Chapter 41: I'm here to supervise the ritual not destroy it...

"…How did you see through my transformation magic?"

The short man in the mask quickly transformed into a beautiful woman. The first part of the sentence came out in a man's voice, while the second part was spoken in a sultry, feminine tone.

Seeing Nate confidently reveal her identity, Ultear dropped her pretense, realizing it was useless to continue hiding.

"I have a friend who's really good at transformation magic," Nate answered, taking a moment to size her up.

Ultear had a tall, slender figure and wore a white kimono with a very short hem, similar to a mini-skirt, which revealed her smooth, long legs. A light yellow belt cinched her waist, tied into a butterfly knot at the back. Her right arm was sleeveless, showing off her fair and delicate skin. She also wore a brown choker around her neck as an accessory.

Ultear briefly considered Nate's response, sifting through her memories. '"The Demon" Mirajane, perhaps?'

When it came to Fairy Tail mages proficient in transformation magic, she assumed Nate was referring to her.

"Brother, you're not being very honest. Are you lying to me?" Ultear placed one hand on her hip, clearly skeptical.

She then noticed Nate's eyes. "Some kind of eye magic that sees through transformations?"

"As expected of a council member. Quite knowledgeable," Nate nodded, admitting it was thanks to his Six Eyes.

From his perspective, Ultear's magic power was extremely potent, even greater than Erza's at this point.

"So, what are you doing here?" Ultear asked.

"Taking a walk."

Despite his dismissive response, Ultear didn't press the matter. She walked toward the frozen Deliora and ran her hand across the cold ice, speaking to herself.

"Ten years ago, this demon wreaked havoc in the northern lands, causing unimaginable destruction. Thanks to a mage named 'Ur,' it was finally sealed. But that foolish woman paid with her life."

"Now, there are those on this island attempting to unseal it. I'm here to investigate that."

'I didn't ask, and I already know why you're here…' Nate thought, but outwardly, he replied, "Well, I won't disturb you. Goodbye."

He needed to oversee the Moon Drip ritual and make sure Laxus didn't mess things up.

"Wait…" Ultear gave him a sideways glance, a bit frustrated.

'This guy doesn't follow any script.' Typically, a guild mage would jump at the chance to cooperate with a council member, right? They'd work together to stop the ritual, prevent a disaster, and maybe even forge a bond of camaraderie.

"If you want to remove the evil barrier in the sky, you need to stop the Moon Drip ritual on the temple's roof. Otherwise, the evil energy will keep regenerating."

"I think we can work together."

Nate paused mid-step and asked, "Who said the ritual has to be stopped?"

"Don't you want to complete the job and save those poor villagers?" Ultear looked confused.

"I can just wait until the ice melts and then punch Deliora to death."

Leaving that remark behind, Nate finally started to walk away.

Ultear was left in stunned silence.

'That's… quite the thought process.' But the logic made sense in its own strange way.

"Wait a minute!"

She hurried to catch up with him. Meeting the creator of the Internet magic was a rare opportunity, and she wasn't going to let it slip by.

…

Meanwhile, Laxus was wandering through the forest, which felt like a maze.

"Am I lost?"

He frowned, noticing a giant rat blocking his path. "Out of my way, or else."

With a crackling sound, lightning shot from Laxus's body, striking the rat with precision.

"Yaaaah!"

The large rat was paralyzed by the electricity, letting out a loud, piercing scream that echoed through the forest.

…

At the top of the temple was a spacious platform. A group of black-cloaked figures—looking every bit like a cult—gathered in a circle, worshiping the moon. Not far from them stood four people without cloaks: three men and one woman.

The young woman's ears twitched as she heard a distant scream.

"That's Angelica!"

She recognized the cry of her pet.

"Intruders?" Lyon, also known as the "Sub-Zero Emperor Lyon," frowned and immediately gave an order. "The three of you, go deal with the intruder. It's probably those Fairy Tail mages again."

Why "again"? Because they had taken notice when Nate had shattered the sky with a single punch. After some investigation, they quickly understood everything. Now, with new intruders on the island, their suspicion naturally fell on Fairy Tail.

"Yes!" The three subordinates immediately sprang into action.

After they left, it didn't take long for the sound of approaching footsteps to be heard.

"Already taken care of?" Lyon turned around but saw, not his subordinates, but a man and a woman. His expression immediately darkened.

"Who are you? How did you get up here?"

"Good evening," Nate greeted cheerfully, scanning the area. Seeing that the ritual was proceeding smoothly, he nodded in satisfaction.

'Looks like Laxus hasn't found this place yet.'

"You're… Council Member Ultear!"

Lyon was taken aback when he saw the woman beside Nate. As one of the ten council members governing the magic world—and a striking beauty—Ultear occasionally appeared in magazines, so Lyon naturally recognized her.

He never expected a council member to show up on this island.

"The Moon Drip ritual, huh…?" Ultear acted like she was seeing it for the first time. She played her part convincingly. "So you're really trying to revive Deliora!"

"Oh, be quiet." Nate cast an irritated glance at her before turning his attention back to Lyon. Pointing at the cloaked figures, he said, "They're all busy with the ritual. Why are you standing around doing nothing?"

"?"

Lyon was baffled. 'Who is this guy? And why is he scolding a council member?'

"Forget it."

"Since we've been discovered, I suppose I'll have to shut you up for good."

With a cold snort, Lyon raised one hand and cast his magic.

"Ice Make: Giant Eagle!"

With a wave of his hand, icy magic formed into a flurry of giant birds, which flew toward Nate and Ultear.

Nate's eyes narrowed, and a pulse of seismic force rippled out from him like a shockwave.

In an instant, all the ice birds shattered midair into nothing but shards.

Then, in the blink of an eye, Nate appeared behind Lyon, grabbed him by the back of the head, and slammed him face-first into the ground.

"What?!" Lyon's mind reeled. "Teleportation?!"

It had to be teleportation—he hadn't seen Nate move at all.

Ultear was equally shocked. 'Spatial magic?'

"Relax, I'm not here to stop your ritual," Nate said casually, keeping Lyon pinned with one hand. "In fact, I'm here to oversee it. You can call me Supervisor Nate."

"Your Moon Drip ritual is fine, but I don't like that you're just standing here watching. You should help out with the chanting—it might speed up the ice-melting process."

Lyon: "??"

His mind went blank for a moment.

'What is this guy talking about? Were these two not from the Council?'