Internet Magic in Fairy Tail

Who is the most beautiful woman in the world?

If you asked Siri, it might respond, “Is it you, Snow White?”

If you asked another AI, it would likely come up with something equally nonsensical.

And then there’s Church of Truth AI:

Church of Truth: “Sorry, I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

Ultear turned to her boyfriend, a question mark practically floating above her head.

Nate clenched his fists in mock frustration. “It’s still an idiot AI. Wait a second; let me upgrade your account permissions.”

He opened his back-end system and elevated Ultear’s account, Witch of Pain, to higher access.

Church of Truth had two layers of architecture:

1. The first layer was artificial intelligence.

2. The second layer connected directly to the Gate of Truth.

“All right, it’s ready. Now you can ask, and the Gate of Truth will give you a real answer,” Nate explained.

“Are you sure? This thing seems pretty dumb,” Ultear said with a chuckle, then began typing again.

Witch of Pain: “Who is the most beautiful woman in the world?”

Church of Truth: “Based on the principle of equivalent exchange, this answer requires 100 faith points. Confirm?”

Ultear, not knowing what faith points were, simply typed confirm.

The response appeared immediately.

Church of Truth:

“‘The most beautiful woman’ is a subjective concept, not an objective truth.”

“Ultear, based on your preferences and personality, you already have an answer in your heart.”

“According to your understanding, the most beautiful woman is your mother, Ur.”

Ultear’s eyes widened in surprise.

This so-called “dumb AI” had suddenly become incredibly smart, tailoring the answer to her specifically.

She turned to Nate with an impressed smile. “This is actually pretty fun.”

“Ask something worthwhile next,” Nate said, shaking his head in exasperation.

“Hmm, let me think…” Ultear absentmindedly played with her hair, her mind turning over ideas. Suddenly, her eyes lit up.

Witch of Pain: “Who is Nate’s favorite woman?”

Skipping the confirmation phase, the Gate of Truth immediately responded.

Church of Truth: “You.”

“Huh?” Ultear blinked, then turned to Nate, narrowing her eyes. “Did you predict my question and program the answer in advance?”

“Nope. The Gate of Truth’s answers represent the ultimate truth!” Nate declared with mock righteousness.

“You’re my favorite, baby.”

“Yeah, right.”

Despite her denial, the corners of Ultear’s lips curled upward.

“You totally rigged it,” she said with a playful pout, “but that makes me happy anyway.”

Like a graceful serpent, she wrapped herself around him. Nate embraced her, and their shared affection carried them upstairs to the bedroom.

…

The Next Morning

Nate left Ultear to sleep in and headed to the council headquarters.

By now, visiting the council felt like walking into his own home. He went straight to the chairman’s office, where Ur was busy coordinating alliances with various guilds to form an anti-Tartaros task force.

When she saw Nate, she let out a long sigh.

“I’m so busy. No wonder none of you wanted to be chairman.”

“Hard work pays off,” Nate replied with a grin. “How’s the Second Master doing?”

“He’s still in prison. The official pardon documents are ready, so you can pick him up whenever you like.”

Ur handed him a stamped document. Nate skimmed through it before asking, “What about the five members of Oración Seis? They said they wanted to swear allegiance to me.”

“They’ve been sentenced to life imprisonment,” Ur replied, narrowing her eyes.

“Even as chairman, I can’t pardon them without a council vote.”

“I plan to assign them to the new Enforcement Division,” Nate said matter-of-factly.

“Are you even listening to me?!” Ur sighed. “Even if we release them, it has to go through a vote.”

With Nate essentially controlling the council through his allies—Makarov, Warrod, and Ur herself—votes were little more than a formality. Together, they held 4.5 out of the eight total votes, effectively tying up the council.

If Nate wanted to dissolve the Magic Council entirely, he could probably pass the motion.

Ur warned, “Don’t forget, the number one-ranked Saint, God Serena, hasn’t returned yet. When he does, you won’t have free rein anymore.”

“Serena, huh? I wonder where he’s hiding,” Nate mused.

If Serena returned, Nate wouldn’t have enough votes to push through everything as easily.

Now there was an empty spot in the council, and Nate needed to fill it with someone trustworthy—perhaps Ultear or Erza?

After leaving the office with the pardon documents, Nate encountered Mest in the hallway.

“Mest!”

The man turned and bowed respectfully. “Nate-sama.”

“You’re in Intelligence, right? Got your memory back yet?”

“Master Makarov helped restore it last night, but it’s still a bit fuzzy,” Mest admitted.

“He wants me to return to Fairy Tail, but I’d like to stay here a little longer.”

Nate, ever the advocate for slacking off, didn’t understand why anyone would want to stay in such a demanding job. Still, having an ally in Intelligence could be useful.

“Maybe I’ll get you promoted to Head Captain,” Nate muttered.

“Huh?”

“Nothing,” Nate said. “Come with me to the prison.”

“I’ll arrange a carriage for you,” Mest offered.@@novelbin@@

“No need.” Nate placed a hand on Mest’s shoulder. “We’ll teleport. Your spatial magic is good, but my Flying Thunder God is better.”

With a flash of gold light, the two disappeared.

…

At the Prison

At the prison entrance, Nate handed Mest the pardon documents.

“Go get them.”

Mest looked at him, dumbfounded.

“Do I look like a jailer to you? I’m an intelligence officer!”

“Just go,” Nate said, waving him off.

Mest sighed and reluctantly walked off. Before long, he returned with Precht and the five members of Oración Seis.

“Good morning, Second Master, and to the rest of Oración Seis,” Nate greeted them with a smile.

“How’s the air of freedom treating you?”

Angel couldn’t help but ask, “Does the council belong to your family? You just say the word, and they let us out?”

“Exactly. It’s my family business!” Nate replied confidently.

Oración Seis: …