Chapter 249
Marshall almost burst out laughing.
He had always known that Erza was an incredibly responsible person, but even in a situation like this, she somehow managed to take the entire burden onto herself. It was honestly kind of adorable.
Marshall even started feeling a little guilty.
How exactly was he supposed to explain that she hadn’t accidentally led him astray, because he had basically been like this from the beginning?
After thinking about it for a moment, he decided not to bother with it.
It wasn’t as though the misunderstanding was hurting anything.
"Erza-nee, shouldn’t the normal response be to correct your mistake?" Marshall asked with a smile.
"Why are you just accepting it and going along with it?"
Erza looked at him seriously. "Do you think wanting to marry several girls is wrong?"
"Hmm..." Marshall considered the question.
"By ordinary social standards, one person claiming too many romantic partners could definitely be considered unfair because they’re taking more than their share.
But fairness depends on the actual circumstances, and whether something is right or wrong ultimately depends on the people involved. If everyone understands the situation and willingly accepts it, then I don’t think I’m doing anything wrong."
As far as Marshall was concerned, he was an extraordinarily talented and powerful Mage.
He didn’t have any destructive addictions, bizarre habits, or criminal tendencies.
He wasn’t hurting innocent people or terrorizing society.
He just happened to like pretty girls.
Was that really such a terrible crime?
Erza thought about it for a while, then gave up and sighed.
"I honestly don’t know what the right answer is anymore. I asked a lot of people about this before, and Mira’s view is obviously much closer to what most people would consider correct. That’s why, when I went back into the past, I tried to change the way you thought about relationships."
Her expression softened as she reached out and gently rubbed Marshall’s head.
"But if you’ve already thought seriously about this issue and still decided this is the path you want to walk, then I don’t think I should simply deny your decision."
She smiled warmly.
"Because I’m your big sister. No matter what choice you make, I’ll support you."
Marshall’s eyes widened before he immediately threw himself into her arms.
"Erza, you’re the best!"
He was genuinely moved!
𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖
With a wife like her, what more could a man possibly ask for?
As far as Marshall was concerned, Erza had just officially become the best big sister in the world.
Erza had no idea what to do with his sudden enthusiasm and could only sigh helplessly.
"Actually, if I think about it carefully... I don’t really mind becoming family with Mira either. That might actually be nice. If we all became one family, then none of us would ever have to separate again."
"Exactly!" Marshall grinned. "That’s what I think too."
"But it won’t be easy."
"It’s fine. I’ll make it work. Leave everything to me!"
...
Marshall hadn’t expected the influence of Memories of Time to completely change Erza’s attitude toward his romantic future.
From that point onward, Erza stopped trying to obstruct him and instead became the first truly solid piece in Marshall’s dream of creating a harmonious future family.
She was remarkably broad-minded about the whole thing and even told him that if he ever needed help, he could come to her directly.
For the sake of keeping everyone from fighting in the future, she was willing to cover for him when necessary.
Marshall was nearly moved to tears.
Erza really was an absurdly good woman.
At this point, the progress of Marshall’s grand romantic plan was looking remarkably promising!
Erza didn’t mind the idea at all and was even willing to help, while Mira wasn’t completely opposed either—though she would definitely try to sabotage him along the way.
In short, a beautiful future was already waving at Marshall from somewhere ahead, and he refused to let anything destroy it.
Which meant he needed to become stronger.
The shadow of the Black Dragon still hung over him, and this was no time to relax.
At his current level, simply grinding through ordinary physical training wouldn’t be enough.
Progress that way was too slow, and Marshall no longer felt as though he had the luxury of waiting.
Researching Magic and deepening his understanding of the laws governing this world could also make him stronger, so during the remaining period before the World’s Number One Magic Tournament, Marshall devoted almost all of his time to experimentation.
His Thought Projection handled the development of the Black Dragon Armor, while his main body continued researching Older Wendy.
After successfully opening her Second Origin, Wendy had spent the following days trying to locate and awaken her First Origin.
The First Origin was unusual because its exact location differed from person to person rather than appearing in a fixed position.
For most people, it seemed to lie somewhere around the chest.
Marshall’s own First Origin, for example, sat almost perfectly in the center of his chest—the exact spot where an Ultraman warning light would start blinking.
Older Wendy’s situation was much stranger.
No matter how thoroughly they searched, they simply couldn’t find hers.
"There’s still no sign of the First Origin there either," Marshall muttered with a frown. "That’s strange. It shouldn’t be this difficult to locate."
He refused to let the problem distract him indefinitely.
They had already spent several days searching for Wendy’s First Origin without making any real progress, and at this rate they were simply wasting time without even knowing which direction to pursue.
"Forget it. We’ll put this experiment on hold for now. I have other things I need to research."
Older Wendy looked at him. "What are you working on next?"
"An experiment involving storing prepared Jutsu-Shiki inside Origin space." Marshall smiled. "The Magic Tournament is about to start, remember? I should probably prepare properly."
His grin widened.
"I have no intention of losing to Laxus."