Chapter 9
"Cana?"
"Levy!"
The two girls rushed into each other’s arms.
[Inspiration +66]
’Watching cute girls hug really is good for the soul.’
Before Marshall could enjoy the sight any longer, Cana pulled him forward and presented him proudly.
"Look, Levy! This is my little brother, Marshall. Well? I told you he was adorable!"
"Haha, you were right." Levy bent slightly and smiled at him. "Hello, Marshall-kun. I’m Levy McGarden, one of Cana’s best friends."
Levy was a pretty girl with blue hair and a quiet, bookish air about her.
She looked around Cana’s age, but unlike the rowdy children at Fairy Tail, one glance was enough to tell that she spent most of her time surrounded by books.
’Oh, she’s exactly my type! She has plenty of potential too.’
Marshall flashed her his signature smile.
"Hello, Levy. You’re really pretty~"
"What?!" Cana cried. "You’ve never called me pretty! Your big sis is getting jealous!"
"Hahaha! And you’re every bit as cute as Cana said."
[Hehehe! Is he naturally this charming? This is too good! I usually prefer shota characters with a mischievous side, but cuteness always wins!]
"..."
’Do all quiet bookworms have a hidden fetish like this? This girl knows an awful lot for her age.’
Marshall said nothing and kept smiling.
After the two girls finished fussing over each other, Levy led them upstairs to her room.
The bookstore belonged to Levy’s family.
Her father was apparently a retired Mage, and growing up among shelves of books had given her a much more refined manner than the children Marshall usually met at Fairy Tail.
"Levy, when are you finally joining our guild?" Cana asked. "Have you learned your magic yet?"
"I learned basic Script Magic a long time ago. What I’m studying now is Solid Script," Levy explained. "Dad says I should be able to use it properly once my magic power grows a little more."
"That’s great! Wait, what’s the difference between them?" Cana paused. "And if you can already use magic, couldn’t you join Fairy Tail right now?"
"Joining now or later doesn’t really matter. I’m not strong enough to take many jobs yet anyway."
Levy brought over some sweets and poured tea for both of them, clearly delighted to have guests.
"Strictly speaking, every Mage knows at least a little Script Magic. Written characters have power of their own, and the runes used to form magic circles are also a kind of magical script.
"Solid Script is different. It lets the user bring written words into the physical world and give them the properties of whatever they represent. It’s a very versatile and useful kind of magic."
’She’s actually a proper academic Mage.’
After spending so much time around Fairy Tail’s loud, reckless brawlers, meeting someone who studied magic in such a traditional way felt strangely refreshing.
Solid Script also sounded fascinating.
"Stop, stop! My head’s already starting to hurt," Cana complained. "I’m not interested in Script Magic. Marshall is the one who wants to learn more magic, but there are a lot of magical languages in his books that he can’t read. Could you teach him?"
"Of course!" Levy’s eyes brightened. "Does Marshall-kun like reading too?"
"Yes. Reading helps me relax."
That was completely true.
When Marshall concentrated on a book, the voices from his Telepathy faded into the background.
There also were not many other forms of entertainment in this world, so he had genuinely grown fond of reading.
"Haha! Then you came to the right place. I have all kinds of books here, not only books about magic." Levy gestured excitedly toward her shelves. "Would you like me to recommend a few?"
Marshall looked over the bookcase in her room.
Most of the shelves were packed with novels, and the sight suddenly sparked an idea.
’That’s right—novels! I could make money by writing books!’
"Levy, can I take a look at some of those?"
Tap, tap, tap!
Levy darted in front of the bookcase so quickly that she seemed to teleport.
Her cheeks turned pink as she forced an awkward smile.
"Ahem. Some of these books aren’t really suitable for children. I’ll choose a few for you."
Cana immediately grinned.
"Levy, you wouldn’t happen to be reading anything scandalous, would you~?"
"Of course not! J-Just trust me!"
[That was close! I absolutely can’t let a child see these!]
Levy hurriedly removed several books and placed them on a shelf far above Marshall’s reach.
Only then did she take out two picture books and hand them to him.
"I think you’ll enjoy this one."
Marshall glanced at the cover.
The Legend of the Sacred Stone.
He flipped through a few pages.
It was a children’s story and completely useless for what he wanted to learn.
"Levy, I don’t really want a picture book. Do you have any popular novels?"
"Huh?" Levy looked surprised.
Apparently, Marshall was more mature than she had expected. "Well... I do."
She searched the shelf again and brought out another book.
"Tales of a Wizard Hero is the most popular novel right now. It’s about a mighty Dragon Slayer from several centuries ago who defeats an evil Dark Mage. I like it a lot too."
"Wait, Marshall," Cana interrupted. "Didn’t we come here so you could study magic?"
"There’s no need to rush. You said you were taking me out to have fun, didn’t you?"
"I guess I did..." Cana turned eagerly toward Levy. "Then recommend something for me too! Do you have an adventure story with an older protagonist?"
"Huh? Let me see..."
Marshall sat down with the novel and began reading.
It was a traditional heroic adventure.
The author’s writing was decent, and the plot had enough twists to remain entertaining.
Still, to someone who had grown up drowning in stories from the information age, it was nothing particularly impressive.
The people of this world seemed to be lacking a little imagination.
’Becoming a shameless plagiarist might actually work. Money is money—I can worry about dignity after I’m rich.’
While Marshall read, Cana and Levy sat nearby with books of their own and chatted quietly.
"Levy, you spend so much time reading things that have nothing to do with magic. Doesn’t that leave you with hardly any time to practice?" Cana asked. "You might fall behind everyone later."
"Hehe, that’s exactly why I chose Script Magic. Reading helps deepen my understanding of written magic. I usually practice by copying magical texts, so I can study and train at the same time."
A new idea immediately occurred to Marshall.
"Then wouldn’t writing stories also count as practicing magic?"
"That’s right!" Levy said. "A lot of Mages write books, and some books are even forms of magic themselves. The power of written words can be incredibly strong."
"Please teach me Script Magic, Levy. I’m serious!"
Marshall had never looked more sincere.
If writing itself counted as magical training, he could write novels, earn skill experience, and make money all at once!
It was perfect for him!
"Huh? Aren’t you going to finish the book first?"
"I already did. It wasn’t very interesting, and I think I could write something better. Let’s study magic instead."
"Hahaha! You’re certainly confident, Marshall-kun." Levy grinned. "I like confident boys."
"Hey! Levy, don’t set your sights on my little brother! Marshall belongs to me!"
"Hehehe! Then I’ll just have to steal your adorable little brother away!"
The two girls began playfully fighting over him, passing the innocent Marshall back and forth like a stuffed toy as the room filled with children’s laughter.
And nothing else.
Definitely nothing else!
From that day onward, Marshall gained another place in Magnolia where he could relax and enjoy afternoon tea.
Levy’s room became the three children’s secret hideout and Gray knew absolutely nothing about it.