Chapter 60
Virgo had become one of Marshall’s most reliable sources of Inspiration.
The shameless little Mage regularly dragged her into private "magical experiments," left nearly every household chore to Virgo and Ruby during the day, then asked Virgo to take on her older-sister form and hold him while he slept at night.
His lifestyle was becoming increasingly spoiled!
At only nine years old, he was already living like a pampered rich kid.
Unfortunately, the evidence was undeniable: warm, emotionally charged interactions produced far more Inspiration than simply amusing himself alone.
The difference in efficiency was enormous.
However, even pleasant experiences became less effective through repetition.
Constantly relying on Virgo alone would eventually dull the novelty, especially when Virgo refused almost nothing and Marshall still had to maintain firm boundaries.
He needed to control himself before their harmless games went too far and ruined the comfortable relationship they already had.
Marshall would have loved to find a few more pleasant companions to help stimulate fresh ideas.
Rotating between different conversations and personalities would preserve the novelty and create a sustainable source of Inspiration.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t find any suitable candidates.
It certainly wasn’t because he lacked pretty girls around him.
The problem was...
The oldest among them were still emotionally clueless young students who regarded themselves as his big sisters and hadn’t properly sorted out their feelings.
Even if one of them did have a crush—Levy being the obvious example—Marshall refused to encourage it.
He had no intention of being struck by divine lightning.
After spending several years together, Marshall’s own perspective had also changed.
Their bonds had become too precious for him to treat anyone carelessly.
Even rabbits knew better than to eat the grass beside their burrows.
When it came to his beloved big sisters, Marshall maintained the most conservative strategy possible.
Besides, affection was difficult to hide.
Marshall wasn’t oblivious, and he could literally hear people’s thoughts.
There were indeed several girls in the guild who cared for him more than ordinary friends might.
Those feelings were still innocent.
For now, at least.
Marshall suspected that if he actively pursued any of them once they were older, they probably wouldn’t reject him.
But Marshall was also greedy enough to care about many people at once.
Anyone who liked several people had better keep their intentions under control, because if everything came out at once, the result would undoubtedly be disastrous.
Therefore, he absolutely could not make the first move!
That didn’t mean he intended to reject sincere affection forever either.
He would simply take responsibility for whatever happened when everyone was old enough to understand their choices.
In conclusion, since everyone close to him was firmly off-limits, Marshall devised another Inspiration-gathering plan.
He would transform into a young adult, speak with visitors from outside Magnolia, share a pleasant conversation, create the impression of a dreamlike chance encounter, and then disappear after gathering enough Inspiration.
Purely emotional communication.
Nothing more.
Unfortunately, Marshall had been far too busy to put his Chance Encounter Plan into action.
He had been occupied with training his body.
After Meditation reached Level Four, Marshall temporarily abandoned most of his other magical studies and devoted himself to Body-Conditioning Magic.
He was becoming increasingly dissatisfied with his small, childish body.
Under normal circumstances, an adult Mage’s body could contain a great deal of magic power without suffering any physical strain.
A Mage stored magic inside something known as the Magic Container, a mysterious internal reservoir somewhat resembling the dantian described in cultivation novels.
Its capacity naturally expanded as the Mage grew older.
According to several books Marshall had studied, a ten-year-old’s Magic Container should hold roughly two thousand units at most.
He had no idea where his body was storing more than five thousand.
If he didn’t strengthen himself quickly, Marshall was genuinely afraid that his growing magic power might eventually tear his body apart from within.
Roughly a month after Meditation reached Level Four, Marshall successfully raised Body-Conditioning Magic to Level Three and improved the spell yet again.
This time, he incorporated controlled electrical stimulation.
The current activated his cells and greatly increased the effectiveness of his physical training.
Marshall devoted nearly all his attention to strengthening his body.
He frequently sparred with Erza, used Elfman to test new conditioning programs, and whenever he hunted with Cana, any particularly irritating Magical Beast occasionally ended up becoming a nutritious meal.
Under the combined effects of those brutal training methods, Marshall’s body grew noticeably sturdier.
He also shot up in height.
With magical reinforcement, his raw physical strength had already advanced from "capable of smashing bricks" to "capable of breaking through walls."
More surprisingly, as his body improved, his control over magic improved as well.
The most obvious progress appeared in Telepathy Magic.
Marshall could now suppress the voices around him whenever he didn’t want to hear them.
Everyone else in the guild continued growing stronger too.
The days remained peaceful. No disasters occurred, and no one faced any major troubles.
Everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction.
Until one particularly interesting incident occurred.
...
Year X779 — Fairy Tail Guildhall
Marshall’s real body floated cross-legged in midair, calmly applying controlled electrical stimulation while he trained.
A sudden shout interrupted his concentration.
"Marshall! Someone stole the little cake I left in the kitchen cupboard! Help me find the culprit!"
Marshall opened his eyes and found Erza standing before him, visibly furious.
Someone had stolen her cake?
It was almost certainly Mira.
Who else would bother doing something so childish?
Still, Marshall had no intention of involving himself in the endless war between those two.
"Erza, it’s only a cake. I’ll buy you another one."
"No!"
Erza clenched a fist.
"The cake isn’t the point! Someone committed theft! I must correct this unacceptable behavior and ensure the culprit faces the consequences!"
"Hahaha! Erza’s cake got stolen again! How pathetic~"
"Stop talking, Natsu! At this rate, she’ll accuse us next!"
Gray and Natsu immediately became interested.
They had been beaten by Erza over similar incidents many times before, yet whenever an opportunity arose, they still couldn’t resist provoking her.
Erza’s expression darkened.
"I suspect the two of you did it!"
"See?! I warned you, you idiot!"
"That’s unfair, Erza! We don’t even care about your stupid cake!"
"It seems you two have grown restless."
Erza slowly reached for her sword.
"I’ve been so busy training with Marshall that I’ve neglected you lately. Why don’t you show me how much you’ve improved?"
"Fine! We’re not scared of you! Let’s take this outside!"
"..."
Marshall shook his head helplessly.
He trained because he wanted to become stronger efficiently, not because he enjoyed fighting for no reason.
Those idiots were hopelessly childish!
Still, he had to thank them for diverting Erza’s attention.
Now he could return to—
"Hm?"
Marshall’s eyes suddenly brightened.
A beautiful blonde young woman had appeared at the guild entrance, dressed in a fashionable bunny-themed uniform.
She was clearly an adult, and her confident appearance immediately drew attention.
’A beautiful older woman!’
’And she’s remarkably stylish too.’
Magnolia’s recent growth really had attracted more interesting visitors.
Marshall immediately remembered the Chance Encounter Plan he had nearly abandoned.
’Miss, today you shall assist my ’training’!’
His real body remained floating calmly in the guildhall.
Meanwhile, the Thought Projection he had left at home to work on his manuscript stood up, transformed into the appearance of a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old young man, and teleported beside the blonde visitor.
Marshall offered her his most charming smile.
"Beautiful lady, I had prepared several elegant compliments involving stars and roses, but after seeing your eyes, every one of them suddenly seemed inadequate."
He placed a hand over his chest.
"May I have the honor of buying you a drink?"
"..."
The bunny-clad woman’s expression became extremely strange.
She seemed desperate to laugh but equally determined not to, leaving her face bright red from the effort.
"?"
Marshall frowned in confusion and quietly listened to her thoughts.
[Oh my goodness! How old is Marshall at this point? He’s already trying to act like a playboy?!]
Marshall froze.
’The fuck???’
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