Chapter 245
"You’re saying... you want to apply for a job as my maid?"
The day after Ultear went on "vacation," Older Wendy showed up at the Cake Tower looking for Marshall.
"That’s right~ I haven’t been able to find a suitable job in this world, and I need money for rent somehow. Then I heard the lord’s personal maid had taken leave and there was suddenly an opening, so I rushed over right away."
She smiled innocently.
"I had no idea you were the lord, Marshall!"
[Hehehe... There’s no way I’m letting an opportunity this good slip through my fingers! Lisanna is completely unreliable. I knew I’d have to handle this myself!]
’You had no idea, my ass!’
Marshall instinctively drew his neck back.
This woman could lie without even blinking!
Older Wendy’s interest in younger boys had already been worrying enough, but her ability to immediately turn that interest into action was honestly terrifying.
Even Levy, who had a surprisingly dirty mind, and Juvia, who was hopelessly romantic, sometimes felt guilty about getting too affectionate with Marshall.
They liked Marshall himself, it was simply unfortunate that he was currently still fourteen.
Older Wendy was different.
She had always had a weakness for younger boys, and then she happened to meet an exceptionally good-looking one named Marshall.
Naturally, she had locked onto him.
’Damn it. She seriously dares to come after me? This is outrageous. I should—’
Marshall paused.
’Wait. Why am I scared of her?’
His expression gradually became thoughtful.
’Hmph! A dangerous woman like this clearly needs some corrective treatment.’
Preferably involving electricity.
Marshall kept his expression perfectly neutral.
"You want to work as my maid? That’s not impossible. First, tell me what you’re good at."
"Wh-What I’m good at?"
Wendy thought about it.
"Does martial arts count?"
Marshall looked her over.
"Do you have abs?"
"Eh?"
Wendy blinked.
"I... guess I do?"
"Excellent."
Marshall immediately pulled out a sheet of paper.
"If you’re going to work for me, this will be your maid uniform from now on. Take a look and tell me whether you can accept it."
"?"
Older Wendy stared at the design.
A fitted sleeveless top.
A very short skirt.
Over-the-knee socks.
Red boots.
(Tifa lockhart outfit)
She looked at it for several seconds.
’Where exactly is the maid part?’
Still, the outfit itself was actually quite nice. It looked energetic, practical, and easy to move around in.
Apparently Marshall liked athletic girls?
"No problem."
Wendy smiled.
"It’s a cute outfit."
"Excellent. You’re hired!"
Marshall had originally been wondering how he could trick Older Wendy into cosplaying as Tifa someday.
Who would have expected her to walk straight into his house and apply for the job herself?
What incredible timing.
She had her reasons for wanting to get close to him, and Marshall had his own reason for letting her.
A perfect arrangement.
"Virgo~"
Virgo appeared at his call.
"Have someone make this outfit. And from now on, Miss Wendy here will be my new personal maid. Teach her the rules of the Cake Tower."
"Yes, Young Master."
"..."
Older Wendy fell silent.
That was it?
She had passed?
Her entire plan was going suspiciously smoothly.
Was letting a guildmate come into your home and work as your personal maid normally this easy?
She had prepared an entire speech explaining why Marshall should hire her, yet none of it had been necessary.
Still... who cared?
The important thing was that she had successfully gotten inside Marshall’s home.
Now she could simply carry out the rest of her plan one step at a time.
Winning him over was only a matter of patience.
Older Wendy had always possessed a particular weakness for younger boys.
Back in Edolas, she had originally been a fan of the superstar Marshall Heartfilia, mostly because she liked his looks.
But after meeting Earth Land’s Marshall two years earlier, she had switched targets almost immediately!
She could hardly help it.
Years of Body-Conditioning Magic had refined Marshall’s appearance far beyond what was normal for his age, and when it came purely to looks, Wendy had yet to find anyone who could compete.
During the last two years, she had constantly asked Lisanna for news about him.
Little by little, what had begun as simple curiosity became a serious crush.
Distance only made the image in her imagination more exaggerated, until someday winning Marshall’s affection had become one of her strongest personal obsessions.
Unlike Earth Land’s Wendy, who deeply cherished her guild and hated loneliness, Older Wendy had spent much of her childhood wandering from place to place.
Her attachment to the Edolas Fairy Tail was real, but it wasn’t strong enough to stop her from leaving the world behind when the opportunity arose.
And now she had followed Marshall all the way to Earth Land.
She had even prepared an entire strategy for getting closer to him.
Unfortunately... things weren’t developing quite the way she had imagined.
...
Virgo first gave Older Wendy a tour of the Cake Tower and explained its numerous strange rules.
Wendy didn’t pay much attention to most of them.
What truly caught her interest were the magical laboratories hidden throughout the tower.
Older Wendy was an exceptionally talented Mage in her own right, and she knew enough magical theory to understand just how sophisticated the facilities around her were.
Marshall was still so young, yet his accomplishments in magical research had already gone farther than those of most professional Mages.
It was genuinely impressive.
And the thought that she would now be working beside someone that talented put her in an excellent mood.
By that afternoon, Older Wendy had changed into the custom-made "Older Wendy Exclusive Maid Uniform" and entered Marshall’s laboratory.
Marshall’s eyes immediately lit up.
It worked far too well.
She looked almost exactly like Tifa!
The hair, the athletic build, the gloves, the outfit—everything lined up so perfectly that Marshall nearly wondered whether he had accidentally summoned the real thing.
The only mismatch was Wendy herself.
Her smile was far too knowing.
Despite her youthful appearance, she somehow carried herself with the confidence of someone who thought she already had the situation under control.
Marshall narrowed his eyes.
’It’s fine.’
’I can fix her.’
"Wendy, your magical knowledge is pretty good, right?"
Marshall gestured toward the laboratory.
"I’ll need you to work as my research assistant from now on. Think you can handle it?"
"Of course."
Wendy smiled confidently.
"My magical technique was considered one of the best in my guild."
There seemed to be some strange rule governing counterparts between Earth Land and Edolas.
Generally speaking, the stronger someone was in Earth Land, the weaker their counterpart tended to be in Edolas, and vice versa.
Earth Land’s young Wendy was still among the less powerful members of Fairy Tail in terms of raw Magic Power, while her older Edolas counterpart had ended up becoming one of her guild’s more capable fighters.
But Marshall wasn’t particularly interested in testing her technical skills right now.
He had another reason for bringing this suspicious woman into the laboratory.
He wanted to teach her a lesson for targeting him.
"In that case, have a seat."
Marshall pointed toward the chair beside him.
An electric chair—
No.
An experimental reclining chair!
Older Wendy obediently lay down.
"Your body is clearly well trained, but without Magic Power reinforcing it, you’re still at a serious disadvantage in combat."
Marshall began preparing a magic array.
"Coincidentally, I previously developed a spell designed to strengthen and condition the body. It might be useful to you."
He smiled.
"Want to try it?"
Wendy’s eyes lit up.
"There’s something that useful? Absolutely!"
"It might feel a little... tingly~"
"No problem!"
She confidently settled into the chair.
"I’m not scared. Go ahead!"
"Then let me examine your physical condition first."
"Check whatever you nee—AAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
Marshall had inscribed a Body-Conditioning array onto Wendy, complete with an additional electrical stimulation effect.
The sudden pain made her scream, every muscle in her abdomen tightening at once.
Marshall nearly burst out laughing.
’Hehehe.’
’That’s what you get for plotting against younger guys.’
’Let’s see if a little shock therapy fixes you.’
Then his expression suddenly changed.
Marshall’s senses were exceptionally sharp, and in the middle of enjoying his petty revenge, he noticed something unusual inside Wendy’s body.
The flow of Magic Power...had changed.
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