Chapter 91: Forbidden Magic: Worms of Time!
Chapter 91: Chapter 91: Forbidden Magic: Worms of Time!
"Taking a vacation like this is a nice change, and the hotel's food is delicious. But, is it really okay to eat for free?"
Erza had a rather large appetite for a girl, but what was enviable was that despite eating a lot, her figure remained stunning. She looked gorgeous in her purple evening dress, radiating an elegant charm. Nate thought it must be due to her constant training and fighting, burning off all those calories.
"You're always so tense, always wearing armor..." Nate mused aloud before his curiosity got the better of him. "By the way, do you even own any casual clothes?"
"Casual clothes? Like these?" Erza pondered the question seriously for a moment.
"Requip!"
In a flash of golden light, the evening dress vanished, and Erza stood before the full-length mirror, admiring herself in a maid outfit.
Nate blinked in surprise, then burst into laughter. "Not that kind."
That outfit was more of a specialized battle-ready uniform.
"How about this one?" Erza changed again, this time into a black bunny girl costume. The outfit hugged her figure tightly, complete with a fluffy white tail, long legs wrapped in black stockings, and a pair of cute black bunny ears perched on her head.
Nate froze for a full ten seconds. 'Do you have a different definition of casual wear?' he thought, though he couldn't deny how sexy and alluring she looked. He had to resist the urge to embrace her.
"Your 'casual' outfit looks great!" Nate finally relented, deciding that if Erza considered it casual, he wouldn't argue.
Picking up on the amused tone in Nate's voice, Erza smiled slightly and said, "I'm going to take a shower. Or do you want to go first?"
"You go ahead."
With another flash, the bunny girl outfit disappeared, leaving Erza in nothing but a white towel, her long crimson hair tied up. Holding a bath bucket filled with toiletries, she headed for the bathroom.
"Your Requip magic really can conjure anything, huh?" Nate commented.
"Do you want to learn it? I can teach you."
"Can you?"
"Of course, Requip isn't that difficult."
Erza answered earnestly before entering the bathroom, her neatly prepared bath items in hand. Soon, the sound of running water filled the room.
Alone in the hotel room, with Erza in the shower, Nate's thoughts wandered as he listened to the water splashing. Then something occurred to him: her "Requip space" had also contained brand-new, unopened toiletries.
So, she must have been looking forward to this vacation too, Nate realized with a chuckle as he stepped out onto the balcony to enjoy the cool sea breeze. She was the type of person who meticulously planned every trip, considering every detail and preparing well in advance.
"That's kind of cute," Nate thought, smiling.
He pulled out four cards from his pocket. Earlier, the four people sealed within them had been clamoring to be freed, but now they had fallen silent. Resting the cards on the table, Nate reflected on how different this Card Magic was from Cana's. His version involved manipulating space. Thanks to his deep understanding of spatial magic, due to his Six Eyes, Nate had been able to grasp the principles of the magic and master it instantly.
"This is the first time I've learned new magic so quickly," Nate mused proudly. "Hopefully, I'll have more chances like this."
"Once the council's joint force arrives, I'll release them," Nate murmured, pocketing the cards once again. Just then, a system notification rang in his mind.
[Mission: Reach 30,000 registered users on the Magic Internet]
[Mission complete!]
"Oh? It's done already?" Nate murmured, surprised. "Jude works fast—what a top-tier businessman!"
He checked the system's data.
[Total registered users: 30,001]
In just a second, another "fresh recruit" had joined the platform.
"Nice, working with Jude was the right call," Nate thought, claiming his reward.
[Reward: Worms of Time]
[Detected: Host is in the Fairy Tail world—reward transforming...]
[Worms of Time → Parasite Magic: Worms of Time]
Suddenly, a vast amount of knowledge flooded Nate's mind. It wasn't time magic, nor summoning magic—it was a form of parasite magic.
The magic condensed into a Worm of Time, which would then parasitize someone. However, this wasn't a simple puppet-like control; it replaced the target's very existence.
"This is hard to explain... It's more complex than Fairy Law," Nate realized, amazed by its depth.
For example, if he used the Worms of Time to parasitize Erza, the parasitism would have already existed from the moment she was born, altering her entire life. From the beginning of time, the parasitism would have taken root, making her entire life transparent to him.
"It involves a degree of time manipulation, allowing parasitism from the start of time itself."
"Such a terrifying magic... This is the most forbidden of forbidden magics!"
Just then, the sound of the bathroom door opening interrupted Nate's thoughts. He turned to see Erza.
"Getting some fresh air? Be careful not to catch a cold," Erza said as she dried her wet hair. She suddenly remembered something and added, "Oh, the hotel's body wash wasn't great. I left mine in the bathroom for you to use."
She sat on the bed, crossing her long, pale legs, looking completely relaxed after her bath. Noticing that Nate was staring at her, she asked, "Aren't you going to shower?"
"On my way."
Nate thought to himself, 'Who wouldn't want to admire a beauty fresh out of the bath for a while?'
After showering, Nate returned to the room in just a pair of shorts. Erza was already in bed, wearing her pajamas.
"Should I sleep on the couch?" Nate asked hesitantly.
"You'll catch a cold. The bed's big enough for both of us," Erza replied, her head barely peeking out from under the covers. "What's wrong? Are you shy?"
'Shy, my foot,' Nate thought. 'I'm just worried I won't be able to control myself!'
Still, he climbed into bed, warning, "Just don't kick me off, okay?"
Erza yawned, "Hurry up and sleep. The joint force might arrive tomorrow."
With that, she lay down, already drifting off to sleep.
Nate sighed and slipped under the covers next to her, turning off the magic lamp. The room was immediately enveloped in darkness, the moonlight casting a soft glow through the large window.
Time passed.
"Erza?" Nate whispered in the dark.
"Hmm?" came her sleepy response.
"I'm a little afraid of the dark. Can I hold you?"
"Mm."
Without hesitation, Nate shifted closer, wrapping his arms around Erza's waist. The scent of her freshly washed hair and her soft skin was intoxicating.
'How am I supposed to sleep like this?' Nate thought, frustrated. 'I shouldn't have come!'
He closed his eyes and began counting sheep. One sheep, two sheep... and there she was, a sweet-smelling, soft "sheep."
'Damn it, stop thinking and sleep!'
The room fell silent, except for the soft sound of their breathing.
...
The next morning, Erza woke up first, feeling a tightness around her. Lifting the edge of the blanket, she realized Nate's hand had somehow slipped under her pajama top. Her face flushed as she carefully moved his hand away.
'Silly guy, what kind of sleeping habits are these?' she thought, her heart racing. She decided not to wake him and quietly got out of bed to prepare for the day.
Thinking back to the previous night, she couldn't help but laugh.
'Nate's afraid of the dark?'
~~~
3/9 Bonus Chapters!
(Note: If you don't understand the reference, Worms of Time is from the upcoming anime and webnovel "Lord of Mysteries")