crystal with them, they could draw on the energy stored inside it.
If the defining step for becoming a Mage in Earth Land was learning at least one spell, then the defining step in Edolas was learning how to control Magic Power.
Because Edolas Mages had spent their entire lives carefully rationing and precisely manipulating limited amounts of external Magic Power, Wendy suddenly felt absurdly wealthy now that she possessed a source inside her own body.
"It just keeps coming!"
She laughed in delight.
"And it doesn’t feel anything like Magic Crystal! Why is this Magic Power so easy to control? This is amazing!"
Wendy turned toward Marshall.
"Thank you!"
"Magic Power generated inside the human body has effectively been conditioned to the individual who produced it."
Marshall patiently explained,
"You could think of it as carrying a very distinct personal signature, which is why controlling it feels so natural."
He could understand her excitement.
If their positions were reversed, he would probably be just as thrilled.
"Still, don’t celebrate too early."
Marshall gave her a pointed look.
"Remember, you’re my research assistant."
"You already received your reward, so now it’s your turn to cooperate with the rest of my experiments."
"Of course!"
Wendy answered immediately.
"Tell me what you need!"
"The place I helped you open for storing Magic Power is called the Second Origin."
Marshall tapped a finger against the table.
"It’s a hidden magical reservoir that can be developed later in life."
"But the human body doesn’t have only one place capable of storing Magic Power."
He looked directly at her.
"What I need you to do next is sense and locate the First Origin hidden somewhere inside your body."
Wendy blinked.
"Where is the First Origin located?"
"I don’t know."
Marshall answered without hesitation.
"The exact position seems to vary from person to person, which is precisely why I need you to find it yourself."
He pulled over some notes.
"For now, start learning Meditation."
"I’ll be working with you closely for the foreseeable future. The data from your case is extremely important."
Wendy immediately nodded.
"Got it! I’ll work hard!"
...
While Marshall buried himself in research with Older Wendy, the excitement surrounding Edolas finally began to die down inside Fairy Tail.
Before long, everyone shifted their attention toward training.
Lisanna, who had only recently returned to the guild, found the change confusing.
She eventually went to Lucy for answers.
"Isn’t this strange?"
Lisanna looked around the unusually quiet guild hall.
"Around this time of year, everyone should normally be fighting over the best requests. Why is the guild so peaceful lately?"
Lucy’s month-long "pet" agreement had finally ended, and she had spent the last two days enjoying her long-awaited freedom.
Her mood was excellent.
"Oh~ You still don’t know?"
Lucy smiled.
"Everyone’s preparing for the World’s Number One Magic Tournament."
Lisanna stared blankly.
"Huh?"
"The world’s number one... what?"
Lucy patiently explained Fairy Tail’s newest internal event.
"The participants for the S-Class promotion trial next month will also be chosen based on the results of the tournament, so everybody’s taking training seriously."
"Oh..."
Lisanna nodded slowly.
Then her expression darkened.
"Damn it. Sis didn’t tell me anything."
She looked at Lucy.
"Then why aren’t you training?"
"Me?"
Lucy grinned shamelessly.
"I already gave up~"
She leaned back comfortably.
"I joined Marshall’s team. I’m just waiting for him to carry me."
"What?!"
Lisanna stared at her.
"That’s cheating! Marshall’s team..."
"Is full." Lucy answered immediately.
"...Yeah."
Lisanna sighed.
"I figured."
Being away for two years really had caused her to miss far too much.
At that moment, Natsu and Gray entered the guild with their foreheads pressed against each other, already arguing as usual.
"You fireball bastard! Stay away from my training area!"
Gray jabbed a finger at him.
"You keep getting too close, and your flames melt all my ice!"
"Hah?!"
Natsu shoved back.
"You’re blaming me because you’re weak?"
"If you’re so good, freeze my fire, you useless ice cube!"
The argument lasted only a few seconds before they started punching each other.
Lisanna watched the familiar scene with a fond smile.
"Natsu and Gray really haven’t changed at all."
She laughed softly.
"In Edolas, the two of them actually get along really well."
"Yeah."
Lucy shook her head.
"These idiots never go a single day without fighting."
She paused.
"But compared with evil Marshall, those two are practically saints."
Lisanna blinked.
"Eh?"
"Why would you say that about Marshall?"
She looked genuinely confused.
"Is Marshall really that evil?"
Lucy gave her a sympathetic look.
Poor girl.
She clearly hadn’t discovered Marshall’s true nature yet.
"Lisanna, Marshall grew up."
Lucy spoke with grave seriousness.
"He’s not the little kid you remember from two years ago."
"That brat has more schemes in his head than anyone else in the guild. He’s basically Fairy Tail’s dark side!"
"Huh?"
Lisanna looked alarmed.
"R-Really?"
After spending an entire month as Marshall’s "pet," Lucy had absolutely no hesitation about slandering him.
"I’m not lying!"
She leaned closer.
"Didn’t you notice that Older Wendy had barely arrived in Earth Land before Marshall tricked her into becoming his maid?"
"That little pervert loves bullying pretty newcomers!"
Lucy sighed dramatically.
"Poor Wen—"
"Wait!"
Lisanna suddenly grabbed her.
"What did you just say?"
Her expression changed instantly.
"You said Wendy—no, Older Wendy—went where?"
Lucy blinked.
"You didn’t know?"
"She applied to become Marshall’s maid two days ago."
"What?!"
Lisanna shot to her feet.
"That bastard!"
"She told me she was going out on a job!"
Her expression became increasingly furious.
"No! I have to stop her!"
That shameless woman had abandoned her and gone ahead with the plan alone?
Absolutely unacceptable!
Lisanna bolted out of the guild.
"Eh?"
Lucy instinctively started after her, then stopped after only a step.
She scratched her head.
Nope.
She had absolutely no desire to return to the Cake Tower—that terrifying "den of evil."
Forget it.
Lisanna could handle this one herself.
Lucy was far too afraid of Marshall to get involved again.
Almost immediately after Lisanna disappeared through the doors, Erza entered the guild carrying a small box of cake.
The moment she spotted Lucy, she walked straight toward her with a faintly excited expression.
"Lucy."
"I bought two new outfits while I was out purchasing cake."
Erza smiled.
"Come help me judge them."
Lucy stared.
"Eh? Judge your clothes?"
She pointed at herself.
"Me? Why?"
"Because I saw you wearing something similar at Marshall’s house."
Erza began,
"You know, the kind that—"
"STOP!"
Lucy lunged forward, desperately trying to cover Erza’s mouth.
Unfortunately, at that exact moment, Natsu and Gray’s fight reached a nearby table.
One of them stepped on the edge.
The tabletop flipped like a lever.
A small slice of cake that Wendy had been preparing to eat was launched into the air.
By an almost miraculous coincidence, it flew directly toward Erza and struck the back of her head.
Pia~
Erza stumbled.
The box of cake she had been carrying slipped from her arms.
It hit the floor.
The cake inside was completely ruined!
"..."
The entire first floor of the guild fell silent and the temperature seemed to drop several degrees.
Natsu and Gray froze.
"E-Erza?!"
Natsu went pale.
"I-I didn’t mean to!"
Erza slowly turned around.
Her expression was terrifyingly dark as she walked toward the two of them.
"How many times have I told you..."
Her voice remained frighteningly calm.
"Do not fight inside the guild!"
Then she raised her leg.
"Maybe this will finally help you remember!"
One kick each.
Natsu and Gray disappeared upward like cannonballs.
Unfortunately, Erza misjudged her strength.
The two of them blasted straight through the ceiling, tore through the floor above, and vanished into the sky like a pair of distant stars.
"..."
Nobody said a word.
Then Makarov suddenly jumped down from the second floor.
"WHICH IDIOTS DESTROYED THE LIBRARY?!"
Erza immediately straightened.
"Master, I apologize."
"I’ll bring people up later and clean everything properly."
Makarov stopped.
"Oh."
"It was you, Erza."
His anger vanished almost instantly.
"Fine, just make sure you repair it quickly."
He sighed.
"Seriously. Not one of you knows how to stay out of trouble..."
Lucy quietly began backing toward the exit.
Almost made it.
Then an iron grip closed around the back of her neck.
Lucy froze.
"Lucy."
"You’ll help me clean up, won’t you?"