Chapter 123: Top 4, Edolas?

"A parallel world called 'Edolas'?"

Lucy widened her eyes in disbelief after reading Voldemort's reply.

"Is there really a need to be that surprised?" Nate squinted. After all, in the future, there would even be a future Lucy.

"But it's a parallel world..." Lucy marveled. The world of magic truly had all sorts of incredible phenomena. "So, Mirajane's sister didn't die but ended up in a parallel world by coincidence?"

Erza sipped her tea, slightly intrigued. "There are a lot of follow-up comments, but Voldemort remains as cryptic as ever."

That guy always had the attitude of "believe it or not," completely ignoring further inquiries.

Nate glanced over Erza's shoulder to see the posts and suddenly noticed a familiar username.

Witch of Pain: "Since he says so, it must be true."

A user replied: "How do you know Voldemort is a man? Do you know him?"

Ultear didn't bother responding to the follow-up.

Nate laughed awkwardly, thankful she hadn't blurted out something like, "He's my boyfriend."

Erza noticed the comment too. "Witch of Pain? Nate, do you know who this person is? If we ask her, we might learn Voldemort's true identity."

'Oh, I know her all too well...' Nate thought, taking a sip of tea, before quickly changing the subject.

"I'll ask when I get the chance. By the way, Erza, did you not go home yesterday?"

"I thought it would be impolite to leave without saying goodbye, so I waited for you to come back."

'You're too polite in all the wrong ways...' Nate thought, helplessly. He then turned to Lucy, who was still enthusiastically browsing the forum.

Her slender fingers typed quickly.

"Lucy, why were you looking for me?"

"Ah... well," Lucy seemed a bit embarrassed. "I was thinking about what you said before, and I wanted to ask if you could teach me another kind of magic."

"79Jl magic books?"

"There's no such thing as a 79J magic book!" Lucy rolled her eyes.

Nate teased, "You've already been eliminated. It's too late to start learning now."

It was like deciding to study hard the day after an exam—odd and unnecessary.

"Just because I was eliminated doesn't mean I can't learn! What if there's a next time?"

Clearly, Lucy was still upset about being knocked out of the competition.

Nate couldn't understand why she was so motivated. "I even gave you a boost, and you still lost."

Lucy immediately blushed. Though it was her first time hearing the word "boost," she easily understood its meaning.

The celestial spirits' battle abilities had been enhanced in the Magic Arena. Not only that, she could perform a "double summon," calling two spirits at once. Yet, she had still lost to Juvia.

She had a chance to win until Juvia, in a tight spot, suddenly shouted, "For Nate-sama, I absolutely cannot lose here!" and, "Juvia's love for Nate-sama will never lose to anyone!"

And with that, Lucy lost.

It was all Nate's fault! She was on the verge of tears. 'Why is Nate so popular? Even Juvia, an S-class mage from the former Phantom Lord, sees me as a rival!'

"So, the reason I lost is partly your fault. Please teach me another magic."

'Is this really my fault?'

Nate couldn't help but laugh. In Fairy Tail's world, magic was driven by willpower. When someone had strong enough determination, their power surged.

"Alright then, Lucy. Do you want to learn Requip magic from me?" Erza offered.

"Erza, your magic is too expensive..." Lucy exuded an aura of poverty.

Nate couldn't help but laugh. "Fine, I'll teach you a magic that's simple and easy to learn right now."

"Really?" Lucy's eyes sparkled.

"Just follow my instructions."

"Mhm, I'm ready."

"Erza, you help too."

"Me?"

"Yes, sit with Lucy."

Erza, though a little confused, followed the instruction.

Nate continued, "Magic is driven by willpower, so I want you two to assume your most natural postures."

Erza knelt, casually tucking her hair behind her ear.

Lucy sat in a duck-like position, hands between her legs.

"And now?"

"Both of you, smile."

"Smile?"

Lucy blinked in confusion. She exchanged glances with Erza, and they both smiled.

At that moment, Nate held up his hands, framing the scene with his fingers in the shape of a '7,' forming a square with both hands.

"Click." A flash of white light.

Both girls' smiles were captured in a photo.

"Huh?" Lucy was stunned for a moment.

Erza blinked in realization. "It's your photo magic!"

"How's that? Pretty useful magic, right? You won't even need a camera anymore."

Nate made two copies of the photo and handed them to Lucy and Erza.

"Darn it! Fooled again!" Lucy puffed up her cheeks. "I want to learn magic I can use in battle!"

Still, as she looked at the photo, she thought it was quite beautiful.

The photo was well-taken; after all, Lucy was very pretty.

Erza also smiled while holding her photo. "It's a good picture. Lucy, even photo magic, used unexpectedly, can be quite effective in battle."

Like how it had worked on her when sparring with Nate.

"Alright, I need to catch up on some sleep. Feel free to stay and drink tea, but keep it down," Nate said with a wave.

"I'm not leaving until you teach me real magic!" Lucy pouted, hugging her cup.

'Even if I teach you, can you learn it?' Nate thought, sighing internally. Most of his magic was too complicated for others to grasp, except for simpler ones like Card Magic, Telepathy, Thought Projection, or Soul Absorption.

"The final match for the championship is at noon. We can just wait here until it starts," Erza suggested with a smile.

"If you need to nap, I'll wake you when it's time."

'You're really not planning to leave, huh?'

Nate had no choice but to give in. It wasn't like he could kick them out.

"Thanks."

He walked over to his bed, laid down, and pulled the blanket over himself.

The room fell silent for a while.

Eventually, when it seemed Nate had fallen asleep, Lucy whispered, "He's taking a nap? Did he not sleep last night?"

"He probably spent the whole night with Mirajane searching for Lisanna," Erza guessed softly. "Let him rest."

...

At noon, the Magic Arena became lively again.

Today, the final championship would be decided, and even the guild's top members were eager to see the result.

Even Master Makarov didn't want to miss the match, and Laxus had shown up to watch as well. He was there to gather more information on Nate, determined to defeat him one day.

Only five contestants remained.

Today's match would take place on Sky Island.

Nate had temporarily remodeled Sky Island, designating a central area as the battlefield while setting up spectator stands.

Master Makarov personally took the role of referee, standing on a floating platform alongside Mirajane, who acted as the announcer.

"The final championship match is about to begin!"

"Contestants, please take the stage!"