Chapter 49
Marshall’s agreement with Levy was only a temporary compromise.
His brilliant mind told him that if he couldn’t refuse the "date" outright, then he simply needed to sabotage it indirectly.
When the time came, he would invite a few good friends along to liven things up.
Gray could cosplay Sasuke, and Natsu would make an excellent Sakura.
Over the next few days, Natsu barely left his egg’s side.
This greatly irritated Mira, who was already unhappy with their new "neighbor."
She insisted that Natsu was corrupting Lisanna and repeatedly suggested that Marshall move the hatching nest into the forest.
Marshall ignored her latest impulsive demand.
He had an egg of his own to care for.
The sounds coming from inside it were growing louder with each passing day.
Marshall could now even hear faint, indistinct thoughts, which proved that the creature inside possessed intelligence.
Could it really be a dragon egg?
Another matter left Marshall mildly depressed.
He had designed a customized Body-Conditioning spell for Elfman.
That itself was not particularly troublesome.
The problem was that Elfman apparently did possess an unusual talent after all.
The intensity of his Body-Conditioning Magic had already surpassed Erza’s by a considerable margin.
Just as Marshall began worrying that the spell might be too much for him, Elfman calmly said he could endure an even stronger setting.
Marshall began questioning his entire existence.
Elfman’s training intensity was more than seven times greater than his own.
That meant the pain should have been at least seven times worse, yet the boy endured it without making a sound.
’Could I really be the problem?’
’Am I actually that weak? That incapable of enduring hardship?’
The thought troubled Marshall, but he had no intention of increasing his own training to Elfman’s level.
That was unquestionably excessive.
Still, he gradually began raising the intensity of his Body-Conditioning Magic after discovering a way to reduce the suffering.
Soul Magic—Thought Projection.
A Thought Projection differed somewhat from a Shadow Clone.
Although it created a duplicate nearly indistinguishable from the original, the projection and the main body shared a single synchronized consciousness rather than developing separate minds.
That meant if Marshall invested more magic power and attention into the projection, the sensations reaching his real body became dulled.
He barely noticed the pain.
He could even send the projection away to conduct research and experiments while his real body stayed in the guildhall playing with the others.
Both bodies could practice magic simultaneously, granting him twice the experience and twice the happiness.
Thought Projections and Shadow Clones each possessed advantages and disadvantages, but Thought Projections were clearly better suited to Marshall.
Today, his main body was working as a server in the guildhall.
Since most of his mental processing was currently devoted to the projection, his original body was better suited to simple tasks that required little thought.
Marshall was discussing the advantages and weaknesses of Light Magic and Lightning Magic with Laxus when Natsu came charging toward him with the egg clutched in his arms.
"Marshall! Marshall! Help! My egg is breaking!"
Numerous hairline cracks had appeared across the shell, which was trembling continuously.
Marshall could already hear the restless little creature inside.
"Natsu, calm down. Your egg isn’t damaged. It’s about to hatch."
"What?! It’s finally coming out?!"
Natsu’s panic instantly transformed into excitement.
Every idle person in the guildhall gathered around to watch.
"Huh? That egg is actually hatching?"
"Could it really be a dragon egg? I’ve never seen one like it."
"I’m betting it’s some giant bird. There’s no way it’s a dragon."
"Shut up! It’s a dragon! My dragon!"
"Aye! Aye!"
The cracking grew louder.
Then the shell suddenly burst apart, and a tiny blue creature shot into the air.
"A cat?!"
"It can fly! It has wings—does that make it a bird?"
"That’s obviously a cat. A blue cat, but still a cat..."
While everyone argued, the little blue cat wobbled through the air before floating down onto Natsu’s head.
The wings on its back disappeared.
It raised one paw and cheerfully greeted everyone.
"Aye!"
The entire guildhall stared in amazement.
"A talking cat?!"
"That’s incredible!"
"So cute~"
"A dragon! My dragon!"
Natsu lifted the kitten above his head like Simba, making everyone burst into laughter.
Taking advantage of the commotion, Marshall switched places with the Thought Projection at home and hurried toward his bedroom.
Sure enough, his own egg had begun cracking too!
Apparently, the two eggs had nearly identical incubation periods.
However, his kitten seemed to be having more difficulty breaking through the shell.
Marshall approached the trembling pink egg and encouraged the little creature inside.
"Come on. You can do it."
Crack~
Unlike the blue kitten, which had flown elegantly from its shell, this one smashed its way out with brute force.
A white kitten with pink stripes appeared before Marshall!
It blinked its large, intelligent eyes and stared at him for a moment.
Then it opened its mouth.
"Mommy!"
"..."
Marshall nearly lost his balance.
He gently stroked the newborn kitten and offered her the kindest smile he could manage.
"That’s incorrect. You should call me Boss!"
"Mommy!"
Marshall drew a deep breath.
He had never been more grateful that he hadn’t brought this egg to hatch beside Natsu’s.
He pinched the big-headed kitten’s cheeks, smiling with narrowed eyes.
"Come on. Repeat after me—Boss."
"Mo... B-Boss!"
"Excellent. What an intelligent little cat!"
Marshall lifted her to inspect her more closely.
"Oh, you’re a girl. What should I name you?"
"Hmmm. i supposed i called you Ruby from now on!"
...
Back at the guildhall, everyone was also urging Natsu to choose a name for the blue kitten.
"I’ve decided!" Natsu declared at almost the same moment. "This guy’s name is Happy!"
...
The blue kitten and the white-and-pink kitten received their names almost simultaneously.
Marshall was not disappointed that his egg had failed to produce a dragon.
This was a talking magical cat!
How could any traditional Mage call himself complete without owning a cat?
Admittedly, his cat was white rather than black, but that was hardly important.
He would raise Ruby into the strongest magical cat in the world!
"Come on, Ruby! Boss is going to give you a bath and teach you how to speak."
"Aye! Boss!"
"Very good. But remember, Ruby—you’re a cat. That means you should add ’nya’ to the end of your sentences. Understand?"
"Nyaaa Boss!"
"No, no. Put the ’nya’ at the end."
"Boss! Nya!"
"Hahaha! Exactly! You’re so clever, Ruby. You already seem much smarter than Natsu’s stupid cat~"
"Aye! Boss! Nya!"
"Excellent! Such spirit deserves a reward! I’ll make you something delicious tonight—"
Marshall paused.
"Oh. Right. I don’t know how to cook."
He immediately raised his voice.
"Virgo! Hurry and make something delicious for my cat!"
Virgo appeared and silently stared at the kitten in Marshall’s arms for several seconds.
"Little Master, I do not believe this kitten can eat solid food yet. She should be given milk."
"Huh? That sounds right."
Marshall nodded.
"Then please buy plenty of milk. Oh, and get a magic refrigerator while you’re out!"
"Understood."
The sudden addition of a small creature requiring constant care had made even Marshall, who normally cared little about food or domestic life, unusually attentive to his household.
He held Ruby up and examined her from every angle, becoming more satisfied the longer he looked.
He owned a cat now!
When Marshall acquired a cat named Ruby, what would he naturally do next?
He stared intensely into her eyes.
"Ruby, as a cat, you must always remember your sacred duty."
"You need to learn how to cook, clean the house, and set traps!"
Marshall raised one finger solemnly.
"Most importantly, you must learn how to take care of me!"
"Y-Yes, Boss?"
"Ruby, don’t hesitate. Believe in yourself. I know you can become an all-purpose cat!"
"Yes! Boss! Nya!"
"Grow up quickly, Ruby. Once you’re bigger, we’ll hunt Magical Beasts together!"
"Yes, Boss! Nya!"