Internet Magic in Fairy Tail

Nate effortlessly defeated Natsu, and no one in the guild seemed surprised by the outcome.

After handing the unconscious Natsu over to Igneel, Nate bid him farewell and left.

It had been several days since he had last returned home, and, strangely, he found himself missing his small apartment.

When he arrived, the place was spotless. It wasn’t hard to guess who had cleaned it—Lucy must have helped tidy up.

Hmm?

Nate suddenly paused. Even through the walls, he could sense a magic presence coming from the bathroom.

“Ahh~ So relaxing~”

A languid voice came from within.

Inside, Brandish was soaking in the bathtub, her chin resting on her hand while she lazily licked an ice cream. She stared at the bathroom ceiling, lost in thought.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the bathroom door.

Startled, Brandish turned toward the door, blinking blankly.

“Brandish, you know it’s illegal to trespass in someone else’s home, right?” Nate reminded her.

“Nate... Your Majesty, you’re back!” Brandish narrowed her eyes slightly, taking another lick of her ice cream.

“I didn’t exactly ‘break in.’ I knocked, and no one answered, so I let myself in.”

That’s trespassing, Nate thought silently but refrained from commenting further.

“At the very least, lock the door when you’re taking a bath. What are you here for?”

“My apologies, I’ve brought the one million rings you requested,” Brandish said casually.

She bit into her ice cream before taking off the pendant hanging from her neck and handing it to Nate.

“Here—aaaah…”

“Speak clearly.”

Nate walked over and took the pendant from her hand.

The moment he touched it, the pendant expanded into a large chest.

Placing it on the ground, he opened it to reveal piles of pristine rings, identical in design to the second-generation Magic Net rings, except these lacked the internet enchantments.

“These were made by Invel. He asked me to deliver them,” Brandish said, licking her ice cream again.

Invel’s efficiency is incredible, Nate mused, nodding in approval. Exactly one week, as promised—one million rings ready.

He had underestimated the production capabilities of the Alvarez Empire.

“Well done. This deserves a reward,” Nate said with satisfaction, lifting the chest and heading out of the bathroom.

“By the way, where did you get the ice cream?”

“I bought it on the way here. Want some?”

Brandish offered the partially eaten ice cream to Nate with a generous smile.

Nate’s mouth twitched. She actually had the nerve to offer him something she’d already licked.

“You can keep it,” he replied, dismissing her with a wave before carrying the chest to the living room.

Sitting down, Nate began the laborious process of enchanting the rings.

One million rings—this was going to take hours of work.

A little while later, Brandish emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in a towel.

She casually strolled over and sat on the bed. Her pale, slender right leg crossed gracefully over her left, her elbow resting on her knee as she propped her chin on her hand.

Her relaxed, languid demeanor radiated an air of nonchalance. Watching Nate work, she tilted her head slightly, curiosity flickering in her green eyes.

“Your Majesty, doesn’t enchanting each ring with internet magic take too long?”

Enchanting wasn’t difficult—he could manage a handful of rings in one second—but the sheer number made the task repetitive and tiresome.

Nate paused mid-action and glanced up at her, feeling an odd sense of irony.

It was as though he were the boss working hard while the employee lounged around, watching him labor.

“Your magic is Shape Magic (Command T), right?” Nate asked.

“Yes,” Brandish replied.

“Then help me,” Nate instructed, pointing at the pile of rings. “Shrink them down so I can hold a larger batch at once.”

“Hey~~ Your Majesty, you’re a genius!”

Brandish’s eyes lit up, and she immediately understood Nate’s idea.

She stood up from the bed, walked over to Nate, and crouched beside him to use her magic on the rings in the chest.

To be fair, Nate wasn’t trying to look, but he couldn’t help noticing—under the towel, there was nothing else.

He sighed, wearing an expression of helplessness.

“Could you be a little more mindful? You know it could… uh, show.”@@novelbin@@

“Huh?”

Brandish froze for a moment and then, after about three seconds, her face visibly reddened.

She quickly shifted from a crouching position to sitting with her legs tucked under her, tugging the towel lower to cover herself more effectively.

“......”

Nate didn’t even know how to respond. This girl was clueless in the most peculiar way.

“Go put some clothes on first.”

“My clothes are dirty...”

“Wait here.”

Nate got up, went to the wardrobe, and tossed her a few pieces of his clothing.

“Just wear these for now. I don’t have any women’s clothes here.”

Lucy’s place next door probably had some, but it wouldn’t be polite to borrow hers without permission.

“Thanks, Your Majesty~”

Taking the clothes, Brandish ran off to the bathroom to change. When she returned, she was wearing Nate’s oversized clothing.

Given that her height was similar to Lucy’s, the outfit looked comically large on her.

“All right, come help out.”

“Got it!”

Brandish used her magic to shrink all the rings, making them incredibly small. With her help, Nate could hold hundreds of thousands of rings in his palm at once and enchant them in a single go.

Once the enchantments were complete, she restored them to their original size.

“Your magic is really convenient,” Nate remarked.

With Brandish’s magic, even if he had a billion rings, he could process them all in a single batch.

“There’s plenty more back in the empire. They’re producing around 200,000 rings a day,” Brandish said.

“By the way, Your Majesty, why do you need so many rings?”

“To expand the internet to the northern continent.”

“The continent of Guiltina?”

“You’ve heard of it?”

“I’ve never been there, but I’ve heard about it,” Brandish said, shaking her head.

“The world’s first mage guild, Magia Dragon, was founded there.”

Magia Dragon, established in X633, was the world’s very first legal guild and is referred to as the Original Guild.

That was over 150 years ago.

In the eastern continent of Ishgar, with its more than five hundred mage guilds, the magic world is governed by the Magic Council, ERA.

In the western continent of Alakitasia, its seven hundred–plus guilds formed the massive Alvarez Empire.

The northern continent’s situation is somewhat similar to Ishgar’s. Their magic world is also overseen by a Magic Council known as MИP.

However, since Nate transmigrated before the “100 Years Quest” arc was fully serialized, his knowledge about the northern council was limited.

“With the rings ready, who should I send to the northern continent? My second father-in-law, perhaps?”

Immediately, Nate thought of Gildarts.

But Gildarts had been wandering who knows where.

Thinking for a moment, Nate opened the Magic Net and sent a private message.

Sigma Male: “Gildarts, where are you?”

Gildarts, currently online and playing poker, quickly replied.

Gone Fishing: “I’m at the Land of Isvan’s famous ice-fishing grounds. It’s fantastic here! Wanna join me, Nate? 👍”

Land of Isvan? Isn’t that Ur’s hometown?

Located in the northern region of Ishgar, the Land of Isvan is known for its snowy climate year-round.

It’s also the place where Ur sealed Deliora.

So Gildarts is ice-fishing in the northern lands? No surprise for a guy whose slogan is practically “Where to Fish Next?”

Nate rolled his eyes inwardly.

Sigma Male: “Gildarts, I’ve developed a new ‘regeneration potion’ that can restore your missing arm and leg. 😁”

Sigma Male: “But there’s a tiny favor I’d like to ask in return. 😁”

Gone Fishing: “!?”

Gone Fishing: “I’ve known about you and Cana for a long time, y’know. 😏”